Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who is running for president in 2020, has revealed his plan this week to legalize marijuana by executive order within the first 100 days of his administration if he wins the election.
If he wins the presidency, Sanders plans to sign an executive order directing the attorney general to declassify marijuana as a controlled substance. This will remove it from the drug scheduling system and effectively legalizing weed at the federal level.
Sanders wants to then push Congress to pass a bill to “ensure permanent legalization of marijuana.” After it’s legalized at the federal level, states would also still need to legalize within their own borders.
“Too many lives were ruined due to the disastrous criminalization of marijuana,” Sanders wrote in a tweet when announcing his plan.
Sanders also calls for expunging all past marijuana-related convictions.
“When we talk about criminal justice reform and ending institutional racism in America, we are talking about ending the disastrous War on Drugs, which has disproportionately targeted people of color and ruined the lives of millions of Americans,” his campaign stated.
“It is time to admit the criminalization of marijuana was a disaster, especially for communities of color, and allow those most impacted to move forward with their lives. Our job now is to legalize marijuana and vacate and expunge past marijuana convictions, and ensure that revenue from legal marijuana is reinvested in communities hit hardest by the War on Drugs.”
