Barney Frank Was Into Legalization, Gay Marriage Wicked Early

Barney Frank Was Into Legalization, Gay Marriage Wicked Early

Cannabis legalization might feel like a novelty in America, but no suh. It’s actually taken way too long.

Just ask Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who proposed the country’s first legalization bill in 1972. Rep. Frank stands among the true godfathers of cannabis law reform.

“We had to push Obama to carry through on what he said he wanted to do.”

Barney Frank, Congressman, Massachusetts

Barney Frank left office in 2013, and earlier this year, he entered the weed game through a partnership with the Massachusetts wholesale company Greentown Beantown.

We had to learn more, so we snagged an interview with Rep. Frank in New York City where he relayed some key lessons from cannabis law reform’s history, including its parallels with the marriage equality movement.

Listen to the interview by hitting the play button, you hear?

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The Hash, Season 4, Episode 15: Legalization Lion Rep. Barney Frank

Feed Your Head With Leafly Podcasts

Leafly has four podcasts for different skill levels:

  • The Hash is NPR’s “All Things Considered”—on cannabis. It’s top-shelf journalism tracks marijuana’s crossover into the mainstream; weekly on Tuesdays.
  • Every Friday, The Roll-Up keeps you abreast of each week’s big cannabis news.
  • What Are You Smoking? details cannabis product trends for true aficionados.
  • And Canada’s legal rollout gets covered by The High Life.

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Each ten-minute Hash episode is co-hosted and produced by Leafly California editor David Downs, and Max Savage Levenson (Pitchfork, NPR). The reported, scripted podcast’s guests this season include rapper/mogul Berner, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Laganja Estranja, New York State Sen. Diane Savino, and more.

For advertising and editorial, contact david.downs@leafly.com.

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