Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke is eyeing the 2020 Presidential election, and his hope is to use the momentum he built while competing with Sen. Ted Cruz for the Senate seat to help him push forward toward the White House.
One thing is consistent for O’Rourke: his opinion of the war on drugs has not changed. Starting out as a member of the El Paso City Council, O’Rourke has made it clear that he did not have a favourable opinion of the current efforts to curb drug use.
Meanwhile, shortly after his announcement of a bid for the Presidential election, O’Rourke noted cannabis reform is necessary, particularly at the federal level. He also said minorities feel the biggest impact from the current setup, which is not acceptable.
O’Rourke made several moves during his time in Congress that supported his current stance on marijuana reform. The one bill he sponsored would have set standards preventing the federal government from withholding funds intended for highway infrastructure for states that failed or refused to pass legislation taking licenses from those who had drug convictions.
O’Rourke’s other moves during his time in Congress included co-sponsoring several bills that involved efforts to change marijuana laws at the federal level or hemp laws. His primary focus was ending federal prohibition of marijuana, but his efforts also included signing on to those bills that were intended to protect states that had enacted marijuana legalization from federal kickback.
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