Democratic Senate candidate smokes marijuana in new ad highlighting disparity and reform

Authored by abcnews.go.com and submitted by 9mac
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Progressive activist and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Gary Chambers Jr. smokes marijuana in a field in New Orleans while talking about marijuana reform in his first campaign ad.

On Jan. 1, smokeable medical marijuana became legal in Louisiana under certain conditions. But the use of cannabis has been a question asked of politicians for decades.

The Democrat Party's position on marijuana use has shifted over the years.

President Joe Biden has publicly promised to automatically expunge all prior cannabis use convictions as well as decriminalize the use of cannabis. He said he supports the legalization of medicinal marijuana.

Five White House staffers, however, have been fired due to past drug use which included marijuana.

The Office of Personnel Management in 2021 released a memo stating past marijuana use should not be the sole reason a candidate for a government position should be deemed unfit.

The government’s shift on marijuana use follows the change in Americans' views on the drug. A Pew Research Center survey in April found that 91% of Americans believed marijuana should be legalized. Sixty percent told Pew that legalization should be for both recreational and medicinal usage.

Only 8% of respondents said it should not be legal for any adult use.

Chambers, who is Black, opens the new ad titled "37 Seconds" by lighting and smoking a joint as a stopwatch clicks in the background.

He says someone is arrested for possession of marijuana every 37 seconds.

“Black people are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana laws than white people. States waste $3.7 billion enforcing marijuana laws every year,” he goes on.

In 2021, a Louisiana law decriminalized the possession of up to 14 grams of marijuana. The fine is now $100 or less and no jail time.

Also last year, the New Orleans City Council pardoned 10,000 cases of marijuana possession for anyone convicted after 2010.

Chambers, who has never been arrested, ended the ad saying, “Most of the people police are arrested aren't dealers, but rather people with small amounts of pot, just like me.”

ComeAbout on January 18th, 2022 at 18:53 UTC »

It’s crazy now going to a non-rec state. It’s like they purposely want to make things dangerous for otherwise extremely responsible people.

I’m happy to pay taxes on a quality, consistent product and have that money used to improve local municipalities and schools. But what’s delivered to me in 20 minutes here with a smile and in the open would put me in jail in like, Philadelphia where my taxes would go to corruption instead.

It’s nuts and federal legislation is inevitable. Fucking Boehner is like a weed executive now; it’s just the states grasping on to fucking over minorities and poor people as long as possible.

kitukuuhw on January 18th, 2022 at 18:23 UTC »

I love it. Weed has been illegal for way too damn long. I thought we would have gotten it a decade ago.

Mistah-G on January 18th, 2022 at 17:13 UTC »

This I like