Does Joe Biden smoke? Rumours about the president-elect explained
Does Joe Biden smoke? Where did this rumour about the president-elect start? Let’s unpack this…
Joe Biden’s stance on smoking marijuana
According to CNN, the president-elect and his running partner, Kamala Harris, support progressive policies on cannabis.
The pair are in favour of the legalisation of medicinal marijuana on a federal level, and allowing states to set their own laws. They also want to expunge prior cannabis convictions.
However, it is not in their policy book to federally legalise cannabis smoking.
What are their reasons for supporting decriminalisation? Besides tax revenue and an influx of jobs, according to CNBC, the strongest argument for decriminalising cannabis is social justice reform.
What is the difference between decriminalisation and legalisation?
Basically, if a drug is decriminalised, personal use is not a criminal offence. However, personal use can still result in civic penalties. These could include education or treatment programmes, or simply a fine.
At the same time, decriminalisation of a drug doesn’t mean selling and manufacturing it are legal. Cultivating and distributing cannabis will almost certainly remain illegal under Biden and Harris.
On the other hand, legalisation removes all penalties for possession and personal use. For example, alcohol is a legal drug in many countries. There may be stringent quality controls on various legal drugs but as long as manufacturers adhere to the law, they won’t face charges.
Does Joe Biden smoke himself?
There’s no evidence to suggest Joe Biden smokes. In a 1970 interview, he described smoking and drinking alcohol as a “crutch”. In other words, he believes they are behaviours people do to prop themselves up.
Rather than smoking or drinking alcohol, Biden said, he uses “football as a crutch, and motorcycle jumping and skiing”. He added: “Those are crutches over which I have control.”
Whether or not Joe Biden still performs motorcycle jumps is a matter for speculation. Regardless, he has the support of an unorthodox contingent of American voters:
In honor of Joe Biden winning I have decided to take up smoking cigarettes again #SmokersForJoe
— jordan (@misterpostsman) November 7, 2020
