Congressional Candidate: I’ll Smoke Pot On The Steps Of The Capitol If I Win

One California Democrat is making a rather unusual campaign promise:

Andy Caffrey, a candidate for Congress in California, has made a rather unusual campaign promise: If he wins, he’ll smoke a joint — right on the steps of Capitol Hill.

The 54-year-old is running on a seven-step platform that prioritizes battling the climate crisis, but the casual manner in which puffs pot on the campaign trail — including twice just last week — is what has captivated local media covering the Second Congressional District House race. And Caffrey admits that this is precisely what he’s aiming for.

“I’m willing to get arrested to fight for our rights, to defend our rights as Californians to consume medicine,” Caffrey, a registered Democrat, said in an interview. “If I have to do it, I’ll smoke a joint on the Capitol steps and get arrested to draw national attention to what’s going on.”

Although he doesn’t smoke every day, Caffrey says he’s been smoking cannabis with a doctor’s approval for about six or seven years, and always carries a physician’s note in case he’s questioned by law enforcement officials. He supports the legalization of medical marijuana on a national level, although he insists that he’s “not a crusader that everyone should get high.”

Caffrey is one of 11 candidates running to succeed Lynn Woolsey in California’s 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from outside San Francisco to the Oregon border, and while he’s unlikely to win the election, it’s also unlikely that his position on marijuana is all that unpopular with his potential constituents.

FILED UNDER: 2012 Election, US Politics, , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Hey Norm says:

    Does a “bat” count…cause if it does I beat him to it.

  2. Civil disobedience at its finest.

  3. al-Ameda says:

    Caffrey is one of 11 candidates running to succeed Lynn Woolsey in California’s 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from outside San Francisco to the Oregon border, and while he’s unlikely to win the election, it’s also unlikely that his position on marijuana is all that unpopular with his potential constituents.

    In Mendocino and Humboldt Counties marijuana-agriculture sustains the economies in the back road areas. In fact in a statewide election a few short years ago many people in those areas voted against legalization because it would have depressed crop prices.

  4. Just 'nutha ig'rant cracker says:

    @al-Ameda: How ironic, in much the same way, the bootleggers were big opponents of prohibition repeal.

    Libertarianism doesn’t meet everyones needs or desires? Hmmmm……………….

  5. James in LA says:

    I’ll smoke to that.

  6. Tillman says:

    Dude should vape. Bit healthier.