supports c-span as a public service. along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> a couple of live events coming up from the white house today, press secretary jen psaki will hold a news conference with reporters this afternoon. live coverage starting at 12:38 eastern. later, president biden signs an executive order promoting economic competition in the u.s.. also available online at c-span.org. or, listening with the free c-span radio app. this is eric, the executive director director of the national organization for the reform of marijuana laws. thank you for joining us this

morning. recently, three states deciding to make decisions about their states when it concerns marijuana laws. can you talk about those states and how that changes? guest: we are at a time of unprecedented momentum behind the movement to legalize marijuana. this is something the majority want to see happen. we have nearly 70% of all americans, regardless of demographic support ending in our failed prohibition. not only do 70 sent -- 70% supported, they live in a state where it is legal. as you alluded to in the past six months, we've seen a lot more states, on board through the legislative process. a lot moved toward it as a ballot initiative. new jersey codified their

legalization in the early part of the year. they were followed by new york, new mexico, for ginny. i expect several more states will consider it. it goes to show that the american people are sick and tired of wasting money on this prohibition for a plant that is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. when colorado and washington state first legalized marijuana, there is no remorse among the american public. they are ready to move forward. host: have these rollouts been positive? have there been unintended consequences? guest: so far, there has been no major disasters. the sky has not fallen. we have seen millions of dollars

of tax revenue coming every year instead of going to the black market. it is largely operating as intended, you're always going to have some pickups and some places. we are not seeing any of these dire predictions they said would happen. in all the states that have passed legalization, it is only more popular and winning over people that initially voted no. none of them have gone back and repealed legalization. we are excited to see new york state finally and their arrests for decades. they were the marijuana arrest capital of the united states. they are moving toward legalization.

the real effect of other provisions such as expunging past records, they are addressing the harms the war on drugs is caused communities. host: that led to a response from the pta of new york. you can respond to it. in the midst of the covid pandemic which affects the lungs, tell albany to he the education groups and law enforcement community and oppose the legalization of marijuana. it's important to realize we are giving the green light to marijuana. millions of americans are already consuming it and have been for decades. we are taking marijuana from the

lawlessness to the lack of regulation and control. if there is no oversight, no testing, there is no business legally required to check your id. drug dealers don't check ids. where removing those criminal elements. now instead of dumping millions of dollars into arresting individuals, we are generating tax revenue we could use for education programs. look at how we handled cigarette consumption. we went from 60% of all american smoking cigarettes to only about 10% now. it it is at historic lows. we had a public health education campaigns to make sure we warrant lying.

we have not had to arrest a single person. host: if you want to ask questions, democrats (202) 748-8000. republicans (202) 748-8001. independent voters (202) 748-8002. how does the federal government treat marijuana. what does it do to the state-by-state efforts to legalize. guest: we have a tension between federal law and state policy. it is still a schedule 1 substance, right alongside heroin. i don't think anyone believes it is as dangerous as heroin. they are coming at it from an out of date approach.

during the obama administration when states started to move forward, they took a hands off approach to this. they were making sure children were not getting access to the market. this is really an untenable situation that we need congress to act on. it would universally legalize marijuana. it would leave it to states. they would not have to fear raids in their states. due to the schedule one status, marijuana businesses with employees and taxes, they can't utilize the banking system. that is creating a real issue we need to follow. we are letting businesses that are contributing to communities become targets for crime and robbery.

we need to accept the reality on the ground. we have 18 states with full legalization. we have 30 with some sort of medical marijuana program. the government needs to acknowledge this reality. host: how would you characterize the biden administration on this topic? guest: it was known that joe biden was never a strong legalize or. he has had a tough on drugs approach to the 80's and 90's. he pledged he wanted to remove marijuana from the schedule one. he wanted to expunge past records. so far, while we have not seen any big moves, this has held up the hands off approach to the states, which is letting civil

liberty laws go into place. we need to see some leadership from the top down so we can and one of our longest running wars. the drug war has been running rampant since 1970 and it's been an utter failure. it would be great to see president biden show leadership on that front. host: white house staffers were let go because of the issue. guest: i don't like to try to read minds. you can see on its face that it's an absurd policy. that is something millions of americans face every day. we have hard-working americans, many were filling essential worker roles. they get drug tested at work and lose their jobs over something they didn't do on hours that is legal in their state.

