Cenk Uygur journalist, activist, and political commentator. Uygur is the creator of The Young Turks, an American progressive sociopolitical news and commentary program. From January to June 2011, he hosted a weeknight commentary show on MSNBC. After leaving MSNBC, Uygur secured another weeknight commentary show on Current TV, which aired from December 5, 2011, to August 15, 2013. From 2012 to 2013, he was the chief news officer at Current TV.

Uygur is in favor of federal marijuana legalization, and recognizes the disproportionate impact of the War on Drugs on communities of color. Uygur includes cannabis legalization as part of his criminal justice reform platform.

"The War on Drugs has been a disaster that has systematically targeted people of color. Marijuana must be legalized across the country immediately. We must stop putting people in prison for having the equivalent of a beer. So many of our fellow Americans have had to suffer this arbitrary injustice. People of color are even more likely to be punished for marijuana use, adding another layer of injustice to this nightmare." Source: Uygur's campagin website (https://www.cenk2020.com/issues/). 

Uygur is in favor of decriminalizing cannabis possession. On his campaign website, Uygur states, "[w]e must decriminalize drug possession and use our resources to provide free substance use treatment and mental healthcare, rather than locking people away for years in prison."