CHICAGO – Tuesday night, during a debate between the Illinois Democrat gubernatorial primary candidates, the topic of legalizing marijuana emerged. In a dramatic pendulum swing away from traditional opposition to drug availability, Democrat JB Pritzker boasted his longtime commitment to legalizing marijuana while Chris Kennedy withheld support on the issue.
That, according to JB Pritzker's campaign follow up press release, is a bad thing.
"In the past, Kennedy has called legalization a 'public health hazard' and claimed further scientific research was necessary before legalization, despite the harmful impact the policy continues to have on communities of color," Pritzker's campaign said. "While Kennedy went out of his way to imply otherwise last night, his opposition to marijuana has been steadfast throughout his campaign."
Pritzker did not mention in the release that another Democrat candidate – State Senator Daniel Biss – agreed that marijuana should be legalized, making Illinois the first midwestern state to offer recreational marijuana.
Instead, Pritzker's campaign chose to target Kennedy's lack of support for the policy change.
“Despite his attempts to mislead voters last night, Chris Kennedy has been firm in his opposition to legalizing marijuana throughout his flailing campaign,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “This issue is too important and the impact on Illinois communities too severe for Chris Kennedy to distort where he really stands on legalization.”
A video of Tuesday night's debate is available via WMAQ TV:
The two Republican gubernatorial primary candidates Governor Bruce Rauner and State Rep. Jeanne Ives have resisted marijuana legalization. Governor Rauner said recently he was not convinced the policy would be good for Illinois, and State Rep. Ives has voted multiple times in opposition to marijuana use.
About medicinal cannabis, Jeanne Ives said she voted against this bill because despite hearing testimony after testimony about how good marijuana can make someone with a critical illness feel, the facts do not yet support that cannabis is a safe practice or good medicine.
"I have seen friends and family affected by diseases such as cancer or multiple sclerosis. I am not unsympathetic to their suffering," Ives said. "I cannot, however, subject them to a medicine that the FDA, in fact, has not yet approved and on which the Institute of Medicine, as well as American Medical Association has recommended more research."
So, the question REALLY is:
“Among Democrat voters, are there more pot-heads than
‘straights’ and which candidate will get the most votes in this doctrinaire split?”
Democratic goofs and their attendant nitwits condemned cigarette smoking for decades. Now, it appears, smoking a blunt has no ill effects on the human body. What treacherous hypocrites, these gubernatorial candidate monstrosities! HYPOCRITES!
Everything is shrouded in “recreational” and “new tax revenue” which attracts the votes of the marginally attentive. Kids in elementary school and high school will grab some from an older sibling and bring it to school to play big shot.
More than forty years ago I briefly worked in a high school where I caught three students smoking it in the washroom. I took them and the evidence to the un-discipline office where I was grilled by the “Dean” and told that the substance was probably oregano since they area had a major Italian population. Does anyone think that there were be punishments in the boob factories known as Chicago public school when a kid is caught?
CAUTION: BAD LANGUAGE IN THIS CLIP AND THE HYPOCRISY OF THE N-WORD. Will Snoop Dogg be a hero to American youth?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y4zMrYd0ug
M & M = Moron and Mental defective
“IT’S A BAD THING TO BE OPPOSED TO ILLEGAL DRUGS?”. Yes. It’s a bad thing to be opposed to illegal drugs that should be legal.
We know that the State of Illinois needs more money to fritter away so it’s absolutely necessary to make our population even less aware and caring of the government inadequacy to do anything to benefit the citizens that live here.
Another great idea by our would be leaders.