New Jersey Governor and likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate took fire from Jon Stewart on the Daily Show last night for his hypocritical stance that the federal government should crack down on states that have legalized marijuana. Christie, who has made himself public enemy #1 of the cannabis community, has already damaged too many lives by mishandling New Jersey’s medical marijuana program, would ruin even more lives and waste federal resources by violently invading people’s homes and businesses with armed federal agents for cultivating and providing a non-lethal substance that the federal government itself grows and dispenses to a handful of federal patients.
Stewart, who famously portrayed an “enhancement smoker” in the movie Half Baked, first satirically takes CNN to task for covering marijuana as a legitimate news story before Jessica Williams tells him to get with the times and beyond stereotypical stoner talk on the Daily Show’s segment commemorating 4/20. Then, Stewart calls out Governor Christie for supporting internet gambling while hypocritically proclaiming that the federal government should crack down on states that have licensed and regulated cannabis commerce:
Chris Christie has not only angered supporters of marijuana legalization, but he is likely to lose the support of libertarian-minded Republicans that support states’ rights and limited government. There are plenty of Republicans that live in Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Oregon as well as the states likely to have legalization on the ballot in 2016, such as California, Arizona and Nevada, that may not support marijuana legalization, but they also don’t support federal agents trampling the will of the voters. While Chris Christie hasn’t even declared that he is running for 2016 yet, let’s hope that his radical Reefer Madness agenda has disqualified him from any serious consideration.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony, a longtime cannabis law reform advocate, was Chief Petitioner and co-author of Measure 91, Oregon's cannabis legalization effort. He served as director of both the New Approach Oregon and Vote Yes on 91 PACs, the political action committees responsible for the state's legalization campaign. As director of New Approach Oregon, Anthony continues to work towards effectively implementing the cannabis legalization system while protecting small business owners and the rights of patients. He sits on the Oregon Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee and fights for sensible rules at the legislature as well as city councils and county commissions across the state. Anthony helps cannabis business comply with Oregon's laws and advises advocates across the country. He also serves as content director of both the International Cannabis Business Conference and the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, helping share the vision of moving the cannabis industry forward in a way that maintains the focus on keeping people out of prison and protecting patients. He was a member of the Oregon Health Authority Rules Advisory Committee, assisting the drafting of the administrative rules governing Oregon’s state-licensed medical marijuana facilities. He first co-authored and helped pass successful marijuana law reform measures while a law student at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He passed the Oregon Bar in 2005 and practiced criminal defense for two years before transitioning to working full-time in the political advocacy realm. His blogs on Marijuana Politics are personal in nature and don't speak for or reflect the opinions of any group or organization.
