Cynthia Nixon supports legalization of marijuana to end the 'racist war on drugs'
Actress and education activist Cynthia Nixon made it clear that legalization of marijuana is one of the policies for her campaign while she is running for governor, stating it as a necessary step in order to reduce racial inequities in the criminal justice system.
The actress believes that if it is legalized, it will be vital in “ending a key front in the racist war on drugs” and will help raise additional revenue for New York State. Recently, Cynthia took to Twitter and expressed her support for legalizing marijuana in a two-minute video that she had posted. She also added that the New York city should join a nationwide movement to legalize pot.
“There are a lot of good reasons for legalizing marijuana, 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,” Cynthia said pointing out the percentage of colored people who were arrested for possession of marijuana. “Eighty percent of the New Yorkers who are arrested for marijuana are black or Latino, despite the fact that whites and people of color use marijuana at roughly the same rates. The consequences follow people for the rest of their lives, making it harder to get jobs, or housing and for non-citizens, putting them in the crosshairs for deportation.”
According to Cynthia, legalization would help in putting an end to the “war on drugs” that tend to target the minorities. “In addition to ending a key front in the racist war on drugs, regulating and taxing marijuana would generate hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue for our people and create important agricultural opportunities for our state,” she continued.
“In 2018, in a blue state like New York, marijuana shouldn’t even be an issue. If there was more political courage coming out of Albany, we would have done this already," she added. Cynthia brought to attention how marijuana had been legal for the white people and it was important for the same to be offered to others who belonged to the same place irrespective of their color.
The simple truth is for white people, the use of marijuana has effectively been legal for a long time,” Cynthia added. “Isn’t it time we legalize it for everybody else?” This is not the first time that the actress has expressed her support to legalize marijuana. Previously, appearing on 'The Wendy Williams Show', Cynthia announced her support for the idea by suggesting that the state should “capture some of that revenue.”