Senator Rubio is fully against marijuana legalization, stating he does not believe their is a responsible way to recreationally use marijuana. Senator Rubio has also stated that he would only support medical marijuana if it were to go through the FDA's regulating process-- a feat that is currently not possible with federal prohibition.
Holds office U.S. Senate
"Now, if there's a medicinal use– if you can go to the FDA and prove that it helps with medicine, that's fine. Then turn it into medicine." (02/11/16)
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said Thursday he's opposed to legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, tying the drug to the negative effects associated with alcohol abuse.
He said people ask him why, since he's younger than other presidential candidates, he isn't in favor of legalizing marijuana.
"And I say, well, because this country already pays a terrible price for the abuse of alcohol," Mr. Rubio said at a campaign event in South Carolina. "We're not going to outlaw alcohol. We're not going to ban it. It's part of our culture. It's ingrained in our society - that's not a realistic proposal.
"But no one can tell me that alcohol's had a positive impact on society," he said. "It destroys marriages and lives, it kills people ... and now you want to add another intoxicant and make it legal?"
(2/11/16)
"Yes. Yes, I think, well, I think we need to enforce our federal laws. Now do states have a right to do what they want? They don't agree with it, but they have their rights. But they don't have a right to write federal policy as well....I don't believe we should be in the business of legalizing additional intoxicants in this country for the primary reason that when you legalize something, what you're sending a message to young people is it can't be that bad, because if it was that bad, it wouldn't be legal."
(6/11/15)
"If there are medicinal uses of marijuana that don't have the elements that are mind-altering or create the high but do alleviate whatever condition it may be they are trying to alleviate, that is something I would be open to," he said.
"You hear compelling stories of people who say the use of medicinal marijuana provides relief for the thing they are suffering. So I'd like to learn more about that aspect of it, the science of it. I have qualms about that proposal, I really do, but I probably need to learn more about it. The broader issue of whether we should be legalizing it is something I'm pretty firm about. I don't think legalizing marijuana or even decriminalizing it is the right decision for our country."
7/31/14
"I don't believe there's a responsible way to recreationally use marijuana." (05/19/14)
"Marijuana is illegal under federal law. That should be enforced. I believe that adding yet another mind-altering substance to something that's legal is not good for the country." (05/19/14)
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