Why We Need More Cannabis Candidates

Why we need more Cannabis Candidates

Why We Need More Pro-Marijuana Candidates from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

It’s a brave new world where politicians can actually run on a cannabis-friendly platform…and people don’t lose their shit.

Former FBI national security official Benjamin Thomas Wolf is running for the 5th congressional district of Illinois and recently released his political ad which featured him sitting in front of a painted American flag and a lit joint.

“As a cannabis user, I think it’s important we get out front and talk about it,” Wolf said. “We realize that cannabis can bring billions of dollars to the state, it’s medicine for millions of people around the country, it changes criminal justice reform and personally I think it’s a wonderful recreational substance as well.” - Source

Wolf is pushing a full on cannabis reform, legalizing the plant and using revenues for public education, drug rehabilitation centers in addition to pardoning all those incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses.

It’s definitely something that is resonating with the current political environment, especially for those under the age of 35. The district he aims to win has a median age of 33 years old.

While I personally don’t know too much about the political scene in Chicago, the mere fact that Wolf is running so openly about his cannabis consumption is a good sign.

In fact, I hope that his example inspires more people to run for office, openly admitting their cannabis consumption to the public.

It’s time we remove the taboos surrounding marijuana. There are countless studies showing that cannabis is less harmful than most legal drugs on the market, a hell of a lot safer than alcohol. People no longer buy into the myth that cannabis is a scourge on society.

Of course, folks like Sessions still hold on to the ‘old ways’, but support on that spectrum of the argument is quickly dwindling. It is no longer political suicide if you openly run as a cannabis candidate. You now have the vast majority of the country in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana. You have newer generations growing up within a cannabis friendly environment, reducing consumption to just “a thing people do”.

With certain government agencies stonewalling legalization, it’s about time that we begin to pressure them to do so. The only real way we will be able to usher in this change is if we have more representation in places of power.

The federal gatekeepers of cannabis are reluctant to let go of prohibition because many federal agencies depend on the existence of prohibition to survive. It’s a cancer that has rooted itself deep within the system.

But people like Wolf could begin to change this from the inside out. But it will take more than just one Cannabis Candidate to make this change happen.

We need people who have a call to serve the public to start stepping up and taking action. Get involved, the world is a shit show and if we sit by idly we will watch it wither into a tyrannical nightmare spoken of in Sci-Fi novels.

The Rebranding of Cannabis has occurred throughout the past two decades. No longer do the public perceive it as a “drug” but they see it as medicine. When you talk about cannabis, the debate no longer revolves around ‘getting high’ but rather focuses on human rights, access to medicine and other social issues.

For anyone considering running for any office, whether local, state or federal positions…there is a demographic that will support you. It’s the same demographic that was behind Bernie Sanders and Ron Paul. It’s a passionate group of people who no longer want to be under the ever watchful and imposing eyes of the government.

It’s minorities that are sick and tired of being profiled and harassed by law enforcement under the guise of the drug war. It’s newer generations advocating a more just and fair society. It’s people who understand the social costs of our current strategy and realize that the only way to stop the madness is to mature our opinion about drug consumption.

These are millions of people who are simply done with a system that benefits a select few at the expense of the masses.

So I’m calling out cannabis enthusiasts, with the ability to gain entry into the public sector, to get out there and try. Start campaigning, start moving on every conceivable front. Push for change despite the resistance of the status quo.

The world is changing. With technology bringing humanity closer than ever before and with the ability to become aware of any problem irrespective of geographical location, the way thing used to work is no longer compatible with modern society.

It’s time to step out of the proverbial closet and into the light. Run for office, vote for candidates that are open about their cannabis consumption. Those who benefit won’t give up without a fight, so if it’s a fight they want…it’s a fight they’ll get!

Why We Need More Pro-Marijuana Candidates from CannabisNet on Vimeo.