Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has always dominated the unscientific online polls and done well in many focus groups that have asked debate viewers who won the Democratic primary debates. However, the mainstream political pundits and talking heads have overwhelmingly declared Hillary Sanders the winner. Following last night’s debate in South […]

As the Democratic candidates square off in a debate tonight in South Carolina, polls have shown that the race has been tightening in Iowa and New Hampshire, and potentially even nationally. Frontrunner Hillary Clinton has been expected to win the Iowa caucus, but recent polls show that she is in a […]

Advocates seeking to legalize marijuana have to suffer through insults and negative stereotypes that are hurled against us by prohibitionists and even those that are simply on the fence on the issue. Fortunately, the tide is turning for the better as marijuana has moved more into the mainstream and cannabis law […]

Personally, I have been so happy to see great polling news for Bernie Sanders that has been flooding my social media streams these days, along with crucial endorsements of the Vermont Senator from progressives at Democracy for America, MoveOn.org and The Nation magazine. Sanders surging in Iowa, New Hampshire and nationally has brought out attacks […]

Progressive supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders got great news this past week when a Fox News poll showed the anti-establishment Democratic candidate with a commanding 13 point lead over frontrunner Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. The good polling news continued with the release of the NBC/The Wall Street Journal/Marist also […]

Debbie Does Malice, Again: DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz just reaffirmed her support for continued cannabis criminalization. As chair of the Democratic National Committee, the Florida congresswoman has shown herself to be inept, biased, and unfair. She is especially ignorant regarding cannabis prohibition. Schultz has been a divisive disaster for Democrats and must be replaced […]

Cannabis law reformers have held great hope that Senator Bernie Sanders would be a candidate that would call for an end to failed and harmful policy of marijuana prohibition. The Vermont Senator had decried the War on Drugs decades ago and held progressive views on just about every position; reforming […]

Bernie Sanders is running a truly unique campaign that relies upon an army of small donors and has a disdain for Super PACs that can receive unlimited donations anonymously. Despite operating a different kind of campaign, it is imperative that Bernie Sanders keeps pace with Hillary Clinton in fundraising. In […]

The founders of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, are urging voters to support Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and for supporters to make a donation before midnight rings in 2016. Cohen and Greenfield started the iconic ice cream company in Vermont, so it shouldn’t be a […]

“We have some preliminary data showing that for certain medical conditions and symptoms, that marijuana can be helpful,” United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CBS last February “I think that we have to use that data to drive policymaking.” Murthy isn’t the first Surgeon General to express reasonable comments on drug policy […]

Each and every year, the cannabis community can celebrate success and 2015 was no different. While off-year elections are not going to usher in as many monumental changes as election years, there are still electoral, political and cultural victories to celebrate. Many political victories have been ushered in or aided […]

There is national consensus that the Hillary Clinton is a sure thing to win the Democratic nomination, but the latest CBS/YouGov poll shows that Bernie Sanders isn’t out of the race yet. Even among progressives, there is a lot of “I wish Bernie could win” sentiment and I must say that […]

Treating drug use as a crime clearly hasn’t worked for the United States. Just as alcohol prohibition enriched Al Capone and other gangsters, the Drug War has enriched cartels and other criminal organizations. Prohibitionist policies have increased the potency of drugs and tax-exempt profits of outlaws. Of course, the War […]

Buoyed by a recent poll showing a ten point lead over Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator is making his case for the nomination in his stronghold of New Hampshire. Helped by a geographical proximity and a primary voting process that has a strong independent vote, Sanders has long led […]

Bernie Sanders’ supporters, including many in the cannabis community, did all that they could to make the Vermont Senator TIME Person of the Year as he clearly won the online vote, but the magazine’s editors have decided to go a different route. While Sanders will fail to become the first […]

UPDATE: TIME left Bernie Sanders off of the shortlist of potential winners for Person of the Year, despite his winning the online readers’ poll.  TIME Magazine’s editors will ultimately have the final say, but their readers have made it clear that Bernie Sanders should be the 2015 TIME Person of […]

With less than 3 days left to vote, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leads the TIME Person of the Year Poll, ahead of political rivals Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Sanders has far exceeded expectations in the 2016 Democratic primary and has helped dramatically improve how American political candidates discuss marijuana […]

