Sanders: “It is time to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol”

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, in a speech to nearly 2,000 students at George Mason University on Wednesday night, announced that he believes states should be allowed to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use. The Republican presidential debate was supposed to be the biggest political event of the evening until Bernie Sanders stole its thunder.

“In my view, the time is long overdue for us to remove the federal prohibition on marijuana,” said Sanders. “In my view, states should have the right to regulate marijuana the same way that state and local laws now govern the sale of alcohol and tobacco.”

Sander’s would also allow for current, state-legal marijuana dispensaries to use banking services and apply for tax deductions that are currently unavailable under federal law.

“It is time to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. It is time to end the arrests of so many people and the destruction of so many lives for possessing marijuana,” stated Sanders. “Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use. That’s wrong. That has got to change.”