US Congressional Candidate Releases Campaign Ad Smoking Marijuana

General elections for seats in the US Congress are approaching, and potential candidates from both major parties have already begun actively campaigning for votes. One candidate in particular has drawn significant attention by openly expressing his support for marijuana use and his commitment to defending Americans’ rights to cultivate and use it.

The candidate in question is Benjamin Thomas Wolf, a Democratic contender for a congressional seat from Illinois. Unlike many other Democrats, Mr. Wolf decided to demonstrate his support for marijuana reform not just with words, but with action. Earlier this week, his official campaign website featured a photo of him sitting comfortably in a chair, smoking a marijuana joint, surrounded by thick clouds of smoke, with the American flag in the background.

Beneath the photo is a simple and clear statement outlining his main campaign platform: “For full legalization of marijuana. Vote for Benjamin Wolf on March 20.”

Before running for Congress, Mr. Wolf served as an FBI agent and as an American diplomat. Despite his previous career, Wolf has long enjoyed using marijuana recreationally. His campaign website includes several interviews where he explains his reasons for supporting marijuana use in more detail.

“As a longtime marijuana smoker, I believe that US citizens should start openly discussing their desire to legalize access to this plant nationwide,” he recently told local media. “Voters in Illinois should realize that legalizing the production and sale of marijuana will attract new companies and jobs to our region; that marijuana is not a drug, but a powerful and reliable therapeutic remedy that eases symptoms of dozens of chronic illnesses; and that criminalizing such a harmless plant, which causes no side effects other than a strong appetite, is a harmful national policy that only increases crime and violence in our society.”

Open and active support for both medical and recreational marijuana reform is the foundation of Wolf’s political platform. In addition to calling for full legalization at the national level, Wolf also proposes a general amnesty for people currently serving or who have served sentences for possession and use of marijuana. He plans to establish a special marijuana fund in each state, where taxes and fees from the legal market would be collected to support various social programs and infrastructure projects.

Wolf’s website lists all the demands included in his political platform. The first states: “Immediate reforms aimed at full legalization of marijuana in every region, territory, and city in the US.” According to the candidate, “fully legalizing the currently underground market will enrich the national treasury by tens of billions of dollars, which can be used to fund various government programs that are currently underfunded.”

A Candidate for the Future of American Politics

Wolf’s open stance on marijuana reform is unique not only at the national congressional level but also in his home state of Illinois, which has taken limited steps to decriminalize marijuana and has legalized its medical use, but has been slow to enact recreational reform.

For example, Chicago passed a municipal bill decriminalizing marijuana at the end of 2011. Despite this, the city still sees a high number of arrests for possession or public use of marijuana. Local police most often detain members of minority groups, a trend seen in other US cities and regions that have only decriminalized marijuana use.

Regardless of decriminalization, police continue to arrest Black and Latino citizens, ignoring similarly high usage rates among the white population.

By the end of 2016, state politicians finally agreed to expand decriminalization statewide. Earlier this year, the Illinois legislature was forced to expand access to therapeutic marijuana for residents following a federal court ruling.

Given these developments, many experts have speculated for years that Illinois is one of the next likely candidates for recreational legalization. However, further progress may be hindered by the current governor, Bruce Rauner, who stated at the end of last year that he would not sign a bill for full marijuana legalization under any circumstances.

“I do not support legalizing recreational marijuana use, as I believe such reform is a serious mistake that could undermine public health and flood the streets with criminals,” Rauner told reporters in late November. On the other hand, the governor hinted that he might reconsider if supporters of the reform could provide scientific evidence proving legalization is safe for society at large.

It is quite possible that electing Mr. Wolf to Congress could accelerate Illinois’ move toward adopting recreational marijuana reforms.