Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president who previously served as the CEO of a medical marijuana company, on Sunday defended his advocacy for legalizing pot.
Johnson said that, if elected, one of his first actions would be to delist marijuana from the Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of Schedule I controlled substances, which also includes heroin and LSD.
Before running for president, he was CEO of Cannabis Sativa Inc., which has made it hard for some Republicans disillusioned with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to vote for Johnson as an alternative.
He sought to reassure potential voters on Sunday in an interview with Chris Wallace, the host of “Fox News Sunday,” by arguing that marijuana is less dangerous than prescription drugs or alcohol.
“Of all the things you can be involved with, why sell pot?” Wallace asked.
Johnson argued, “Marijuana products, which directly compete with legal prescription drugs on the medical front, don’t kill anybody.
“Not one documented death,” he said. “Marijuana does provide that relief. There needs to be research and development in this area.”
But he said it’s difficult to research the potential benefits of the drug because of the DEA’s current classification. – READ MORE
