Sean Hannity On Marijuana: ‘I Believe In Decriminalization’

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Fox News host Sean Hannity said in a Playboy interview published Wednesday that he believes marijuana use should be decriminalized, but worries that outright legalization would have a negative gateway effect on the American public:

PLAYBOY: That’s okay. Have you smoked marijuana?

HANNITY: I’m not answering any questions about that. Period. Nice try.

PLAYBOY: Let’s talk about the issue itself then.

HANNITY: I don’t think there should be jail terms. I believe in decriminalization. I do have a problem…how do I say this? Thomas Paine, in 1776’s Common Sense, said something to the effect that if the impulses of conscience were uniform and irresistibly obeyed, there would be no need for any other lawmaker. That not being the case, Paine goes on to describe the need for the formation of government predicated on the idea that government is going to protect you from people who would otherwise want to take your stuff and treat you unfairly. I prefer that people make good decisions. I like to drink beer on a hot summer day, but I don’t overindulge. I like a good glass of wine when I go out to dinner with my friends. If I have more than two drinks I take a cab or have somebody else drive home. My biggest fear about opening the door to legalization is that I’ve always believed, in spite of some disagreement, that marijuana is a gateway drug. According to everything I read, marijuana is more potent than it has ever been, and I believe that for a lot of people there is at least a minimal psychological, addictive component.


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