you shouldn't be punished for smoking a joint on the weekend anymore than having a martini on saturday evening. the white house despite their earlier statement is penalizing this individuals for simple marijuana consumption. host: our first call for you comes from maryland. this is steve on the republican line. thanks for calling. go ahead. caller: good morning. i went to college from 1969 to 1973. i smoked it. it makes you dopey is my opinion. this is well known. i haven't smoked since the 70's. i wish you had a libertarian mind. i don't believe that taxing of vice is a good thing.

the libertarian says i should be allowed, if this is legal, i should be allowed to grow this limitless lee in my garden. taxing maryland it would be like taxing prostitution. the argument against alcohol, it's easy to catch kids drinking alcohol. it's hard to catch them bringing in a joint and getting stoned. i am torn on the situation. what's the objection to just growing this limitless lee? -- limitless lee? guest: that raises two important points. one is the taxation of marijuana. the consensus is if we legalize and, states have to pay

attention to what the tax rate is. you want to be able to fund the whole program. you don't want it so high that you push people to the illicit market instead of the regulated market. i fully agree on the issue of home cultivation. that is a personal freedom that all americans should have. that harvest should not be taxed the way your tomato plants or homeroom -- home brewed beer isn't taxed. every state has included home cultivation provisions are people that want to grow their own plants and have that freedom for themselves. host: when it comes to marijuana, the thc potency, has it increased?

how would you describe that? guest: i think that is a ruse we hear from the opposition. this isn't your grandfather's weed, they are making it sound like what they smoked in the 70's was hemp. they will tell you they got high smoking that marijuana. when they went to test marijuana from the time sitting in the lab for decades, we have no way to have a specific answer on that. ultimately, you have a variety of strains based on the techniques. while people to focus on that, what we see is lower potency marijuana. we see that with cbd. people don't want these strong

products and it takes them out of commission. we can test people how strong their marijuana is unlike what they've gotten in the past. host: democrats line from kentucky. good morning. caller: thank you for having me. a quick comment and then a question. if mr. biden wants to solidify his 2024 run, he should legalize marijuana and get rid of student debt. my question is can you discuss -- everyone is so fixated on smoking it, can you talk about the medical benefits and the opportunities and the technology that is out there with medical. people are being held out to do

research and bring this to the forefront, this technology to the american people. can you discuss the research and all the benefits. >> we need more research, we need more research. the fact of the matter is if you go to a repository of peer-reviewed studies, there are over 30,000 of them on marijuana. it is rather well studied. we do have the research. a fair amount of that research is being done outside of this country. the united states isn't conducting a ton of this research. we see it coming from israel and other european countries.

that is oddly do not just to the schedule 1 status, but to carve out we have for marijuana. if you want to study marijuana in the united states, you have to go through this process. you need approval from the dea. you can only use it grown at the one federal marijuana farm. the process is so long and no one makes it through. we are signing research, some of its adverse impacts on some people. we are not green lighting that science because of our reefer madness mentality. we do know plenty thanks to other research around the globe. it is useful for medical benefits. it is relatively low on the arm

scale. we need to let science guide our policy here. prohibition is a failure. we can't keep arresting half a million americans every year. we should invest and make sure we know as much as we can about this plant right here in america. host: what is the fda stance on the regulation of marijuana? guest: the fda has been hands-off. it is a botanical plant. it does not fall under the purview of the fda. they have stepped back. they likely won't be involved in the process. on the sideline, they will be involved. host: here is eileen from

connecticut. caller: thank you for taking my call. i live in connecticut. we just legalized here in connecticut. i am a medical patient. i have had a card for a few years. you just answered that for the medical part. i won't say anything about that. i do have concerns about the environmental impact of commercial cannabis reduction. the amount of energy used and the packaging. there is not a lot of recycling. i understand the benefit of vaped. i am not against it. there is not any recycling. the vaped products are just thrown away.

