For those not lucky enough to see Tommy Chong interviewed by Steve Bloom of Celebstoner and Freedom Leaf at the International Cannabis Business Conference  (ICBC), here are some highlights and notes, in a very stream-of-consciousness-kind-of-manner. This is according to my recollection, so most quotes are very much paraphrased:

How are you doing Tommy?

“I’m still here. And I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for cannabis.”

“Relaxed my brain so I forgot that I was sick. I regained my weight in two weeks. Now, I feel the best that I’ve ever felt in my life, thanks to pot.

How was it the first time you smoked pot? “Ahh. It changed my life.”

Steve Bloom informed us that Tommy actually got into entertainment with music first, recording a few top 100 hits, including “Does Your Mama Know About Me?” by Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers.

The Jackson 5 opened up for Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers. Taylor knew that they were speacial and helped them get their first audition for Motown. Joe Jackson actually had Tommy look over the first contract offered by the record label. “I think that I’d sign it,” he told him. Bobby Taylor then quit the band to produce the Jackson 5.

I Love You Alice B. Toklas changed Tommy’s life because he decided that he wanted to enjoy the sunshine in L.A. and leave Detroit.

He met Cheech when Cheech fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War. “When I met Cheech, I had never met a Mexican before. He went by the name Richard Marin.”

Cheech and Chong became movie stars with the 1978 movie Up in Smoke, regarded by many as the best stoner movie of all time. “I think so,” Tommy quipped.

It was because Cheech got offered a movie, Born in East L.A. We had our problems in The Corsican Brothers. “Hollywood is weird in that it tries to break up successful groups.”

“We didn’t smoke real weed during the filming. Just in-between the takes. The whole crew smoked.”

Following the Cheech and Chong breakup, “I didn’t do anything for like three years.”

Moved onto standup comedy, which was “like skydiving.” He took his wife on the road and she trained to be a comic in her own right. Taking his wife on the road pissed off a lot of comedians, “Paul Reiser, especially.”

Turned down The Lion King (couldn’t be in a Disney movie) and Nash Bridges (couldn’t see himself being a cop).

On going to jail: “I didn’t want to go to jail, but then I thought, shit, it will be an experience.”

“When I went to jail, I only had one bad night, it was the first night.”

Vanity Fair paid for a limousine to take him to his first day of jail. Went to jail with his fans. Spent the first day in jail posing for pictures.

“Got a chill being locked in there,” when he heard the cell door lock his first night. Had to hear 200 men making night time sounds. Farting. Groaning. Crying.

“God, I got to be here for 9 month?”

“Felt like an embedded journalist.”

“Feds were always trying to catch me smoking pot.”

What do you think of this green rush?

“It is exciting. Everything happens for a reason.”

“I cured my cigarette addiction with pot.”

“Youth is not your appearance, it’s in your mind.”

“It encourages curiosity, but it also calms the brain.”

How did you come to #FeelTheBern?

“My son Paris turned me onto Bernie. He said, ‘Dad, this guy is onto something.”

“I’d rather see Elizabeth Warren be the first woman president.”

“I love Bernie. I wanna grow my hair to look like Bernie.”

“Donald Trump is the Republicans’ karma.”

“Donald Trump says what the Republicans think.”

While the ICBC focuses on business, politics and activism, it was great to add a little entertainment from Tommy Chong, who also discussed business, politics and activism. Steve Bloom did a great job interviewing Tommy and putting together some great clips. Be sure to check out Steve Bloom’s work over at Freedom Leaf and Celebstoner.

Dr. Joycelyn Elders, our nation’s first African American Surgeon General was the keynote address this morning at the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICB) and Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and Dana Rohrabacher followed her. Having Elders and two sitting Congressmen speak helped provide an overview of how far the United States has come nationally, where we are now, and where we are heading in the near future.

I was honored to introduce Dr. Joycelyn Elders, thanking her for being a pioneer on drug policy that dates back to 1993 when she called upon the United States to study ending the Drug War. The current U.S. Surgeon General recently announced that our nation will do a comprehensive study of our drug laws and this wouldn’t have happened if Elders wasn’t so outspoken more than two decades ago. Elders endorsed California Proposition 19 in 2010, before it was politically expedient to support marijuana legalization. While Prop 19 didn’t win at the ballot box, it paved the way for Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska to win in 2012 and 2014. I mentioned that we “stand upon the shoulders of giants” and she is one of those giants that helped pave the way for us today.

Dr. Elders, who previously told the San Francisco Chronicle that, legalizing marijuana would benefit communities of color because, “we would stop using our poor to subsidize private prison industries.”Marijuana laws have been the engine that drives the Drug War,” she stressed to the ICBC crowd.

