Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said he thought former Vice President Joe Biden was “high” when he came out against legalization of marijuana over the weekend.
“This week I heard him literally say I don’t think we should legalize marijuana,” Booker said during the Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday evening. “I thought you might have been high when you said it.”
Booker continued, “Marijuana in our country is already legal for privileged people.”
Booker also said that African American voters realize politicians seem to only care about issues impacting their community during election time.
“Black voters are pissed off, and they’re worried. They’re pissed off because the only time our issues seem to be paid attention to by politicians is when people are looking for a vote. We don’t want to see people miss this opportunity and lose because we are nominating someone that isn’t trusted, doesn’t have authentic connection. And so that’s what’s on the ballot and issues do matter,” Booker said. “We need to have someone that can inspire, as Kamala said, to inspire African-Americans to the polls in record numbers.”
In response, Biden said the federal government should decriminalize marijuana.
“Anyone who has a record should be let out of jail, their record expunged, be completely zeroed out. But I do think it makes sense, based on data, that we should study what the long-term effects are for the use of marijuana. That’s all it is. Number one, everybody gets out, record expunged,” he said.
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