i am hoping that as this goes on a little more, we do address the environmental impact, especially since we don't have packaging. thank you very much for your work at normal. thank you very much. guest: we would've had a lot more politicizing about. now we are having a nuanced conversation. when it comes to the environment, that's another area where regulations are a great benefit. back under prohibition, you had a lot of guerrilla growth operations that were off the grid. they were tapping into natural resources.

you have to follow certain environmental standards. the good news is a recent study came out in the past week that showed cultivation is low on environmental impact, especially when it comes to water consumption. it only takes half a gallon to produce a couple of joints. a hamburger costs hundreds of gallons of water to get to your plate. we do need some sensible approaches. we want to make sure the packaging is replaceable. we want to be conscientious of the way we created. we can be very thoughtful about how we bring those things together. it would be easier when we have the federal prohibition gone.

host: when it comes to how people use marijuana, how much is that of smoked versus consumables? guest: you have seen a large market grow for edibles. ultimately, when you look at the reports coming out of places like colorado, the bud is still the most popular product. individuals are using that route. that still seems to be the tried-and-true way to go.

they don't like the idea of combusting plant matter. host: donna is in wisconsin. good morning. go ahead. caller: i know the states want to legalize it. it's another/fund of money. i don't want my surgeon to have as joint before he do surgery on me. i think it's sad you're promoting it. you think it's the greatest wonder drug there ever was. i don't want people that are high working on heavy equipment. it's just stupid. i would rather he had a cigarette and a cup of coffee, not a joint. you are promoting something that is a moneymaker for the states. it is sad.

maybe we should legalize heroin, crack, why not? there is good money in that. we can tax it to death. host: that is donna in wisconsin. guest: i'm not ready to say we should legalize heroin or cocaine. that's not the question here. it is illegal for a surgeon to smoke marijuana and do surgery now. it is illegal for him to do it in any state where there is a legal market. almost every american has access if they want to. prohibition has done nothing to get rid of that market. it has been consistent for decades. we want to legalize marijuana. if you don't want to consume

marijuana, that's fine. it will be just as legal for someone being under the influence when it is legal in your state as it was before when it was completely illegal in your state. that is how we think we should handle that. it's an absurd disgrace in this country. we need to legalize it. we will ultimately have actual regulations as opposed to prohibition where there is none. host: there was a statement coming from the insurance institute. our research makes it clear that legalizing marijuana for recreational loose, something policymakers and safety professionals need to address, even if the weight marijuana affects crash risks remains uncertain.

guest: driving under the influence is an issue. the most data we have in many states have put out reports, if you look at the broad body of research, there has not been any drastic research in crashes. it is stated in line with the national average after legalization. it's important that we figure out how to do testing. you don't want to get to a point where you don't -- follow sleep behind the wheel. we need to look for impairment testing. when you look at how this experiment has played out, we have 10 years of data now. we have not seen an increase in crash risks.

ultimately, we have not seen a drastic issue. host: this is the executive director for the reform of marijuana laws. jeffrey is in vermont. caller: good morning. thank you, c-span it, for having this conversation. just to follow up on one of your points regarding hide lay safety -- highway safety, oregon and washington state produced a highway safety report. it showed a 20% decline in fatalities associated with highway accidents. i think that's an important point. you asked about usage. at the state level, concentrates make up 50% of the legal

marketplaces. 50% of the entire marketplace is concentrates. the other 50% is flour. a question for you, thank you for your work. legalization is not a black-and-white issue. it is very complicated. the international drug policy consortium released a report that was a warning to developed nations. regulatory capture is an issue. the question is what are you doing, what are you doing to tackle the issue we have in states? if you look at equity statewide, the black and brown ownership is

