Decriminalize Marijuana Possession - Currently it is costing us over $40,000 a year to house and feed a single individual in prison. I want to reduce how much we are spending to lock up non violent offenders (with a projected savings of over $55 million a year), help those who want to use marijuana for medical purposes, and allow the police to focus on violent offenders who are putting the lives of others at risk.
I’m open to legalizing marijuana but decriminilization is the first step in that. I’d like to avoid some of the issues states like Colorado and Michigan had when they legalized it. I’d want to study issues around taxes, licensing, and DWIs to make sure all of that is covered before fully legalizing it. Needless to say there are a lot of moving pieces there that I can drill into if you are interested. To sum it up I’m onboard with legalizing as long as we are ready to handle the challenges that come with it.