United States: Bernie Sanders launches a petition to legalize cannabis

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the unsuccessful candidate in the most recent Democratic primaries, launched last week a petition on its website to legalize cannabis and, more broadly, put an end to the war on drugs.

In an email sent to his campaign mailing list, Bernie Sanders writes that the federal government’s anti-cannabis stance is «an issue with significant consequences.».

Citing racial disparities in law enforcement, Sanders notes that «cannabis prohibition is only part of a broader war on drugs that has failed and led to a serious national crisis of mass incarceration.»

He is asking his supporters to sign his petition calling on members of Congress to treat drugs as a public health issue rather than a criminal justice issue and to «invest in programs focused on treatment and prevention.»

Describing the reclassification of cannabis as a «first step,» he argues that the current classification of cannabis in a more restrictive category than cocaine «makes no sense.».

«Let the states decide how to handle cannabis, just as they do with alcohol,» he wrote. «More and more states are moving toward decriminalization. Let them make their own decisions without federal interference.»

This isn't Bernie Sanders' first attempt. In 2015, Bernie Sanders presented a bill to the Senate the very first A motion to reclassify cannabis. With no co-sponsors, it came up empty-handed.

During her presidential campaign, the cannabis legalization was also part of his program.

However, he had to step aside for Hillary Clinton following the Democratic Party primary.