Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson will definitely welcome dejected Bernie Sanders supporters in one key way. Johnson sat down with CNBC to give his thoughts about the Republican party and his economic policies, but he also outlined his reasons for the legalization of marijuana.
Decked out in his finest neon running shirt, Johnson chatted with CNBC’s John Harwood over some huevos rancheros and said marijuana can be a safer alternative to other drugs on the market. Johnson has never made this part of his platform a secret, but here, he explains why he used medical marijuana in the past after a paragliding accident left him in agony. He turned to marijuana to cope with his aversion to painkillers: “I think that it absolutely helped me through this period that was really, really difficult.”
As president, Johnson said he will nominate a surgeon general who would deschedule marijuna as a Schedule I narcotic, which he said could lead to more research. When asked if his support of the issue is a ploy to increase his portfolio (he serves as a chief executive of a cannabis company), Johnson shot down the claim:
“No. Not in any way. The fact that I got to be the CEO of a publicly traded company in the marijuana space, that was something that was completely unexpected. But very quickly, marijuana products medicinally compete with legal prescription drugs that statistically kill 100,000 people a year. There’s not been one documented death due to marijuana.”
Johnson continued to say many Sanders supporters share his views, such as opportunity equality, and they are welcome to come over to the Libertarian party. As the interview progressed, Johnson also gave his thoughts on the Republican party, which he said is dying, and he believes the Libertarian party could emerge as the next major party. Johnson is doing decent in the polls, and he has been adamant that he deserves a place at the presidential debates. Interviews like this could help him out, but he may be too far behind at this point.
(Via CNBC)