{"id":70553,"date":"2023-11-29T09:18:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T17:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/11\/29\/democratic-presidential-candidate-dean-phillips-says-he-didnt-literally-mean-biden-should-start-smoking-marijuana-now\/"},"modified":"2023-11-29T19:46:38","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T03:46:38","slug":"democratic-presidential-candidate-dean-phillips-says-he-didnt-literally-mean-biden-should-start-smoking-marijuana-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/11\/29\/democratic-presidential-candidate-dean-phillips-says-he-didnt-literally-mean-biden-should-start-smoking-marijuana-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic Presidential Candidate Dean Phillips Says He Didn\u2019t \u2018Literally\u2019 Mean Biden Should Start Smoking Marijuana \u2018Now\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, didn\u2019t \u201cliterally\u201d mean it when he said President Joe Biden should smoke some marijuana<\/a> earlier this month, he now says.<\/p>\n

\u201cTruth is I wouldn\u2019t recommend he start now,\u201d the congressman said on Tuesday, reversing the tongue-in-cheek comments he made at a New Hampshire campaign event, where he also cast doubt on whether the president has smoked \u201cor even smelled weed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Truth is I wouldn\u2019t recommend he start now.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s absolutely absurd that a naturally occurring plant on which no human has overdosed remains a Schedule I narcotic in America.<\/p>\n

It should be legalized immediately and turned over to the States for regulation. https:\/\/t.co\/liVIzomyva<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) November 29, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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At the time, he said indulging in some cannabis might help Biden understand the \u201cawfully hypocritical\u201d position of barring people from White House employment over eating a marijuana gummy when they could, in theory, \u201cdrink a half gallon of Jack Daniels at night and report to work\u201d the next day without penalties.<\/p>\n

While Phillips has now reframed his recommendation for Biden to use cannabis, he said that points stands that \u201cit\u2019s absolutely absurd that a naturally occurring plant on which no human has overdosed remains a Schedule I narcotic in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should be legalized immediately and turned over to the States for regulation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

What prompted the reversal seems to be a Politico story about Phillips\u2019s campaign that led with his earlier cannabis comment in the story and headline, which was subsequently pictured in a screenshot on the satirical X account \u201cNew York Times Pitchbot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The congressman also separately told<\/a> Politico that his suggestion that the president begin toking up wasn\u2019t meant to be taken \u201cliterally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillips, who announced his run for the Democratic presidential nomination late last month<\/a>, has a consistent record supporting broad drug policy reform in Congress. He\u2019s supported federal marijuana legalization, pushed the Biden administration to provide relief to those who\u2019ve been criminalized over cannabis and advocated for research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.<\/p>\n

\u201cCannabis is still a Schedule I narcotic in the United States of America, like heroin. It\u2019s nonsensical,\u201d Phillips said this month. \u201cBut this is your federal government, with people who think that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The congressman\u2019s commentary on drug policy issues aligns with his voting record, which shows ongoing support for reform across the board\u2014including incremental measures on marijuana banking, as well as more comprehensive proposals to end federal cannabis prohibition while promoting social equity.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s said that while he thinks the president has done an effective job to date, Biden\u2019s slumping poll numbers raise concerns about his viability in the election, and he\u2019s hoping to offer an alternative pathway for Democrats.<\/p>\n

While Biden has steadfastly maintained his opposition to adult-use marijuana legalization\u2014a position that the White House affirmed has not changed since Ohio voted to enact the reform\u2014he did grant a mass pardon for people who\u2019ve committed federal cannabis possession offenses last year, while also directing an administrative review into marijuana scheduling.<\/p>\n

That directive resulted in a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is now reviewing the health agency\u2019s findings as it prepares to make a final scheduling determination.<\/p>\n

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a founding member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus who is retiring after the end of this Congress, recently told Marijuana Moment that, if he were Biden,\u00a0he would act more boldly to end cannabis criminalization<\/a>\u00a0ahead of next year\u2019s election, in part to \u201catone\u201d for his record\u00a0championing punitive drug policies during his time in the Senate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Phillips\u2019s position on the issue, meanwhile, closely aligns with the majority public opinion, with a recent Gallup poll showing support for marijuana legalization at a record 70 percent high<\/a>. That includes 87 percent of Democrats.<\/p>\n

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New Cannabis Nonprofit Aims To Promote Industry Standards In Support Of Advocacy Efforts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Democratic Presidential Candidate Dean Phillips Says He Didn\u2019t \u2018Literally\u2019 Mean Biden Should Start Smoking Marijuana \u2018Now\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Democratic Presidential Candidate Dean Phillips Says He Didn\u2019t \u2018Literally\u2019 Mean Biden Should Start Smoking Marijuana \u2018Now\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, didn\u2019t \u201cliterally\u201d mean it when he said President Joe Biden should smoke some marijuana earlier this month, he now says. \u201cTruth is I wouldn\u2019t recommend he start now,\u201d the congressman said on Tuesday, reversing the tongue-in-cheek comments he made at aContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70553"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70553"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70554,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70553\/revisions\/70554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}