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Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she now supports legalizing recreational marijuana, a full turn from her stance on the issue from when she first entered the public arena.

Klobuchar, a third-term senator and Democratic presidential candidate, said in a statement released Friday that she supports recreational marijuana and believes "that states should have the right to determine the best approach to marijuana within their borders.”

The position puts her in line with several other Democrats seeking the party's 2020 nomination. But it is a complete evolution from her first campaign for office. She flatly opposed legalization as a candidate for Hennepin County attorney 20 years ago.

"I am opposed to the legalization of marijuana. I believe when you look at across the world what's been happening people have realized that legalizing drugs is not the answer," she said in a 1998 debate.

Klobuchar added that she wanted to see fewer lower-level drug offenders and addicts end up in prison and rather out in the community or in treatment.

Even in more recent years, Klobuchar hasn't been among the more vocal proponents of legalization, but she has supported more research on marijuana. 

In her last re-election campaign for the U.S. Senate

, Klobuchar said she supports current medical marijuana laws in Minnesota and opposes attempts by the federal government to interfere with the state's authority to make laws surrounding marijuana.

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Briana Bierschbach

Author

The position puts her in line with several other Democrats seeking the party's 2020 nomination. But it is a complete evolution from her first campaign for office. She flatly opposed legalization as a Hennepin County attorney candidate 20 years ago.

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In shift, Klobuchar now supports legalizing marijuana

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