Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman called on President Biden to deschedule marijuana, with a goal of ultimately decriminalizing the drug, ahead of Biden’s visit to the state next week.
Biden is expected to travel to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, two key swing states, on Labor Day ahead of the November midterms.
“It’s long past time that we finally decriminalize marijuana,” Fetterman said in a statement. “The president needs to use his executive authority to begin descheduling marijuana, I would love to see him do this prior to his visit to Pittsburgh. This is just common sense and Pennslyvanians overwhelmingly support decriminalizing marijuana.”
Fetterman also took a shot at his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz, who has spoken out against marijuana legalization.
“I don’t want to hear any bullshit coming out of Dr. Oz’s campaign trying to conflate decriminalizing marijuana with seriously harmful crime. Are we supposed to believe that neither he nor any members of his staff have ever used marijuana?” Fetterman said.
“As mayor of Braddock, I made it my mission to combat serious crime. I know firsthand what real crime looks like. Marjiuana does not fit the bill. It’s time to end the hypocrisy on this issue once and for all.”
Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug and is illegal at the federal level, though a number of states have approved its use either for medical use, recreational use or both.
A spokesperson for Fetterman’s campaign previously said the Senate candidate would be pressing the president on the issue of decriminalizing marijuana while Biden was in the state.
Fetterman has led Oz in recent polling and the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating of the Senate seat from “toss up” to “lean Democrat.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House and Oz’s campaign for comment.
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This story was originally published August 29, 2022 3:51 PM.
