This week, Bernie Sanders faced a crowd of thousands of fans in Nevada where he discussed a numerous amount of issues, including his strong approach to making important changes to the U.S. criminal justice system. On the University of Nevada, the Senator revealed plans to introduce a bill to Congress to eliminate privatized prisons in the United States.
“When Congress reconvenes in September, I will be introducing legislation, which takes corporations out of profiteering from running jails,” said Sanders.
While it may be a great idea to some to minimize the amount of prisoners being put into jail, some others may consider it a great mistake. The issue is that our national economy is very dependent on non-violent drug offenders, especially the black and Latino ones. Jails make billions of dollars in revenue by putting people away behind bars, all made possible through the prohibition of certain substances. Sanders said that prison reform and the topic of “minimum sentencing” desperately need to be talked upon.
“Too many lives have been destroyed for non-violent issues,” Sanders said. “People that are sent to jail have police records. We have got to change that. Our job is to keep people out of jail, not in jail.”
Sanders has not taken an open stance on the topic of marijuana legalization. However, reports show that he is going to open up more about the issue in the next couple of weeks. Sanders’ reluctancy towards the topic is eye-opening because, while he is the top candidate in the eyes of many marijuana reform advocates, he may not be as much of an advocate as sources make him seem to be. In interviews, Sanders has made remarks about being “the only person who didn’t get high in the ’60s,” and said, “it’s not my thing” when speaking upon the times that he did do marijuana.
Sanders’ campaign website states “has medicinal properties and ought to be legalized for medicinal use” in reference to his position on marijuana. However, when it comes to the question of recreational use, an inference can be made through his willingness to stray the country awe from federal prohibition. Sanders claims that he will continue to look to legal states like Colorado “before issuing a committed stance on the federal decriminalization of marijuana.”
MAPH Enterprises, LLC | (305) 414-0128 | 1501 Venera Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33146 | new@marijuanastocks.com
