Biden says he won't legalize marijuana because it may be a 'gateway drug'

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/470861-biden-says-he-wont-legalize-marijuana-because-it-may-be-a-gateway-drug?amp

Former Vice President Joe Biden defended his reasoning to not legalize marijuana on a federal level if elected president, saying there is not "enough evidence" as to "whether or not it is a gateway drug."

Speaking at a town hall in Las Vegas on Saturday, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said whether the U.S. should legalize cannabis on a federal level is still up for debate as far as he is concerned.

"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 said, according to Business Insider. "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."

Biden, as he has throughout his time on the campaign trail, said he supports medical marijuana and insisted possession of the substance "should not be a crime."

But he also said Saturday that he thinks the decision to legalize marijuana should be left up to individual states.

"States should be able to make a judgment to legalize marijuana," he said at the town hall.

As for legalization on a federal level, Biden said more research is needed.

"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 said.

Several of his top Democratic rivals in the race have thrown their support behind legalizing marijuana, which is currently classified as a Schedule I substance, which the Drug Enforcement Administration defines as drugs "with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD.

Biden's campaign previously noted the former vice president would reschedule the substance as a Schedule II drug to aid in researching its health impacts.

Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have all said they would make marijuana legal on a federal level if elected president.

Just another thing Biden isn't interested in doing, add to that improving health care (he says he wants to, but hasn't put out any sort of plan to do so) and improving the student loan crisis, and I just don't get why anyone is interested in this guy being president.

Ok Joe, like you said, then take it out of the Schedule 1 classification and let the states decide.

The guy is just too old, I'm not kidding, he already exhibits signs of diminished cognitive function. If elected I don't think he makes it to a 2nd term.

Kind reminder that this idiot is still the frontrunner.

Well, he's not entirely wrong, but it's a self defeating argument: Sure, if you regularly visit a dealer, you're more likely to be exposed to other illegal substances. Still, if weed wasn't illegal, you'd not be visiting a dealer in the first place, so you wouldn't be exposed to those other substances.

Personally I'd think if society's agreed it's a relatively benign substance but not something you want to actively promote, you could strike a good balance by decriminalising possession and personal cultivation but keeping supply as an offence. That way you knock its commercial value down to about that of nettles, without treading on people's freedom to enjoy a spliff at the weekend. The downside is no tax revenue, but then if we're being honest, vice taxes are kind of hypocritical in the first place.

Portugal.

Only right thing is to legalize all of them.

Legalizing marijuana will prevent people from buying other illegal drugs and using prescription meds for pleasure.

Help decrease the drug trade and probably make over 1 billion a year as revenue.

A win-win-win solution.

Also, an unfortunate win for the Pharma industry.

@sancho_panzer: I think its more, you try alcohol and weed for the first time, now you wonder what the others are like. Well that's what it was like for me. I never did anything else once looking them up though unless it was given to me by a doctor.

@npiet1: Maybe that's true. I guess some folk will just experiment, no matter what.

I suppose the question is whether most people now view weed as more or less harmful than alcohol. If drug laws can't keep up with cultural attitudes, people will lose respect for them and might, like you say, wonder what else the DEA could have mis-scheduled.

And with that he secured the funding from the pharmaceutical companies as well as jails.

Biden hates a medicinal plant, but he thinks groping kids is okay.

Between his fundraising being in the shitter, regular gaffes, and now this, I'm starting to think Biden just doesn't want to win and he's subtly sabotaging his own campaign to avoid the corporate blowback of outright resigning.

@joebones5000: People haven't been running around smoking weed since forever?

@joebones5000: come again? The drug war has primarily been a tool of politians to put people of color behind bars.

I think you guys read that wrong.

Biden is a out of touch moron.

@Master_Live: LOL I think they did too...…….

Biden is an old fart and his best days are behind him by a few years.

Working with Obama was the height of his career, and his son dying (imo) took the fight out of him. Time to retire gracefully.

Believing that cannabis is dangerous at all is the mindset of the old or the ignorantly.

Isn't your side primarily the ones against legalizing weed though?

My side? The Clinton crime bill (written by Biden) put a record number of non violent offenders in prison for over a decade. DEA conducted more cannabis raids under Obama than Bush. Both sides have enough blood on their hands to go around.

Then he is a grade A asshole. Damn you Biden! I will never vote for you under your current policy. And your face is a "gateway drug.". So nyah!

@vl4d_l3nin:

I'm aware of both parties horrible record on the drug issue. But I'm talking about now. Current positions.

Last I checked, currently more (D) supported it than (R), both politicians and citizens. Last I checked most pushback and actual prevention is from the right. Not in the past. Now.

Bashing Biden over this is issue fine, but voting (R) across the board after doing so is super hypocritical. Not saying you do that, just talking in general.

Historically republicans have been more against legalization of drugs than democrats have. I agree with you for once this year. It's something I wish republicans would change on.

FYI, Trump has done more to stymie this stupid war on drugs with criminal justice reform, than any other president since it started.

https://www.dea.gov/cannabis-eradication

2018 raids are almost half of what was averaged during the Obama years. If Biden gets in, we will probably go back to that.

That was completely bipartisan and you know that. This was something Dems have always called for and the GOP finally came aboard lol.

What I stated is factually true. Most hampering of weed legalization these last few years is either from Republican politicians or voters.

