This really shouldn’t be shocking to most people, as more than 40 states now have some sort of pro-cannabis legislation allowing for the medical or recreational use of cannabis and/or hemp products. Even amidst such apparent pro-cannabis support, 700,000 people a year are arrested in the U.S. for various cannabis offenses like simple drug possession.
This is just one of the reasons presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is in favor of ending cannabis prohibition—so that the “war on pot” can end and law enforcement can focus their resources on more serious crimes.
If passed, Sanders’ ‘Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015’ (which you can read in full here) would take cannabis off the federal illegal substances list, but still preserve the ability to monitor inter-state and/or international shipments.
Sanders is the first candidate to publically side with the majority of Americans (around 58%) who feel that the prohibition should be lifted. Unfortunately, for those in favor of cannabis being legal, Congress isn’t as open to the idea yet.