Democratic candidate for governor of New York Cynthia Nixon, said at a fundraiser that if elected she would legalize recreational cannabis in the state, the New York Times reports. The former Sex and the City star announced last month that she intended to run for governor of New York, replacing current governor Andrew Cuomo. Nixon does not have any background in politics; this is the first time she’s ever run for political office. She has however been an advocate for improving education in New York City for the past decade.

At a fundraiser held in the home of her friend writer Isabel Gillies, Nixon gave a prepared statement and answered a few questions. One of the questions asked pertained to legalizing cannabis, to which she purportedly “pumped her fist and said ‘yes!’” Nixon focused more on the tax revenue aspect of legalization, rather than the health or criminal justice angle.  

This is of course in contrast to Governor Cuomo, who has been a long time opponent of legalizing cannabis for recreational use in New York. His personal opinions on cannabis are, shall we say, a little antiquated. He’s even gone so far as to refer to cannabis as a gateway drug. Ms. Nixon’s statements on the subject are quite refreshing, in contrast.

Nixon is perhaps taking a page out of the book of New Jersey governor Phil Murphy, who campaigned on legalizing recreational cannabis in New Jersey last year. Murphy won handily, and you could probably surmise that his victory was due to cannabis. Will this help propel Ms. Nixon to victory as well?

Source: New York Times

Image Source: Independent

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