Who?
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)
LISTEN: Laslo & Warnock
Ask a Pol asks:
Any thoughts on the DEA moving to reschedule marijuana?
Key Warnock:
“I support it. For too long the war on — so-called war on drugs — has been a war on Black and Brown communities,” Sen. Warnock exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “Whole communities have been decimated. So this is a move in the right direction.”
Caught our ear:
“We’re long past a robust conversation about the ways in which we’ve been waging war on Black and Brown communities for decades — decades,” Warnock told us. “You can see the impact of that on the ground in Atlanta, in Baltimore. Every place I’ve pastored, I’ve seen the devastating impact of this on the ground.”
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Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Raphael Warnock
SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo runs into Warnock in the basement of the US Capitol before hopping an elevator up to the Senate floor with the senator.
Matt Laslo: “You got any thoughts on DEA…”
Raphael Warnock: “I have no thoughts, period.”
Both laugh.
ML: “I’ve seen you from the pulpit, I know you got some thoughts.”
ML: “DEA moving to reschedule marijuana?”
RW: “Oh I support it. For too long the war on — so-called war on drugs — has been a war on Black and Brown communities.”
ML: “Yeah?”
RW: “Whole communities have been decimated. So this is a move in the right direction.”
ML: “But with them moving on their own, you guys might not get the clemency debate. It will be interesting to see how the administration handles that.”
RW: “You know, I think that the president has made the right move, and we’re long past a robust conversation about the ways in which we’ve been waging war on Black and Brown communities for decades — decades.”
ML: “Yeah?”
RW: “And you can see the impact of that on the ground in Atlanta, in Baltimore. Every place I’ve pastored, I’ve seen the devastating impact of this on the ground. So…”
Warnock seems to lose his train of thought once they reach the entrance to the Senate chamber, where he’s due for a vote.
RW: “Alright.”
ML: “Yeah. Preciate you, sir.”
Laslo thought Warnock’s aide was asking which outlet he was with, when he was really asking which topic he asked his boss about. .
Matt Laslo’s a veteran congressional correspondent, new media prof. & founder of Ask a Pol — a new, people-powered press corps.
Ask a Pol — asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol.
Sen. Warnock supports DEA rescheduling marijuana b/c “whole communities have been decimated" by 'war on drugs'