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‘We should legalize’ marijuana, Chirlane McCray says in radio interview

Mayor Bill de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray may see eye-to-eye on a lot of topics, but when it comes to legalizing marijuana they’re not of a joint mind.

The first couple appeared on Thursday’s taped episode of the Breakfast Club on Power 105.1 FM, where they discussed a range of issues from community policing to mental health. Co-host DJ Envy asked the mayor and his wife for their thoughts on legalizing pot, and the mayor said that he wasn’t there yet.

“We know now what it looks like to legalize in our society, because some states have done it. And I’m trying to get a sense of what it’s meant with them,” he said.

McCray, on the other hand, was less wary.

“I believe we should legalize it because I don’t think people should be penalized and punished for using it, but I think that it should be highly regulated,” she said,

McCray, who has been open about her battles with substance abuse and said she loved marijuana when she was younger, added that if the drug were legalized it shouldn’t be marketed to children or people with substance abuse issues.

“We don’t think about wellness for our young people, then they are very susceptible to being hooked on this,” she said. “I know, I lived through it.”