to bto interment. live coverage on c-span. the bulk of the 20 articles of impeachment against can paxton include extending from allegations brought late in 2020 by his own senior staf they say attorney general paxton did political favors for nate holcomb a federally indicted real estate developer and campaign donor in exchange rate kitchen remodel and a job for a woman with whom paxton was allegedly having an affair. no criminal penalties are associated with impeachment and attorn general paxton will not automatically lose his pension if he's convicted. he is currently suspended without pay pending thtrial outcome. he denies doing anything wrong. opening statements in the trial will continue and we will have live coverage here on c-span. you can follow the show on instagram. it was in april that pew research ask folks about the

legalization of marijuana. these are some of the responses from that poll. it was one in 10 of adult saying marijuana should not be legal at all. 59% of those asked saying it should be legalized for medical and recreational use. 30% saying that when it comes to legalization only for medical use, 10% saying it should not be legal. it breaks it down by age, and overall 59% of adults saying that it should be legalized for medical and recreational use. 72% of those 18 to 29 agreeing with that. 54% from ages 50 to 64. then over 65 years old it is 46% expressing that type of sentiment. then looking at public opinion over the years, for the call of legalization across-the-board, a

steady increase since the late 1990's up to the current -- he was in 2019 that 67% of those, saying legalization should happen over on the recreational and medical use. that is some of pew's. gallup did a similar type of pole in november of last year. they ask a question, do you think marijuana should be legal or not? it was at that time last year, both saying yes it should be legalized, 68% of those expressing that type of sentiment. then breaking it down from various subgroups, saying it should be legal, both expressing no religious preference it starts off with 89%. those defined as liberals, 84%. ages 18 to 29, 79% said it should be legalized.

those classified under seldom or never attend the church, 78%. it goes on from there. we will show you more as time goes on. again, if you want to tell us your thoughts this morning on the legalization and if she -- and if it should be done across-the-board when it comes to marijuana, notice no. (202) 748-8000 if you support that move. (202) 748-8001 if you oppose it. if you are on the line, stay on it. if you are calling in, continue to do so. we will take a few minutes to talk about this news coming from the administration about this possible reclassification. it covers the marijuana and cannabis industry. natalie for take, good morning. guest: good morning. host: tell us about this recent move. tell us why it happened. guest: the biden administration, the department of health and human services, issued a letter that outlines the recommendation

for the schedule that cannabis should be on. cannabis is currently a schedule one drug, which means it is in the same category as heroin. it has been there since 1970 when the bill was signed into law by president nixon. obviously americo's relationship to has changed dramatically. we now have half of the country lives in a state where cannabis is legal for recreational use. the vast majority of americans live in a state where it is legal for medical use. last october, right before the midterm election, president biden issued the executive order. one of the portions of that executive order asked hhs to review all of the available research on cannabis and say whether they thought it should be moved to a different schedule. there are five schedules right now. it is at the most extreme, which is that there is no medical use

for it. that is the big deal about this letter. 11 months later they have completed this review. they have said, you know, he wanted to be schedule three, which means it would be taken out of the strict parts of the controlled substances act. that is not binding. that letter was sent to the dea, which has final review and can make the final decision on whether or not cannabis will actually be moved to a different schedule. that is the next step, and i honestly don't know how long it would take. i wish i do. if anyone from the dea is watching i would love to have a chat. maybe i could come back and give you more info on that. host: the hhs secretary sent out a tweet, part of that saying, i can now share that following the data and science, hhs responded to that directive. what kind of research or science went into making this

recommendation? guest: the hhs has an eight-point process. they look at eight different categories of scientific research. they are looking for both the potential for abuse of a drug, and they are also looking for current medical use. and medical uses which seem to have -- you know, there is a good framework there for more research to be done into those uses. and rescheduling it to schedule three is going to make it way, way easier to study. right now it is very difficult. you have to get a schedule one research license. as a scientist you can only use cannabis grown by someone who has a schedule one research license to grow cannabis. that has really slowed down our knowledge as americans about cannabis and both its pros and cons. host: when it comes to if this