The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I substance, along with heroin, is a national joke that barely has any public supporters these days. Declaring marijuana a drug with a high rate of abuse with no accepted medical value is laughable considering the medicinal benefits that have been shown, the […]

Supporters of cannabis legalization and greater criminal justice reforms celebrated the overwhelming victory of Canada’s Liberal Party less than a month ago as the party’s platform noted the need to be smarter on crime, including ending the failed policy of marijuana prohibition. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wasted no time mandating […]

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! 5 reasons the cannabis community can be thankful this Thanksgiving: Marijuana is legal in 4 states and our nation’s capital: While there is much more work to be done, cannabis wasn’t legal in any state just over three years ago. Bonus thanks: cannabis is likely to become […]

Hip hop artist Killer Mike’s passionate introduction of Bernie Sanders before a raucous crowd in Atlanta, Georgia, has made the waves on social media with many progressives touting his inspiring speech. While many political pundits may discount the importance of an endorsement from a rapper named Killer Mike, the support could […]

The online audience declares Bernie Sanders the debate winner again following the second Democratic primary debate that focused heavily on foreign policy following the recent tragic terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Bernie Sanders wins online polls as his base of support includes […]

UPDATE: Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey to win the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 193. Ronda Rousey is obviously not afraid of speaking her mind. From her belief that women don’t need others to take care of them to sex, Rousey seems to speak authentically off the cuff. Some love […]

The Marijuana Business Conference and Expo, sponsored by Marijuana Business Daily, is in Las Vegas and the enthusiasm for the burgeoning cannabis industry is certainly palpable. The conference is teeming with people looking to network and learn about marijuana business opportunities in various states as more than 5,000 attendees and […]

On one hand, Hillary Clinton should be commended for moving in the right direction on marijuana policy. It is a testament to the momentum of the cannabis law reform movement that the Democratic frontrunner, not exactly known to be a progressive trailblazer on most social issues, espouses solid political rhetoric […]

Bernie Sanders continued his support for sensible Drug War reforms by introducing a bill that would effectively end federal marijuana prohibition, treating cannabis similar to alcohol. Throughout the Democratic primary, Sanders has continued to unveil a progressive cannabis policy platform. The Vermont Senator has stated that the Drug War is […]

Fresh on the heels of his major announcement on ending federal marijuana prohibition and challenging front-runner Hillary Clinton on cannabis legalization, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has launched his first campaign commercial. The commercial, titled “Real Change”, doesn’t mention legalization, but does stress his anti-establishment credentials and his long history of […]

Hillary Clinton has talked a pretty good talk on criminal justice reform during the 2016 Democratic primary, but she disappointed many cannabis law reform advocates by refusing to endorse marijuana legalization. Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, has long enjoyed the support of many cannabis law reformers and the insurgent […]

Hillary Clinton is still the odds on favorite for the Democratic nomination, even as Bernie Sanders’ agenda items seem to set the tone for the Democratic primary debates. Sanders has led the way on most progressive issues, including marijuana legalization and criminal justice reforms. The Vermont Senator has staked out […]

Candidates vying for the presidency diverged this week quite a bit, with Bernie Sanders on one end, supporting the descheduling of marijuana as a controlled substance, effectively ending federal cannabis prohibition and Republicans Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich and Ben Carson seemingly on the other end, wanting to […]

As anyone can see, the cannabis industry has made great strides in recent years, politically, culturally and economically. Creatively and effectively utilizing technology and media have been a part of the foundation for that success. Anyone familiar with the cannabis community, particularly those with an entrepreneurial spirit, knows that the community […]

Bernie Sanders’ proposal to deschedule cannabis by removing marijuana from the list of scheduled drugs shook the cannabis law reform movement in the best way possible. For the most part, the cannabis community has celebrated victory after victory in recent years and Sanders’ announcement that marijuana should be descheduled falls […]

Fresh off the heels of the announcement that Bernie Sanders would call for the removal of marijuana from the controlled substances list, his campaign has started a petition demanding that states be able to legalize cannabis without restrictions. De-scheduling cannabis has long been desired by the cannabis community, but that […]