Dr. Jocelyn Elders on the Drug War at #ICBC

A video posted by Russ Belville (@radicalruss) on Feb 13, 2016 at 9:44am PST

The former Surgeon General didn’t sugar coat any of the potential side effects of marijuana, certainly noting that minors shouldn’t use marijuana (non-medically), but that the evidence shows that cannabis is less addictive and less harmful than drugs that are legal, such as alcohol and nicotine. Politicians and lawyers shouldn’t be making personal health decisions for patients, Dr. Elders stated. “We need to leave health problems to the health field.”  To make fully legalize cannabis as we should, Dr. Elders said, “We have to transform our communities. Educate, educate, educate.” The crowd gave a rousing ovation for Dr. Elders, definitely thankful that she took the time to address attendees.

I also had the pleasure of introducing both Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and Republican Dana Rohrabacher, noting the importance that both of them have had on the gains we have made in Congress and how important they continue to be. It is tremendous that a libertarian-minded-conservative like Representative Rohrabacher and a progressive Democrat like Rep. Blumenauer can cross party lines to work together on sensible cannabis reform.

Congressman Blumenauer spoke first, thankful for our advances at the state level. “Progress on state legislation helped us break the ice (at the federal level),” stated Blumenauer. After more success, “from California to Maine,” it will be “game over” and the federal government will have to catch up.

Congressmen Rohrabacher started off his speech with, “This is a freedom issue, period.” The Orange County conservative argued that the Drug War is contrary to what our founding fathers, and mothers, intended. Conservative arguments regarding states’ rights and freedom will continue to sway Republicans and he will continue bringing along more Republicans, be he needs our help. The amendment that bans the federal government from using funds to prosecute medical marijuana patients and providers operating legally under state law bears Rohrabacher’s name and he called out the law enforcement officials violating the law. Representative Rohrabacher stated that we only need to shift 10 votes to pass an amendment that would prevent the federal government from investigating, arresting and jailing people for recreational marijuana.

“It’s the blacks and Chicanos who get arrested for drugs. In my neighborhood, Palos Verdes, a kid who gets arrested for drugs gets it expunged, because his family has the money for lawyers.” Rep. Dana Rohrbacher

A video posted by Russ Belville (@radicalruss) on Feb 13, 2016 at 10:52am PST

Following Elders and the Congressmen, the ICBC’s next panels moved onto California-centric speakers, but it was great to get a broad overview of cannabis and drug policy, learning from national policymakers. Thanks to great public servants like Dr. Joycelyn Elders and Congressmen Blumenauer and Rohrabacher, the cannabis community has never been in a stronger position and our future has never been brighter.

Shout-out to fellow Marijuana Politics’ blogger Russ Belville as I poached some great Instagram posts from him.

Some political pundits and Hillary Clinton backers have rallied behind the still-Democratic-frontrunner’s closing statement in last night’s debate where she stated, “I am not a single-issue candidate and I do not believe we live in a single-issue country.” Some feel that Clinton finally found her message on why she is running for President of the United States, comparing this to her “I found my voice” moment in New Hampshire during her 2008 race against Barack Obama. While a true statement and a decent line, it isn’t a game-changer as it isn’t remotely true that Bernie Sanders is a single-issue candidate himself.

While the anti-establishment Sanders centers his candidacy on the singular message around a rigged system that favors the wealthy over the interests of everyday Americans, this is hardly a single issue. The money that has corrupted our political system has corrupted virtually all facets of our life, impacting many issues.

Bernie Sanders’ campaign is tackling all of these issues directly, unlike other campaigns that nibble around the edges of big issues, in the name of pragmatism, declaring that only incremental change is possible. Sanders, on the other hand, urges us to dream big, declaring that together we can fulfill the promise of Barack Obama’s candidacy and transform our political system. That transformation starts with ending the obscene amount of money contributed to candidates, a system that encourages private speeches to big-money interests that must be kept secret from the voting public.

This political revolution that Sanders is leading isn’t just about economics, while combatting our troubling income inequality is definitely a cornerstone of his platform. The Vermont Senator is also calling for progressive change regarding our drug laws, including ending cannabis prohibition, and reforming our criminal justice system, tackling institutional racism head-on in the process.

On the environment, Bernie is also calling for huge reforms, including banning fracking (a strong policy disagreement with former Secretary Clinton, whose history on the issue is far from progressive) to fight climate change, an issue that he has declared the biggest threat to all of us. I don’t think that there is any doubt that a President Sanders would use his executive authority to be one of, if not the most environmentally-conscience presidents in our nation’s history.

On foreign policy, Sanders, while being wrongly portrayed as out-of-touch, promotes an approach where we learn from our mistakes (what a novel concept!), avoiding entanglements that only create more death and destruction and in the end, hurt the interests of the United States. Senator Sanders doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of Henry Kissinger’s missteps, George W. Bush’s Iraq War or even President Obama’s and then-Secretary of State Clinton’s regime change in Libya, a decision that has created a failed state run by warlords that provides a safe-haven for ISIS and other terrorist groups to thrive.