under 2%. guest: it is a prevalent discussion in states that legalize. we are creating a new industry, who should benefit from the industry? i think we believe strongly that individuals and communities that were harmed by the war should be the ones who do fit. the investment should go back in those communities. those individual should have access to the licenses. these people should be benefiting, not just wall street firms. we can really make this a justice issue where we can bring some remedy to the pain we've

caused across this country through prohibition and legalization. i don't have any clear cut answer to solve the problem. it is something we advocate for heavily as we go through the process. we want to make sure we have things like micro licenses, equity grants to help individuals get into this new market. they have suffered the most under its legality. host: talk about this act. what is it currently stand? guest: it addresses something earlier in the show. marijuana businesses that are illegal in their states due to the schedule one status, they have difficulty paying taxes.

this is being done with transactions in cash only. you have individuals driving armored cars every day filled with money to the bank and do this crazy stuff. that is considered legal. they collect their money. they mostly have cash. the federal government says they can't use banking finds them for pain in cash. safe banking would it clear that up. it begins to fix the issue of financial services in this country. it was passed by the house of representatives. we expect to see some movement on that this year. host: james in texas, go ahead. caller: thank you for the topic.

i am a 76 wounded veteran. i was exposed to marijuana during those years. i have never smoked behind the wheel of a car. i suffered a spinal cord injury that crippled me in the late 90's. instead of going to opiates, i found i could smoke a little marijuana in the evening. i am retired. it deals with my pain. i fully support full legalization. this is absolutely crazy. would you rather have a beer drinker behind you in the car on the freeway or a pot smoker? thank you very much. guest: thanks for calling in. obviously, i prefer somebody completely alert behind me in

the car. i think what most people would pick. i am sorry to hear what you've gone through. i am pleased to hear you found some relief. there is a growing body of data on this. marijuana was always called the gateway drug. it is actually an exit drug for many people, especially those dealing with opioid addiction. it has pain relieving qualities with less impact in terms of addiction rates. people who are suffering chronic pain is finding success and that's the dependency it took them two. host: is there a threshold or

standard for dr. that allows a person to have a medical marijuana card? guest: the requirements vary from state to state. we are letting doctors decide. we don't have your heart medication being appropriate for you or if your pain medication is appropriate. we let doctors make health decisions. that's where we should leave medical marijuana. we should listen to the doctors. i defer to their expertise. host: mike is in california. hello. caller: good morning. there is a lot of discussion about science. i just went on a website, it is

called schizophrenia.com. i was looking for the search function. i didn't have to search anywhere. on the very first page, i would love you to put this on the screen, it has in bold cannabis users have 500% increased risk for schizophrenia. that's on the first page. that isn't what i thought i would find. let's talk about science. i urge you to put that on the screen for your viewers to see. i would like to hear what the guest has to say about that. guest: far be it from me, we have a lot of research in this as well.

a lot of these questions already have answers. what we see with schizophrenia is not that marijuana causes schizophrenia. there is a prevalence of use in people who been diagnosed. according to most professionals, it is self-medication. if you are suffering from all the dire problems that can come along with schizophrenia. they moved to marijuana to self medicate. it is largely benign for most people when they consume it. you could be at risk and you should talk to your physician about it. if you are in that group where it could have a negative reaction, it could cause

episodes you find unpleasant. people should be smart about what they put in their bodies. there is nothing that says marijuana has a causal effect. host: this is loretta referencing a story in the news. if marijuana is not a performance and asking drugs, why was she dismissed from the olympic games? guest: it is on the list of banned substances at the amp i doping association. on the books, they have these penalties for marijuana consumption. she should not be punished in the way that she is given that it was not during competition or for performance enhancing effects. it shows how a lot of our laws

or on the books, they are very outdated. we need to meet reality where half of americans live in a place where it is legal. they should not be penalized. richard chin should be allowed to run. we should not be firing anyone for their off-duty consumption. host: has that been consistently applied? guest: it has been applied over the years. what we see here in many ways seems to touch on a lot of issues, including race. she seems to be treated rather partially compared to michael phelps. that was a much more staid reaction than what we've seen in this case. that was 20 years ago.