Bernie Sanders, according to The Washington Post, is going to propose that marijuana be removed from the schedule of drugs listed under the Controlled Substances Act. Needless to say, this would be HUGE news with national ramifications, if successful. Marijuana is currently a Schedule I drug, slated as being highly […]

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have ran, for the most part, very issue-driven campaigns, rarely taking the bait to really engage each other or mention each other on the campaign trail. While Republican candidates and the media have not, and likely are not, going to drop Clinton’s private email and […]

While cannabis law reform advocates and Drug War reformers on the progressive side of the political spectrum have largely flocked to support Bernie Sanders, many conservatives and libertarians have stood by the candidacy of Rand Paul. Senator Paul started off the race for the Republican nomination as one of the […]

Bernie Sanders has gotten rave reviews from marijuana law reform advocates and Drug War reformers with his policy proposals and comments. The Marijuana Policy Project gives Bernie Sanders an “A” rating, while we here at Marijuana Politics give the Vermont Senator an “A-” on his cannabis policy. Once Sanders gives […]

Americans now favor marijuana legalization by a healthy margin, as proven in a new Gallup Poll. This realization is now influencing the 2016 Presidential election. Candidates supporting continued criminal prohibition of cannabis now face strong headwind of American public opinion. The Gallup pollsters concluded: Americans’ support for legalizing marijuana is […]

After nearly a decade in power, Stephen Harper has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party after Canadians voted for change and swept the Liberal Party into power. Exceeding expectations, the Liberal Party secured a clear majority outright, without the need to form a coalition government. Voters in our neighbor […]

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CNN’s coverage of the first Democratic presidential debate drew both praise and controversy across the political spectrum. Many people felt that Anderson Cooper did a great job asking tough questions of the candidates and sticking to the issues. Others criticized CNN for declaring Hillary Clinton the winner of the debate, […]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had already won the hearts and minds of many cannabis law reform advocates before the first Democratic presidential debate by stating that he would personally vote “YES” on marijuana legalization and called for reforming our failed War on Drugs. Hillary Clinton provided good answers as well, […]

“The third rail of a nation’s politics is a metaphor for any issue so controversial that it is “charged” and “untouchable”; any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject will invariably suffer politically.” Reforming our marijuana laws and the greater Drug War have often been declared a […]

Millions of Americans tuned into the Democratic presidential debate tonight to hear about the major issues facing our nation. Cannabis law reformers were waiting for the Democrats to discuss marijuana legalization and Anderson Cooper even teased the cannabis question over a commercial break, stating that, “Some of the candidates have tried […]

Cannabis law reform advocates have been spreading the word that Bernie Sanders seems to have the best marijuana and Drug War policy among candidates that have a legitimate shot at winning. Progressive advocates have certainly rallied behind the Vermont Senator while conservative and libertarian counterparts are sticking with Republican candidate […]

It was surprising that a Google Consumer Surveys poll conducted for Independent Journal (IJ.com) showing Senator Bernie Sanders leading Hillary Clinton narrowly, 38.4% to 37.6%, a virtual tie, didn’t get more media attention. Granted, the poll seems like an outlier at the moment as other national polls have had the Democratic frontrunner […]

Politicians can make many claims about positions and policies. Some politicians have a long track record of being on the right side of an issue, while others can be politically calculating, depending upon which way the political winds blow. A few politicians have the track record, take the time to […]

Many headlines regarding the latest Suffolk/USA TODAY poll contain headlines about the strong lead that Hillary Clinton maintains, downplyaing (if not ignoring) the impressive gain made by Bernie Sanders (and corresponding drop in support for Clinton). The Suffolk/USA TODAY poll does have the former Secretary of State leading the Vermont […]

Maybe good news for Bernie shouldn’t be such big news as he has leads in Iowa and New Hampshire and has been gaining nationally. However, the conventional wisdom is still that Hillary Clinton is the big prohibitive favorite and that Sanders is going to have a hard time garnering support […]

Many people in Oregon have been wondering why The Oregonian, the largest paper in the Northwest, would devote so much time to covering all things marijuana. The paper has a reporter, Noelle Crombie, covering the marijuana beat full-time and a few other reporters chipping in as well. Some long-time activists, […]