Marianne Williamson, a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, sharply criticized the Biden administration and Congress for slow-walking marijuana reform, accusing lawmakers of “hypocrisy” for failing to legalize hashish on the similar time that they’re privately utilizing unlawful medicine.
At a marketing campaign occasion in New Hampshire on Thursday, Williamson took questions on her drug coverage platform, reiterating her dedication to legalizing marijuana and psychedelics remedy if elected, whereas slamming the protracted marijuana scheduling evaluation course of that President Joe Biden directed.
Don Murphy, a lobbyist with the Marijuana Management Marketing campaign, particularly requested Williamson to weigh in on the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS) advice to maneuver marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Managed Substances Act (CSA), which was not too long ago confirmed with the discharge of tons of of paperwork detailing the company’s scientific findings.
“One of many first issues I’d do is deschedule marijuana. It’s ridiculous. Deschedule it—not solely let everybody out of a jail who was there on marijuana-related fees, but additionally expunge these data,” the candidate replied.
“That’s my plan,” she mentioned, continuing to mock the Biden administration’s evaluation.
“Oh, there’s a 200-page doc [from HHS] saying we’ve been lied to about marijuana,” she mentioned sarcastically. “Are you able to imagine it?’”
“How lengthy do you assume it’s going to take? Isn’t that attention-grabbing?” Williamson mentioned. “Let me let you know what you could have with me: a freaking signature of the president of the USA.”
She then ridiculed the concept that Congress would follow-up on the rescheduling advice with “hearings about marijuana.”
“Have you learnt what number of of these folks do medicine?” she mentioned. “The hypocrisy of this example.”
Later, Howard Wooldrige of Residents Opposing Prohibition, a retired police officer, additionally requested the candidate about her drug coverage stance, saying whereas he appreciates her proposal to broadly decriminalize at the moment illicit substances, the unregulated market would nonetheless be capable of capitalize off it with out regulating the availability.
“I hope that you’ll have a look at my drug coverage as a result of it’s completely that,” Williamson replied. “You begin with decriminalization, put together a plan for legalization, and you must companion with hurt discount. So there’s loads to do. We will’t simply go in instantly, go over to legalization.”
She went on to debate racial disparities in drug criminalization and mentioned “this whole coverage is riddled with injustice.”
The Warfare on Medicine has utterly didn’t alleviate the issue it supposedly got down to clear up. It has solely created extra issues, fueling mass incarceration and violence at residence and overseas. Now we have spent $1 trillion and proceed to spend $100 billion yearly on the failed drug…
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) January 18, 2024
“Most conventional politicians gained’t even contact” drug coverage reform, she mentioned. “That’s the issue. Most conventional politicians won’t focus on crucial points that we face.”
Williamson has probably the most formidable reform agendas of the remaining 2024 presidential candidates, and he or she’s distinguished her platform with distinctive proposals, together with redirecting funds away from drug criminalization to fund a “nationwide community” of free psychedelic therapeutic companies,” for instance.
“The Warfare on Medicine has utterly didn’t alleviate the issue it supposedly got down to clear up,” she mentioned final month. “It has solely created extra issues, fueling mass incarceration and violence at residence and overseas.”
Minnesota Marijuana Regulators Advocate Fixes To Legalization Legislation To Pace Up Licensing And Open Minimal Of 381 Retailers
Picture ingredient courtesy of Matt Johnson.