Can this be attributed to Trump policies or was it due to Democrat Governors? Link? All I get is this,

Trump administration drops Obama-era easing of marijuana prosecutions

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-justice-marijuana/trump-administration-drops-obama-era-easing-of-marijuana-prosecutions-idUSKBN1ET1MU

Trump administration targets recreational pot

https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-pot-sessions-20180104-story.html

Marijuana Arrests Are Increasing Despite Legalization, New FBI Data Shows (2018).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2018/09/24/marijuana-arrests-are-increasing-despite-legalization-new-fbi-data-shows/#1663ef184c4b

OK, boomer.

If he believes that nonsense, I have to wonder what other bullshit he has bought into as well.

The belief that cannabis is a "gateway drug" is a product of brainwashing, pure and simple.

@Icarian: Yeah...no.

It's a gateway to my fridge.

@vfighter: Yeah, yes. That would stop war on drugs and allow taxing and regulating them like alchohol and tobacco.

Also it would give more freedom of choice to people. It should be your own choice if you want to use drugs or not as long as you don't harm anyone else.

@Icarian: Why should I be taxed for something I can grow in my backyard? Marijuana should be federally legalized and allowed to be grown at home in any amount.

Yes, I get sick of all this "legalized it and tax it".

It is like they can't conceive of anything without taxing it.

For the record, I agree with you, but if you do grow it in your backyard for personal use, you won't get taxed for it. I don't know if any states allow that legally, but the tax really only comes in if you buy it from someone who's selling it legally, right? I get that the laws make growing it yourself messy, but still.

The rule in my state was originally going to be that you can grow up to five plants on your own property, but the police union barked and lawmakers changed it so that only people with a medical condition can grow at home. Anyone else caught growing will be fined because, as the local cops say, "it's a loophole for cartels." This should be a lesson to any libertarian types who think the cops are on their side, they're not.

Meanwhile,

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/house-judiciary-commitee-marijuana-legalization-more-act-915369/

The House Judiciary Committee approved a new bill to end cannabis prohibition Wednesday, marking the first time a marijuanalegalization bill has been approved by Congressional committee.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act passed out of committee by a vote of 24 to 10. Two Republican representatives, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Tom McClintock of California, joined the 22 democrats who voted for the bill.

New York Democrat and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler introduced the MORE Act, which would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level by removing it from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. It also includes a focus on restorative justice, giving states incentives to expunge the criminal records of people with low-level marijuana offenses and instating a five percent tax on cannabis products that would go towards programs benefiting communities hit hardest by the War on Drugs.

A significant majority of push-back towards these marijuana goals are from the GOP. Not saying most of the GOP, just most of the silly resistance.

The issues marijuana consistently causes far outweighs any so-called "pros" it may have.

Would be logical in a world where tobacco and alcohol don't exist.

What issues?

The only serious issues are legal ones, and that'd be an easy fix by legalizing it.

As for the "pros" of cannabis, I don't think it's so much that it is this amazing wonderful thing...it's just essentially harmless. I'd sooner outlaw refined sugar than cannabis if we are using the same logic.

Criminal.

It's naive to believe legalizing marijuana solves the issues, a perfect example seen in California where it's still a major issue. Home grow operations/outdoor illegal grow operations, weed rips/shootings/stabbings/burglaries/home invasions... all still very common.

A rising issue we have been seeing in is DUIs... Especially when the public isn't informed on the matter, along with the increase in youth being exposed to it.

Well it solves the issue of people going to jail for marihuana possession, or just being detained for possession or give any reason to intervene with an individual because of possession.

That's good enough.

Marijuana is only a gateway drug because you are lied to as a child about how harmful it is. I grew up in the 80's when Nancy Reagan's D.A.R.E. program was in full effect in schools. Children were lied to about how harmful and addictive marijuana is. When we got older, we found out for ourselves that weed just leads to the giggles, munchies and Ren and Stimpy marathons. So we started to figure that if they would lie about pot, why wouldn't they lie about everything else.

Most of the anti marijuana sentiment is funded by the tobacco industry anyway. Can't have any competition now.

Are cannabis-related DUI's really that severe? In my experience people tend to drive a bit more cautiously when they are stoned, as opposed to other drugs (alcohol) where they are either all over the place from impairment or simply reckless.

As for the criminal aspect, you could argue all that was there (and likely worse) before legalization. The only difference now is we can tax it.

I live in an area of California that can be considered the cannabis capital of the state (if not the world), and the farmers I know have all said things are much better. They don't get hassled by the cartel as much, if at all (yeah, the Mexican cartel still cares about weed), and since it is all out in the open if competing farmers try to burn or steal their harvest they can report them to the cops (in other words, there are legal ramifications whereas before farmers had to take matters into their own hands.

The biggest problem now is there is simply too much pot out there. It's hard for small farmers to stay in business because there is a surplus. There are about five businesses in my town alone that will deliver pot to you for free*, and the prices are low.

*not admitting to using it btw, not sure if Gamespot still cares lol.

I still find it odd we can't grow our own tobacco.

It’s a gateway drug because it’s illegal. When you are forced to buy from drug dealers you are offered or otherwise exposed to other illegal products they sell. I would rather never need to speak to a drug dealer ever again and just buy my weed at the store.