Most Democratic Presidential Candidates Support Legalizing Marijuana

Most Democratic candidates running for president in 2020 support marijuana legalization, The New York Times reports. The issue has become a litmus test for their commitment to equal treatment for all races in criminal justice and policing. Candidates are also talking about legalization in terms of fighting economic inequality, the article notes.

“A Democrat who is not on board with legalization or addressing it in terms of repairing harms brought by prohibition for decades is going to have a tough time convincing any voter they’re serious about racial justice,” said Vincent M. Southerland, Executive Director of the Center on Race, Inequality and the Law at New York University Law School.

Candidates who have said they support marijuana legalization include Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke. Amy Klobuchar says she supports the right of states to decide about legalization.