Dennis Romero
The marijuana nation has marched, lobbied and voted.
But while legalization has been successful in Colorado and Washington and medical pot is available from California to New Jersey, weed is still an outlaw on a federal level, and attempts to change that have so far been futile.
But a pair of California medical-pot entrepreneurs have made one of the most potent political moves yet:
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They've created a pro-legalization super-PAC, one of those political-action committees that can raise and spend unlimited funds so long as they don't go to candidates.
Super-PACs are the result of U.S. Supreme Court decision. Maybe that's ironic, since the current court would probably never see cannabis smoking as a protected freedom.
The March 21 Federal Election Commission filing from brothers Mark and Dennis Rogers says their group …
Credit: Dank Depot
… intends to raise funds in unlimited amounts. This committee will not use those funds to make contributions, whether direct, in-kind, or via coordinated communications, to federal candidates or committees.
The duo is from Oregon but runs the Canna King Collective in San Jose, which apparently specializes in delivery.
Mark Rogers, the super-PAC's president, told The Hill:
What we're trying to do is not only [raise awareness], but take in contributions and donations to help vocalize our situation.
Dispensaries have plenty of money, and they've certainly flexed their muscle in L.A. politics, where pot shops have successfully fended off efforts to eradicate them.
A super-PAC could be kind of a big deal on a national level if the legal pot industry opens up its collective wallet and joins in.
After all, arguing what's right is right only goes so far in Washington. Green is a color congress certainly understands.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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