Who?
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) — running to replace Mitch McConnell as GOP Leader
LISTEN: Laslo & Cornyn
Ask a Pol asks:
What do you make of the DEA moving to reschedule marijuana on its own?
Key Cornyn:
“I think it was gonna require a congressional action. I mean, I think this is another example of overreach. If we wanna have a rational conversation about cannabis, then we ought to have that conversation, that debate here,” Sen. Cornyn exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “It ought to be an informed debate by science and by the latest medical research. So I think this is just another pretty political attempt by the Biden administration to try to appeal to a cohort of voters that I don't think they're doing very well with.”
Where are you on SAFER Banking?
“I think it's a mistake to give a business that's illegal under federal law access to the banking system,” Cornyn told us. “Again, if we wanna deal with this problem, we need to deal with it more from a better-informed policy perspective, rather than just try to nibble around the edges.”
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Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. John Cornyn
SCENE: Sen. Cornyn’s walking through the basement of the Capitol when he stops in a heavy traffic area — hence the beeping sounds from workers — to chat with Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo.
Matt Laslo: “What do you make of the DEA moving to reschedule marijuana on its own?”
John Cornyn: “Well, I think it was gonna require congressional action.”
ML: “Yeah?”
JC: “I mean, I think this is another example of overreach. If we wanna have a rational conversation about cannabis, then we ought to have that conversation, that debate here. And it ought to be an informed debate by science and by the latest medical research. So I think this is just another pretty political attempt by the Biden administration to try to appeal to a cohort of voters that I don't think they're doing very well with.”
ML: “Have you looked at the SAFER Banking Act now?”
JC: “I think it's a mistake to give a business that's illegal under federal law access to the banking system.”
ML: “Yeah?”
JC: “Again, if we wanna deal with this problem, we need to deal with it more from a better-informed policy perspective, rather than just try to nibble around the edges. But, as you know, a lot of the marijuana growing, for example, in California is grown illegally.”
ML: “Yeah?”
JC: “So I think it's like 80% of it. And so obviously, the status quo is not working. But they don't wanna have an honest discussion, debate about it and a data-informed policy. They wanna just do something they think will get them a few votes.”
ML: “There's an interesting deep dive that ProPublica did on Oklahoma.”
JC: “Ahuh.”
ML: “Because of the black market.”
JC: “Interesting.”
ML: “Well, they've got a lot of like...”
JC: “They've got huge problems.”
ML: “…like the Chinese mafia is running its...”
JC: “We had a hearing — the drug caucus — yesterday they had a hearing on that very topic.”
ML: “Oh, really?”
JC: “Yeah.”
ML: “Like, it's bad. Have a good one, sir.”
JC: “Thank you.”
ML: “Preciate ya.”
Matt Laslo’s a veteran congressional correspondent, new media prof. & founder of Ask a Pol — a new, people-powered press corps.
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Sen. Cornyn: DEA rescheduling marijuana "another example of overreach"