By Bridget Hennessy
The issue of cannabis legalization got some play Tuesday night during the 10th Democratic Presidential Candidate Debate in South Carolina. It’s about time. The issue hasn’t been much of a focus for the debates since they started last summer, save for a memorable line from the Atlanta debate back in November. Commenting on former Vice President Joe Biden’s unenlightened position on cannabis legalization, which Biden announced earlier that week, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker incredulously charged the former Veep: “I thought you might have been high when you said it…”
Biden has since clarified his position somewhat. Booker, one of the most pro-legalization elected officials in our country, dropped out of the race in January.
On Tuesday, it was Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (not the first candidate among the seven on stage one immediately thinks of when you say “cannabis legalization”) who got the joint rolling. Asked to comment on how “realistic” Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign promise to legalize cannabis nationwide on his first day in office, Klobuchar voiced her support for legalization, adding a plug for substance abuse treatment programs. But, noting the complexity of legalization and the related effort to expunge prior cannabis convictions, she noted: “You maybe can’t do that on Day One.”
The opportunity for a deeper dive into the achievability of Sanders’ ambitious pledge was, unfortunately, lost. I was disappointed, as it’s a provocative scheme to consider. Advocates have praised Sanders for such an aspirational promise, and for elevating cannabis legalization to a “Day One” issue. But the legality, reality, practicality and functionality questions about doing it are many. Policy pundits from both sides of the aisle have raised a myriad of red flags and hot buttons, including congressional obstacles, cabinet agency authority and resistance from states (particularly state and local law enforcement).
After Klobuchar’s response, the floodgates were open and the gloves came off, with debate stage newcomer, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, getting the most heat. Although he hit all the right points when it came to minor possession decriminalization and criminal records expungement, his stance on cannabis as an addictive drug that should not be federally legalized was unequivocal: “. . . the evidence so far is worrisome. . . until we know the science, it’s just nonsensical to push ahead,” he stated. Bloomberg, and to a large extent Biden, are the only candidates among the seven on stage that do not support full legalization.
For his part, Sanders, who broke ground as the first major presidential candidate to call for legalization when he first ran for president in 2016, used his time to vigorously defend his promise. “We are going to legalize marijuana on Day One of my presidency,” he reiterated, adding that his administration would also “provide help to the African American, Latino, Native American community to start businesses to sell legal marijuana rather than let a few corporations control the legalized marijuana market.”
And let’s not forget Joe Biden, who has yet to declare unequivocal support for full legalization and is struggling to present a clear and comprehensive policy platform regarding the issue. The former vice president tried to insert his social justice bona fides into the fray, appropriately noting, “I wrote the bill that set up drug courts.” He was unable to say more, unfortunately as the program moderator cut him off to go to a commercial break.
What didn’t we hear? Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren recently unveiled a thoughtful, comprehensive and forward-moving legalization plan that advocates have praised and even critics privately conceded is near “policy perfect.” I’m hoping she gets more opportunities on the campaign trail to talk about it, rather than relying on voters to find and read it.
And what of the others? We know that former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and entrepreneurs and environmental Tom Steyer support legalization, but not much else beyond that. Their policy proposals, based on their beliefs and civic principles regarding social equity, civil rights, states’ rights, criminal justice, cannabis as medicine and personal freedom provide a window into a candidate’s political soul. It’s a view voters need to have as they consider who deserves their support.
The next, and final Democratic National Committee-sponsored debate is March 15 in Arizona. We should expect a few of the candidates to abandon their bids by April, giving voters the opportunity to zero in on the remaining and their policy positions.
Several of my “cannabis voter” friends have expressed frustration that the number of candidates and the extended primary season has made it overwhelming to study and compare the cannabis views of the Democratic candidates. They plan to wait until the field narrows to do their homework. I’ve cautioned against that and suggest they carve out time now to look at all the current candidates — and even some that have already left the race.
We’ve been given a unique opportunity to actually see what’s around the corner. The debates have not just introduced us to a possible next president; but also a possible next vice president; future key cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, governors, senators and other elected and appointed leaders. And the next generation thought leaders, change-makers and influential public voices? You’ve been hearing from them since last June.
No matter the outcome of the November election, all of the candidates who made their way on the campaign trail this cycle will play a role (some bigger than others) in national and international policy — and that includes cannabis legalization. So it’s worth getting to know them now and learn more about their positions now. The debates and campaigns have been a peek into the future of public policy-making from one party’s corner. There’s nothing debatable about that.