reclassification happens, who does it benefit most? i suspect it was -- it is the industry that would benefit from this kind of move? guest: very happy about this idea, primarily because it will reduce the tax burden they currently have. there is a code called tax code 280e, which made it so people trafficking in narcotics could not write their business expenses off. what that means is that cannabis businesses legal at the state level cannot write their businesses off. so they buy pens or tables for their dispensary, they cannot write those things off. they cannot write off payroll, which is a huge expense for every business out there. they are paying huge amounts of tax dollars right now. and this would benefit both small mom-and-pop dispensaries and the big cannabis corporations. the group of the cannabis industry it would not hugely

benefit is cannabis growers. because most of their expenses are the cannabis of self -- cannabis itself. host: when it comes to congress, what is the general attitude not only for the reclassification, but possibly this idea of legalization across-the-board? guest: a lot of responses from the people in congress both in the senate and house who are supportive of cannabis. by and large i would say they all walk a very thin line of applauding the administration, but also calling for more action. the house of representatives has already passed a bill back when democrats were in charge in the last congress to remove cannabis entirely from the controlled substances act. the senate has not come that far. there are still some democrats in the senate who are not in favor of a full federal do realization -- federal decriminalization.

but congress has also been working on its own reform. the future of those is in question, given this call by hhs. it very much depends on dea's timeline, whether some of the more piece will -- piecemeal legislation will move forward. host: when it comes to their response, have big given at least an initial response of this call, from hhs? guest: that they received a letter, and that this was the formal letter that hhs was required to send as part of this process. have given us no other indication. they have not confirmed what was in the letter or denied what was in the letter. we have not had any denials from any, you know, agency out there. so, by process of elimination i would say usually in united

states agencies they are quick to tell you if something is wrong in your reporting. i would say by process of elimination this is what was in the letter. dea has been tightlipped beyond confirming the letter was sent, and i expect them to be tightlipped about the process going forward. host: a story our guest has online at politico.com. natalie fertig reports on the federal cannabis policy aspect of it. thanks for informing our audience about this week's move. we will take your calls. again, if you support thiidea of nationwide legalization, (202) 8-8000 is the number to call. tell us why you oppose it. (202) 748-8001. you can also sd us a text at (202) 748-8003. david is in massachusetts on our support line. david, thanks for holding on. ahead.

caller: hey. i'm a veteran. i'm a user of cannabis, both recreationally and for like medical. i am also a professional cultivator. i have been doing it on and off for a few years now. i absolutely think that if not lowered on the schedule it should be removed. if anything it is a first step toward making drugs a health problem and not a criminal justice one. i think that is the biggest problem in the whole equation. furthermore, one thing you guys did not mention is i am pretty sure cocaine is still schedule two. i really don't think that we can justify having a prison population was over 2 million people, most of whom are nonviolent, any of whom are in prison for possession of cannabis that was legal in a lot of states.

that is pretty much my basic position. i love c-span and would watch eight days a week if i could. host: joe in georgia on our oppose line. joe, good morning. tell us why. caller: pedro, love c-span. have a great screener with john mcardle. i am totally opposed. i think it is terrible. i think the most important election in history is coming up, and to allow people to have drugs, i'm working hard for donald trump and i certainly don't want to have any drugs that would mess me up where i could do all i can in the next year and a half to elect donald trump. i think for the american people this is the most important election in history. host: back to the issue at hand. when it comes to marijuana your state allows it for medical use. some people make the case that it is a good revenue -- good source of revenue. what do you say about those arguments? caller: for medical use there

can be exceptions, but i think drugs are, i think, terrible for the country, except for medical use. i'm totally opposed. we need to have people thinking, and i don't take drugs but i think if i did i couldn't be able to vote well. so i'm totally opposed to drugs except for medical use. host: stephen is in lexington, kentucky on our support line. go ahead, stephen. caller: thank you, pedro. to the last caller, you don't think donald trump has done drugs in his life? he is a rich white man. host: hold on. stick to the point. legalization, where are you on it? caller: i am supportive of legalization because there is medical benefits, there is economic benefits. it can create jobs. it is a great injector into the economy.

