Many politicians have recently come out of the "cannabis closet" and supported marijuana legalization. But only one recent presidential candidate has joined the cause.

Senator Bernie Sanders sent out a petition to subscribers to his email list that asks Congress to legalize marijuana. In 2015 while running for the Democratic nomination for president, Sanders introduced the first ever bill to de-schedule cannabis. While the bill ended up going nowhere, it did establish the Vermont senator as a progressive leader when it comes to legalization.

Of course, it probably doesn't matter how many signatures Sanders' petition gets. As long as Republicans control Congress, it's unlikely any bill involving legalization will ever pass. However, the petition does allow Sanders to continue his role as a leader of the progressive wing the Democratic Party. Sanders is seen as a possible 2020 presidential candidate, and several other potential nominees (such as Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris) have all made public declarations in support of the issue.

So while Sanders' petition will probably yield little in terms of results, it does continue the ongoing saga of Democrats trying to become the party of legalization.

(h/t Marijuana Moment)