Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman called on Monday for President Joe Biden to change his stance on cannabis legalization and work to decriminalize the drug at the federal level ― a vastly popular policy decision that’s already been implemented by many states.
Fetterman, who currently serves as the state’s lieutenant governor, said that he plans to march alongside Biden at Pittsburgh’s Labor Day Parade on Sept. 5. The Democratic candidate told reporters that he looks forward to talking to Biden at the parade about the “need to finally decriminalize marijuana.”
“It’s long past time that we finally decriminalize marijuana,” Fetterman said. “The president needs to use his executive authority to begin descheduling marijuana, I would love to see him do that prior to his visit to Pittsburgh. This is just common sense and Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support decriminalizing marijuana.”
A 1970 law categorizes cannabis as a Schedule I drug, which has led to a massive number of arrests that disproportionately impact Black Americans. There is no record of anyone ever dying of a cannabis overdose, though it is still considered at the federal level to be more dangerous than cocaine and methamphetamine, which combined were linked to over 50,000 American deaths last year.
Moving toward decriminalization and legalization is an overwhelmingly popular policy decision among Americans. About six in 10 Americans support legalizing cannabis, with over 70% of Democrats and about half of Republicans on board. According to Fetterman, 65% to 70% of Pennsylvanians in 2019 approved of adult-use cannabis legalization, with near-unanimous support for descheduling the drug.
The White House did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. Biden had campaigned on a pledge to decriminalize cannabis, though he’s yet to take meaningful executive action.
Fetterman is facing Republican celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in a Senate race that has at many times involved trolling and personal attacks about health. The Democratic candidate and Pennsylvania native has painted his opponent as an out-of-touch elite from New Jersey who “doesn’t care about us.”
“I don’t want to hear any bullshit coming out of Dr. Oz’s campaign trying to conflate decriminalizing marijuana with seriously harmful crime. Are we supposed to believe that neither he nor any members of his staff have ever used marijuana?” said Fetterman, who has championed other progressive initiatives like worker unionization, abortion rights and marriage equality.
“As mayor of Braddock, I made it my mission to combat serious crime. I know firsthand what real crime looks like. Marijuana does not fit the bill,” he continued. “It’s time to end the hypocrisy on this issue once and for all.”
The House passed a bill earlier this year that would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level and expunge cannabis-related criminal records. In July, Senate Democrats introduced a bill that would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level, allow states to create their own cannabis laws and establish grant programs to help people in communities disproportionately affected by drug laws to operate small cannabis businesses.