(Photo credit: World Economic Forum/Flickr)
Microsoft founder and wealthiest man in America, Bill Gates, says he voted yes on Washington’s I-502.
Why? For a number of reasons, he told BuzzFeed on Tuesday.
For one, he believes that legalizing marijuana in his home state will take profits away from the illegal drug trade.
Gates explains drug traffickers “are going to make a lot less money, and some of the perverse things about the illegal drug trade will be avoided.”
The Microsoft founder also sees legalization in Washington as an experiment, something he thinks should happen before federal reform.
“It’s probably good to have a couple states try it out to see before you make that national policy.”
What happens in Washington – and Colorado – could answer many questions that people have long debated, he points out.
“Can they keep it out of minors’ hands? Will it reduce alcohol consumption? Are there some people who use it at levels you might think of as inappropriate? Will drug gangs make less money?”
Gates has reportedly dabbled in a variety of drugs – including marijuana – but hasn’t talked openly about it in recent years.
The interview with BuzzFeed was also the first time he publicized his position on Washington’s marijuana referendum, which passed November 2012.
Source Leaf Science
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