Re-Legalizing Cannabis: An Op-Ed By Presidential Candidate Brock Pierce

By Brock Pierce, independent candidate in the 2020 United States presidential election.

The debate on cannabis is over — and more than two-thirds of Americans are in favor of its legalization.

It is beyond clear that, whether for medicinal, therapeutic, religious, or even recreational use, the possession and use of cannabis should be legalized to better support the overall well-being of our nation. Yet, most Americans seem quite unaware that cannabis was previously legal. After all, cannabis is a plant that grows naturally. By criminalizing cannabis out of fear, gradually throughout the 20th century, the United States’ government chose to outlaw nature.

Indeed, the United States’ government has a long history of criminalizing things out of fear, rather than out of care and consideration for the American people. The “War on Drugs” that has been officially waged against Americans since the 1970s has failed to solve any problems, while creating new problems on both a national and global scale. At best, the “War on Drugs” has resulted in the waste of needed resources at the federal, state, and local levels while pointlessly incarcerating millions of Americans since the Controlled Substances Act was made into law in 1970.

Cannabis has been proven to be medically useful. And, the re-legalization of cannabis has been shown to cause a decrease in the use of opioids and other prescription drugs.

I know from personal experience that re-legalizing cannabis can help people with medical needs. I witnessed firsthand how my mother’s life was jeopardized when she was given a debilitating cocktail of addictive prescription drugs. I saw how medical cannabis provided a significantly less harmful and less addictive alternative to opioids that allowed my mother to recover her health.

We must end the “War on Drugs” that has served as a cover to wage war on our fellow Americans for profit.

As a candidate for the office of President of the United States of America, I am committed to ending the prohibition of cannabis and fully re-legalizing it. I am committed to removing cannabis from the DEA list of controlled substances. I am committed to pardoning all individuals who have been charged with non-violent cannabis-related offenses, barring all federal agencies from pursuing cases of cannabis possession, use, or distribution, and renegotiating international treaties to facilitate the international and domestic re-legalization of cannabis.

It is time for our government to end its hostile behavior towards the American people. It is time for our government to engage in peace with all Americans. It is time for all Americans to engage in a culture of caring and re-legalize nature by re-legalizing cannabis and ending the “War on Drugs.”

The preceding article does not represent the opinion of Benzinga's editorial desk nor does it constitute a presidential endorsement.