There’s one Democrat who will decidedly not be getting the marijuana vote anytime soon: Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Wasserman Schultz has reportedly been toying with the idea of running for Senate, should Marco Rubio free up a seat with his likely presidential run. But marijuana legalization groups are already slamming her prospects, with at least four prominent organizations trashing her record to Politico.
“She’s voted repeatedly to send terminally ill patients to prison. And we’re certainly going to make sure Floridians know that — not to mince words,” said Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance.
People United for Medical Marijuana in Florida, the national Marijuana Policy Project, and Americans for Safe Access all similarly panned her chances.
Wasserman Schultz opposed Florida’s medical marijuana initiative in 2014, which narrowly failed to gain the 60 percent vote state law requires. To justify her position, she drummed up fears about “pill mills” and the supposed rampant abuse legalization would bring. “Other states have shown that lax oversight and ease of access to prescriptions can lead to abuse, fraud, and accidents,” she said at the time. “I do not believe we should make it easier for those seeking to abuse the drug to have easy access to it.”
Dan Riffle, MPP’s director, noted the incongruity of Wasserman Schultz’s record on this issue, since she recently backed D.C.’s legalization of marijuana. “Apparently she thinks D.C. ought to be able to fully legalize marijuana, but doesn’t think her own constituents should even be able to make marijuana available to sick people for medical purposes,” he said.
Democratic donors will also be mindful of her anti-marijuana stance. John Morgan, a key Florida donor, told Politico that Wasserman Schultz is “despised” by many Democrats. “This will be a major campaign issue and I think disqualifies her from the nomination,” he said.
