September 7, 2015

Senator Elizabeth Warren is ‘Open To’ Marijuana Legalization

September 7, 2015
elizabeth warren marijuana
elizabeth warren marijuana
(image via Wikipedia)

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren has been at the top of many Democrat’s list of who they would support to be the next President of the United States. Elizabeth Warren does not appear to have the desire to run, at least not this election, but there has been speculation that she would be willing to be added as a Vice President candidate. I guess only time will tell on all of that. Most marijuana consumers have been disappointed over the years with Elizabeth Warren’s stance on marijuana legalization.

In 2011 Elizabeth Warren was clearly against marijuana legalization, and even went as far as going after a Republican opponent for his support of marijuana reform. That tune has appeared to change. Late last week news broke that Elizabeth Warren stated that she is ‘open’ to marijuana legalization if it appears on the next election ballot in her home state. Tom Angell broke it down on Marijuana.Com recently:

“I’m open to it,” she said, when asked about a legalization initiative that may appear on her home state of Massachusetts’s ballot next year…on Wednesday, Warren told the Boston Globe that “we’ve learned more. A couple of states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Frankly, I think we ought to be learning what we can from those states.”

While the senator has opposed full legalization in the past, she has cited the U.S.’s high number of marijuana arrests to criticize the fact that financial crimes are not prosecuted as much as she would like. ”A kid gets caught with a few ounces of pot and goes to jail, but a big bank launders drug money and no one gets arrested,” she said at the liberal Netroots Nation conference last year. “The game is rigged!”

In Wednesday’s interview, Warren criticized the way scientific inquiry on marijuana has been stymied and stigmatized. “It’s just kind of a crazy thing, this country, for so long has done this like, ‘Marijuana, you know, no!’ We can’t even do scientific research around it. And so I’ve been pushing to say we ought to explore it and see what the consequences of marijuana use are.

So does Elizabeth Warren support marijuana legalization? Not quite. She hasn’t gone as far as endorsing marijuana legalization, in Massachusetts or elsewhere. However, she has moved away from a staunch ‘no’ when it comes to marijuana legalization, which is a good step in the right direction. Hopefully she comes to her senses sooner than later and gets all the way on the right side of history, rather than sitting on the fence.

 

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