Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a bill Wednesday that would lift the federal ban on marijuana, and leave it to the states to decide whether recreational marijuana should be legalized.
The Independent Vermont senator’s bill comes on the heels of Tuesday’s election, during which Ohio voters chose to reject a ballot initiative to legalize recreational and medical marijuana. That initiative would have allowed the Buckeye State to join four other states that have legalized recreational pot: Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
The bill would also let those in the marijuana business access banks, which would solve a problem for pot entrepreneurs in states where the drug is legal. Because possession and use of marijuana is still forbidden under federal law, many banks have balked at the idea of handling the accounts of these businesses.
Sanders is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, and has taken a different approach to marijuana than his opponent, front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Clinton has said she is against the legalization of recreational marijuana use, though she would support states and localities “experimenting” with it. But Sanders wants to treat pot like a pack of cigarettes or a six-pack of beer.
“It is time to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol.” Sanders said during an event at George Mason University in October.
The bill would also serve as a step toward fixing what Sanders calls a “broken” criminal justice system. He has often denounced drug laws that put people behind bars for possessing marijuana.
Sanders’ push for legal pot adheres to the sentiments of his support base: liberal millennials. According to a recent poll conducted by Gallup, 58 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana. Seventy-one percent of millennials (18-34 years old) said yes to lifting the ban on cannabis, more than any other age group.
The bill is a companion to a bipartisan bill already filed in the House, the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act.” Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., introduced the bill in February along with 11 co-sponsors, including Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., and Rep. Earl Blumenaur, D-Ore.
In a statement released after Sanders introduced his bill, Polis said “marijuana prohibition is failing today.”
“It makes no sense for marijuana to be grouped together with drugs like heroin and LSD, and we must continue working to end this misguided policy,” Polis added. “Today’s introduction of the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act in the Senate is a huge step forward in the movement to enact the commonsense drug laws needed to grow our economy and restore fairness to our justice system.”
There are differences between Sanders’ bill and the one proposed by Polis. The House version includes a provision to add marijuana into the section of U.S. Code that regulates “intoxicating liquors,” and would put in place a permitting system for commercial producers of the drug. Neither are present in the Senate version of the bill.
Previous efforts in Congress to end the federal ban on marijuana have fallen by the wayside. Polis himself has introduced the same measure in the past two sessions of Congress.
Pro-legalization groups applauded Sanders’ efforts to remove marijuana from the substance classification that groups it with dangerous drugs like heroin and LSD.
“Sen. Sanders really grabbed the nation’s attention when he became the first major-party presidential candidate to speak out in support of ending marijuana prohibition,” said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project in a statement. “His actions today speak even louder than his words last month. Hopefully, this legislation will get his colleagues in Congress talking about the need for comprehensive marijuana policy reform.”
