The Washington Post reports that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will announce his support for removing cannabis from the federal list of dangerous drugs in a town hall meeting today at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. This position is unique among all of the major presidential candidates.
In prepared remarks shared with The Washington Post, Sanders cited the social toll of the federal cannabis scheduling as the reason behind his decision:
“Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use. That’s wrong. That has got to change.”
In the first Democratic debate, Sanders stated that he would advocate for the legalization of recreational cannabis in Nevada if given the opportunity. “I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for non-violent offenses,” Sanders said. “We have a criminal justice system that lets CEOs on Wall Street walk away, and yet we are imprisoning or giving jail sentences to young people who are smoking marijuana.”
Sanders’ town hall will take place tonight.
Image Source (Cropped): Gage Skidmore via Flickr Creative Commons