Of course, here at Marijuana Politics we have been focusing on his call to legalize cannabis and implement Drug War, racial justice and criminal justice reforms, but the notion that Sen. Sanders is a single-issue candidate is blatantly absurd. There are reasons that one may support Hillary Clinton for president, but not because of the false claim that Bernie Sanders is a one-issue candidate. This political revolution, that is more about us as a nation more than it is about Bernie Sanders, is boldly tackling important issues that are greatly impacting the lives of Americans across all demographics.

Watch Bernie Sanders’ powerful and emotional ad featuring the daughter of Eric Garner:

“I think we need to believe in a leader like Bernie Sanders,” Erica Garner

Bernie Sanders’ political revolution is trying to balance the scales of a rigged system.

The International Cannabis Business Conference kicks off a historic event with a historic bipartisan fundraiser tonight. As the San Francisco Chronicle first reported, the ICBC is hosting a joint (pun intended, I’m sure) fundraiser with Democrat Earl Blumenauer and Republican Dana Rohrabacher tonight.

Saturday, Congressmen Blumenauer and Rohrabacher follow the keynote address of former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders on a bipartisan panel that has increased in importance following the release of President Barack Obama’s proposed federal budget. President Obama’s budget inexplicably didn’t include the previously passed provision that banned the DEA from interfering with medical marijuana businesses complying with state law. Very confusingly, the budget proposal would allow Washington, D.C., move forward with licensed and regulated sales, but what is the point of allowing such sales when the DEA can just arrest everyone engaged in the sales?

The amendment that bans the federal government from arresting, prosecuting and jailing state-regulated medical cannabis businesses bares Representative Rohrabacher’s name and Rep. Blumenauer is a big supporter of the sensible policy, and any responsible reform. I asked Congressmen Blumenauer about any plans to ensure that the amendment remains in the budget that Congress passes and he replied, “The federal government shouldn’t be arresting or prosecuting people for using or providing medical marijuana in states where it is legal. Over the past two years a bipartisan majority of the House has voted to prevent the Justice Department from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. I plan to make sure once again this year Congress votes to put a stop to wasting its time and money.”

It is great to see a progressive Democrat like Blumenauer and a libertarian conservative like Dana Rohrabacher work together on sound cannabis policies. Thanks to their support, and the cannabis community supporting them, we will soon end the failed and harmful policy of prohibition, stop ruining lives, better utilize law enforcement resources, create jobs and generate revenue for our communities.

Bernie Sanders has a remarkable history of being on the right side of the important civil rights battles of the day. Has he been perfect, of course not, but the smear that he has been absent on issues that matter to African American communities and all people of color seems to be unfair.

Of course, Sanders, and his supporters, need to do a better job to connect with black and brown voters. Votes must be earned and can’t be taken for granted. African American luminaries like Cornel West and Ta-Nehisi Coates, feel that Bernie Sanders has earned their votes after careful consideration and Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, argues that black voters shouldn’t just automatically vote for Hillary Clinton as part of the Clinton legacy is helping create the era of mass incarceration that the Clintons now disavow.

I loathe to ever disagree with civil rights icon and hero John Lewis, a man who bears the scars of our nation’s racist past, but his dismissive attitude towards the activism of Senator Sanders seems unduly harsh and unfair. Mother Jones has a great rundown of the actual work that Bernie Sanders did during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement:

Although Sanders did attend the 1963 March on Washington, at which Lewis spoke, most of his work was in and around Hyde Park, where he became involved with the campus chapter of CORE shortly after transferring from Brooklyn College in 1961. During Sanders’ first year in Chicago, a group of apartment-hunting white and black students had discovered that off-campus buildings owned by the university were refusing to rent to black students, in violation of the school’s policies. CORE organized a 15-day sit-in at the administration building, which Sanders helped lead. (James Farmer, who co-founded CORE and had been a Freedom Rider with Lewis, came to the University of Chicago that winter to praise the activists’ work.) The protest ended when George Beadle, the university’s president, agreed to form a commission to study the school’s housing policies.

Sanders was one of two students from CORE appointed to the commission, which included the neighborhood’s alderman and state representative, in addition to members of the administration. But not long afterward, Sanders blew up at the administration, accusing Beadle of reneging on his promise and refusing to answer questions from students on its integration plan. In an open letter in the student newspaper, the Chicago Maroon, Sanders vented about the double-cross.

***

Sanders left his leadership role at the organization not long afterward; his grades suffered so much from his activism that a dean asked him to take some time off from school. (He didn’t take much interest in his studies, anyway.) But he continued his activism with CORE and SNCC. In August of 1963, not long after returning to Chicago from the March on Washington, Sanders was charged with resisting arrest after protesting segregation at a school on the city’s South Side.