half of the states are already legal. i go to one state, one row, another state, another rule. we need some consistency in this country. cocaine is a schedule two drug. that makes no sense. it is such a disconnect between supporters and not supporters. older people, please, the elderly, listen, marijuana is not scary. it has been here longer than we have. so, i support it. it should be legal across the nation. it is going to come. host: stephen in kentucky. usa today has a list of states across the united states that allow marijuana for medical treatment only. kentucky is on that list. they -- they legalize that in 2022. joined by alabama in 2021, south dakota in 2020. in 2017 it was iowa and west virginia.

2016 saw arkansas, florida, ohio, and pennsylvania join that. when it comes to marijuana for medical treatment, in 2015 it was georgia and louisiana joining that list. hawaii in 2000. again, your state may be familiar when it comes to legalization. legalization across the board is what we are asking you, if you support that for recreational and medical use. again, support it, (202) 748-8000. oppose it, (202) 748-8001. demetra in california on our oppose line. caller: how are you doing today? host: i'm well, go ahead. caller: here in california it is legal, and when the initiative was on the ballot i had voted against it, because i knew that once we voted to make it legal,

once you get the foot in the door, i already knew it would eventually become recreational. and marijuana contains thc, which people need to take in the form of a pill. but instead they are just using the excuse to get high on that. so, i just really wanted to thank you for taking my call. host: that is demetra in california. mary in cincinnati, ohio on our support line. caller: hello. thank you for taking my call. i do support the legalization of marijuana in the united states under the federal government, because i feel it would address a concern for the nation. i just wanted to let stephen know in louisville or lexington

that i am 69 years old and i am not afraid of marijuana. but i do support the legalization on the federal level, both for recreational and medical, because i feel it would address a reality. host: what do you mean by that? caller: i think, frankly, as a member of your collars have noted, this is something that is part of our culture. it is part of our culture for decades, if not centuries, and eons if we look at it internationally. i think it would help in the federal legalization to explore the many benefits that are bare -- that are available with marijuana, as well as the hand industry. i think that by legalizing this we would go further in seeing

what we can do both for our society and environment, returning to hemp and marijuana. host: that is mary in cincinnati. that same story the -- usa today story you can find online, it lists the number of states that legalized recreational use. that has risen over the last 10 years. in 2023 minnesota and delaware did that. in 2022, rhode island and missouri. in 2021, new york and virginia as well. illinois in 2019. in 20 it was michigan. california, maine, and massachusetts in 2016, as well as nevada. and in colorado and washington, they did that in 2012. that is the list of states that not only legalized it for

marijuana use, but recreational use. it is the across-the-board that we are asking you whether that should be a nationwide thing. on our oppose line, this will be from jeff in would ridge, virginia. caller: good to speak with you. i would like to speak with you another time. i spoke with you before, but talked about mexico. i know the topic is different here. generally i just want to issue a word of caution about this. i went to school at uc berkeley, at the only male dorm you could go to, and you could smell the part -- the pot as you walk the hallways there. i pursued a career that prohibited me from even trying marijuana, so i never did. but i was around it and knew about it. i had friends who smoked it.

