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Who?
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
LISTEN: Laslo & Whitehouse
Ask a Pol asks:
What do you make of the DEA — Drug Enforcement Administration — moving to reschedule marijuana?
Key Whitehouse:
“I think that they're watching it be legalized in a lot of states which sort of runs counter to having it be seen by them as one of the most dangerous drugs,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse exclusively told Ask a Pol.
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What’s going on with SAFER?
“If I'm not mistaken, the reason we're kinda holding off on that is just cause Sen. Jack Reed is the senior member on Banking [Committee],” Whitehouse said.
Caught our ear:
“But I shouldn't have said that,” Whitehouse told us.
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo catches Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse after he exits a tram under the Capitol before the two proceed to ride an elevator up to the Senate floor.
Matt Laslo: “How are you, sir?”
Sheldon Whitehouse: “Hey, how are you?”
ML: “Livin the dream. What do you make of the DEA moving to reschedule marijuana?”
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SW: “Not much. I think that they're watching it be legalized in a lot of states which sort of runs counter to having it be seen by them as one of the most dangerous drugs.”
They enter an elevator.
ML: “Yeah? But I know a lot of people in your party want clemency to be part of the debate. And I'm wondering if you guys lose leverage if the administration legalizes it on their own.”
SW: “Got me.”
ML: “Have you looked at SAFER? Do you know SAFER Banking Act?”
SW: “Yep.”
ML: “Are you supportive?”
SW: “I haven't — I don't think I'm a co-sponsor.”
ML: “Yeah?”
SW: “But I think it would be helpful to have that.”
ML: “Yeah?”
SW: “I think, if I'm not mistaken, the reason we're kinda holding off on that is just cause Sen. Jack Reed’s now a senior member on Banking [Committee], but I shouldn't have said that. I actually don't know.”
Laslo laughs.
SW: “I don't….”
ML: “But you’re supportive of the concept, just…?”
SW: “Yeah.”
ML: “Yep. Preciate ya, sir.”
Andrey Beregovskiy and Walken Whalen contributed to this report.
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