there has been an outrage. this makes you scratch your head. she wasn't racing. she smoked marijuana as an adult in a place where it's legal. if she decided to drink of a clear, -- everclear, she would have still been able to run. host: democrats line in north carolina. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. in the second bush administration, in the early 2000's, i've been working for the department of justice. one day, the u.s. attorney for our district said everybody has to sign this document, we can test you any time for drug use. a couple of the district

attorneys said you can't make us sign this. if i miss trial dates or if briefs aren't filed, maybe you should question our ability to perform our jobs. the couple said no. nobody should sign this. i don't know if people did. we didn't. i was telling the story to my brother. he said the department of labor could get involved. they can't make you sign something. that was my experience in the second george w. bush administration. it was really scary. thank goodness we had some cool heads on the scene that put a stop to it. host: thank you. guest: it sounds like you had great leadership over there that

was willing to stand up. that can still be the case for many americans across this country. we are making them be tested. you have the problem of many americans who smoke marijuana and you are precluding them from working for you. the fbi is dialed back the requirements for new employees to have never smoked in their lives. they're having a hard time hiring people. employers will have the ability to fire someone for being in a braided at the workplace,

whether it's alcohol or marijuana. if you are testing americans as a condition for employment is demeaning to the workers. it doesn't have any impact. it goes into the pockets of private companies. it has no positive impact in the workplace and is demeaning to workers. blue-collar workers are drug tested. if you work at the top level of a fortune 500 company, they are not testing. host: one of the person making comments was clarence thomas. he said the laws that exist may be outdated. can you explain what he meant? can you put it into context? guest: they clearly are outdated.

when you look at this situation, it's consistent. a lot of people were taken aback, a can -- conservative justice. that is consistent with his ruling. there was a case in the early to thousands, he made very similar comments. while a lot of people associate this issue with liberal democrats, the majority of all political ideology support legalization. smaller federal government, that incursion. the federal prohibition is a giant burden that the federal government is foisting on the state.

if you want to respect the principles of america, a lot of conservatives do well to look at the words spoken by justice thomas. he said those laws are no longer needed. host: this is fresno, california, the republican line. caller: my son who is 35 years old just spent three days in icu. i never knew this existed. he was diagnosed with kidney failure. it i never even knew it existed. it was rare. i've never heard of it. he had to get all the things. if you watch the california where you see we'd only takes

this amount of people, they were stealing all the water from california in the antelope valley. this is what i think. allow all the research. what might the doctor say that is rare, it shutdown my son upon kidney. -- sons kidney. host: we will let our guest respond. guest: i'm sorry to hear about your son. i hope he is feeling better. if that is with the diagnosis was, it is exceedingly rare. if you consume too much cannabis, your body has an adverse reaction.

it is usually treated by hydration on an iv. i hope your son feels better. it was rare outside cases. very few people need it. we want to make sure they are ok as well. she was talking about northern california and how the growers were stealing the water. that problem existed. that's when the growers would go out of the woods and have to do this discreetly. now, they get inspected by the state. they have water control guidelines and all that stuff that businesses have to look into.

prohibition is causing more harm and legalization would be a remedy. host: the executive director is joining us this >> a couple of lm the white house today. press secretary jen psaki will be holding a news conference this afternoon. we will have live coverage. a little later, president biden signs a bill promoting economic competition in the u.s.. that is available on c-span.org or listen in with the free radio app. this week marked the six month anniversary of the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol. each night, we have been showing congressional hearings that occurred in the aftermath of the attack.