in fact, a roommate. i think he actually became addicted to it. now, move fast forward to the late 80's and early 90's. where i was in the military service. i will not mention which one. but i worked with dea. it is a cowboy culture. it depends how much powder, they will tell you, you put on the table. that is how you get promoted. you needed that. i don't know if it applies today so much as it did back then. especially with so many states now legalizing marijuana. but, again, i just wanted to issue a word of caution about this. i think there still remains to be seen what the results will

be. i will stay on the line. host: in arizona on our support line, jean. caller: hello, good morning. how are you? host: i am well, thank you. how about yourself? caller: i am for legalization of marijuana. in fact, i could not have said it any better than mary in ohio did. she was wonderful. also, how do you expect a study to begun -- to be done if it is not legalized federally? who can do those studies? they are not allowed to. think of the people on chemo. these people get wonderful benefits from those. so, i am -- i mean, i am in my 60's. i'm in support of it. i have seen friends for years smoke it. i am not a smoker. i am all for it. host: again, just some of those comments there concerning this

idea of nationwide legalization. you can add yours to the mix. (202) 748-8000 for those of you who support it. (202) 748-8001 if you oppose it. on that oppose list you can add florida's governor, ron desantis, as he is campaigning for the republican nomination for the white house. at a stop in august he was asked about drug policy, particularly when it comes to marijuana. here are some of his thoughts from august. >> i would not legalize. this stuff is very potent now. if young people get it i think it is a real problem. i think it is a lot different than people were using 30, 40 years ago. and i think when kids get on that a causes a lot of problems, and of course they can throw fentanyl in any of this stuff now. the drugs are killing this country. if you look in these places, i go to san francisco a month or

two ago, and i have been railing against san francisco because i read what is going on, i hear people come to florida tell me why they moved from san francisco to florida, and then when you actually see it drive in, within five minutes i see somebody defecating on the sidewalk in broad daylight, see these people using drugs and an open-air market right by the native pelosi federal courthouse. and you are just like, you know, this is -- it is like society has totally decayed, but so much of it the policy is to really help these folks use drugs. it is a big, big problem. i think we need to do whatever we can to keep our kids off drugs. i think we really need to fight fentanyl on all of this stuff. look, different states have handled cannabis differently. florida, we have medical marijuana. reinforce that.

we abide by it. but to take action now to make it even more available, i would not do that. in the places that legalized it, like colorado and california, the argument was -- and it was not a crazy argument. we know people are going to use marijuana. if you legalize it you contacted, regulated, and it is in -- it is going to end up being safer for people. what has happened in colorado, the black market is bigger and more lucrative than before the legalization. the legalization, i don't think, has worked. host: you can see more that on our website. it was the new york times on august 29, publishing this story about a study done by the journal of the american medical association, saying more than 1/5 of people used -- who used cannabis struggle with problematic use. research found that 21% of the

people in the study had some sort of cannabis use disorder, which clinicians defined as use of cannabis that leads to symptoms including recurring social and occupational problems. it was in that study, six .5% of users suffered moderate to severe disorder. cannabis users whose suffered or severe pendency tended to be recreational users. problematic use was associated equally with recreational and medical use. the new york times had that story, again, find it online. you support or oppose this idea of a nationwide legalization across the board of cannabis? wendy in michigan on our oppose line. caller: how are you doing? host: i'm well, thank you. caller: yes, good. i am totally opposed to the legalization of marijuana. i have never taken it.

i'm 73 years old. i have never taken any drugs in my life and i'm certainly not going to start now. the only reason you would use it would be for the medical purposes, and it is the only reason i would support it. to get into recreational leads into all of these other drugs that people take, and to me that is wrong. you don't do that. you don't have that available for, you know, recreational use. host: do you think that could happen for someone who is taking it medically, though? caller: i don't think so. if they are given at four cancer or something, they have the availability to that, that is the only reason i would see you would need it. if you are on therapy or other things like that. but not for recreational use. i have known people all of my life that have, you know, used

it. i have gone in rooms where you could smell it when you walked into a party or something and you knew people were smoking it. i see no reason for it. i don't do it and i would never go about doing that. i just don't see the reason for it. host: ok, wendy in michigan giving her thoughts on our opposed line. you can do the same. text us if you want. that number is (202) 748-8003. let's hear from danny in lisbon, maine, on our opposed line. caller: good morning, how are you? i'm opposed to it. i was a dea agent for 12 years, from 1991 to 2002. until 2004, actually. until recently i have been contracting with different entities to stop drug movement and corruption in central