Today, people of color and the poor in general, bear the brunt of the horrible Drug War. Senator Sanders has spoken at great lengths about the failure of the War on Drugs and has already filed bills to repeal cannabis prohibition and end the use of federal private prisons. The anti-establishment candidate’s criminal and racial justice platform is rather impressive.

I’m not “Bernie-splaining” to black voters, or anyone for that matter, as I don’t believe that anyone gets a pass just because they were on the right side of history when they marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or got arrested protesting segregation, or opposed the Vietnam War, or supported marriage equality, or voted against the Iraq War, or filed a bill that would end federal marijuana prohibition. However, I do argue that such a candidate shouldn’t be dismissed offhand and should be given careful consideration based upon their history and present policy positions.

There are a ton of cannabis conferences these days, but none like the International Cannabis Business Conference, being held in San Francisco this weekend. The ICBC really stands alone in mixing business, politics, activism and fun. What other event allows you to listen to the first African American Surgeon General, two current members of Congress and Tommy Chong? And then actually party with Tommy Chong while listening to Del the Funky Homosapien aka Deltron 3030? Also, Rocker T opens up for Del and his positive, reggae-inspired hip hop always gets the party bumping. We here at Marijuana Politics are happy to help organize the ICBC, but I can honestly say that I would love to attend this event regardless of any affiliation.

The panels at the ICBC will be extremely interesting and informative. I am really looking forward to hearing about the journey of Dr. Joycelyn Elders and hear her describe what it was like to call for the U.S. to study ending the Drug War back in 1993, endorsing the important-but-unsuccessful-at-the-ballot-box Proposition 19 in 2010 and now actually seeing an African American President allow states to implement legalization measures passed by their voters. Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher and Earl Blumenauer have been warriors for the cannabis cause, so hearing about their work and what’s next in Congress will be great as well. Congressmen Blumenauer has recently predicted that the U.S. would legalize marijuana federally within 5 years, so I’m wondering if he will be sticking to that prediction at the ICBC.

The end of the first day is what I’m really looking forward to: the celebrity interview with Tommy Chong and then the exclusive ICBC party that night. Tommy Chong has been through so much from rising to fame as part of a lovable comedic stoner duo to serving time in federal prison for helping sell bongs (and agreeing to such a prison sentence when the feds threatened his wife and son) to some mainstream success (although as a stoner again) in That 70s Show to beating cancer to having cancer come back to an array of now-legal cannabis business interests. To party with such an icon will be priceless.

The second day will also be great as Andrew Sullivan is one of the most original political commentators of our time, who has helped promote cannabis legalization from a conservative perspective; it has been about a year since he quit blogging daily, so it will be great hearing what he has been up to. Henry Wykowski’s tax presentation will prove invaluable for everyone in the cannabis industry, as will the other business panels that day and the networking opportunities with many great folks in the industry. But I must admit, I am really looking forward to partying with Tommy Chong! You don’t want to miss it!

Bernie Sanders was immediately declared the winner of the New Hampshire primary, once the polls closed, becoming the first presidential primary candidate to win a state after supporting cannabis legalization. Once considered to have no shot at all, the anti-establishment underdog can certainly be considered a viable candidate after defeating one of the most powerful political campaigns imaginable. As was the case in Iowa, young voters overwhelmingly supported Senator Sanders over the former Secretary of State.

While the ultimate margin won’t be known for a while, New Hampshire won’t be a late-night nail biter that the Iowa caucus turned out to be. Hillary Clinton conceded immediately after the polls closed as Sanders had a ten point lead that seemed to continue climbing. Now, the question remains whether Bernie Sanders can translate a strong New Hampshire victory into more support among brown and black voters that make up larger proportions of more diverse states such as Nevada and South Carolina. The anti-establishment Sanders will continue making the case as to why his policies are better better for minorities, both on economics and on criminal justice.

Bernie Sanders joined @CornelWest and @KillerMike to discuss #MLK’s legacy https://t.co/hLpu14bJ6q by @stableford pic.twitter.com/ewXWaldd5M

— Yahoo Politics (@YahooPolitics) January 18, 2016

African-American communities have been especially decimated by the disastrous War on Drugs and people of color are disproportionately incarcerated. Bernie Sanders is clearly the more progressive candidate on criminal justice reform and he has already introduced legislation that would end marijuana prohibition and prohibit the use of federal private prisons. Additionally, his racial justice platform includes many important reforms, including restoration of the voting rights; the demilitarization of police forces; requirement of body cameras; and automatically triggering a federal Justice Department investigation when someone dies in police custody.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has tried to spin New Hampshire as a case of home-state advantage, but that argument doesn’t really hold water when the former First Lady enjoys such strong name recognition and won the state’s primary just eight years ago. Clinton has made the case that Democratic primary voters should choose the more pragmatic candidate, with supposedly a better chance at winning the general election.

