If youre not sure how you feel, you can call us at 202 7458002. You can also send us your thoughts on social media. We are on twitter, cspanwj. Beer on facebook, facebook. Com cspan. You can send us an email at journal cspan. Org. Here is some recent research from the Pew Research Center that did a study on how americans feel on medical marijuana and Recreational Use of marijuana in the United States. A study found a majority support legalizing marijuana in some form. 53 of americans felt that pot should be legalized, as opposed be43 , who think it should illegal. Support has grown to radically from 1990 when only about 60 supported legalizing pot. The study found that Many Americans have actually tried. Ot, even when it was not legal the report found that nearly half of americans have tried marijuana, and 12 say they have smoked marijuana or tried it in some form in the past year. We will turn to the phone lines. Be will write we will go right ahead and get started with patricia from arkansas. She supports marijuana. Good morning to you. Why do you support legalizing the Recreational Use of pot . Caller i would like to get medicinal marijuana, but recreational is fine for now. I have parkinsons, and it really comes me down. Not think there is any harm in it at all. Banhink they should an alcohol. No one has died from it. Host governing magazine has a marijuana is legal, and the types of marijuana that are legal. 23 states have some sort of legalized pot. The chart shows that several have medical marijuana the is legal, versus marijuana that is legal for Recreational Use. Those states are alaska, colorado, d. C. , oregon, washington that allow some sort of Recreational Use. Other states allow medical uses. Other states have decriminalized small amounts of pot. We are taking a calls and whether or not you support the Recreational Use legal use of marijuana. Next is john, calling in support of legalized Recreational Use of pot. Go ahead. Cspan, mynks for favorite show. I look forward to watching cspan every day. What i can tell you is i have a digit of disease degenerative disease in my back. I have needed surgery for some time. Through the use of marijuana, i off my body. Ght i cannot swing a golf club. If i went out and played golf, it would set off my lower back. It was called scoliosis when i born. I dont journey, ive never been much of a trigger. He will who use it are typically kind people typically. We are very much stigmatized in the workplace. It is very difficult to get a job. It is difficult to gain acceptance if you are marijuana user. , andeople who use alcohol have that kind of lifestyle, will not give us any space or consideration when it comes to employment. We are good people. A has been proven that it is cure for cancer. The government has no that it is a cure for cancer since the 1970s. Like 42re studies studies from harvard and other colleges where it shows a curious cancer, a curious epilepsy, it cures ptsd. It is a five medication, but thou, industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the is immense. People we cannot get a break in the medical marijuana world because of the functioning alcoholics. You mentioned that you are user of medical marijuana. You think there is a difference between the medical use and the Recreational Use, in terms of how the lawsuits see the usage . Caller i really do. If you have a condition, and wake up every day and pain, you have to make some sort of choice with your life. You can go with pills, pharmaceuticals, and they really do put you in a different position where youre not able to read or function. Reading. Enhances my marijuana helps me read. I graduated from college last year. Still, im finding a great deal of stigmatization. No one wants to hire anybody who is on the cannabis program. They really dont care if you have a medical condition. There is a difference. People use it for add, adhd, and different mood disorders. I would say, if someone is using marijuana without a license, maybe they have a psychological condition, and feel they need it, so maybe they should see a psychiatrist because maybe they disorder, with some feeling that, and they are selfmedicating. They are not many doctors in the world anymore for people to go see. National health care programs, and what not, but it is very expensive, and it is hard to find a doctor to see for a bipolar disorder. I think we should look at cannabis because it has been a poor mans medication for longer than i am old. People have used it for pain, bipolar, and different disorders. The medical committee wants to get paid, the pharmaceutical get paid, ands to that is why it has been illegal so long. Host all right. New mexico isat one of the 23 states that has some form of legalized marijuana, medical marijuana is legal in that state. Usa today conducted a study along with 24 7 wall street that looked at the next 11 states that could be next to legalize marijuana. The research reviewed 11 states where, by law, residents in possession of small amounts of the drug are not punishable by isl time, and medical use already permitted. They look at vermont, new hampshire, massachusetts, connecticut, delaware, california, and others. That is a chart in usa today the ago our next caller is our next caller is william, who whether itnot sure should be legalized. Why is that . Caller im not sure because you look at how marijuana is distributed now. There is such a criminal element involved in the current distribution of it. You dont know what kind of quality you are going to get. Ofu dont know per se course, with medical marijuana, it is controlled, regulated, you know exactly what youre going to get. You know the quality is good. Then, you turn around, and see is distributedna now, you dont know what you are getting. I will say this. The only reason that i know, or that i can think of, that isijuana is illegal