america. but i'm opposed to the legalization only in the fact that, as was alluded to in something i heard someone talking there about fact that there is a black market, the dea or no one has been able to -- would ever be able to stop marijuana from being sold and used, because it is just a plant that can be grown anywhere at any time. and it is so easy to do. my thoughts are that i do not like to see the government turn into a pimp by putting people in jail for many years for selling it, then all of a sudden turning around and legalizing it to sell so they can make tax dollars. i think we should be done is that because you cannot stop at and you cannot stop people from trying to enjoy their selves -- enjoy themselves from something that is so accessible as marijuana, should just legalize it, but not commercialize it.

and therefore allow people to partake in any way they hope -- anyway they want with marijuana, because it is impossible to stop you from growing at, just for an example if in new york city you go to a prosecutor, which i have done before, and he said there is someone selling marijuana in upstate new york and it is being sold here in new york city, do you want to prosecute it? there would say, how much? you would say 500 pounds, and there would say, not enough. it is not possible. host: let's hear from edward in jersey city, new jersey. support line. go ahead. caller: good morning, pedro. i supported for different reasons, right? congress, we need a national standard because it is just terrible what is happening across the country. i don't think it is fair that things can just legalize for medical use only.

like here in new jersey in 2020, with our governor's support marijuana is legal. but it is still a mess within the state. police officers in my city, jersey city, two police officers were fired for recreational use of marijuana off the clock. the courts vindicated them, the mayor's office was saying in jersey city that the federal law is saying it is a schedule one drug and illegal. so, the use of it. also the governor and state have legalized it. our cities working with businesses to legally sell marijuana. it is a mess within states, right? so, we need, you know, congress to act. also one last thing. the use of marijuana has been

enforced by our government in a racist fashion. so, we already know that black people are overrepresented in our criminal justice system. so, it is unfair what we do in drug enforcement behind the use of marijuana as well. so, we need legalization on different levels for different reasons. i appreciate the education you share. what is going on throughout the states and everything. i support the legalization of marijuana. host: that is edward in new jersey. we will continue on with this for the next half-hour if you want to make your thoughts known on this topic. (202) 748-8000 if you support that nationwide legalization of marijuana. (202) 748-8001 if you oppose it. text us at (202) 748-8003. a lot going on in and around washington, d.c. keep calling in

if you want to comment, but today it is the texas senate that will have the impeachment trial of former attorney general ken paxton. it could lead republican lawmakers to oust one of their own as the lead lawyer for america's largest red state. that is going to take place today. you can see those proceedings starting on 10:00 on c-span. when it comes to elections, rhode island voters will cast their votes starting today in a primary contest to whittle down a field of candidates, including a handful that could make history by being the first person of colored to be elected to congress from rhode island. nearly a dozen democrats are hoping to be the party's nominee. two republican candidates are also facing off in the primary. in utah another special election, this one to replace chris stewart. he could offer a glimpse on how

republicans feel about indictments against the former president. gop voters in utah's second congressional district will choose between a trio of candidates. that takes place in utah. nationally it was peter navarro, his contempt trial is set to begin today for charges, defying a subpoena from the house for a january 6 event. that is being reported by abc news. also henrique terrio will face sentencing today in connection with january 6. that takes place today. dr. jill biden reporting to have a mild case of covert, staying

in delaware. the president being tested, with no symptoms of covid there. that is a lot going on. let's go back to clio in california on our support line. thanks for waiting. go ahead. caller: good morning. i have to say that california is really good. we have the good weed out here. i want to say that we could have it as a constitutional right, you know, man? i know that it helps with my ptsd. people are worried about addiction we should make rehab free. the reason the people go to the black market is it is too expensive in some cases. i prefer to go to the legal places where i can get it for free were i know it is good and i can speak -- i can support the local economy. it is good, man. you should do it. it is lovely. if it is legal in your area you should try. it is very good, man. host: jim in texas on our oppose

