Drug Warrior Day of Reckoning
What else will happen on November 4?
As Bruce Mirken pointed out in another post, Rep. Mark Souder, a stalwart drug warrior, may lose his seat in Congress this year. Souder’s possible departure is part of a larger trend of drug warriors losing elections to more sensible candidates.
This change is largely due to the unpopularity of President Bush and the fact that most virulent prohibitionists have maintained close ties with his policies for the last eight years. Their departure is significant for MPP and other drug policy organizations that hope to pass legislation in the next Congress.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the more exciting contests.
Kentucky Senate Race: Senator Mitch McConnell (R) v. Bruce Lunsford (D)
Sen. McConnell is currently in a dead heat with his opponent, Democrat Bruce Lunsford. McConnell prides himself on securing millions of dollars in federal funding for marijuana eradication in Kentucky. Come November, he may be seeking a new job.
Florida’s 24th District: Congressman Tom Feeney (R) v. Suzanne Kosmas (D)
Rep. Feeney introduced an amendment in 2003 that would have forced federal judges to hand down harsh sentences to minor drug offenders and has opposed every sensible piece of drug policy legislation that’s come across his desk. His opponent, Democrat Suzanne Kosmas, is currently leading by a 23-point margin. The only catch here is that Kosmas supported the Marijuana Grow House Eradication Act, a Florida law that MPP opposed. However she has supported alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders.
Colorado’s 4th District: Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R) v. Betsy Markey (D)
Rep. Musgrave has been a consistent opponent of medical marijuana legislation in Congress. In 2006, Musgrave took significant contributions from the National Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association while opposing a Colorado initiative to legalize adult marijuana use. She’s currently losing to Democrat Betsy Markey by nearly 10 points.
Florida’s 8th District: Congressman Rick Keller (R) v. Alan Grayson (D)
Rep. Keller has pushed for legislation to increase penalties for marijuana users and has always opposed medical marijuana legislation. He currently trails his opponent by 4 points.
Michigan’s 7th District: Congressman Tim Walberg (R) v. Mark Schauer (D)
In a state where MPP hopes to pass a medical marijuana initiative this fall, Walberg stands out as a strong opponent to medical marijuana legislation in Congress. He is currently losing by 9 points to his Democratic rival.
Washington’s 8th District: Congressman Dave Reichert (R) v. Darcy Burner (D)
Rep. Reichert, despite hailing from a medical marijuana state, has opposed efforts to protect Washington’s state law from federal interference. He currently trails by 3 points in the polls.
Visit MPP’s online action center and ask for your member of Congress’s support.
Tagged with: Congress and elections and Medical Marijuana by the author
7 comments
“Drug Warrior Day of Reckoning”
I love that title.
Thanks Ben & MPP !
Interesting article. Unfortunately, I’m not as hopeful, but people say I’m cynical anyway. It will definitely be wonderful to be rid of these drug warriors, but I wouldn’t expect much change from newly elected politicians. Why, you ask? Well, they’re politicians, and you know what they say about power and absolute power…
The ultimate goal is legalization (of cannabis, at the very least) and a complete end to the War on (some) Drugs. It seems that for a politician to advocate anything other than harsh punishment for drug “crimes” is to commit political suicide before the ignorant masses screaming to “send a message to the CHILDREN,” or some such nonsense. That is assuming politicians have guts, morals, and a sense of obligation to their constituency, something I believe most lack (the recent bailout proves that!) We need a drastic paradigm shift, and it won’t be acheived by pandering political animals. It will be achieved by people who rise up and demand that our “representatives” obey our wishes, or else.
I just hope it happens sooner, rather than later…we’re running out of prison cells.
Hopefully Florida will denounce these drug warriors and elect somebody with “commen sense” seeing that charlie crist is all about arresting tax paying residents and using unlawful force to destroy the thin fabric of prosperity. Maybe with the drug posse being dissmantled and being replaced with individuals who are actually paying attention to the people and the peoples concerns. With this said, I sit back and wait for lame-duck republicans to scramble to protect whatever political position they might hold in last ditch efforts to protect there own skin and not the skin of their party or there affiliates.
[...] MPP Blog put together a list of a few of the more significant elections in terms of medicinal marijuana policy. Find out if a representative from your state is listed and where he or she might be in terms of election status. [...]
Great story, but I don’t care for the title because the term “warrior” is often a proud moniker, for just about any profession. The true drug “warriors” are those, maybe like yourself, that are fighting the archane prohibitions and policies that are in place. Instead of “Drug Warrior Day of Reckoning” how about “Drug Prohibitionist Day of Reckoning” or Drug Opponent Day of Reconing” Let’s reserve the “warrior” term for the true fighers for the cause!
I think back and all the terms where there was a democratic president in office, and especially when there was a democratic majority, marijuana legislation made headway. President Carter was all about to legalize it when Ronnie Reagan stepped in and opened the era of Just Say No and drug testing. Then when Clinton was president, marijuana use again seemed more widely accepted, and then with the turn of the milennium, again Marijuana was demonized by Yours Truly, the drunk driving, coke snorting, Boy George.
This particular Democratic party to me seems especially ammenable to giving a fair listen to pleas for freedom and civil rights, after all we’ve been through for the last two terms. I bet Barney Frank’s Responsible Marijuana Use for Adults Act gets a fair shake if Obama gets elected. I have High hopes for this election.
Hey where did you find the information in your post?
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