5 Most Hardcore Libertarian Positions of William Weld

3. War on Drugs

Weld has long favored harm reduction and rehabilitation over punishment and prohibition. When he was nominated in 1997 to serve as Ambassador to Mexico, Senator Jesse Helms issued a press release stating that Weld was “soft on drugs.” He had already at that point come out in favor of medical marijuana and “needle exchange” programs to minimize the negative ancillary effects of intravenous heroin use.

Weld has come even further in his position on controlled substances in the past few years, as he has indicated his support for a Massachusetts initiative which would legalize recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth. Weld admitted that he had evolved on the topic since his time as a prosecutor in the Justice Department, and stated that, concerning other drugs, legalization “is at least worth a discussion.” He continued on to say, “[T]here’s something to the idea that by decriminalizing something, you take it out of the shadows. And then the incentives are not there for the bad guys to do massive criminal sales.”

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