line. caller: good morning, how are you today? host: go ahead. caller: i am a retired firefighter. been out on a lot of racks where people have been killed by drunk driving. this is purely stupid. we are going to get people on the roads, family members dead. you know, you have a bunch of people that want to get high, they do not think about the consequences on this whole thing. what is it going to take? how money people have to die before we make a decent decision, you know, on this whole thing? i'm totally against it. host: marlene up next in maine. a supporter of nationwide legalization. hello. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i think it should be legalized because, like other people have

said, it has many, many benefits to it. however, if you are a recreational shop versus a medical marijuana shop i think even with the medical marijuana if it is going to be medical insurance companies should be covering this, because it is a prescription for medical use. i think that banks should be allowed to -- the people that have their shops, should be allowed to do their banking. because otherwise they have to buy a big space. i don't understand why people don't get the fact that it is going to be grown, it has legal shops for medical, the government needs to take it away from heroin and just make it legal so that people can grow it, people can use it, people can bank it, the money they get

to pay for their overhead and growth processes, etc. i don't understand why people think it is addictive. prescription drugs are addictive if you do not get them properly. i don't understand how people say you can put fentanyl in marijuana. you can't, it is a plan. host: olivia walker saying, just make it legal nationwide already. the patchwork of states where it is legal or only legal medicinally or outright band is ridiculous. it doesn't make sense that some are making billions annually legally. this is clarence. clarence is in north carolina, in charlotte on our oppose line. caller: good morning, pedro. i am an ex drug addict, and i just want to tell most people who don't know that marijuana is a gateway drug. i started out with marijuana.

after you smoke it for a number of years, you don't get the same feeling for it. so you automatically go and try to find something else to get you higher. it is a gateway drug to get into other drugs and make people go bad experience recently a friend of mine from california, they gave me a cookie that had this drug in it. i ate the cookie and i hallucinated all night long. we don't know what is in the drugs now. it will mess up a lot of our young people's minds. it will make more young people drug addicts then we have ever seen. think we have a problem with these pills and everything. they get legal and i promise you are going to have america for loved drug addicts. it is a gateway drug to other drugs. when you start young people are taking it is all right to smoke this. they're going to find out, i need something else. they are to drop some pills, they're going to take some cocaine, they are going to want something more powerful. your body gets immune to

marijuana and it makes you want something more powerful. you can legalize it but you're going to have more problems. just like alcohol. i just wanted to say that to everyone. host: that is clarence in north carolina. you heard from governor desantis about his opposition to legalization. the same kind of discussion happened recently at the house judiciary committee. it was the drug enforcement agency administrator appearing before the hearing, being questioned by matt gaetz about the process of what happens when the dea does get a recommendation to reclassify marijuana. >> and when you receive the work product from hhs is there any basis that the ea would have to oppose the d scheduling of marijuana as a schedule one drug? >> the way the scheduling process works is hhs does a review. they then send it to the ea. we then do an eight-factor

review. there is a period for public comment as well. obviously we start with what hhs has provided us. we then go into the public commenting process. >> share with me what your perspective is on what the outcome of that should be. >> i could not prejudge it at this point in time. >> do you have a personal view on whether or not erewhon or should be a schedule one drug checkup >> as the head of the dea i will ultimately be responsible on signing off on what the scheduling is. >> and we consider the analysis being done, the studies that pretty extensively show that in states where there is medical marijuana access there is a lower rate of prescribing these opioids that then can lead to addiction, that then can lead to the deaths we have seen. >> have my full commitment that i will keep an open mind. i will look at all of the

