By Jon Hiltz
In 2016, all one needs to do is surf the web or turn on CNN to witness the overwhelming support for the legalization of marijuana.
It’s an incredible exercise to look at how far the cannabis movement has come in the last twenty years. Case and point, there has never been a time when more politicians have used marijuana as a way to collect data on potential voters. With this information, candidates can raise funds and recruit citizens as registered members of their party.
Bernie Sanders did not win the Democratic nomination due to some very questionable behavior on the part of his own party, but for a while, he was really giving Hillary a run for her money. One of the many ways Sanders was able to raise funds and snag voters for his camp, was by putting up an online registry showing support for states legalizing the use of marijuana without federal interference.
Sanders also included cannabis as a platform on a larger document designed to determine what Americans voters were looking for in regards to governance.
Another U.S. politician who wants to contact everyday citizens is Beto O’Rourke, a Texas House Representative and supporter of medical marijuana for military veterans. He has sent out an online petition that calls to allow VA doctors to prescribe MMJ in Texas where it is currently illegal.
Moving outside the United States, even someone who is already at the top of the political spectrum needs to troll for emails now and again. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has his own marijuana online portal. The fact that this portal is still active is rather unusual because it asks Canadians to register their support for marijuana legalization, which is something Trudeau is already doing. Marijuana reform was also a platform which allowed him to win the election, so support seems to be a given. Marijuana.com signed up for this portal, and a message came back signed by Justin Trudeau as the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and not the Prime Minister, so perhaps the Liberal Party webmaster forgot to take the link down.
Regardless of the fact that these portals come off as an attempt to hide big brother, having major politicians in two G7 countries supporting ongoing marijuana legalization is something that’s worth signing up for.
