The board cites alcohol prohibition, social costs and states’ movements. | M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO NYT: Legalize marijuana

The New York Times’ editorial board on Saturday called on the federal government to legalize marijuana.

Citing alcohol prohibition, social costs and states’ movements, the board argued “after a great deal of discussion” that “the balance falls squarely on the side of national legalization.”


“We considered whether it would be best for Washington to hold back while the states continued experimenting with legalizing medicinal uses of marijuana, reducing penalties, or even simply legalizing all use. Nearly three-quarters of the states have done one of these,” the editorial said.

“But that would leave their citizens vulnerable to the whims of whoever happens to be in the White House and chooses to enforce or not enforce the federal law.”

The newspaper’s editorial board has repeatedly argued in favor of legalizing medicinal marijuana. The board suggested proscribing recreational sales of the drug to people aged under 21.

( On Media: NYT launches six-part marijuana series)

The state of New York earlier this month became the 23rd state to legalize the use of medicinal marijuana — albeit in a non-smokable form.

The editorial’s release — under the headline Repeal Prohibition, Again — caused a stir on social media on a quiet Saturday in the news cycle. The Times has sought to capture some of that audience in a Facebook Q&A slated for Monday at, of course, 4:20 p.m.

“Our readers are highly engaged with the editorial board, on social media and on our blog ‘Taking Note,’ and with this series of editorials, we wanted to deepen that engagement with a more personal approach,” editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal said in a statement.

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