At a town hall meeting televised on Wednesday, two prominent members of Congress made jokes about marijuana. One even said that the drug should be legalized across more states.
In a CNN-hosted speech, Sen. Bernie Sanders made an enigmatic comment about cannabis while rejecting the calls of some Republicans for the shutdown to be ended before negotiations over healthcare.
“No. Their history shows that the have experienced months upon months. Sanders pointed out that “this isn’t a brand new phenomenon.” “Ever since Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ was passed, we knew this was happening.”
“I think anyone who believes that they’ll start to negotiate tomorrow, I believe, is smoking something illegal in many States,” he stated, referring marijuana.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York (D-NY), chime in, saying that marijuana “should be legalized in more” States.
They have both supported the reform of cannabis policy for a long time.
Sanders was the first presidential candidate in 2016 to support marijuana legalization. He also filed the first-ever Senate bill to end federal cannabis prohibition.
Sanders 2020 released a plan for marijuana reform outlining the steps that he will take to eliminate federal cannabis prohibition, and make sure the industry is fair. At one point the independent senator said that he would use executive action to federally legalize marijuana in all 50 states on the first day of his presidency.
Ocasio-Cortez voted on House Floor in support of bills legalizing cannabis at federal level and she has introduced legislation that encourages the expungement or cannabis convictions by states.
She criticized in an interview she gave to MEDCAN24 this past year the anti-cannabis views held by the acting director of the Drug Enforcement Administration of the Trump Administration. “Maybe he should deschedule cannabis so that it can be studied freely.”
Does he hold a medical qualification? The congresswoman stated that he does not even hold a medical diploma. She added, “We can also learn lessons from states which have not criminalized cannabis but treated it the same way as alcohol or many other drugs.”
Ocasio-Cortez said last year that Donald Trump was faking support for marijuana reform, as he ran for the current term of office.
She told MEDCAN24 that his position in support of federal rescheduling, and access to industry banks, “sounds a Hail Mary” to her, and added, “I do not think he is serious.”