U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders responds to a question posed to him during a press conference following a speech at the 59th Annual Nevada State AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention at the Luxor Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, August 18, 2015.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015 | 4:58 p.m.
FAIRFAX, Va. — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says if elected president he would seek to remove marijuana from a list of drugs deemed illegal by the federal government.
The Democratic presidential candidate says too many Americans have had their lives destroyed because of criminal records tied to marijuana use. He says in prepared remarks: "That's wrong. That has got to change."
Sanders was speaking at a town hall meeting Wednesday in Virginia with college students at George Mason University that was broadcast on the Internet to college gatherings across the country.
Under the plan, states seeking to regulate marijuana would remain free to do so under local laws governing the sales of alcohol and tobacco. Sanders would allow federal law enforcement officials to arrest and prosecute drug dealers for trafficking in marijuana sales.
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