\u201cPot for potholes.\u201d That\u2019s the marijuana-funded infrastructure plan that one Republican Missouri candidate for U.S. Senate is proposing in a catchy campaign ad.<\/p>\n
As C.W. Gardner has worked to stand out in a crowded field of dozens of opponents, he released a spot in April that includes a plan to federally legalize cannabis and use some of the resulting tax revenue for to repair America\u2019s roads.<\/p>\n
Gardner is aware that the odds are stacked against him in the race. But he\u2019s seizing the opportunity on a platform of \u201cfixin\u2019 things,\u201d including the country\u2019s cannabis laws.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I get to Washington, D.C., I plan on introducing my \u2018pot for potholes\u2019 legislation,\u201d he said in the ad, which describes the candidate\u2019s serious policy proposal in a fairly over-the-top manner. \u201cLegalize marijuana at the federal level and take a portion of the tax money collected to bankroll research and development for pothole eradication.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI want to couple that with launching a National Pothole Task Force,\u201d Gardner says in between clips of him repairing local roadways. \u201cScientists, engineers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and federally funded research universities all working toward a common goal: eradicating potholes from this great country.\u201d<\/p>\n
It would be a task on the scale of the Manhattan Project that the U.S. government facilitated in the push to develop nuclear weapons, he said. The pothole cannabis and infrastructure plan would be the \u201cMissouri Project.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone\u2019s kind of on board with both aspects of it,\u201d Gardner told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Tuesday. \u201cPotholes are a big talk around St. Louis right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n“Many thanks to Forbes for recognizing the innovative thinking of the #GardnerForMO<\/a> movement and my ‘Pot for Potholes’ plan.”<\/p>\n
\u2013 C.W. Gardner | U.S. Senate candidate#PotForPotholes<\/a>#TakeTheHighRoad<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YED0fBlysG<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Gardner for Missourah (@cwg18) April 28, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s two things that I think that might not go hand-in-hand when you look at it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s more of the branding that works together\u2014but I think it\u2019s two pretty popular ideas.\u201d
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nMissouri voters will likely get the chance to decide on enacting marijuana legalization in the state via a ballot initiative<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n
Gardner can\u2019t necessarily claim the idea as his own, however. Not only have advocates generally pushed for marijuana legalization as a revenue-generator that could be used, in part, for infrastructure purposes\u2014but former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (D) specifically promoted<\/a> a \u201cpot for potholes\u201d agenda nearly a decade ago.<\/p>\n
In any case, the Gardner ad is yet another example of how politicians across the political spectrum have become conformable leaning into the cannabis reform issue, even in a Republican primary. Many congressional candidates aren\u2019t shying away from the policy any more\u2014they\u2019re aiming to win the marijuana vote.<\/p>\n
\nWhen @FOX2now<\/a>‘s award-winning reporter @andybankertv<\/a> meets with U.S. Senate candidate C.W. Gardner to discuss pothole eradication, solutions-based discourse happens \u2026<\/p>\n
“If they tried the pot, they’d be for the pot part.”<\/p>\n
\u2013 #GardnerForMO<\/a> | U.S. Senate candidate#PotForPotholes<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/oBmPtqjqPD<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Gardner for Missourah (@cwg18) May 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
An Indiana mayor who\u2019s running for U.S. Senate openly smoked marijuana in a campaign ad<\/a> that was released on the unofficial cannabis holiday 4\/20 in April, marking the second time in this election cycle that a Democratic Senate candidate has toked on camera on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n
Louisiana Democrat Gary Chambers, who is also seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate, also drew headlines this year when he smoked a blunt in one of his first campaign ads<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Chambers\u2019s initial marijuana ad took place in Louisiana, where low-level possession is decriminalized. But he also visited Illinois and filmed a follow-up spot where he visited a drive-thru dispensary<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Anthony Clark, an Illinois candidate who ran an unsuccessful primary challenge against a Democratic congressional incumbent in 2020, made waves after he\u00a0smoked marijuana in a campaign ad<\/a>\u00a0while discussing his personal experience with cannabis and the need for federal reform. He also hosted what he called the\u00a0\u201cfirst-ever congressional weed party\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in a campaign video.<\/p>\n
Also that year, a Democratic candidate for a House seat to represent Oregon frequently\u00a0discussed consuming and cultivating cannabis herself<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A sitting member of Congress has never publicly smoked marijuana, but several lawmakers have\u00a0visited marijuana farms<\/a>,\u00a0companies and state-legal dispensaries<\/a>. Rep. James Comer (R-KY)\u00a0brought CBD oil products he uses to a committee hearing<\/a>\u00a0in 2019.<\/p>\n
Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said in 2019 that while he doesn\u2019t smoke marijuana, \u201cI do grow it legally,\u201d but a spokesperson later clarified that\u00a0he was broadly referring to legal cultivation<\/a>\u00a0in the state.<\/p>\n
\nKentucky Governor Issues Medical Marijuana Executive Order Creating Advisory Committee To Study Patient Access Options<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The post GOP Senate Candidate Pushes \u2018Pot For Potholes\u2019 Marijuana-Funded Infrastructure Plan In Hilarious Campaign Ad<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n
\nRead More: GOP Senate Candidate Pushes \u2018Pot For Potholes\u2019 Marijuana-Funded Infrastructure Plan In Hilarious Campaign Ad<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cPot for potholes.\u201d That\u2019s the marijuana-funded infrastructure plan that one Republican Missouri candidate for U.S. Senate is proposing in a catchy campaign ad. As C.W. Gardner has worked to stand out in a crowded field of dozens of opponents, he released a spot in April that includes a plan toContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55244"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55244"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55245,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55244\/revisions\/55245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}