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The Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, presented his plan to decriminalize opioids, including heroin and fentanyl, at a public meeting organized by CNN on Sunday night.
Yang, a startup veteran and founder of Venture for America, a nonprofit organization that had never run in an election before, had already added a "decriminalization of opioids" board to the list of near 100 political positions listed on its website. But on Sunday, he clarified his position, stating specific drugs he would decriminalize in small amounts and claiming that the goal of decriminalization is to get more Americans treated and out of prison.
In response to a question from a student at Trinity Washington University, Yang described opioid addiction as a "plague" that reduced Americans' life expectancy and exceeded the number of car crash deaths as one of the leading causes of death. He added that "the federal government was complicit in the cause of this epidemic of opioids," describing federal officials as "pending" while pharmaceutical companies were distributing drugs like Oxycontin as a " miracle drug without addiction ", leaving the Americans to take care of the consequences.
He cited the example of a high school student from Iowa with whom he spoke, who described his classmates struggling with opioid addiction and their worries about the consequences of asking for l & # 39; help. "We have to do more so that this girl's classmates can get treatment," he said, citing countries like Portugal that have decriminalized the use of opioids for personal purposes, differentiating resellers and suppliers involved in a "criminal enterprise". .
"Instead of referring to a prison cell, we refer you to treatment," Yang said. "And that's what we need to do here in the United States."
He added that he supports the decriminalization of cannabis, a position he clearly expressed at the National Action Network conference in April: "I would legalize marijuana and then forgive all those who are in prison for an offense. related to non-violent drugs. I will forgive them on April 20, 2021, and I will give them five hands when I leave prison. "
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