Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been making waves, with New York Times columnist Reid J. Epstein recently arguing that his campaign is creating "a headache" for President Joe Biden.

That headache may be about to get worse, as Kennedy just officially announced that he favors legalizing marijuana at the federal level. 

Kennedy contrasted his position on marijuana with Ron DeSantis'

According to Breitbart, Kennedy made the announcement on Sunday in a tweet which contrasted his position with that of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"DeSantis' opposition to marijuana decriminalization is wrong," the candidate wrote, adding, "I will decriminalize cannabis at the federal level."

"Current situation with contradictory state [and] federal laws is absurd. States should be able to decide without federal interference," Kennedy continued.

DeSantis' opposition to marijuana decriminalization is wrong. I will decriminalize cannabis at the federal level. Current situation with contradictory state + federal laws is absurd. States should be able to decide without federal interference. #Kennedy24https://t.co/GtFZRJwCAa

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 25, 2023

Three quarters of Democrats want recreational marijuana legalized

A poll conducted last year by Pew Research found that marijuana legalization seems to be popular among Americans, with 59% supporting it.

That number was significantly higher with Democrats, however, among whom 73% support marijuana being legal for both medicinal and recreational use.

Legalization is also favored overwhelmingly among those between the ages of 18 and 29, with nearly three quarters of them believing that laws prohibiting the drug's recreational use should be repealed.

However, opponents argue that marijuana legalization has been poorly managed and contributed to problems in the states where it has been tried.

Critics point to harms that marijuana use is associated with

"The public did not sign up for an unregulated free market in pot," Manhattan Institute fellow Charles Fain Lehman wrote in an article for City Journal last October.

"The drug has real dangers, and its use, particularly in adolescence, is associated with loss of IQ, depression, anxiety, and later risk of psychosis," Lehman pointed out.

"It is addictive and debilitating to its heaviest users. It is also unpleasant to be around and tends to bring with it other antisocial behavior—its sale is prohibited in three-quarters of California’s total land area for a reason," he continued.

"If we want legal weed to win—a big “if”—then the solution is not deregulating it to the point where its pathologies run rampant," Lehman stressed.