Former president Bill Clinton spoke out in favor of letting states decide whether or not to legalize marijuana, pointing to "a lot of evidence" showing that medical marijuana can help patients with a wide range of symptoms.
In an interview with NBC's David Gregory taped in Denver last week, Clinton -- who famously claimed he "didn't inhale" when asked about his own history with marijuana in 1992 -- was asked whether he believes it's time to "give pot a chance."
"I think there's a lot of evidence to argue for the medical marijuana thing," Clinton said. "I think there are a lot of unresolved questions, but I think we should leave it to the states. This really is a time when there should be laboratories of democracy, because nobody really knows where this is going."
The Obama administration has largely agreed with Clinton, allowing laws legalizing the use of recreational marijuana to go into effect in Colorado and Washington and permitting banks to do business with legal pot shops. House Republicans, however, have attempted to derail decriminalization efforts in Washington, D.C., inspiring more debate over whether the government should intervene as more states move toward legalization.
While Clinton stopped short of endorsing legalization at the federal level, he said he supports states' experimentation.
"There’s all these questions, and I think that I like where it is now," he said. "If the state wants to try it, they can. And then they’ll be able to see what happens.”
Medical marijuana use is currently legal in 22 states and the District of Columbia. However, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule 1 substance, the most dangerous group of drugs. The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing that status at the request of the Drug Enforcement Agency.
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In an interview with NBC's David Gregory taped in Denver last week, Clinton -- who famously claimed he "didn't inhale" when asked about his own history with marijuana in 1992 -- was asked whether he believes it's time to "give pot a chance."
"I think there's a lot of evidence to argue for the medical marijuana thing," Clinton said. "I think there are a lot of unresolved questions, but I think we should leave it to the states. This really is a time when there should be laboratories of democracy, because nobody really knows where this is going."
The Obama administration has largely agreed with Clinton, allowing laws legalizing the use of recreational marijuana to go into effect in Colorado and Washington and permitting banks to do business with legal pot shops. House Republicans, however, have attempted to derail decriminalization efforts in Washington, D.C., inspiring more debate over whether the government should intervene as more states move toward legalization.
While Clinton stopped short of endorsing legalization at the federal level, he said he supports states' experimentation.
"There’s all these questions, and I think that I like where it is now," he said. "If the state wants to try it, they can. And then they’ll be able to see what happens.”
Medical marijuana use is currently legal in 22 states and the District of Columbia. However, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule 1 substance, the most dangerous group of drugs. The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing that status at the request of the Drug Enforcement Agency.
from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1vkAxOw
via IFTTT
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