Sanders Campaign Press Release - Sanders Statement on Criminal Justice Reform and Marijuana Law

AIKEN, S.C. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday renewed a call to let states decide whether to legalize marijuana possession, a proposal detailed in a bill introduced Wednesday in the Senate. Sanders commented after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at a separate appearance in South Carolina on Saturday, offered her own proposal to loosen restrictions on marijuana.

"I am glad to see Secretary Clinton is beginning to address an issue that my legislation addressed," he said, "but her approach ignored the major issue. Secretary Clinton would classify marijuana in the same category as cocaine and continue to make marijuana a federally regulated substance.

"If we are serious about criminal justice reform and preventing many thousands of lives from being impacted because of criminal convictions for marijuana possession, we must remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act and allow states the right to go forward, if they choose, to legalize marijuana without federal legal impediments," Sanders added.

Sanders was here at the University of South Carolina at Aiken for a rally to cap a two-day swing through South Carolina. More than 1,300 supporters turned out at the university's convocation center.