Pop Culture

Bernie Sanders Introduces a Bill That Would Decriminalize Weed on a Federal Level

This is pretty big.

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Complex Original

Following Ohio’s decision last night not to legalize weed, presidential hopeful and he of "Hotline Bling" fame Bernie Sanders would like us all, and especially the federal government, to please chill out about smoking weed (which, same).

The Huffington Post reports Sanders has officially introduced a bill that would remove marijuana from the DEA’s hit list of “most dangerous” drugs. On the current roster cannabis is parked alongside the likes of every opiate known to man and a ton of other controlled substances you’ve probably never heard of.

Sanders has previously advocated for decriminalizing marijuana, citing the detriment that the war on drugs has had on communities across the nation. "In the United States we have 2.2 million people in jail today, more than any other country," he said in a speech at George Mason University in Virginia in October. "And we’re spending about $80 billion a year to lock people up. We need major changes in our criminal justice system – including changes in drug law."

While the bill would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, it would still be illegal to ship or transport it between states and territories. You can read the full draft here.

Keep on keeping on, Bernie.

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