California’s lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom says that if Proposition 64 passes — which would legalize recreational marijuana use — it would be a “game changer” across the country.
“I think it is the beginning of the end of the war on marijuana,” Newsom tells Variety‘s “PopPolitics” on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel. “It is the beginning of a renewed conversation about the war on drugs writ large, a referendum in many respects where we have been trying to criminalize people’s behavior yet we have only wasted a trillion-plus dollars and destroyed I would argue many millions of lives in the process and not produced the intended result.”
Newsom says that he is not pro-marijuana legalization as much as he is anti-prohibition. The initiative has been leading in the polls, but even he says that its passage will begin the process of legalization.
“It’s a process that begins on election day, and it is a process that will unfold over many, many years,” he says. His wife, he says, has had concerns over the initiative, and seems to be moving toward supporting it.
Newsom says that another person who believes that Prop 64 could be a “game changer” is former Secretary of State George Shultz. He says that Shultz has told him that it could have a big impact on relations with Mexico, as legalization across the country would diminish the influence of drug cartels.
Listen below:
How a Comedy Team Pulled Off Pranks for ‘Undecided’
Davram Stiefler and Jason Selvig — the comedy duo of “The Good Liars” — fooled much of the media throughout the campaign by performing stunts on the campaign trail. As Donald Trump held a press conference, they shouted “This is boring.” (They got kicked out). They demanded to be paid to be seat fillers at a Jeb Bush event. (They also got kicked out). They appeared shirtless at Hillary Clinton campaign events. (She let them stay).
Their pranks are part of “Undecided,” a docucomedy streaming on Netflix and iTunes in which they play misguided undecided voters as they meet the candidates. Their biggest challenge may have been plotting outrageous scenes in a campaign where there were plenty of real absurd moments.
Listen below:
Can We Talk to Each Other Again?
Mary Murphy of USC Annenberg and Alexander Heffner of “The Open Mind” talk about what it will take to return political discourse to sanity, after a campaign when the loudest voices in the room have gotten the most attention.
“PopPolitics,” hosted by Variety’s Ted Johnson, airs on Thursdays from 2-3 p.m. ET/11-noon PT on SiriusXM’s political channel POTUS. It also is available on demand.
