Bernie Sanders wants to end federal marijuana ban

'Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use'

• Emma Bracy

Bernie Sanders speaks in Virginia. Alex Wong/Getty

Bernie Sanders has called for federal government to remove marijuana from the list of outlawed drugs — opening the way for states that wish to legalize the drug to do so.

The Democratic presidential hopeful said it was time to “to remove the federal prohibition on marijuana” in a speech at George Mason University on Wednesday, where thousands of college students gathered to hear him speak.

Mr Sanders was also careful not to ignore racial justice issues, and used this speech as an opportunity to call out racial bias in criminal justice related to drug sentencing.

“Although about the same proportion of blacks and whites use marijuana, a black person is almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person,” Sanders said. “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.”

While both Democrats and Republicans have acknowledged racial bias as problem within criminal justice, few have gone so far as to call for an end to the federal ban on marijuana as a remedy.

According to Mr Sanders, a shift away from criminal prosecutions for marijuana could improve the lives of black Americans who are unfairly burdened with criminal records for doing something Americans of all races also do.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration currently classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, along with heroin, ecstasy, and LSD. The Schedule I ranking is reserved for drugs with the greatest potential for abuse and no medicinal value. Cocaine and methamphetamine are classified as Schedule II, one ranking lower than marijuana.