Hillary Clinton Vs. Bernie Sanders What would they do for Marijuana

Democratic Incumbent Hillary Clinton delivered her classic memorized speech polished by the finest grad students at Yale in the campaign’s first Democratic presidential debate, during which she was asked whether she supports legalization of marijuana. Her response, not surprising given she wants to win was that she did not.  Her response: 

“We have got to stop imprisoning people who use marijuana,” she said. “Therefore, we need more states, cities, and the federal government to begin to address this so that we don’t have this terrible result that Senator Sanders was talking about where we have a huge population in our prisons for nonviolent, low-level offenses that are primarily due to marijuana.”

Her opponent Bernie Sanders (anyone else think of KFC when you hear this guys name) was asked specifically about the Nevada marijuana legalization initiative that voters in that state will be voting on in 2016. In response he (threw his hand up in the air and smashed a guitar, lol I wish) that he would vote for it. I guess meaning he’s in favour. Given that the pro-pot legalization community praised him for his answer. Bernie Sanders, said,

“I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for non-violent offenses,” he said. “We have a criminal justice system that lets CEOs on Wall Street walk away, and yet we are imprisoning or giving jail sentences to young people who are smoking marijuana.” (CNN)

Tom Angell, chairman of the pro-pot group Marijuana Majority, said,

“Legalization is at the forefront of mainstream American politics, and politicians are starting to treat it as such.”

“As a point of reference, in 2008 no major candidate even supported decriminalization when asked in a debate, and our movement had to chase them around New Hampshire and repeatedly harass them just to garner pledges to stop federal raids on state-legal medical marijuana patients,” he said. (CNN)

Hillary Clinton is a flip flopper changing her mind about marijuana as fast as a hooker flips tricks, but alas her classic politician like behaviour is nothing new and comes to no surprise to anyone. Probably trying to drum up support amongst the mom and pops and nuclear families that live in a fenced in prison community with armed guards.

Anyways get this the day after the first presidential debate Clinton said that she supports removing marijuana from a list of schedule 1 drugs, a classification that prevents federally-sponsored research into its effects. As a schedule 1 drug, marijuana is classified among the most dangerous drugs that the federal Drug Enforcement Agency regulates. Washington Post

“We haven’t done research, why? Because it’s considered a schedule 1 drug,” Clinton said during a town hall meeting at Claflin University in South Carolina on Saturday. “I’d like to move it from schedule 1 to schedule 2.”

Before you go having a party and jumping up and down schedule 1 which is basically the worst putting pot with the likes of cocaine and crack and meth. Now she’s alluding to changing the offences to less punishable offences but for it to still remain a criminal offence.

Schedule II explained:

First Offense: Not less than 5 yrs. and not more than 40 yrs.  If death or serious bodily injury, not less than 20 yrs. or more than life. Fine of not more than $5 million if an individual, $25 million if not an individual.

Second Offense: Not less than 10 yrs. and not more than life. If death or serious bodily injury, life imprisonment.  Fine of not more than $8 million if an individual, $50 million if not an individual.

I’ll just add what a joke seriously Clinton did you look at the classification list. Marijuana the big bad monster that’s used for legitimate purposes for people suffering from many diseases is to the in the same category still as Cocaine 500-4999 grams mixture, Cocaine Crack 28-279 grams mixture! (DEA)

Let’s drive this message home. Clinton won’t legalize anything and is trying to impress upon you a promise of 5 years in jail versus 10 years in jail for the first offence if your caught with xxx amount of marijuana according to the federal law. Wow jeez thanks Clinton so someone who’s got 30 grams if still going to jail and has a criminal record and basically can’t get a job or travel ever again in their whole life… Fantastic!

Bernie Sanders however seems to be sending the message that he would un-schedule marijuana given his recent support for the Nevada state citizen initiative.
“The rescheduling of marijuana is a step in the right direction, but only going down to Schedule II is mostly a symbolic move,” said Tom Angell, chairman of the pro-marijuana group Marijuana Majority. “It may make research slightly easier, but on its own wouldn’t do anything to protect seriously ill people who are using marijuana in accordance with state laws from being harassed by the DEA.”

“Only changing the federal criminal statutes can effectively do that,” he added.