Granite State voters, with the state motto “Live Free or Die” chose the passion and idealism of Bernie Sanders and potentially they may have seen the polls showing that Bernie Sanders actually fares better than Hillary Clinton against Republican frontrunners Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. We shall see whether primary voters will continue to #FeelTheBern or say #HillYes as the campaign proceeds.

Bernie Sanders emailed supporters after his historic New Hampshire victory:

Nine months ago, if you told somebody that we would win the New Hampshire primary, they would not have believed you. Not at all. Too bold, they would have said. Not enough money to compete against the billionaires.

You showed them tonight. Add your contribution now and we will win the Democratic primary, the White House, and reclaim our democracy from the billionaire class.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

Football is under fire as the health consequences of the sport are becoming more well-known. More parents are keeping their children away from the sport and many sports commentators are wondering if the sport can survive long-term. Two-time Super Bowl champ Mark Stepnoski of the Dallas Cowboys has long been a proponent of medical marijuana and has paved the way for more players to speak out. With a change in attitude, and laws, across the nation, it is good to see that more and more former players, such as Super Bowl (Shuffle) champion Jim Mcmahon, are coming forward about their cannabis use.  It is unfortunate that the NFL’s drug testing policy prohibits a medicine that is safer and less addictive than narcotic painkillers and may help players prevent traumatic brain injuries.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease found in people who have suffered repetitive brain trauma, is impacting an alarming number of NFL players. Unless something is done, the list of tragic deaths and consequences from football players suffering from CTE will only increase. The doctor who exposed the CTE epidemic doesn’t believe that the NFL’s new concussion protocol will prevent these serious brain injuries. Something must be done as it is a national disgrace that our new national pastime (sorry baseball) is causing such horrific consequences to these athletes’ lives and the lives of their families. Cannabis may be the answer and should definitely be studied extensively by the NFL. In the short-term, the league and the NFL Players Association should immediately alter their drug testing agreement to allow the use of cannabis.

Former All-Pros Kyle Turley and Ricky Williams have stated that they believe cannabis can save football from its eventual extinction. These stars have formed the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition to promote the use of cannabis as a treatment option. From Freedom Leaf Magazine’s interview with Kyle Turley:

You’ve said, “Cannabis will save football.” How did you reach that conclusion?

 I suffer from traumatic brain injury from playing this sport. I’ve seen this firsthand in multiple scans of my brain. I understand that it’s an occupational hazard. The fact that there are zero

medications to stop the progression of this condition should impel everyone to search for an answer to this problem. If we want to save football, then we’ve got to start looking at solutions, not just count concussions. Cannabis is that potential savior. Seventy percent or more of the players use cannabis in the NFL today, because they know it works.

Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Rushing champion Ricky Williams spoke at a forum at the 2016 SoCal Medical Cannabis Cup and discussed his medicinal use, courtesy of Yahoo:

Williams has said he left the NFL because he wanted to skip the drug-testing requirements that came with it. Now he’s advocating the medical benefits of cannabis, saying that the drug helped him with the pain of playing.

***

“I played a position where I got beat up a lot,” Williams said. “A couple years I led the NFL in carries, and somehow I was able to recover through the week. I got to a point in my career where I realized, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this much longer.’

“The teams don’t care, you know, they weren’t trying to take care of me. So, I had to take care of myself. One of the ways I took care of myself was using cannabis.”

Like Al Bundy, I like to reminisce about my high school football glory as an all-state player for the 5-time Missouri state high school football champion Lexington Minutemen. I know how beat up my body, and many of my teammates’ bodies, are from just playing small-town football, let alone slamming into the beasts that play in the NFL today.

It is so sad to see all-time greats like Joe Montana and Earl Campbell have their bodies break down and subjected to lives full of constant pain. It is even more devastating to see lives end tragically due to traumatic brain injuries that tormented players like Junior Seau, Mike Webster and Dave Duerson.

Unfortunately, we will only see an increasingly large number of players with severe life-long injuries as NFL stars only get bigger and faster and the collisions more violent. If you love football as much as I do, and the United States certainly loves the NFL and the Super Bowl, I encourage you to spread the word about the benefits of medical cannabis.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio had his momentum (or “Marcomentum,” if you will) blunted by New Jersey Chris Christie at the final Republican debate before the New Hampshire primary. Rubio had been seen as the “establishment” candidate with the most momentum following his strong third-place finish, just one point behind national frontrunner Donald Trump and five points behind Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz. Governor Christie relentlessly and brutally attacked Rubio for his lack of experience and his reliance upon talking points.

Embarrassingly, Sen. Rubio went back to his canned talking points again and again, claiming that President Barack Obama is deliberately attempting to change America and how the first-term Florida Senator is just the candidate to make our nation the greatest country in the history of the world again. Governor Christie, who you may have heard is a former federal prosecutor, treated Rubio as if he were a murder suspect being grilled about his alibi and the one-term senator seemed sweaty and shaken by the end of the interrogation, err debate. “Rubio chokes,” Politico’s Shane Goldmacher declared.

