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The US 2020 presidential candidate Brock Pierce is advocating for federal cannabis legalization. In a recent interview, the 39-year-old crypto billionaire said the debate about cannabis legalization is over and the federal government should just legalize the substance across the country.
Cannabis ‘less harmful than alcohol’
Asked whether he would be looking to legalize cannabis at a federal level as a president of the U.S., Pierce answered in the affirmative, saying that debate is over.
That debate is over…I mean at this point, cannabis whether it be used for medical reasons, spiritual reasons, or even recreation, it’s been proven that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol. Clearly, cannabis should be legalized, Pierce said.
Pierce announced his presidential bid in July saying he is “deeply concerned about the state of our nation, our future.” With only a few months to the general election, the entrepreneur-turned politician is using cannabis legalization as one of his campaign agenda to woo Americans to vote in his favour. Pierce also promotes blockchain and cryptocurrency, which he believes will help build a “21-st century economy.”
Speaking about his candidacy in an earlier phone conversation, Brock Pierce said:
I see a nation that is divided, with lots of polarization. It is drifting further left and further right. There is not enough moderate opinion to bring us together. I’m a small-business entrepreneur making big things out of nothing, and I think entrepreneurs built this nation, and I think entrepreneurs and innovators are the ones that are going to get us out of this situation.
States that have legalized cannabis are doing well
According to Brock Pierce, American states that have legalized cannabis are doing well in terms of development and economic growth. He gave the example of Colorado, which allowed dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana in 2013, leading to a spike in tourism between 2013 and 2018.
Take a look at places like Colorado that have done this…now has the best school system because of the tax revenues that it generates. I think that debate is over and I think the answer is absolutely yes, the federal government should be legalizing cannabis, Pierce said.
The push for adult-use cannabis legalization at the federal level is still a major subject of debate in the US, as it continues to draw mixed reactions, even among the country’s top leadership. Recently, the U.S. House passed an amendment that would bar the Department of Justice from interfering with state-legal recreational and medical cannabis programs. The measure passed 254 against 163 votes, with 31 Republicans voting in favour of the amendment.
