“Real Time with Bill Maher" host on Friday, saluted President Joe Biden’s action to pardon those federally incarcerated on simple cannabis possession charges. Maher said it was a smart move on the President's part as pot smokers are also voters, reported The Wrap.
“This is very smart because a lot of people in this country, I don’t know who they are, I don’t know any of them, but a lot of people do smoke pot, and they do show up to vote. Not on the right day, but they do show,” Maher joked.
He noted that while some say Biden is too old to be President, he's the guy who took this important action.
“Yes. The old president. Credit to him because Joe really doesn’t know anything about pot. He thinks THC is that channel that chose the old movies.”
Later in the show, Maher spoke with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who was against cannabis decriminalization while in office.
“Why do you have this hard-on for pot?” Maher asked.
The Republican said it wasn't “just for pot.”
“My view on it from the quote you read at the time was that I was not going to permit it to be a recreational legal drug in New Jersey,” Christie said. “I didn’t permit it to be. And now we have a new guy [that] came after me and he permitted it. Am I like standing in the corner holding my breath saying, ‘I can’t believe you did that?’ No. He gets to make the judgments now. He made the call.”
Maher On Cannabis
In 2015, Maher pleaded with President Barack Obama to do what President Biden just did – pardon those incarcerated for simple cannabis offenses, arguing that three presidents Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all admitted to having smoked weed, as has Ted Cruz, Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin.
In August this year, Maher discussed cannabis legalization with former Attorney General Eric Holder and made a provocative prediction.
Maher began with an audience-submitted question: “Why isn't Biden pushing for federal legalization of marijuana?”
Holder replied: “I think it's probably something we ought to do given the fact that it is something that would have a great political benefit and also deals with the reality. You know people are using marijuana it's being legalized across states.”
Maher, a cannabis enthusiast, replied: “I've heard that.”
“Yeah, yeah, I've heard that you've heard that,” Holder said.
After their humorous repartee, they adopted a more serious tone. “Our drug policy needs to catch up with what the reality is. Marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug. It’s ridiculous, it is ridiculous,” Holder said.
“Republicans are going to steal the issue, I think eventually. I mean someone like John Boehner works for a marijuana company now," Maher said. "I mean it could be one of those freedom issues, and of course, Republicans smoke lots of pot too.”
“Not enough!” Holder replied.
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