Fetterman’s primary landslide gets others’ attention: Weed wins

The Haymaker is Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott’s opinion column on cannabis politics and culture.

Last night’s Democratic Senate primary in Pennsylvania was not an election. It was a kick in the ass. A sticking. A posterizing slam dunk. And the legalization of cannabis played a big part.

Lt. gov. John Fetterman, a political maverick with near-zero support from the Democratic Party establishment, beat Rep. Conor Lamb, an incumbent congressman with bushels of institutional support, with a final score of 59% to 26.5%.

Lamb couldn’t even get half of Fetterman’s vote count.

Beat up the Democratic establishment

The Democratic Party’s status quo moderates went to bed last night shocked and horrified. Lamb was her blond boy, a Marine and former US Attorney who looks like he stepped straight out of the Brooks Brothers spring catalog. He calms every billionaire and CEO in America. He doesn’t threaten any Apple Cart with trouble. He’s a walking cup of weak tea.

Fetterman is a different cat.

He’s a big man. Fetterman is 1.80 meters tall and has a shiny bald head and a rough beard. He likes to wear shorts and hoodies to work. If politics doesn’t work for him, he may have a bright future in professional wrestling.

But its appeal isn’t just visual. He’s a guy who says what he means and means what he says.

Plain text, no-excuse endorsement

Fetterman earned his accomplishments as the three-year mayor of Braddock, PA. As David Bienenstock wrote in a 2020 profile, “By focusing on developing youth programs, attracting artists and creatives, renovating old buildings in an eco-friendly way, and investing in community programs and outreach, Fetterman made Braddock a vibrant city on the rise. ”

He claimed the office of lieutenant governor in a flurry in 2018 and has spent the last four years defending workers’ rights, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ progress and the legalization of cannabis without apology. From the balcony of his Capitol office, he proudly raised the rainbow flag and a cannabis leaf flag.

In Arizona, you can grow a dozen weed plants in your home.

Grass grub hub style will soon be available in Massachusetts.

In Pennsylvania, the former is a felony punishable by imprisonment, while the latter is drug trafficking.

What is the matter with us??

Legal Weed 🟩 for PA. https://t.co/m4w2DaKtJf

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) December 2, 2020

Look, that’s no secret. A survey in Pennsylvania last year found that 58% of adults supported legalizing adult use. Only 26% rejected the idea.

And yet so many of Fetterman’s fellow Democrats — at least the leaders — refuse to believe the evidence presented to them. Starting with the Democrat-in-Chief.

In an interview with Beehive, Fetterman described Joe Biden’s “decrimination-only” marijuana position as “cowardly.”

“It was cowardly,” added Fetterman. “You have to call it what it is. Here’s a hard undeniable fact. When it comes to weed, the Democratic Party’s platform has stood to the right of voters in South Dakota. Which is absurd. Because if you’re in anything right from South Dakota, you need to sit down and reevaluate your life. That was cowardly before the election, now it’s embarrassing.”

Plain text like this won the election for John Fetterman last night.

In the months leading up to the primary, Conor Lamb worried and wrangled about legalization — even as 20,000 Pennsylvanians continued to be arrested for cannabis each year. Like so many fearful Democrats, he retreated to the cowardly Biden position. Let’s “decline prosecuting people for possession,” he murmured in his official policy brief.

This is interesting because the US Senate doesn’t play a role in deciding to prosecute people for marijuana. However, the US Senate is voting to maintain or end the federal ban on marijuana. The MORE bill passed by the House awaits Senate action as we speak. Conor Lamm? He would be a “no”.

Last night Pennsylvania Democratic voters loudly said fuck that noise. Drive progress, stand up for what’s right, and fight for us—or stay out of the way.

Bruce Barcott

Leafly senior editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and the author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.

Check out Bruce Barcott’s articles

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