research. i expect we will get additional research that comes in, and i will look at all of it. >> i'm seeking consent to enter into the record a study conducted by two phd's that looked at the prescribing of opioids in states with medical marijuana programs, and found that states with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8 lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate. >> without objection. >> i really hope we get this done. we are two years into the biden administration and i honestly had hoped that by now we would have already d scheduled marijuana. host: that is off the website if you want to see an ad c-span.org. this is as to bond in florida, saying, having grown up in miami in the 1970's and having regularly gotten stupid, today's

strains of cannabis are not your grandfather's way. but who am i to judge? my issue is the normalization of getting high. let's hear from coal out on our support line. hi, colette. caller: i strongly support marijuana. i believe it is the alcohol they need to get off the streets. alcohol, drivers on the road every day, they have anger issues. when you smoke marijuana you do not see anybody getting angry, driving and killing people, hitting and running. i am a medical marijuana card recipient. i have ptsd. it takes the edge off. cancer patients needed. it is a plant. it is from the earth. if you have it from the street it is being laced with things. you have opioids out there that

lead from prescription drugs. people are searching for it. i don't believe that all of the other drugs that there should be on -- should be illegal. i'm very against the alcohol. i'm very against the opioids, the prescription drugs given to our children every day. marijuana takes the edge off of veterans and ptsd people and cancer patients. it doesn't put them in a bad mood. it calms them down. it makes them feel better. if you are out there searching for part -- for pot is going to be on the streets. i believe we should support it. host: this is david. he is in ohio. caller: yeah, hi. host: you are on. go ahead. caller: i oppose it. it is a drug. and biden is using it to loosen regulations to get votes from drug addicts. ron desantis is totally correct

about the drug gentleman there called earlier that was on drugs is very accurate -- -- accurate in what he is saying. i have been around marijuana users my whole life, and i've seen what it does to them. it has changed their personality and everything, and i have seen them go from good to worse. host: what you think about a lot of states legalizing an across-the-board or for medical use? caller: i think they should study it and do what they can with it, but, to me it is a drug. it is bad. and that is all i have to say about marijuana. it is not a good thing at all. host: this is amanda. amanda is in lockport, new york, on our support line. caller: hi. i am totally in support of legalization of marijuana. we have in new york -- of

course, we do have it legal for recreational now too. i was medical marijuana for years. i follow my prescription for medical marijuana. it would cost me $600 a month. i am on disability. there is no way i could afford to play -- to pay for another prescription for $600 a month. especially for the help that it gives me. not only my mental health, but also my physical health. it does not take away the pain. however, it does take your mind off the pain. that is where i find it is particularly helpful with a prescription. now, as for being recreationally , i would rather see any of my children, grandchildren smoking weed then i would have them

drinking a bottle of jack daniels. now, if they smoke a little weed at night before they go to bed they are going to be able to get up and go on the work -- going to work in the morning, which they do every day. if you drink a fifth of jack daniels at night were going to be hung over in the morning, and that is going to continue into your job. so, which is harsher? marijuana or alcohol? and alcohol is legal. host: that is amanda in lockport, new york. you can call in and give us your thoughts. do you support this idea of nationwide legalization, whether it be for medical or recreational use? (202) 748-8000 if you oppose it. (202) 748-8001. if you want to text us, you can do that at (202) 748-8003. this is teresa in arkansas, saying she opposes it. my concern is what extras are

added to marijuana to boost the effect. at least check if the driver is high. it is easy to tell if the driver is drunk. those are some concerns there from teresa in arkansas. let's hear from will in north carolina on our support line. caller: hi. i'm calling in to say i support the legalization of marijuana. i'm not a smoker. it is not legay ste. but i have back problems arthritis in my back. it became legal, medical marijuana in my state, i would smoke it. i think it should be legal to grow your own marijuana in my stay. that way you would be able to control and you could control

