Senator Charles Schumer is now joining the bandwagon to decriminalize marijuana.
In an interview with Vice News, Schumer said he plans to introduce legislation on the issue.
Schumer even signed a bong during the interview.
It would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, allowing states to enact whatever marijuana policies they choose.
His legislation would also help minority communities disproportionately harmed by drug arrests, and it would provide funding to research marijuana's effects, including on driving.
"The legislation is long overdue based on, you know, a bunch of different facts. I've seen too many people's lives ruined because they had small amounts of marijuana and served time in jail much too long. Ultimately, it’s the right thing to do. Freedom. If smoking marijuana doesn’t hurt anybody else, why shouldn’t we allow people to do it and not make it criminal?" Schumer said.
New York's junior Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, earlier this year signed on to a separate bill by New Jersey Senator Corey Booker that would go even further in legalizing the drug.
Gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon helped put this issue in the spotlight when she announced her support to legalize marijuana.