Forbes Magazine 2016 Candidates: on Drugs

Cynthia Nixon: Arresting people for cannabis is racist war on drugs

"Arresting people-particularly people of color-for cannabis is the crown jewel in the racist war on drugs and we must pluck it down," she said. "We must expunge people's records; we must get people out of prison."

Nixon explained that she has made cannabis a central part of her campaign because it touches on so many other issues. "It's a racial justice issue because we're incarcerating people of color in such staggering numbers," she said.

People of color made up 86% of all marijuana arrests in 2017, despite that white people are just as likely to use marijuana.

"Now that cannabis is exploding as an industry, we have to make sure that those communities that have been harmed and devastated by marijuana arrests get the first shot at this industry," she said. "We [must] prioritize them in terms of licenses. It's a form of reparations."

Cynthia Nixon: Racial equity in cannabis industry as form of reparations

Racial equity in the cannabis industry has been a problem in states that have legalized the drug. Colorado banned those with marijuana felonies from working in the newly legal industry. That model of legalization is starting to shift. Oakland, California made history when it launched an equity program aimed at remedying drug-war injustices. Instead of banning people with drug convictions from the industry, the city created a program that gave those with pot convictions first dibs on a marijuana business license.

"The use of marijuana has been effectively legal for white people for a really long time," said Nixon. "It's time that we legalize it for everybody else."

Donald Trump: Melania's "Be Best": focus on well-being & opioid abuse

Trump said Be Best would have three main areas of focus: well-being, social media use and opioid abuse. "Let us teach our children the difference between right and wrong, and encourage them to Be Best in their individual paths in life," Trump said.

Saying she first learned about "the real consequences of our nation's opioid epidemic" during her husband's White House bid, Trump told the crowd she intends to "work with those who are fighting drug addiction."

President Trump was on-hand for the initiative's launch. As his wife looked on, Trump signed a "Be Best" proclamation, declaring Monday as "Be Best Day."

Phil Murphy: Focus on racial justice with marijuana legalization.

Massachusetts rolled out the first state-wide equity program in the nation last month. Not only do equity applicants get an early start in applying for a license, they also receive help from the state in raising capital and compliance. Meanwhile, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy has focused on racial justice in his support for legalization.

Ted Cruz: 2014: federal enforcement; 2015: let states experiment

Those remarks contradict Cruz's previous position, when he criticized the Obama administration for failing to aggressively enforce the federal ban on marijuana in states that have legalized the drug. In January 2014, he described the Justice Department's prosecutorial restraint, which is designed to respect state policy choices, as an abuse of executive power.

Cruz's apparent turnaround reflects a political reality: Cruz's calibration is the easiest way to strike the balance between younger, more tolerant GOP voters and social conservatives.