your own marijuana. that way they could not sick with anything. -- cannot lace it with anything. host: earlier this year voters in oklahoma rejected a referendum on recreational marijuana use. it was after that vote took place that the republican governor, kevin stitt, went before cameras. he was asked about that and why he thinks voters rejected that referendum. here are some of his comments. >> i think it is pretty clear. oklahoma has had a lot of fatigue around marijuana, and they clearly do not want recreational marijuana. i don't think anybody expected it to be defeated that bad, and as i was traveling the state i knew oklahomans did not want it. we were so tired of a dispensary on every single corner. clearly we do not want recreational, and i think there is an appetite to tighten up the

medical side as well. oklahomans voted on that and oklahomans have a big heart, as we all do, that if it is going to help someone medically we want that to happen. but we don't believe that anybody with a hangnail should be able to get a medical card, and we have to get control of that industry. adrian berry is doing a great job. we have done drug bust after drug bust after drug bust. we have tightened up last year, i think there was 12 different bills i signed. one of them was the seed to cell. one was, no more licenses. secret shoppers. we want to make sure we tag every plant. we passed a bill that required grow operations to submit electric and water usage, because that is a way we can see what is happening. are they growing more than they are reporting, right? there is enough marijuana, i've been told, known in oklahoma, to

supply the entire united states. that is not what this is supposed to be. this was supposed to be medical use, and it has gotten way out of control. we have to get rid of the bad actors, and i think oklahomans overwhelmingly do not believe in recreational marijuana. host: we will go on to joe in texas, on our support line. joe in texas, good morning. caller: hello. caller: oh, my name is jimmy. i'm a 71-year-old male. and married for 54 years. got two kids, grown. i get off of marijuana 15 years ago for my wife. we had no reason to touch any other drugs, and we got off marijuana using. we had a ball with it. it is no more addictive than any other -- you can't even get --

talk about the same situation as heroin and cocaine. marijuana is -- and anything is addictive if you have that personality. that guy said it was a way to harder drugs? no, it's not. and i am responsible. we just have a ball with it. you do not have a hangover, you do not go out and wrecked cars. but you have to be responsible. kids shouldn't be doing it. do kids drink? yes, they do drink. marijuana when you get older than that, it ought to be. look at the opiates. they destroy people. marijuana, there is no addictive drug. if you have that habit in your brain and think you have to have more, yeah, you can get addicted to anything. before talking about oklahoma, that stuff up there, people are buying it, they are using it, and it is just a common sense thing. take it off schedule one and be

smart about it. but it is not a gateway. i appreciate it. host: in newport news, virginia. oppose line. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am opposed to legalizing marijuana because of the drastic significant ramifications it could have on the health-care care industry and system. on our citizens and legal residents and other people. on our criminal justice system. when i think about and hear people talking about legalizing it, i realized they are not considering the livelihood of people developing cancers from using marijuana over the course of 5, 10, 15, or 20 years. and the health care costs it would impose on society. you are also not thinking about when stores are selling marijuana that kids could go in there and access that, or the legalization of it will filter

down to unauthorized access to children. and that could drastically impact them detrimentally in their educational efforts, as well as socially. people are also advocating for legalizing marijuana do not consent to the medical -- the mental health problems associated with it. a lot of people who use marijuana do so as a means of seeking relief from stressful situations that the deal with throughout their lives, and that is essentially an alternative form of addressing mental health problems that they should actually be seeking health care from trained and licensed professionals, rather than medicating themselves. i do support marijuana for legitimate health care problems, such as, you know, helping with side effects for cancer and otherwise, but the medical

marijuana has also gotten out of control with improper prescriptions and that being abused as well. host: ok. let's hear from rhonda in new jersey. support line. caller: good morning, america. i definitely support marijuana legalization. i'm 68 years old. when i was in my late teens i smoked pot for the first time. and i loved it. my best friend's brother gave me and her a pot, we smoked it, and all we did was laugh. i don't agree with it being sold to children or young people under the age. i would like to say 21, but 18 i think should be the beginning, that if anyone is allowed to smoke legally