Scott Taylor and Tulsi Gabbard
Scott Taylor
Age: 37
U.S. House of Representatives
Virginia
In February 2017, Tulsi Gabbard and Scott Taylor were the first co-signers on House Bill 1227, the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017.” The bill was introduced by Republican Thomas Garrett of Virginia (who at 45 is slightly too old for this list). If passed, the bill would remove “marihuana” from the Controlled Substances Act.
Tulsi Gabbard
Age: 36
U.S. House of Representatives
Hawaii
Taylor, a freshman congressman and former Navy SEAL also from Virginia, has released no public statements on the bill and did not return a request for comment, though his campaign website lists the Republican as a strong supporter of states’ rights.
Gabbard, a two-term Democrat from Hawaii and member of the Hawaii National Guard, also signed on to sponsor the legislation. She favors legalization as part of a criminal justice reform strategy.
“Our outdated policies on marijuana are having devastating ripple effects on individuals and communities across the country. They have turned everyday Americans into criminals, torn apart families and wasted huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to arrest, prosecute and incarcerate people for non-violent marijuana charges,” Gabbard said in a statement supporting the legislation.
Gabbard also supports the legislation because it would mean businesses in the medical marijuana industry, like those in Hawaii, would have access to banking services and business loans, like any other legal business in the state.
Though neither representative is technically part of the House of Representatives’ “Cannabis Caucus,” both are helping lead the fight for legalization from their respective sides of the aisle and proving that cannabis is one of the few non-partisan issues everybody should get behind.