Update: Bernie Sanders Calls for an End to Federal Cannabis Prohibition; First Presidential Candidate to Propose Removing Cannabis from Dangerous Substances List

Update: 11/04/15 4:40pm – Sanders today proposed a bill that would legalize cannabis on a federal level. The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act would take cannabis out of the DEA’s federally recognized list of dangerous substances, as well removing it from the Controlled Substances Act; the act regulates the manufacture, possession and use of certain drugs, as reported by the Huffington Post. This is an intriguing and telling effort on Sanders part. The presidential hopeful has been all but shy about cannabis reform, and the new bill certainly drives the message home.

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]W[/dropcap]eds, Oct. 28, Bernie Sanders announced his intent to remove cannabis from its Schedule I status and allow states to legalize as they please, if elected. If he wasn’t clear enough before, Sanders has now clarified his stance against the prohibition of cannabis.

Sanders spoke to over 1,700 students at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia yesterday stating, “Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use. That’s wrong. That has got to change.”

The senator is not asking for complete legalization; he’s merely calling for the federal prosecution of voter-approved state laws. Cannabis is federally classified along with heroin and ecstasy with “no currently accepted medical use.” Since cannabis supporters are now a majority, Sanders is likely tapping into those voters as well as those in the medical community.

Although Maryland governor Martin O’Malley (D) and Republican Senator Rand Paul have agreed to downgrading cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II, Sanders is the only presidential candidate to call for removing it completely.

“In the year 2015, it is time for the federal government to allow states to go forward as they best choose,” Sanders said, adding that the government should “remove the federal prohibition on marijuana.”

Removing cannabis from Schedule I would legitimize businesses in the cannabis industry. “That means that recognized businesses in states that legalized marijuana should be fully able to use the banking system without fear of federal retribution,” he said. Almost half of the states in America have legalized medical or recreational cannabis.