Reid Comes Out In Support Of Medical Marijuana

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. fends off questions about the slow start for the Affordable Care Act as he meets with reporters following a Democratic policy luncheon, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, on Capitol Hil... Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. fends off questions about the slow start for the Affordable Care Act as he meets with reporters following a Democratic policy luncheon, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told the Las Vegas Sun Thursday that he supports legalizing medical marijuana use.

“If you’d asked me this question a dozen years ago, it would have been easy to answer – I would have said no, because (marijuana) leads to other stuff,” he said. “But I can’t say that anymore.”

Reid says its time to address legalization, as he thinks there are good medical uses for the drug.

“I think we need to take a real close look at this,” he said. “I think that there’s some medical reasons for marijuana.”

The majority leader said he felt police spend too much time and energy enforcing the law on marijuana users.

“I guarantee you one thing,” he said. “We waste a lot of time and law enforcement going after these guys that are smoking marijuana.”

However, Reid stopped short of endorsing legalization of recreational marijuana use, which Colorado enacted in January.

“I don’t know about that,” he said about regulating the legal sale of marijuana for recreational use. “I just think that we need to look at the medical aspects of it.”

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