A national organization dedicated to the decriminalization of marijuana is investing lots of green in Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Shumlin.
The Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., has contributed $14,000 toward electing Shumlin. The Windham County senator is one of only two candidates in the 37 gubernatorial races nationwide to have endorsed decriminalization, which replaces criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana with civil fines.
“I think Vermont could be one of the next three or four states to decriminalize marijuana,” said Dan Riffle, a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project. “And I think if Peter Shumlin is elected governor, it could speed that process up.” The group has made $7,000 in direct contributions to Shumlin’s campaign from two of its political action committees and has given $7,000 to the Vermont Democratic Party with the intention, Riffle said, that it would support his candidacy. That would make Shumlin the organization’s largest political beneficiary in the 2010 election cycle. Decriminalization is hardly the centerpiece of Shumlin’s campaign platform. “The next governor has 200 really tough challenges to deal with simultaneously,” Shumlin said. “This issue for me will be 199.9 on that list.” And he doesn’t want voters to confuse his pro-decriminalization stance with support for recreational marijuana use. “I do not condone smoking marijuana,” he said. “I think we have a real drug and alcohol problem in this state, and it’s something I plan to confront head on.” But Shumlin says decriminalization would allow the criminal justice system to focus its limited resources on crimes that have a more substantial impact on public safety and quality of life. “I have always supported the decriminalization of marijuana because I want to spend our judicial and law-enforcement resources locking up and prosecuting drug dealers, rapists, child pornographers and other violent offenders,” Shumlin said. Despite a heated campaign in which Shumlin’s Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, has sought to paint him as soft on crime, the Democrat is standing firm on his position.
