Do you believe that marijuana (medical, recreational, or both) should be legalized? How will your policy impact the United States?​

• " I believe in the legalization of both medical and recreational marajuana by removing from the Controlled Substances Act. The legalization of marajuana along with expunging past convictions related to marajuana usage will benefit the US. It will bring in money from new tax resources and exonerate hundreds of thousands of people."

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Do you believe that the criminalization of drugs harms minorities in particular, and that there is racial bias in the criminal justice system? If so, how will you address these issues?

• "The criminalization of drugs for sure finds most of its targets in minorities, damaging many of their communities. There is racism in our criminal justice system, and it is a fact that we can’t ignore.  Caucasians and African Americans use pot at nearly the same rate, yet African Americans are four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession. There is a clear bias shown. To address these issues, we should promote media that exploits these flaws in our system and enact change in local and urban police forces."

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One of the proposed opioid reform policies of the N2AR is to follow the Portugal model by decriminalizing opioids. Have you heard of the Portugal model and what do you think of its concept?

• "After researching the Portugal model, I believe that it presents a very interesting way of addressing the opioid and overall drug epidemic. I agree and wish to foster the switch from dealing with the issue in a violent matter into providing help for drug victims. The way to deal with the epidemic isn’t incarceration, but rather to prevent drug use and to truly aid addicts. I don’t think the US could ever pass the legislation to fully decriminalize drug use, but beginning with marijuana I think we could create a compromise. Taking steps to give medical (physical and mental) help for drug addiction is something I strongly agree with. I also agree in changing how we as a society look at drug users. They are depicted as junkies, low-life, and less human, but in reality they are no less than - they are struggling with addiction.​"

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How would you combat the opioid epidemic in the US? Do you support the decriminalization of opioids? 

• "I would combat the opioid epidemic by working with many different industries and organizations. Many opioid addicts got hooked off of prescription medications. I will enforce policies regarding the writing and monitoring of such narcotic prescriptions. I also plan to support comprehensive treatment for addicts. Ending the negative stigma around addiction disorders is also a vital step in fixing this epidemic. I believe in the decriminalization of drug possession of small amounts, but there are many barriers to the full decriminalization of opioids. Crimes committed under the influence of such drugs can not be ignored, but I agree that possession does not warrant incarceration (it is detrimental to society if this incarceration continues)."

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Do you believe that marijuana (medical, recreational, or both) should be legalized? How will your policy impact the United States?​

• "The STEERE Party’s stance on the legalization of marijuana is that it should be completely legalized, but have government regulations like alcohol and cigarettes. The regulations should be that the production and selling of the drug should be controlled so that marijuana is not contaminated or laced with illegal substances that could possibly harm the consumer. All marijuana should come from a distributor and there should be no resale of products. The legalization of marijuana would help to limit the number of criminals in prison for possession of marijuana. The taxes of marijuana would increase revenue and help lower the federal deficit. Increased revenue has been shown in Colorado through marijuana taxes. Colorado has had a total revenue of $1,128,872,150 since 2014 and a total revenue of $223,333,734 in just 2019 alone.  In terms of medical marijuana, legalization would allow patients to potentially have access to the drug that could help relieve their pain." 

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Do you believe that the criminalization of drugs harms minorities in particular, and that there is racial bias in the criminal justice system? If so, how will you address these issues?

• "We do believe the criminalization of drugs harms minorities and there is a racial bias in the criminal justice system. We will address these issues by having community-based policing and greater sensitivity training. Having the police live and work among the residents they police, allows the opportunity for the officers to develop a rapport with the residents and for the residents to learn to trust the police. By having greater sensitivity training, police officers have a better understanding of other cultures and religions and who they come in contact with. They will be able to quickly settle disputes without offending anyone or resorting to using force. "

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One of the proposed opioid reform policies of the N2AR is to follow the Portugal model by decriminalizing opioids. Have you heard of the Portugal model and what do you think of its concept?

• "This is the first time we have heard of the Portugal model for the opioid reform, but once we read about the concept, we are on board with it. The promotion of helping individuals who have addictions, rather than convicting and throwing them in jail promotes a healthier, kinder nation that puts its citizens first."

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How would you combat the opioid epidemic in the US? Do you support the decriminalization of opioids? 

• "We understand that the opioid epidemic is a serious issue and requires attention. It’s startling that 21-29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them. We would try to solve this issue by improving access to treatment and recovery services to any of those affected by opioid addiction. We also want to restrict the supply of opioids through government regulation. This would mean that the types of opioids and lawful access to the approved opioids would be controlled. We also want to influence prescribing practices by educating the providers of guidelines for issuing opioids, many of those who become addicted are convinced by pharmaceutical companies that the drugs are non-addictive. We support the decriminalization of opioids because we believe that the user should receive treatment rather than be prosecuted. When Portugal decriminalized opioids they saw treatment for addiction go up and drug-related deaths go down. We believe that any American who is suffering from an addiction to opioids is not a criminal and therefore should not be criminalized."