Bernie Sanders says he’s open to legalizing marijuana use

Bernie Sanders speaks at the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015. (Cliff Grassmick/Daily Camera via AP)

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that he is open to the legalization of marijuana during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC.
The senator from Vermont, who is competing against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, said he wants to learn from the experiences of Colorado and other states that have legalized recreational pot use.
But, Sanders said: “I am not unfavorably disposed to moving toward the legalization of marijuana.”
“We have more people in jail today than any other country on earth,” Sanders told Kimmel. “We have large numbers of lives that have been destroyed because of this war on drugs, and because people were caught smoking marijuana and so forth. I think we have got to end the war on drugs.”
[Bernie Sanders plans to launch television advertising next month in Iowa and New Hampshire]
Sanders also alluded to his position last week during the first Democratic debate when he and other candidates were asked for their position on an upcoming ballot measure in Nevada to legalize recreational use.
Sanders said he would like be inclined to vote for the ballot measure, while Clinton was noncommittal.
Kimme also asked Sanders, who is Jewish, whether he believes in God.
“I am who I am, and what I believe in and what my spirituality is about is that we’re all in this together,” Sanders said. “We do our best as human beings — we fulfill our lives — when we work together rather than say ‘Hey, I want it all, and I don’t care about the hungry kid down the street.’”