Where Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Stands On Marijuana - Grow Life 420
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Where Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Stands On Marijuana

August 14, 2019

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Entrepreneur Andrew Yang entered the race to become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee way back on November 6, 2017.

While marijuana hasn’t played a central role in Yang’s campaign, he supports legalization and has proposed several drug policy reforms since announcing his candidacy. That includes plans to decriminalize opioid possession and provide waivers for military veterans to access medical cannabis.

Legislation And Policy Actions

Yang has never before held public office, so he doesn’t have a record of policy accomplishments to review. Instead, in addition to being an entrepreneur, he’s worked in the nonprofit sector and as a philanthropist who has earned accolades for his efforts to create job opportunities for disadvantaged communities.

On The Campaign Trail

Since launching his campaign, Yang has advocated for ending marijuana prohibition, stating that “it’s already legal” in a growing number of states and that “criminalizing it does more harm than good.” He’s also pledged to “pardon those in prison for non-violent marijuana-related offenses.”

He also tweeted that “[i]nstead of pardoning billionaires I’d pardon non-violent marijuana and opiate offenders.”

The candidate said that the “criminalization of marijuana is stupid and racist, particularly now that it’s legal in some states.”

“We should proceed with full legalization and pardon of those in jail for non-violent marijuana-related offenses,” he said.

In October, Yang said that Canada legalized cannabis and that the U.S. “should follow suit and remove it from the federal controlled substance list and then regulate.”

Yang drew attention in April when he said he’d pardon all non-violent drug offenders on the unofficial marijuana holiday 4/20.

“I would legalize marijuana and I would pardon everyone who’s in jail for a non-violent, drug-related offense,” he said. “I would pardon them all on April 20, 2021 and I would high five them on their way out of jail.”

But shortly after making that pronouncement, Yang walked back his proposal, saying that only those convicted of non-violent marijuana offenses would be eligible under his mass clemency plan.

His campaign website does state that the candidate would institute a policy of identifying non-violent drug offenders “for probation and potential early release.”

That site also includes a bold proposal to decriminalize possession and use of opioids as a means of mitigating the drug crisis.

“While those who brought this plague on our citizens must face serious consequences, we need to make sure that those who are afflicted by the illness of addiction are treated and not criminalized,” the site states. “The individuals behind pharmaceutical companies who promoted these drugs as non-addictive while knowing better are the ones who belong in jail, not those who fell prey to addiction.”

“It is possible that criminalizing opiates decreases access and use. But for a public health crisis of this magnitude, the criminal justice system seems to be a terrible first resort. It pushes a lot of the activity underground and makes addicts more likely to hide their addiction. Addiction is a disease—you shouldn’t criminalize people that you are trying to help. Especially when it may be partially your fault that they got addicted in the first place.”

During a CNN town hall event in April, Yang pointed to countries such as Portugal that have decriminalized personal consumption of drugs, arguing that those engaged in drug trafficking should be held accountable in the criminal justice system but that those caught possessing small amounts of illicit substances should be referred to treatment.

However, he said his proposal would apply to opioids and specifically not cocaine because, he said, “the addiction has very different features.”

Yang also released a plan that would provide military veterans with waivers so that they can access medical cannabis, even in states where it’s not legal.

“The scientific evidence that certain controlled substances—particularly marijuana—are particularly effective at treating certain ailments common to veterans (e.g., PTSD) and for pain management,” he said.

Asked if he felt any particular substances beside marijuana hold promise in the treatment of such conditions, Yang told Marijuana Moment through a Twitter direct message that MDMA represents one example of a drug that should be considered.

In August 2018, Yang wrote that while he’s for legalization, “many users do find it addictive and we should have intelligent safeguards in place like limiting advertising and THC levels. We should learn from our past.”

During a campaign stop in Portland, Yang signed a bong.

Andrew Yang signed a bong in Portland from r/YangForPresidentHQ

Previous Quotes And Social Media Posts

It does not appear that Yang discussed marijuana publicly or on social media prior to filing his presidential campaign with the Federal Election Commission in November 2017.

Personal Experience With Marijuana

Yang has not publicly talked about whether he has personal experience with cannabis. Marijuana Moment reached out to Yang for comment, but he was not immediately available. This article will be updated if the candidate sends a response.

Marijuana Under A Yang Presidency

Though Yang is best known for his economic plans—namely providing each American with a universal basic income—he’s laid out several bold drug policy reform proposals throughout his campaign. While he hasn’t endorsed any particular piece of marijuana legislation, his support for legalization, and broader plans to eliminate criminal records for those with non-violent cannabis convictions, indicate he would be an ally in the marijuana reform movement if elected president.

Where Presidential Candidate Joe Sestak Stands On Marijuana

The post Where Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Stands On Marijuana appeared first on Marijuana Moment.



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Kyle Jaeger, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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