Opinion: Marijuana Will Probably Not Be Legal In The U.S. Any Time Soon

By The Fresh Toast's Mike Adams, provided exclusively to Benzinga Cannabis

Cannabis supporters believe Sanders is their best shot at getting the issue of marijuana reform some solid representation in the White House.

The cannabis community could be heard screeching like a pack of teenage girls on Tuesday night the second it was announced that Democrat Bernie Sanders had won the New Hampshire primary. It was a small victory that could have enormous implications for the legalization of marijuana at the federal level — something that Sanders has sworn he’ll do on his first day in office.

So, yeah, eeeekkk!

Until now, many thought that Sanders was doomed to take it on the chin just like he did four years ago when he got passed over by the DNC for Hilary Clinton. But the fact that he made such a slam dunk this past week in the Granite State with 25.7% of the votes, well, that just solidified to many of his supporters that he could be the one the Democrats send after Trump. 

Cannabis supporters are hopeful, too, that Sanders will be the man. They believe he is their best shot at getting the issue of marijuana reform some solid representation in the White House.

All of this optimism is because, right before the Iowa Caucus, Sanders told his supporters: “On my first day in office, through executive order, we will legalize marijuana in every state in this country.” 

Never mind that Sanders couldn’t actually step in as president and just legalize marijuana — that’s not possible through an executive order, and he could not force any state to legalize weed — but the fact that he is champing at the bit to end decades of marijuana prohibition in this country would undoubtedly be a huge weapon in the arsenal of the cannabis movement. This is especially true if the Democrats end up gaining control of both the House and the Senate — all of which is possible this election. But that’s precisely what could sabotage Sanders’ pursuit for the nomination.

Photo by Ralph Freso/Stringer/Getty Images

Sure, Sanders showed the nation this week that he has the strength to take on Donald Trump in November 2020. But it’s called politics for a reason, folks. The Democrats are still not sold on Sanders as their candidate. They are worried that his self-described socialist ideas are just dripping with too much liberal enthusiasm to secure the win in those states he needs to claim the presidency.

The Democrats are looking at the big picture this year, and they are worried that Sanders could screw them on their chance to take over Congress. Seriously, Democrats fear that nominating Sanders for the ticket could be enough to drive away suburban voters and cut them short on the support needed to put them in control of the Senate. Ironically enough, it’s the reason that people like Bernie could end up cutting his own throat. Just ask Rep. Anthony Brindisi (N.Y), who is up against Republican Claudia Tenney again this year. He’s simply not confident in Sanders’ ability to win over America.

“My preference would be to see a more moderate candidate at the top of the ticket — someone who reflects more of the districts that delivered the majority in 2018,” Brindisi told NBC News. “And I don’t think (Sanders) really represents that.” 

You see, more than the presidency, the Democrats desperately need those Senate seats this year. Without them, Republican-domination will continue to prevent them from accomplishing their agenda, including the legalization of marijuana. Last year, we watched the House push through a couple of bills aimed at changing the marijuana laws in this country. All of those efforts, however, were pretty much stopped dead in their tracks by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Much of the same shenanigans are expected this year. The House will move ahead on the issue, while the Senate will pump the brakes. Therefore, the Democrats must knock out the Republican competition if they want to move into their new Senate digs at the turn of 2021.  

Yet, if the party focuses only on winning the presidency, it could still find itself helpless for another six years.

All of this means that we could likely see Joe Biden getting handed the nomination. Many Democrats believe that he’s going to resonate better with those voters who identify as Democrats but do not subscribe to Sanders’ socialist ways. And if that happens, the nation can forget about marijuana legalization anytime soon. Biden said recently that he would not legalize marijuana at the national level. But he’s since shifted his opinion a bit, saying “I think it is at the point where it has to be, basically, legalized,” according to Politico. What he really means by that, nobody knows.

All we are saying is, don’t be surprised if Sanders gets passed over again in 2020 for the Democratic nomination. Because that is probably what we are going to see happen.

Original image from Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress collection. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

The preceding article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.