Three Pivotal Candidates for Marijuana Legalization
How exciting for Michigan and North Dakota to be voting on marijuana legalization and for Missouri and Utah to be voting on medical marijuana!
It’s a great election for marijuana… unless you live in a state that hasn’t escaped marijuana prohibition, right?
Wrong! With help from our friends at NORML, we’ve identified three candidates who may be on your ballot who could make a huge difference in state and federal marijuana policy.
House – No to Texas’ Pete Sessions
If you live near Amarillo, Texas, you may have the chance to remove the single greatest roadblock to federal marijuana law reform in the House of Representatives, Congressman Pete Sessions (no relation to the Attorney General Jeff Sessions), an “F” recipient in NORML’s Congressional Scorecard.
Bipartisan efforts in Congress to let US states move forward with legalization have all been thwarted by Sessions, who chairs a powerful committee and refuses to allow our issue to get a vote. We might have state protection from federal law enforcement, or banks that can work with state-legal marijuana businesses, or relief from drug dealer tax penalties, and more, if Pete Sessions was voted out of a job.
Senate – No to Florida’s Rick Scott
While Florida passed medical marijuana in 2016, the rollout has been fraught with difficulties, compounded by opposition to the issue by term-limited incumbent Gov. Rick Scott, who received a “D+” from NORML. Running to replace him as governor is Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who has said, “we ought to make legal all forms of marijuana.” Gillum is officially endorsed by the NORML PAC. His opponent, Rep. Ron DeSantis, opposes legalization on the grounds it “would make it harder for parents.”
Gov. Scott is now seeking election to the US Senate against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, who received a “B” rating on NORML’s Senatorial Scorecard. Nelson’s still opposed to recreational legalization as of this summer, but he has hammered Scott on his office “trying to torpedo” Florida’s medical marijuana rollout. Nelson may be behind other Senate Democrats on the issue of marijuana legalization, but he’s miles ahead of Scott on the issue of medical marijuana.
Governor – Yes to Idaho’s Paulette Jordan
Just northwest of Utah, Idaho is an island of prohibition, surrounded by legal and medical states and newly-legal Canada. It would’ve become a CBD state back in 2016, like neighboring Wyoming, except outgoing governor Butch Otter vetoed a popular bipartisan bill to allow epileptic kids to use the life-saving cannabidiol oil. He’s still the only US governor to have vetoed CBD legislation, earning him an “F” grade in NORML’s Gubernatorial Scorecard.
Otter’s political clone, Lt. Gov. Brad Little, is running against former State Rep. Paulette Jordan. She’s recently appeared at a Cannabis Town Hall to voice her support for medical marijuana and repeated that support in subsequent televised debates against her opponent. If elected, Jordan would become the nation’s first Native American governor and Idaho might finally allow for some medicinal use of marijuana.
No matter where you live, there is something or someone on your ballot worth voting for or against. Visit NORML’s Election 2018 page to learn more.
