California lieutenant governor: 'Do the damn right thing' and legalize marijuana

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday called on politicians to be honest about legalizing marijuana, claiming many lawmakers and officials secretly opposed the drug's outlaw status.

"I am sick and tired of politicians saying one thing in private and saying another in public," he said on HuffPost Live. "Love me or hate me, I can't participate in that. I didn't on gay marriage, and I watched as so many politicians, particularly in my party, said I'm with you on gay marriage, and then years went by and they were still arguing for second-class citizenship of the gay and lesbian community."

Newsom claimed the same was true of the war on drugs, which he described as an "abject failure." He noted that drug prohibition had been particularly harmful to racial minorities, who are imprisoned at a disproportionately high rate for drug offenses.

"It's time for politicians of all strips to come out of the closet in this respect and say what they think on the issue, do the damn right thing on this."

Newsom opposed Proposition 19 in 2010, which would have legalized the recreational use of marijuana in California. Last December, however, he declared he no longer supported the prohibition of cannabis.

“These laws just don’t make sense anymore," he said.

Watch video, courtesy of The Huffington Post, below: