Cynthia Nixon (who you may know as Miranda from Sex and the City) today posted a video expressing her thoughts about the legalisation of marijuana in New York.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, eight states and the District of Columbia have now legalised small amounts of cannabis for adult recreational consumption – and if Cynthia Nixon has her way, New York State could be next.
The New York-based actor is currently running to become a governor of her home state, and she wants to legalise marijuana for everyone; “The simple truth is, for white people, the use of marijuana has effectively been legal for a long time” she says in a video posted to Twitter, “Isn’t it time we legalise it for everybody else?”
She elaborates upon her opinion, stating the fact that 80% of New Yorkers who are arrested for marijuana are black or Latino, even though whites and people of colour use marijuana at roughly the same rates; “we have to stop putting people of colour in jail for something that white people do with impunity”, she says.
In a recent interview with the NY Times, she confirms her absolute support of this legalisation; “It’s a money maker. And it’s a justice issue. We have people, particularly African-American men, sitting in jail for something that white people do with impunity.”
Watch the video here.