now because the government does not have a way to tax it. You look at other substances that are already known as harmful alcohol and tobacco are two of them then, you turn around, and why is it marijuana legal because the government can tax and make money off of it . I think that is a method of determining how marijuana you know, you know what kind of quality you are getting. I think the Tobacco Industry already has an infrastructure available to make it available for everyone, so that the government can get paid. Argumentst those trivializing the Recreational Use of pot in that if you legalize it, you can regulate and tax that . Caller it is, but i turn nd, and in washington, d. C. , for instance, recreational usage is legal, but how can you get it . How can you buy it . People are not going to give it to you for free when they can sell it, but the city cannot sell it. You will still get locked up for selling marijuana, but Recreational Use is legal. The two do not jive. Our next caller is james from North Carolina, calling in support of legalizing pot. Go ahead. James is not there, so we will turn to our next caller, who is , r shauna . Florida im sorry, im sure budget your name. What are your thoughts . Caller the last color, listening to him, some points, he missed the point on. For one thing, marijuana has never been proven in science that you can harm anyone. Never. Marijuana has never been proven to hurt anyone. I supported fully. Were so that, if it illegal the constitution of the United States was written on hemp. Our Founding Fathers grew cannabis, smoked cannabis. They should make alcohol and Tobacco Products in legal. Marijuana, i fully supported. Host all right. A few comments from twitter. One person writes, marijuana is no worse than cigarettes, alcohol, or the myriad prescription drugs legally sold in the u. S. Know issays, we do not adding to the drunk and distracted drivers with a bunch of stoners on the road. This topic is coming up on the campaign trail as well. Candidates gave very different answers when it came to their view on the drug. [video clip] suspect i would vote yes. I would vote yes because ive seen too many lives destroyed of nonviolent offenses. We have a criminal Justice System that lets ceos on wall , weet walk away, and yet are giving jail sentences to young people who are smoking marijuana. No, i think we have the opportunity through the states that are pursuing Recreational Marijuana to find out a lot more than we know today. Of medicalt the use marijuana, and i think even there, we need to do a lot more research so that we know exactly how we are going to help people, for whom medical marijuana provides relief. I think were just at the beginning. Host we are taking our calls on whether or not you think recreational pot should be legalized here in the u. S. Our next caller is paul from arkansas. You say youre not sure what you think about legalization of recreational pot. Caller im not sure, but in a and issue a racist for me is if i live in a state where marijuana is legal, the federal government chooses to not prosecute. If i live in a state that does not agree with legalization of marijuana, and i get caught, or someone gets in trouble, it is a felony in the federal government. I think that goes under the Discrimination Laws. Why would the federal government discriminate against people who live in one state and not another . That is an issue that i have been thinking about. Now we are in the realm of Discrimination Laws depending on where i live. This isu think something that needs to be handled on the federal level, not necessarily on the state . Caller that is correct. Federal law supersedes state law. The states that are saying it is ok, and the federal government then goes along with them, creates a whole discrimination, which is a whole separate realm. F laws and problems it needs to be on the federal level, rather than the state level because discrimination is such an issue in our country right now. To me, that is a clear case of discrimination if you prosecute people that live in one state, and will prosecute them if they live in another. Host all right. Paul from arkansas calling in on the legalization of recreational pot. ,n the l. A. Times, this oped what happens to the marijuana stigma . He writes that many people feel and Recreational Marijuana should not be legalized. He writes that there is no barring to marijuana that also heroin or meth, and it is the first step to the legalization of all drugs. Next up is susan. You say you oppose legalizing recreational pot. You are the first caller to oppose. Why is that . Caller right now, i have an autoimmune disease, and im quite ill. The pill that i use for pain is no longer working. I might have to put myself in the hospital today so that i do not do something to hurt myself. I know that they subscribe here, because they told me when i went into the doctors office, they told me i could get a prescription for that. My doctor was not there to approve it. They may need to i dont know me what theyre talking about, but i am very scared. Pain. Ug eats the when you are taking medicine for pain. You are still in on top of that, the pain eats the drug. Stoners out there, they dont have any pain, or anything that. Ats that medicine up theyre under the influence. I dont ring, or anything like that, because i like to have , and notver my brain have a substance doing something to me. It is always a thing in my life to contain control over myself. Host given your Health Issues, is legalized medical marijuana some that you would support over Recreational Use, or do you think there want to should be banned altogether . Caller florida does have, they will give you medical marijuana, like for the condition i have. There are some pharmacies they give it. Different cancers, and my condition is one that is on the list. It is the last thing