Political commentators quickly named Christie a winner of the debate and Marco Rubio the loser, although we shall see if their performances will make a difference in New Hampshire, where Christie really needs a good showing to stay relevant in the GOP race. The real winners, however, are the entire cannabis community and the majority of Americans that support ending prohibition. Chris Christie jumped out of the gate as the anti-cannabis candidate, stating that marijuana users were diseased and needed to be cured by law enforcement, but then he was joined by Marco Rubio who also stated that he would waste federal law enforcement resources to trample the will of the voters who have legalized marijuana in their state.

We’ve had some fun with Chris Christie, dubbing him the Cartman of the 2016 Republican primary because he thinks that the cannabis community should respect his authority (or is it authori-tah?) regardless of the suffering it will cause. Cannabis Cartman Christie has done us a huge favor by taking down Reefer Madness Rubio as the Florida Senator seemed to be galvanizing the Republican establishment and has been polling the best among the GOP candidates, drawing even with Bernie Sanders and beating Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. As the GOP primary campaign moves along, the entire cannabis community and the concerned citizens that care about sensible drug policies can root for Christie and Rubio to bring each other down.

A conservative critic of President Obama’s use of executive authority is urging the President to declassify or reclassify marijuana. Illya Shapiro will soon file another brief in a 26-state challenge to President Obama’s immigration actions, yet he wants him to bypass Congress, who still lags way behind the American voters on the issue, and move cannabis out of the ridiculous Schedule I classification that treats the substance the same as heroin, while cocaine is a Schedule II substance. From CATO.org:

President Obama — without rewriting any laws or going outside of his constitutional authority — can direct the attorney general to start the process of reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule IV or V substance, or declassifying it altogether.

Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance or lower would have significant benefits for the budding marijuana industry and individual users. For example:

• The Internal Revenue Code prohibits the deduction of business expenses that relate to Schedule I or Schedule II trafficking;
• The Gun Control Act of 1968 prevents the sale of ammunition and firearms to the unlawful users of “any controlled substance”;
• A conviction for possessing a controlled substance can bar students from getting loans;
• And the rules are even stricter for public housing.

Declassifying marijuana would solve all of these problems.

President Obama has unfortunately been very timid on the issue of rescheduling or de-scheduling cannabis, putting the blame on Congress. As a constitutional scholar himself, the President should know that the executive branch can act on its own. The American people are ready to end prohibition and treat marijuana like alcohol. Democratic  challenger Bernie Sanders has filed a bill to remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances while frontrunner Hillary Clinton has called for moving to Schedule II. President Obama could dramatically add to his legacy of improving the criminal justice system and basing policies upon science if he would use his executive authority to end federal cannabis prohibition.

Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance or lower would have a significant benefits to the budding marijuana industry and individual users. Marijuana deregulation sits squarely within the control of the executive. The president should use his executive powers to allow for intelligent enforcement for drug policy without eroding the rule of law.

“What the President Should Do” is a new series by the Cato Institute discussing what President Obama can do using executive authority his final year in office to make the U.S. a freer and happier place.

(Featured Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

About three weeks ago, I blogged about Senator Bernie Sanders surging in the polls and the establishment freaking out and I’m happy to post today that he is continuing to surge, but a little dismayed that the establishment continues to lose its mind. In a stunning development, Sen. Sanders now trails the so-called inevitable Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by just two points, in the latest nationwide Quinnipiac University poll. The poll has the Democratic frontrunner just ahead, and within the margin of error, 44%-42%. Maybe somewhat surprising to some, the poll also has the anti-establishment Sanders faring better than Clinton against the Republican frontrunners Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio.

The political establishment has started to get more and more knives out in sharper and sharper attacks against Senator Sanders. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill has been attacking Bernie Sanders as too liberal for months and she was initially joined by a false attack on Sanders’ healthcare policy by Chelsea Clinton and then the inflammatory right-wing-attack-dog-turned-Clinton-attack-dog David Brock who had the nerve to state that “black lives don’t matter much to Bernie Sanders.”

As the prospect that the longtime Vermont Senator may actually defeat Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, a state where she defeated Barack Obama in 2008, more of the Democratic political establishment has brought their knives out. Representative Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) are now joining McCaskill and are lashing out at Sanders as too extreme and a liability to other Democrats on the ballot if he is at the top of the ticket. The Democratic co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva and Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison have Sanders’ back.

