Dennis Kucinich
Spotlight on Dennis Kucinich
There are supporters of medical marijuana in very high profile positions. Even if there is lack of sensible conversation on marijuana in the mainstream, it is important to highlight the efforts of those who voice a sense of reason. In this article, we will take a look at Dennis Kucinich, house member and long time supporter of marijuana reform.
Dennis Kucinich was born in the political battleground state of Ohio. His father was truck driver and his mother was a homemaker. They did not have a great deal of money and his family was forced to move 21 times during his childhood. His political career began over 40 years ago, when at age 23 he was elected to the Cleveland City Council (1969). He would then go on to become Cleveland’s youngest mayor in history. After that he had an up and down career (in terms of winning elections) until 1996, when he was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives for the state of Ohio. Since then he has been known for individual thinking and courage to speak his mind. Kucinich was against the Iraq invasion from the beginning and has regularly voted against funding for the conflict.
Kucinich has many fans as he not afraid of how the media will portray his words. He has regularly taken a position of decriminalization/legalization toward marijuana. Most recently, at Hempfest 2011, he stated “It’s not a radical position at this point in American history to say that decriminalization or legalization ought to occur.” On medical marijuana Kucinich has said “Those who need medical marijuana for the relief of their pain should be able to achieve that without any interference from the DEA at all.” He has also supported bills by Ron Paul (R-TX) and Barney Frank (D-MA).
For advocates of marijuana reform, it is important to take note of those in power who support those views. We know about the few congressmen who are not afraid to voice their opinions on this issue. The issue now is to take this conversation to those who either are not comfortable speaking about it, or challenge the opposition’s thirst for wasting tax dollars.
Read more about Dennis Kucinich at:
Biography.com | Dennis Kucinich Biography
Reason.com | Dennis Kucinich Talks