Former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke told supporters on Monday that he favors decriminalizing marijuana in every corner of America.
'We should end the federal prohibition on marijuana and expunge the records of those who were locked away for possessing it, ensuring that they can get work, finish their education, contribute to the greatness of this country,' O'Rourke said in a fundraising email.
It's unclear what he's fundraising for. The 2018 U.S. Senate candidate who failed to unseat Republican Ted Cruz hasn't entered the 2020 presidential race; he could also challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn for the other Texas seat in the upper chamber of Congress.
O'Rourke said last week that he had made a decision, but didn't announce what he has chosen to do.
Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, who lost a 2018 U.S. Senate race to Ted Cruz, wants marijuana legalization in every state
O'Rourke said in a fundraising email on Monday that pot possession convictions should all be tossed and records expunged for nonviolent offenders
The onetime El Paso, Texas city councilman has called for a dramatic overhaul of marijuana policies before.
He said during an October town hall event that the federal government should 'end the prohibition on marijuana and effectively control and regulate its sale, and make sure those who need it for medicinal purposes are able to obtain it through a prescription from their doctor.'
That's already the policy in 33 states and the District of Columbia, where medicinal marijuana use is permitted by law. The drug is fully illegal in the other 17 states, including O'Rourke's native Texas.
Possession of up to two ounces of weed in the Lone Star State is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
People sentenced for smoking pot, O'Rourke said, are disproportionately people of color.
O'Rourke could run for president next year, or challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn instead
The onetime El Paso, Texas city councilman says black and Hispanic men are jailed disproportionately for drug crimes and more likely to be too poor to post bail while they await their trials
He blasted what he called a 'school-to-prison pipeline' that jails black adults and makes their children more likely to be expelled or suspended from school.
'One in four black children have had a parent in the criminal justice system, compared to just four percent of white children, he wrote.
About one-third of the nation's prison population, according to O'Rourke, is behind bars for non-violent drug crimes. And they are disproportionately non-white 'though we know that people of all races use illegal drugs at roughly the same rate.'
'Many have called this part of the New Jim Crow, and for good reason,' he added.
Pot generation: O'Rourke is known as a free-spirited millennial who showed off his skateboarding skills in a campaign video last year
O'Rourke said in his fundraising email that he supports ending the cash bail system for nonviolent drug offenders, which 'punishes poor people for being poor.'
The potential presidential candidate lodged his opposition to President Donald Trump's border wall by livestreaming his teeth-cleaning because the dental hygienist was a Hispanic immigrant
He claimed that between 500 and 600 jailed people in Harris County, which includes Houston, are nonviolent and not a flight risk,. but are being kept in custody until their trials because they can't afford bail.
O'Rourke isn't the first politician to suggest permanently erasing Americans' nonviolent criminal drug convictions.
Last week New Jersey Democratic Sen. Corey Booker introduced legislation that would do just that. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren quickly signed on as co-sponsors.
All five are declared presidential candidates.
'Giving low-level offenders a second chance no matter the color of their skin or the economic status they hold can create opportunity for all of us,' O'Rourke said Monday.
Link hienalouca.comhttps://hienalouca.com/2019/03/06/beto-orourke-says-federal-government-should-legalize-marijuana-and-erase-nonviolent-pot-convictions/
Main photo article Former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke told supporters on Monday that he favors decriminalizing marijuana in every corner of America.
‘We should end the federal prohibition on marijuana and expunge the records of those who were locked away for possessing it, ensuring that they...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
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