“States waste $3.7 billion enforcing marijuana laws every year. Most of the people police are arresting aren’t dealers, but rather people with small amounts of pot. Just like me,” U.S. Senate candidate Gary Chambers informs viewers of his new campaign ad while smoking what looks like a blunt.
Data from the American Civil Liberties Union backs up the Louisiana media entrepreneur’s statements.
“I hope this ad works to not only destigmatize the use of marijuana, but also forces a new conversation that creates the pathway to legalize this beneficial drug, and forgive those who were arrested due to outdated ideology,” said Chambers Tuesday in a tweet.
Chambers is a Baton Rouge, La., native and the co-founder of The Rouge Collection media outlet, according to his campaign website. He is also a social justice advocate and community organizer who has been featured in outlets such as Wired Magazine, The New York Times and CNN.
“As an advocate, his work has contributed to advancements in the justice system, healthcare access, and to equality in the municipal contracting process for minority owned businesses,” said his site.
Chambers, a Democrat, ran in a special election to the U.S.
House to represent Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District and lost in the special primary last March, according to Ballotpedia. He is now running to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. John N. Kennedy. Chambers is also running against another Democratic candidate, a moderate named Luke Mixon, according to The Advocate.
Currently, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency lists marijuana, or cannabis, as a Schedule I drug, defined as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
However, at least one study has found that marijuana is more effective and has less side effects than opioids, which are currently listed as a legal Schedule II drug. More research is needed regarding the use of marijuana to treat pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some states, such as Illinois, have legalized recreational marijuana due to inequity stemming from marijuana-related arrests that Chambers referenced in his video.
“Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it’s the right thing to do,” said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in August. “This legislation will clear the cannabis-related records of nonviolent offenders through an efficient combination of automatic expungement, gubernatorial pardon and individual court action.”
“Every 37 seconds, someone is arrested for possession of marijuana,” said Chambers in his ad. “Since 2010, state and local police have arrested an estimated 7.3 million Americans for violating marijuana laws – over half of all drug arrests. Black people are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana laws than white people.”
Just one month after legalizing recreational cannabis two years ago, Illinois had already collected more than $7 million in cannabis sales tax revenue. As of this month, another 17 states have legalized recreational marijuana use, according to U.S. News & World Report. Louisiana is not one of them.
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