cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Activist Runs for Ohio House Seat





Marijuana Activist Runs for Ohio House Seat
Posted by CN Staff on October 05, 2002 at 10:28:24 PT
By Liz Sidoti, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
Columbus, Ohio -- An outspoken advocate of lessening criminal sanctions for marijuana says a vote for him in his race for an Ohio House seat is a vote for legalizing the drug for medical use. To push the issue, which he says is just a small part of his agenda, Kenneth Schweickart, a Democrat, has to win his race first and the odds are stacked against him.
Schweickart, 32, narrowly upset a union-backed Democrat in the primary, but he faces a labor-supported Republican incumbent, Jim Hughes, in a district that is 59 percent GOP. Green Party candidate Alan Amstutz also is on the ballot. "I take my opponents very seriously," said Hughes, 38. "I run only one way. That's very hard. I take nothing for granted." Schweickart is a disheveled candidate who wears a patch of hair on his chin and his long brown hair pulled back in a messy pony tail. He is running in his first race for a public office. "I'm frustrated that none of our politicians are thinking about the long-term good for Ohio. Rather, they come up with half-cocked Band-Aid solutions to the problems," Schweickart said. He said that he would, among other things, reduce the cost of prescription drugs by requiring insurance companies to contract with pharmaceutical companies; allow slot machines at race tracks with profits going to decrease health care costs for senior citizens; and spark Ohio's economy by promoting clean technological energy instead of fossil fuel energy. An investment entrepreneur who became a stock broker at age 18, Schweickart has been a leader in the local marijuana legalization community. In 2001, he headed a ballot initiative that would have let voters decide whether to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in Columbus. His group, For a Better Ohio, failed to collect enough valid signatures to get the issue on the ballot. He also is the director of development for the Ohio Patient Network, a coalition of people who support medical marijuana. "My stance on medical marijuana is a sub-priority within my health care agenda," Schweickart said. Still, he added: "A vote for me is also a vote for medical marijuana." Schweickart also supports state Issue I, which would require that first-time drug offenders receive treatment instead of jail time. Conversely, Hughes does not support Issue I and said that whether to legalize marijuana for medical purposes is a decision best left up to the medical community. "Doctors are the ones who are experts on that issue," he said. In other states, dozens of candidates for elective offices have said they support legalizing marijuana for medical use, but only a few have actively campaigned for decriminalizing the drug, said Keith Stroup, executive director of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "Most candidates for public office still run very scared when it comes to drug policy because they're afraid their opponents will say they're soft on drugs," Stroup said. Among the other activists running for office this year: * Thomas Leighton, a New York gubernatorial candidate who formed the Marijuana Reform Party of New York in 1997, which is dedicated to ending marijuana prohibition. * Mark Leno, the Democratic candidate for the 13th California Assembly seat who as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently proposed, among other reform measures, that city officials consider growing and distributing marijuana to ill patients. * Jonathan Adler, a staunch activist working to legalize marijuana, tried to run for governor in Hawaii, but was disqualified after being sentenced in September to a year in prison for felony drug convictions. In Ohio, Mark Rutkus, executive director of the Franklin County Democratic Party, said fringe voters who know of Schweickart because of his activism might help him in the general election as they did in the primary. "He was able to appeal to folks who may not have been active politically before that, and I think that he can reach out to those people and identify with them," Rutkus said. In the May primary, Schweickart stunned fellow Democrats by beating Gary Josephson, a Communication Workers of American union official, by 31 votes, grabbing 50.6 percent, or 1,333 votes cast. Hughes ran in the primary uncontested, but still had nearly double the votes cast for Schweickart and Josephson combined. Hughes, a clean-cut attorney and former Franklin County assistant prosecutor, first was elected to the House in 2000 after a bitter primary battle in which he beat an incumbent and then won in a tight general election race. While in office as a freshman lawmaker, he pushed through anti-pornography and identity theft legislation. In this campaign he is endorsed by labor, business, police and fire organizations. Schweickart isn't daunted by Hughes' success and popularity. "It's always tough to beat an incumbent," Schweickart said, "but it can be done. I'm out to prove it." Complete Title: Activist Who Pushed Marijuana Legalization Runs for Ohio House SeatSource: Associated Press Author: Liz Sidoti, Associated Press WriterPublished: October 5, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites:NORML: http://www.norml.org/Jonathan Adler: http://www.medijuana.com/Ohio Patients Network: http://ohiopatient.net/Marijuana Reform Party: http://marijuanareform.org/Kenneth Schweickart: http://www.ohiohouse22.com/ Candidate Fires Up Campaign for Pot: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14243.shtmlOpinions Clash Over Legalizing Marijuana: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14280.shtmlSan Francisco Puts Growing Marijuana on Ballot: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13517.shtml 
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