These charges against Sanders are odd because Bernie Sanders positions are in the mainstream of Democratic politics from FDR’s New Deal policies to Harry S. Truman calling for universal healthcare to Lyndon Johnson signing Medicare into law to the campaign of Barack Obama. Also, Democrats have been getting defeated badly in the House of Representatives and will continue to lose badly due to the gerrymandering of districts absent the political revolution that Bernie Sanders is leading. And most importantly, Senator Sanders is polling better than Hillary Clinton against Republican frontrunners in many polls and actually does better with the independent voters that are the key to the 2016 general election.

The political establishment is making a grave mistake by attacking Bernie Sanders as too liberal. Sanders’ progressive positions are not only in the mainstream of the the Democratic party, but also the general electorate, when they are actually asked about the issues. If Bernie Sanders is such an unelectable candidate and Hillary Clinton has such a tremendous electability advantage, then she should have no problem defeating her anti-establishment challenger.

By unfairly attacking Sanders as too extreme, the establishment runs the risk of demoralizing the base if the former Secretary of State manages to win. The Democratic Party should welcome the enthusiasm that Senator Sanders garners from young voters and the progressive foundation of the party. Progressives and young voters are drawn to a political revolution that includes ending the Drug War and lessening the influence of Big Pharma. Turnout is key for Democrats, both nationally and locally and whether Bernie Sanders wins or loses the nomination, the Democratic establishment is going to want to harness the heat generated by those that #FeelTheBern.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders had a great debate going head-to-head for the first time.

Despite winning the New Hampshire primary against Barack Obama in 2008, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton has had a hard time overtaking the anti-establishment Bernie Sanders in his neighboring state. Buoyed by huge leads with young voters and independents, Senator Sanders is up by 20% in the NBC/WSJ/Marist poll and 31% in the CNN/WMUR survey just ahead of their first head-to-head debate.

In New Hampshire, Senator Sanders is ahead among all age groups and demographics, except for voters age 60 years and over. The Vermont Senator’s lead is based upon his massive support from voters under the age of 45, securing more than 70% of those vote. He also leads the former Secretary of State 57%–38% with voters 45 to 59 while the former First Lady carries voters over age sixty 51% to 44%. This tremendous support among younger New Hampshire voters falls on the heels of Senator Sanders 70% victory over Clinton among Iowa caucus goers under the age of 30. It will be interesting to see just how big the underdog candidate pushes that youth advantage when all votes are counted on Monday.

Younger voters historically have been the least-likely age group to turn out to vote while the oldest voters are the most dependable. Younger voters, who disproportionately feel the brunt of the Drug War, are going to continue being drawn to Bernie Sanders’ platform on marijuana legalization and criminal justice reform. While drug policy isn’t the only difference between the candidates, it is certainly an area where there is a difference between the candidates as Sanders’ position is progressive, while Clinton’s is pragmatic and incremental.

It will be interesting to see whether Hillary Clinton “evolves” a bit to co-opt Bernie’s marijuana position, which would be good policy and good politics. An evolution on cannabis and criminal justice may be a political necessity if Sanders continues to enjoy such big margins with younger voters, and if African-American voters, also disproportionately decimated by the War on Drugs, start trending more towards Senator Sanders.

Featured Photo  Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Imagine being forced with the choice of either breaking state and federal law or watching your child suffer. That was the tragic choice put before the parents of Vivian Wilson, who chose to move to Colorado to acquire the medicine needed for her Dravet syndrome. The Wilson family wanted to comply with New Jersey’s medical law, but the restrictive nature made that impossible.  At a New Hampshire press conference, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie displayed no sympathy for the Wilson family and stated that he would enforce federal law if elected president.

Chris Christie has been consistent in his claims about enforcing federal marijuana law. However, he has been inconsistent about states always following federal law, as Jon Stewart pointed out when Governor Christie has supported gambling in New Jersey. What is rather remarkable about Christie’s insistence that federal law must be enforced, besides offering no apologies or sympathy for parents with a severely ill child, is that he seems to forget about prosecutorial discretion.

Prosecutors don’t prosecute every single crime, resources dictate prioritization. With all of the issues facing our nation, it is amazing that a president would consider prosecuting and imprisoning parents treating their child’s Dravet syndrome with medical cannabis, when that has been proven to work best for their child.

Governor Christie also seems to miss the fact that medical cannabis is still illegal under federal law. As president, will he use the limited resources of the federal government to arrest, prosecute and jail everyone legally cultivating, using and providing medical cannabis under their state law. As POTUS, would he immediately arrest everyone participating in the New Jersey medical marijuana program? Fortunately, for medical patients across the nation, Chris Christie is languishing in the polls and won’t be elected next President of the United States. Not often does a candidate appear more compassionate than Ted Cruz or Donald Trump, but Chris Christie (and Marco Rubio) have somehow accomplished that.

