With Bernie Sanders surging in the polls both in key early states and nationally, thoughts have turned to what sort of progressive agenda the Senator would pursue if he were to win the White House.
A document obtained by the Washington Post this week contained some hints as to the sort of executive orders he would sign off on. Key ideas include a number of executive orders to rollback regressive Trump era initiatives on immigration, such as those which have seen minors separated from their parents and housed in camps, orders aimed at enforcing a $15 minimum wage for firms with federal contracts, and improving prescription drug access.
An issue which has the potential to get a lot of attention is a proposal to legalize cannabis. The proposal could play well with younger voters and particularly voters from minority groups, who have historically disproportionately fallen victim to regressive anti drug regulation and racially targeted policing. Cannabis for personal use has already been decriminalized in 15 states and the Virgin Islands, as well as legalized in another 11 and the District of Columbia, however the drug is still illegal federally under the Controlled Substances Act.
Sanders’ plan, in addition to legalizing cannabis within the first 100 days of his administration, would also include expunging past cannabis convictions, ensuring that the resultant legalized cannabis industry did not morph into another Big Tobacco, and investing cannabis taxes in initiatives such as business development schemes for minority communities to enter the industry.
