Presidential Elections and Laws on Marijuana in the US
The presidential elections in US have been the focal point of the nation since some months. Ongoing debates and discussions on the candidates and their viewpoints have been scrutinised and pondered over by voters. It is important to know that what remains in the store for political activists who have been asking for legalisation of marijuana in the US for both medical and recreational purposes. Several prominent candidates have made statements regarding the subject and publicly let known their viewpoints about the future of medical marijuana in US.
Rand Paul
Rand Paul, the senator from Kentucky has been vocal about his support for legalisation of marijuana in the US. He also has been one of the few senators who sponsored a bill on medical marijuana in 2015. He is a strong supporter of states being independent to formulate their own bills on medical marijuana and has been pushing reforms so that the businesses associated with medical marijuana can go to banks and ask for loans. He also asked for lifting ban on marijuana research and for doctors to be able to recommend marijuana to veterans among other proposals on the subject.
Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush has been opposing legalization and even medical marijuana quite publicly but has said on paper to let states form their own legislature to deal with medical marijuana. The former governor of Florida has been pushing against legislature to give treatment to first and second time offenders instead of incarceration and called the bill misleading. He has publicly admitted to have smoked marijuana in the past and said that he has been sorry about doing it.
Hillary Clinton
One of the prime candidates of the presidential race, the former first lady and secretary of state has been found to have said in public about states being able to formulate their own laws regarding medical marijuana. On a personal note, she had denied smoking marijuana in the past. She also admitted that marijuana has medical benefits but more research needs to be conducted to come to a conclusion. She also has supported not incarcerating people for smoking marijuana.
Marco Rubio
The republican senator from Florida has been publicly vocal about his opposition to legalization and decriminalisation of marijuana. Although he has said that he would support medical marijuana as a medicine and not for recreational purposes. He intends to keep medical marijuana out of wrong hands as well.
