Politicians who support cannabis and put ‘fools’ in their place |

Today is April Fool’s Day. While we could tell you a false story about how grass falls from the sky, we’d prefer to go in a different direction. The cannabis industry has come such a long way and rather than discussing the fools who are still cracking down on cannabis, we’d rather celebrate those who continue to shine a light on the plant while calling it what it is, relentlessly broaden access to cannabis across the board in their efforts to do so. Here are just a few political advocates aiming for change.

Courtesy of Gary Chambers for Louisiana

Gary Chambers, running for the Senate in Louisiana

Although Gary Chambers is not yet a member of the Senate, we would be reluctant not to include him on his campaign for cannabis, among other things. He announced his candidacy in January this year with a video of him smoking a blunt and talking about the damage caused by the war on drugs. He most recently spoke on March 10 at the Chamber of Cannabis in Las Vegas, Nevada, about Kevin O’Brien Allen’s long-standing incarceration on a cannabis conviction and his approach to politics.

“I didn’t go into politics to be a politician,” he shared. “Most of the people who came to my community in a suit and tie lied… I don’t talk like the average politician talks and I don’t produce content to get our message across to voters that way [an] average politician does this. Because I don’t think it’s transformative and I don’t think it works.”

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Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York

Many politicians take a no-nonsense approach to their work, and Kathy Hochul has made some waves in support of New York State’s cannabis program. In August 2021, she was named the state’s first female governor and vowed to start the cannabis industry that former Governor Andrew Cuomo stalled.

In a September 1, 2021 press release, Hochul confirmed their intent to make cannabis a priority. “One of my top priorities is to finally get the New York cannabis industry up and running – this has been long overdue, but we will make up for lost time with the confirmation of Tremaine Wright as Senate Chair of the Cannabis Control Board and Christopher Alexander as Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management,” she explained. Most recently, on March 10, it also ran a Seeding Opportunity Initiative that sets a goal for cannabis sales to begin by the end of 2022.

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John Fetterman, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

John Fetterman, former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania and current state lieutenant governor, has long campaigned for the legalization of cannabis to help those negatively impacted by the War on Drugs. In May 2021, he challenged the nationwide ban on the plant.

“It’s not controversial,” he said on the subject of legalization. “Canada, the whole country legalized, and somehow they’ve managed to keep going damn well… they haven’t descended into anarchy, you know?” In a September 2021 interview with Forbes, he shared that legalizing cannabis “always was right”. He is currently running for Senator from Pennsylvania with the May 17, 2022 election window fast approaching.

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Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader

At the congressional level, Chuck Schumer is a household name to those following the many attempts to legalize cannabis at the federal level. He introduced legislation for federal decriminalization in June 2018 and federal legalization in May 2019. In April 2021, he was tired of waiting for President Joe Biden to take a position on cannabis and was ready to present cannabis legislation to the Senate.

“We’re going to keep going,” Schumer said. “[Biden] said he was studying the problem, so [I] obviously I want to give him a little time to study it. I want to present my arguments to him, as many other advocates will. But eventually we’ll move on, period.” On February 4, while attending a news conference, he stated that he would again focus on introducing another bill to address the issue in April.

“In the coming weeks we are increasing our reach – and we expect to introduce final legislation. Our goal is to do that in April,” Schumer said at the press event. “Then we begin the nationwide push, led by New York, to finalize the federal law. As the majority leader, I can set priorities. That is my priority.”

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US House of Representatives from New York

The initials “AOC” have been in many headlines since Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supposed her office in January 2019. During that time, she has been a vocal advocate for many issues, including cannabis and psychedelic therapies. In July 2021, she advocated an amendment to allow further study of substances like MDMA, psilocybin, and ibogaine as potential medical treatments for certain medical conditions.

In December 2021, Ocasio-Cortez and Congressman Dave Joyce introduced the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act in hopes of encouraging states to support cannabis eradication programs. “As we continue to advocate for the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana, this bipartisan bill will provide communities with the resources they need to eliminate drug allegations that continue to keep Americans, particularly people of color, from employment, housing and other opportunities.” ‘ she said of the bill.

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