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Ralph Nader on Medical Marijuana and Drug Policy

Marijuana became illegal at the federal level with the U.S. Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. However, currently 12 states have legalized medical marijuana for medicinal purposes. Marijuana and other drugs have been at the center of numerous controversial issues in the United States, as they widely impact domestic policy, foreign policy, and law. This topic includes information about candidate positions on: the U.S. international "War on Drugs", sentencing guidelines for drug-related offenses, federal and state drug laws, and the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

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The issues

Ralph Nader strongly supports making marijuana available for medical reasons

"[R]esearch has shown marijuana to be a safe and effective medicine for controlling nausea associated with cancer therapy, reducing the eye pressure for patients with glaucoma, and reducing muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, para- and quadriplegia."

Interview with the Drug War Chronicle, Oct. 8, 2004

"The way to go is to look at drug addiction as a rehabilitation challenge, focus on youngsters in terms of prevention, have community policing where the police work and live in the community, which is the best way to make a community safe, and decriminalize marijuana so we can begin to move this into a rehabilitation-health problem."

The Fresno (CA) Bee Oct 22, 2000, by John Ellis

Ralph Nader strongly opposes federal raids on medical marijuana facilities in states which have approved its use

"The criminal prosecution of patients for medical marijuana must end immediately, and marijuana must be treated as a medicine for the seriously ill. The current cruel, unjust policy perpetuated and enforced by the Bush Administration prevents Americans who suffer from debilitating illnesses from experiencing the relief of medicinal cannabis."

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"Whenever given the chance, the American public has voted to allow seriously ill people to relieve their pain with marijuana. Despite well-funded opposition from the federal government, citizens in nine states have cast ballots to legalize the use of medicinal marijuana. No state has ever rejected such a voter initiative. Medical marijuana community health centers have opened up in the states, like California, only to be aggressively attacked and closed by federal law enforcement agents. Physicians must have the right to prescribe this drug to their patients without the fear of the federal government revoking their licenses, and doctor-patient privacy must be protected. The Drug Enforcement Administration should not be practicing medicine."

The Election III: DRCNet Interview: Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader, 10/8/04

Ralph Nader strongly opposes fighting a war on drugs internationally

We oppose the illicit activities of the international drug trade and the illicit money laundering that often accompanies the drug cartels. We call for a revised view of the “drug problem” and an end to the “war on drugs,” recognizing that after over a decade of strident law-and-order posturing, the problems with hard drugs have only worsened.

Green Party Platform, as ratified at the National Convention Jun 25, 2000

"The drug war has failed--we spend nearly $50 billion annually on the drug war and problems related to drug abuse continue to worsen."

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Ralph Nader strongly supports relaxing drug laws and/or drug enforcement

We encourage our political leaders to remember that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We believe it is appropriate to focus on where our societal intervention can be most successful and effective.

Green Party Platform, as ratified at the National Convention Jun 25, 2000

We favor innovative sentencing and punishment options, including community service for first-time offenders and “Drug Court” diversion programs. We support alternative sentencing for non-violent crimes.

Green Party Platform, as ratified at the National Convention Jun 25, 2000

We need to acknowledge that drug abuse is a health problem with social and economic consequences. It is time to bring some illegal drugs within the law by regulating, taxing and controlling them.

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"The criminal justice system is also broken--so badly that one hardly knows where to begin describing the breakdown. We can start with the war on drugs, since commentators across the political spectrum recognize its lunacy. We pour almost endless resources (roughly $50 billion each year) into catching, trying, and incarcerating people who primarily harm themselves, thereby damaging and endangering communities and draining crucial resources from the police, courts, and prisons that could be used to combat serious street crime[and Corporate crime] that directly violate the public's liberty, health, safety, trust, and financial well-being. As with alcoholics and nicotine addicts, the approach to drug addicts should be rehabilitation, not incarceration."

"The Good Fight" by Ralph Nader, p. 47 Jul 6, 2004

"Addiction should never be treated as a crime. It has to be treated as a health problem. We do not send alcoholics to jail in this country. Over 500,000 people are in our jails who are nonviolent drug users.” For other drugs, like heroin, he advocated programs like methadone maintenance and needle exchanges that focus on treatment of addiction and prevention of health problems.

New York Times, Sep 9, 2000