Sen. Bernie Sanders joked that he wasn’t “on” marijuana while answering a question about his health during Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate.
After CNN host Erin Burnett attempted to change the debate topic to the issue of the candidates’ health following a discussion of the pharmaceutical industry, Sen. Cory Booker joked, “Sen. Sanders is in favor of medical marijuana, I want to make that clear.”
Sanders, who recently suffered a heart attack, laughed and said, “I’m not on it tonight.”
Then the Vermont lawmaker jumped into his argument to regulate the pharmaceutical industry.
“You have executives, CEOs of major pharmaceutical companies making tens of millions of dollars a year. And in this particular case with the opioids, they knew that they were selling a product to communities all over this country which were addicting people and killing them,” Sanders said. “This is what unfettered capitalism is doing to this country.”
Burnett then asked Sanders how he can reassure the American public that he’s physically fit for the presidency. Sanders replied by pointing to his active campaign schedule.
“Well, let me invite you all to a major rally we’re having in Queens, New York,” Sanders said. “We are going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country. That is how I think I can reassure the American people.”
He concluded by thanking his supporters and colleagues for “their love, for their prayers, for their well wishes.”
This article was originally published on insider.com
