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Sanders Tells California He Supports Legalization of Marijuana

  •  Senator Bernie Sanders greets supporters at a campaign rally outside the New Hampshire State House on Nov. 5, 2015.

     Senator Bernie Sanders greets supporters at a campaign rally outside the New Hampshire State House on Nov. 5, 2015. | Photo: Reuters

Published 29 May 2016
Opinion

Bernie Sanders said he would vote for legal marijuana while campaigning in California ahead of the June 7 contest against Hillary Clinton.

Democratic presidential hopeful and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders told supporters in California that he supports the legalization of marijuana in their state, Washington D.C.-based The Hill reported May 28.

"There will be an item on your ballot in November — if I were a citizen of California, I would vote for that ballot item to legalize marijuana," Sanders said to cheers at one of several California rallies.

Californian voters are expected to vote on the legalization of the drug in November, pending approval by state officials.

A poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California show 60 percent of Californians approve of legalization, while 37 percent say prohibition should continue.

Sanders has been courting voters in the most-populous U.S. state in hopes of winning a large portion of the 475 delegates at stake on the June 7 primary.

His opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has been largely silent on the issue, saying she supports marijuana research.

The primary in California is open to all voters, the sort of contest in which Sanders has done well against Clinton. Polls have shown the Democratic frontrunner's lead declining in California, and a Sanders win looks increasingly likely.

A loss in the most populous and one of the most progressive states in the U.S. would seriously damper Clinton's credibility as the Democratic nominee for president.

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