Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer has launched the Cannabis Fund – a political action committee geared toward ousting prohibitionist lawmakers – and the Democrat has his sight set on Texas Republican Rep. Peter Sessions as his “first target,” the Statesman Journal reports.
“We’re going to be putting up some billboards in Pete Sessions’ district … It’s going to feature a veteran and ask the question why Pete Sessions doesn’t want him to have access to his medicine,” Blumenauer said in the report. “We’re going to make the point that there are consequences. This is not a free vote.”
Blumenauer is a member of the bi-partisan Congressional Cannabis Caucus, which includes Republican Representatives Dana Rohrabacher (California) and Donald Young (Alaska), along with Blumenauer’s Democratic colleague Rep. Jared Polis (Colorado).
As of June, the last time the financial activity was reported, the Cannabis Fund had just $2,000 in contributions; however, during the 2015-16 election cycle cannabis-related political committee raised at least $177,840 led by the National Cannabis Industry Association ($104,066), the Marijuana Policy Project ($47,140) and NORML ($26,634), according to the Journal’s summary of Federal Election Commission filings.
“I want to see even more pro-cannabis candidates elected to Congress and continue the wave of reforms happening at the state level,” Blumenauer told the Journal. “And we want to make clear that there are consequences for those elected officials opposing what a majority of the public supports.”