Health Issues On The 2020 Campaign Trail: Calls For Legalizing Marijuana, Improving Mental Health Care For Children
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also said she'll work with Congress to decriminalize nonviolent charges associated with marijuana and push for stronger medical marijuana research. In other health-related campaign news, KHN examines comments by former Vice President Joe Biden to increase the number of school psychologists.
The Associated Press:
2020 Hopeful Gillibrand Unveils Plan To Legalize Marijuana
Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand (KEER’-sten JIHL’-uh-brand) has a plan to legalize marijuana and expunge all nonviolent criminal charges associated with it. The New York senator says in a Medium post on Wednesday she’d work with Congress to decriminalize recreational marijuana use and tax nonprescription marijuana products. Gillibrand says she wants to use the proceeds to support job training and other programs for communities “disproportionately harmed by marijuana laws,” especially helping small businesses owned by women and minorities. (6/5)
Kaiser Health News:
On Campaign Trail, Joe Biden Highlights Nation’s Lack Of School Psychologists
Outlining his education platform on May 28, former vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden put the spotlight on an often-ignored mental health problem: kids’ access to mental health care. In a policy paper released at a town hall in Houston, Biden said, “The current school psychologist to student ratio in this country is roughly 1,400 to 1, while experts say it should be at most 700 to 1.” That matters because children’s mental health care issues are often detected in school settings. (Luthra, 6/5)
PolitiFact and Kaiser Health News team up to truth-squad health care claims made by politicians and policymakers leading up to the 2020 election. Check here for past coverage.
