Presidential hopefuls drag their feet on cannabis

Last week was a reminder that marijuana regulation at the federal level is very different than it is on a state-by-state basis.

On Tuesday, June 25, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize marijuana. A day later, 10 Democratic presidential candidates took to a stage in Miami for the first debate of the 2020 election cycle. The day after, 10 more did the same.

Twenty candidates, two days, and only the slightest whiff of weed.

Personally, I associate marijuana and presidential politics with each other more than I probably should, because the first presidential election in which I could vote, 2012, coincided with the legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado. Last week showed that the two are in no way related to one another.

Since those two states legalized use of the drug in 2012, the national perception of marijuana has steadily moved towards a more positive place. National law, however, has not.

Read more: https://www.inlander.com/spokane/presidential-hopefuls-drag-their-feet-on-cannabis/Content?oid=17889594
(Spokane Inlander)