O'Rourke's plan to legalize marijuana includes clemency for possession sentences and grants for

[TexasTowelie]

O'Rourke's plan to legalize marijuana includes clemency for possession sentences and grants for those who already served time

by Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune


Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke on Thursday morning released a marijuana legalization plan that calls for clemency for everyone currently serving sentences for possession.

The former El Paso congressman also would push for a federal tax on the pot industry and put the revenue toward a "Drug War Justice Grant" for those formerly incarcerated for nonviolent marijuana offenses.

"We need to not only end the prohibition on marijuana, but also repair the damage done to the communities of color disproportionately locked up in our criminal justice system or locked out of opportunity because of the War on Drugs," O'Rourke said in a statement.

O'Rourke has long campaigned on legalizing marijuana and expunging the records of those who have been convicted of possession, though he not called for clemency until now. Another candidate, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, has proposed clemency for over 17,000 nonviolent drug offenders.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/09/19/beto-orourke-marijuana-legalization-plan-includes-clemency-grants/

[Sherman A1]

1. Glad he is getting there

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/legalization-of-marijuana/

[cannabis_flower]

2. We also need

Automatic expungements of misdemeanor marijuana convictions.

[dalton99a]

3. Beto has been calling for marijuana reform for many years

O'Rourke's advocacy for pot legalization dates back to his tenure on the El Paso City Council in the 2000s. In 2011, he and a council colleague at the time, Susie Byrd, wrote a book that argued for ending the federal prohibition on marijuana.