Yesterday, Cynthia Nixon made a case for the legalisation of recreational marijuana in her campaign for governor of New York.
In a short video shared on her Twitter page, the former SATC star highlighted the racial inequalities evident in the criminal justice system, as a consequence to the drug.
Nixon said: ‘There are a lot of good reasons for legalising marijuana, but for me, it comes down to this. We have to stop putting people of colour in jail for something that white people do with impunity.’
She continued, ‘The consequences follow people for the rest of their lives making it harder to get jobs or housing and for non-citizens putting them in the crosshairs for deportation.'
The former actress then went on to emphasise the reality that 80 percent of New York inhabitants arrested in connection with marijuana are black or Latino.
This is despite the fact that approximately the same number of white New Yorkers use the drug.
The 52-year-old's latest political move will potentially help her to garner votes over rival candidate, Andrew Cuomo, who has expressed concerns about recreational marijuana after dubbing it a ‘gateway drug’.
Yet with New Yorkers showing increased support for legalisation, Cuomo has since claimed that he is willing to consider the debate.
Nixon announced her decision to stand for governor back in March to 'fight for a better, more equal New York'.