(This image of marijuana is from ABC News.)If you weren't listening closely, you might have missed the discussion of marijuana legalization in the recent Democratic debate. That's because only one question was asked about marijuana (Should it be legalized?), and only two of the debaters were given an opportunity to answer that question -- Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
Bernie answered "yes" and Hillary said "no" (claiming we still didn't know how legalization would affect this country) -- although she did say she was in favor of medical marijuana and decriminalizing the possession of small amounts (making it a ticket offense rather than a jail offense). As a supporter of marijuana legalization (and Hillary Clinton), I was disappointed in her answer.
I can only assume she was taking a position that would put her in a good place for the general election, because a Pew Research Center survey shows that a significant majority of Democrats (59%) believe marijuana should be legalized, while only 38% would oppose legalization.
But if that was her thinking, then she made a mistake. It turns out that the opinion of Independents is similar to that of Democrats (58% to 38% in favor of legalization) -- and it will be the Independents who decide who our next president will be (since neither Democrats nor Republicans have enough members to win an election). The only group opposing legalization is the Republicans (39% to 59%), and she's not going to get any Republican votes.
Her only saving grace on this issue is that it has not been, and probably won't be, an issue in this election. Like most other national elections, the deciding issue will probably be the economy -- and she is on the right side of economic issues. Still, I wish she would educate herself a little better on this issue. It is time for the legalization of marijuana.
