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Former Vice President and 2020 hopeful Joe Biden said he’s against legalizing marijuana on the federal level because, in his words, it could be a “gateway drug.” What could change his mind? As he explained during a town hall in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, Nov. 17, he wants to see more research before legalizing the substance nationwide.
"The truth of the matter is, there's not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug," Biden stated. "It's a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it."
Compared to other 2020 front-runners, Biden is pretty isolated on this take. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have both promised to legalize marijuana on the federal level by executive action if they become president. Sens. Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former HUD secretary Julián Castro have also said they support legalization.
What does Biden want? Biden noted he believes “states should be able to make a judgment to legalize marijuana” in terms of recreational use. He also stressed that he does support medical marijuana, as well as decriminalizing possession of the drug.
Right now, under federal law marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance, right up there beside LSD and heroin. The Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes marijuana as a drug “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
In the past, Biden has suggested he wants to classify marijuana as a Schedule II drug in order to study its impacts, so his argument lines up—it’s just not evolving at the rate of his peers. And as Mother Jones dug deep into, his views on marijuana haven’t changed much in decades.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted about Biden’s take.
Recreational marijuana is legal in 11 states plus D.C. Thirty-three states recognize marijuana for medical use and 15 states have decriminalized it. Whether or not someone personally uses marijuana, legalization has long been established as a racial justice issue. Hundreds and thousands of people—particularly low-income black and Latino people—have been incarcerated because of marijuana. And lest you think people are punished “fairly” for their drug use (or selling, or growing, or so on), studies show again and again that people in the United States both sell and use marijuana at about the same rate, regardless of race. And studies also show that a black person is nearly four times more likely than a white person to be arrested for possessing marijuana.
The current federal status of marijuana also has a negative impact on some of the most vulnerable people in the nation. For example, as previously covered at Daily Kos, people who live in federally funded public housing risk eviction for possessing or using marijuana, even if it’s for a medical need.
“It is not irrational to do more scientific investigation to determine, which we have not done significantly enough, whether or not there are any things that relate to whether it’s a gateway drug or not,” Biden continued at the town hall. Compared to other candidates in the race, like Sen. Harris, who have enormously evolved on marijuana, Biden’s take isn’t irrational, per se, but it’s not particularly progressive, either.
And on a lighter note, watch this classic piece of propaganda. The jury is out on whether or not this scared anyone away from trying pot: