He’s got high aspirations!
A Louisiana community advocate running for US Senate released a campaign ad Tuesday showing him puffing on a joint while pushing for marijuana reform.
The video, titled “37 Seconds,” opens with Gary Chambers wearing a blue suit as he sits in a leather chair in the middle of a New Orleans field and lights up a large blunt.
“Every 37 seconds, someone is arrested for possession of marijuana,” Chambers says.
“Since 2010, state and local police have arrested an estimated 7.3 million Americans for violating marijuana laws, over half of all drug arrests,” he says.
“Black people are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana laws than white people,” Chambers continues.
He adds that: “most of the people police are arresting aren’t dealers, but rather people just like me.”
Chambers, a 36-year-old progressive community activist from Baton Rouge, is a Democrat seeking to unseat Republican Sen. John Kennedy, who is running for a second term in 2022. Another Democrat, former fighter pilot Luke Mixon, has also declared his candidacy.
In a statement accompanying his first campaign ad, Chambers said that, “For too long, candidates have used the legalization of marijuana as an empty talking point in order to appeal to progressive voters.”
“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new conversation that creates the pathway to legalize this beneficial drug, and forgive those who were arrested due to outdated ideology.”
Smokeable medical marijuana became legal in Louisiana on Jan. 1 under certain conditions.
Last year, the Pelican State decriminalized the possession of up to 14 grams of pot, making the offense punishable by a fine of $100 or less and taking jail time off the table.