i wanted to go to, marijuana, but i may have to go there. Im just really scared right now. For people who do not have something to eat it up and i have smoked marijuana three times in my life, once and 15, once at 45, and one time in between there. , the time iou smoked it with a paramedic, who also had some Health Issues he had Health Issues, at that time, i did not have any a really took me out of my mind. The only reason i smoked is he , withrked as a paramedic him. Aside from that, i smoked it is experimentally at the age of 15. That was the first and the last, and one time in between when it made me extremely paranoid, and the last time with a guy who had experience and was a paramedic. We cant have recreational drugs floating around here, that is my opinion. Host all right. That is susan, calling in opposition to legalizing Recreational Marijuana. Tom from vermont, you are our next caller, in support of legalizing recreational pot. Why is that . Caller it has been stigmatized. It is kind of like alcohol, basically. Stigmatized, and they , there are more criminal elements when you legalize and stigmatize it like that. , people areing spending all their money on a 500 bag of pot, when it could be a five dollar bag of pot, and the money would go to the it would not be trading food stamps, and Everything Else to buy extremely highpriced marijuana. From all rights tom vermont, calling in support of legalizing recreational pot. Here are some numbers for you on how much marijuana hasnt sold in colorado. Here, the story reports that Monthly Sales top 100 million. Article reports that marijuana sales blazed past the 100 million mark for the first time in august. Recreational pot topped 59. 2 million for the month, while medical marijuana pulled in 41. 4 million. Even though they are slightly lower, washington recreational sales are on pace to pass through hundred Million Dollars this year. We are taking calls on whether or not recreational pot should be legal. Next up is alan from virginia. You say youre not sure about what to do with recreational pot. Why is that . Caller because im concerned about its effect with automobile drivers. I understand it has an effect with respect to the ability to judge distance and speed, which is pretty important for getting on and off of the interstate, or going down any major highway. I would think it would be helpful if you were to ask your callers, who have had experience with the drugs, what was their experience with the drugs, if they have had an accident or anything. Mothers against drunk drivers have succeeded or claim in succeeding to reduce the death rate. ,nstead of being 5055 percent now it is around 45 of the accidents, as i understand it. Alcohol,fects are like then maybe humanity is to generating degenerated to the point where we need these intelligent cars that put the , and wen for themselves will wind up being cared for by machines. Ost all right a few other headlines for you this morning. There is other news going on. One of those is here, from abc aide Hillary Clinton top question about the ghazi attacks benghazi attacks. s fixture at her side for 15 years was questioned for the benghazi, six days before Hillary Clinton to appear before the committee for hearing. I wanted to honor the service of those lost and injured in that the ghazi attacks benghazi attacks. Hillary clinton is scheduled to sit before the house on october choice second. You can watch that live on cspan. Vice President Joe Biden is nearing a decision on whether or not to run for president. The story reports that vice President Joe Biden is expected to announce in the coming days theher he will enter president ial race, and at this point, signs point to him running for the democratic nomination. Mr. Biden had made a final round of phone calls this week, locking down support, and prospects in key states. The story goes on to report that if he were to enter the race, mr. Biden could face a significant fundraising disadvantage, and would need to quickly make strides. Mrs. Clinton has already raised 77 million, and Bernie Sanders collected 40 million. Mr. Biden already has a super to learning him into the race, and the leaders of , say they are trying to raise 30 million 40 million before he enters. Shows theoney race democrats so far have received and 12. 4on dollars, million has been by super pacs, and other groups. For republicans, it is the rivers, they have collected 377. 8 million, 62 of that has super pacs, and other independent groups. Jeb bush is clearly the winner here in terms of how much money has been donated and spent on his behalf. Most of that coming from outside groups. The same is true for ted cruz and marco rubio as well. We are taking a calls this morning. We want to know what you think about recreational pot, should it be legalized or banned . Our next caller comes from that istexas, and nancy, calling in opposition. Tell us your opinion. Caller my personal opinion and situation, i lived in houston many years, and i have lived in the laredo many years. In the period of time i have lived here and in houston, i have encountered people who have consumed Recreational Marijuana, and gas stations have had to climb into their car, and pulled her keys out because they are terms of control in the consumption of the drug. I personally know elderly people that use it for some of their pain. With medical consumption, i dont have a problem. With recreational, it would be, again, when i lived in houston, i have had to personally encounter, in freeways, having to deal with trucks and vehicles, and people parked in the middle of the freeway because they were either so , when you alcohol, or open their vehicle, their trucks withfilled with smoke marijuana. I would have no problem with people utilizing Recreational Marijuana if they were responsible in their use, if they were going to sit down in he