WASHINGTON -- In the world of marijuana politics, conservative Republican U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington state is the unlikely hero of the moment, lauded for trying to protect medical marijuana users from federal arrest.
In Florida, liberal Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is portrayed as the unlikely villain, a politician willing to send sick, marijuana-using patients to prison.
Both found themselves in television advertisements that ran in their home states last month, a new trend in the marijuana movement ahead of the forthcoming congressional elections and the 2016 presidential race.
The new ads aim to expose records and to get elected leaders to back marijuana legalization -- or at least get out of the way.
Many of the spots feature pleas from ill people who want to use marijuana legally.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton is already under pressure to side with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who recently reversed course by saying states should be allowed to legalize the drug without federal interference.
"He's testing the waters for her, and he's smart to do that. ... I'm begging her people to get her to say something," said Adam Eidinger, the chairman of the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, which has turned in 55,000 signatures to get legalization on the November ballot in Washington, D.C.
With Washington state and Colorado already selling recreational marijuana and 23 states allowing the drug for medical reasons, Eidinger said that politicians who ignore the issue do so at their own risk. He said it was "unbelievable" that Hillary Clinton's new book didn't mention marijuana.
"If you're interested in being powerful, you need to take the marijuana lobby seriously," Eidinger said. "You don't want the marijuana lobby singling you out."
The latest ads seek to sway Congress to back a bill to cut off funds for the Justice Department to enforce federal laws against marijuana use in states that have voted to make the drug legal for medical purposes. After passing the House of Representatives by 219 to 189 in late May, the bill is pending in the Senate.
When Wasserman Schultz voted against it, a group called Americans for Safe Access ran a series of 30-second television ads in south Florida, calling her "out of touch." The group said she was one of only 18 House Democrats to oppose the measure.
In Washington state, the group ran two ads, one praising Hastings for backing the bill and another criticizing Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers for opposing it.
The latter featured 70-year-old Larry Harvey of Kettle Falls, Wash., who faces a possible 10-year prison sentence for growing marijuana that he used to treat his gout and knee pain. His farm is in McMorris Rodgers' district.
Hastings and McMorris Rodgers declined to comment.
In a statement, Wasserman Schultz said she supported "evidence-based medical marijuana treatment," but that she'd voted against the bill because it wasn't appropriate to limit the ability of President Barack Obama's administration to enforce federal laws.
Legalization opponents say the efforts to stop marijuana prosecutions are misguided.
"Out here in Washington, it's sad to me that the politicization of this has ignored the health and safety risks for kids and communities," said Derek Franklin, Washington state coordinator of Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana). "And regardless of what folks think of the legalization experiments, part of how this can work is if there's robust enforcement."
Franklin said children in the state were being exposed again to ads with pro-marijuana messages, just as they were in 2012.
"Ads like this just continue to erode what healthy norms we've got left," he said.
Lobbyists predict that their political muscle will only increase.
"The demographics are going to continue to evolve in our favor because of the younger voters, because of the older population dying off," said Eidinger.
Lobbyists also expect the issue's popularity to result in new alliances. They noted that many Florida Democrats are backing a November ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana, hopeful it will aid gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. Eidinger who also wants Clinton to go to Florida to endorse the measure.
A Section on 07/14/2014