Democratic Senate candidate Gary Chambers of Louisiana recently released an ad that features him smoking cannabis, and it’s taken the internet by storm. During the ad, Chambers uses statistics to explain why the prohibition of cannabis needs to end.

“Black people are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana laws than white people,” Chambers says in the ad. “States waste $3.7 billion
enforcing marijuana laws every year. Most of the people police are arresting aren’t dealers, but rather people with small amounts of pot, just like me.”

Chambers is running against incumbent Republican Sen. John Neely Kennedy. Kennedy is a staunch opponent of legalizing cannabis. Louisiana hasn’t legalized cannabis yet, but possession of small amounts of cannabis has been decriminalized. The state also has a limited medical cannabis program.

Chambers told Cannabis News Box that he’s posted videos of him smoking cannabis online before, but this ad clearly rang through because he’s a
candidate for Congress. He said he believes this race is winnable, especially since Louisiana currently has a Democratic governor.

“We have to build equity into our policies. Someone shouldn’t go to jail in 2022 for pot,” Chambers said.

It looks like we’re on our way to legalizing cannabis at the federal level, Chambers said, but we need leaders to stand up and make it happen. He
pointed out that some people are making millions of dollars off of cannabis sales while others are sitting in jail for selling cannabis. He said that
problem needs to be addressed “at every level.

“I think legalization is important because it’s an equity issue. My state ranks #50 in crime and has had some of the worst drug penalties. Yet crime
is high. We need cops focusing on murder and violent crime, not who smoked a joint,” Chambers said. “It’s one window into how we focus on the wrong issues.”

Sen. Kennedy is a well-known Republican who won’t be easy to beat, but it appears there’s a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the effort to put a
Democrat in his seat. Louisiana hasn’t had a Democrat senator since 2015, but many Democrats have represented the state. Perhaps a pro-legalization candidate can get the people excited about electing another Democrat. This race is just one of many Democrats are hoping to win in November to at least keep their senate majority and hopefully expand it.