MJBizMag October 2020 - 60

Marijuana on the Ballot
Thirty-five seats in the
U.S. Senate are up for
reelection next month.
" We have a lot of questions we need to
answer before we talk about normalizing
a drug like marijuana, " he told The Dallas
Morning News in February.
Cornyn's opponent, MJ Hegar, a
former Air Force pilot who served in
Afghanistan, is unabashedly in favor of
marijuana legalization.
Hegar's campaign website outlines
her support for the MORE Act, and in a
February debate she said: " I think most
people agree that we should legalize
marijuana. Being a veteran and being in a
community where people suffer-whether
it's from high suicide rates or PTSD or the
opioid epidemic-this is something that
marijuana could help in every chapter.
And the reason I think it needs to go
beyond medical is that most veterans are
not self-identifying and seeking treatment
and doing the necessary things that it
would take to actually get a prescription. "
Upshot: Although Hegar trailed
Cornyn in polls as of mid-September, an
upset is still within reach and would be a
major win for the marijuana industry.
KENTUCKY
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R)
versus Amy McGrath (D)
As Senate majority leader, Mitch
McConnell
has been a
powerful
supporter of
hemp and
helped its legalization with passage of the
2018 Farm Bill. But he has been one of
marijuana's staunchest opponents. In July,
McConnell blocked cannabis banking
reform amendments from making it into
a Congressional coronavirus-aid package.
He has opposed amendments to prohibit
federal interference into state programs
and has repeatedly stated his opposition
to medical and adult-use marijuana
legalization.
Amy McGrath, a former fighter pilot
who flew combat missions in Iraq and
Afghanistan, beat a much more prolegalization
Democrat, Charles Booker,
to win the party's nomination. She
hasn't spoken in support of recreational
marijuana legalization, but her website
suggests she supports medical use:
" Many veterans suffering from chronic
pain and PTSD report improved health
outcomes from medical cannabis. I stand
with the American Legion in calling for
the removal of cannabis as a Schedule 1
drug and permit its use to treat ailments
that veterans, and others, face. "
60 Marijuana Business Magazine | October 2020
Upshot: McGrath isn't as pro-cannabis
as many other Democrats, but she would
be an improvement for the industry over
McConnell. Of all the competitive races,
this could be the hardest to flip.
IOWA
U.S. Sen.
Joni Ernst (R)
versus Theresa
Greenfield (D)
Jodi Ernst
supported the legaltization of hemp
through the 2018 Farm Bill, but she has
vehemently opposed medical marijuana
legalization, cannabis banking reform
and prohibitions on federal interference
into state programs.
Theresa Greenfield, a former urban
planner and real estate developer,
hasn't made any public statements
about cannabis. However, the political
website ISideWith.org suggests that a
majority of Greenfield voters support
marijuana reform, and therefore she
might, too.
Upshot: Polls have been
inconclusive, while the University
of Virginia Center for Politics
recently moved the race from " leans
Republican " to " toss-up. "
http://www.ISideWith.org
MJBizMag October 2020

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