Cynthia Nixon Wants to Legalize Marijuana in New York

Days after a New York Times interview ran in which she revealed her belief marijuana should be legalized in New York, Cynthia Nixon released a campaign video where she makes her position on the issue emphatically clear.

"There are a lot of good reasons for legalizing marijuana," says Nixon, "but for me, it comes down to this: we have to stop putting people of color in jail for something that white people do with impunity."

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Marijuana is currently legal in Washington D.C. and eight other states. New York has a medical marijuana program, but the drug is still illegal for recreational use.

Nixon adds that weed would already have been legalized in New York if "there was more political courage coming out of Albany." The political hopeful goes on to say that "in addition to ending a key front in the racist war on drugs, regulating and taxing marijuana would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue" and "create important agricultural opportunities."

"In 2018, in a blue state like New York, marijuana shouldn't even be an issue," said Nixon. "The simple truth is: for white people, the use of marijuana has effectively been legal for a long time. Isn't it time we legalize it for everybody else?"