Featured photo credit: J Scott Applewhite/AP

CNN broke the news that Bernie Sanders has earned the endorsement of Ben Jealous, former head of the NAACP. Senator Sanders, like then-Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 primary, has started way behind in African-American support. Candidate Obama flipped black voter support following his inspirational victory in the Iowa caucus, even though Hillary Clinton rebounded to win the New Hampshire primary. Bernie Sanders, will need a victory in New Hampshire while also continuing to make the case on why his policies are better for people of color if he is to win the Democratic nomination. Prominent endorsements will certainly help, as will a strong informational campaign that Sanders’ platform is best to roll back unfair policies that have created a new Jim Crow justice system.

.@BernieSanders: No candidate would fight harder to end institutional racism https://t.co/1tRW0BAkrL #DemTownHall https://t.co/XVnvzsLv4I

— CNN (@CNN) February 4, 2016

We are humbled and excited to have the endorsement of South Carolina Rep. Joseph Neal! @BernieSanders @People4Bernie pic.twitter.com/Rf9rYwTTQt — Project Bernie ’16 (@ProjectBernie16) February 2, 2016

Michelle Alexander has so eloquently detailed the New Jim Crow system in her bestselling book and has called into question why Hillary Clinton should enjoy such large African-American support. Our drug laws, starting with marijuana laws across the nation, have created a system that keeps a large percentage of people of color in second-class citizen status. With our nation’s shameful racist history, minorities already suffer through a plethora of institutional racist policies. The Drug War has exacerbated the unjust situation by decimating minority communities by throwing a disproportionate number of people of color in prison. African-Americans and hispanics make up 25% of our population, but 58% of the prison population. That is a national disgrace.

CEOs pick the book that changed their year @FortuneMagazine Zuckerberg names @thenewjimcrow https://t.co/LSXCHg3QcF pic.twitter.com/R4kQ4U7AP3

— The New Press (@thenewpress) November 16, 2015

In addition to draconian prison sentences, our drug laws then prevent the ability of offenders to seek financial aid, employment and even housing. Family members suffering through poverty, are punished for the drug convictions of relatives, and kicked out of public housing. Many states deprive felons the right to vote, a despicable practice that should be declared unconstitutional. Nearly 6 million American citizens have been disenfranchised; one in thirteen African Americans do not have the right to vote. Can you even imagine the outrage from our elected officials if tomorrow more than 7% of white voters were removed from the voter rolls?

We need to rethink the “War on Drugs” and treat substance abuse as a serious health issue, not a criminal issue. pic.twitter.com/bMU8xYjzU7 — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 29, 2015

I became a cannabis law reform activist because I saw firsthand my black friends were treated more harshly for marijuana than my white middle class friends and I learned the dire consequences that a minor marijuana misdemeanor could have on a young person’s life. If we are going to roll back the New Jim Crow, we need real progressive changes to our drug laws and criminal justice system. Incremental change is simply not enough. As more and more people of color learn about Bernie Sanders history and platform, I expect his support from minority communities to only increase.

W/ how well @BernieSanders just laid out #CriminalJusticeReform not sure why black dems cuckoo 4 HRC… #DemTownHall #HillarySoProgressive

— Montel Williams (@Montel_Williams) February 4, 2016

”You don’t have to drag Bernie into the fight, he leads the fight!” – @KeithEllison pic.twitter.com/rgu8K0HCTD — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 27, 2016

Hillary Clinton was crushed by 17-29 year-old voters in Iowa, as Bernie Sanders defeated the Democratic frontrunner 84%-14%. At the New Hampshire town hall, hosted by CNN, the former Secretary of State demonstrated that she is still severely out of touch on marijuana. Not only is she out of touch with young Democrats, but with Democrats across the board and young voters, regardless of party.

Many pundits and commentators may scoff at voters putting an emphasis on cannabis policy, but the executive policy says a lot more than just what a candidate thinks about someone using marijuana. The next president’s policy on cannabis will greatly impact the economy across the country, not to mention the lives of patients and providers.

Hillary Clinton, not surprisingly has taken a very pragmatic approach to marijuana, basically pledging to follow in President Obama’s cautious footsteps and supporting moving marijuana from a Schedule I federally controlled substance to Schedule II. The problem with such a pragmatic approach is that millions of lives that could be improved by true access to medical cannabis won’t occur fast enough and the lives of providers and business people, following state law, can still be ruined by federal prosecutors, whether the Cole Memo is still in effect or not. People of color, disproportionately hurt by the war on marijuana, will still be arrested and cited for minor marijuana offenses; to some, particularly those in poverty, these minor offenses can have grave consequences.

This rather conservative, certainly not progressive, approach to cannabis is simply bad politics. A majority of Americans support the position shared by Senator Bernie Sanders, ending federal prohibition and simply treating marijuana like we do beer and wine. If Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, she will need the channel some of the enthusiasm of those that #FeelTheBern. Moving more progressive on marijuana, while it won’t bring along all of the Bernie supporters, it can’t hurt.

Featured photo credit: Jim Cole (Associated Press/File)