Dennis Kucinich Invokes Legalization Of Marijuana With Arab Spring At Hempfest (VIDEO)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) invoked the democratic uprisings in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring while speaking about the American effort to legalize marijuana on Saturday.

Kucinich told listeners it was "time for mass action" during an appearance at Hempfest, an annual gathering of marijuana legalization supporters based in Seattle.

"This is why, and how, recent movements for freedom in Tunisia and Egypt gained momentum,” Kucinich said.

In addition to referencing the Arab Spring, Kucinich also compared proponents of marijuana legalization to suffragettes and civil rights activists.

"This is how Gandhi's march to the sea cast off the British Empire. This is how America's suffragettes gained for women the right to vote. This is how Dr. Martin Luther King's March on Washington became a pivotal moment in the history of the civil rights movement," Kucinich said.

According to The Hill, Kucinich has been considering a run in Washington's first or tenth district if his congressional district disappears after Ohio's redistricting plan is complete next month. Democratic State Rep. Roger Goodman -- a longtime supporter of marijuana legalization and a potential opponent of Kucinich in Washington -- also spoke at the rally.

The Seattle Times reports:

Goodman is an attorney who has long championed marijuana legalization. His reputation is so strong in the pro-legalization community that one fellow Hempfest speaker said Kucinich would be wrong to run against him.

"He (Kucinich) can do anything he wants and this movement will be 100 percent behind him -- except run against Roger Goodman," said Don E. Wirtshafter, a longtime Hempfest activist from Ohio, in an interview.

WATCH: Kucinich speak to the Hempfest crowd:

Comments

[stumpedI]

09:07 PM on 09/13/2011

biggest crime is against the liberty and freedom to decide for yourself. NOTHING should be illegal if it does not infringe on the rights of others. Pot does not hurt anyone, the prohibition laws do. Pot is less harmful, less intoxicating, less dangerous than booze. and much safer than tobaco. It is NONE of the govts business what you do if your not infringing on the rights of others. The drug laws are the crime here.. not the drug users or drug itself.

[Genders]

04:15 PM on 08/24/2011

WOW, go Dennis!

Pot prohibition is a crime against humanity.

It was the sacramental drug of an entirely new, peaceful, loving, environmentalist, liberal and progressive anti war societies.

It was an explicit conspiracy between FBI Hoover and Nixon to stop the anti war movement, and the new liberal movement.

Pot heads have died, lost their lively hoods, been imprisoned for life.

Pot prohibition is a crime against humanity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity

[DMT8665]

02:12 AM on 08/24/2011

Politics trumps science every time.

Yet the politicians in D.C. keep saying the world is flat. won't listen to anyone other wise
The people need to vote freedom for this kind and gentle weed

[Mike Parent]

08:05 AM on 08/24/2011

Perhaps it's time to put different people in office.
“”Prohibition… goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control mans’ appetite through legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not even crimes… A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our Government was founded.”
— Abraham Lincoln

LEAP.cc Law Enforcement Against Marijuana

[Carolab]

03:59 AM on 08/26/2011

Wow, that's a great quote.

[stumpedI]

08:58 PM on 09/13/2011

we did put someone different in office.. obama.. and what happened? we got bush III .. it does not matter who you vote for.. nothing will change.. even when "your" candidate runs on change.. they wont change a damn thing. with the stroke of the pen a pres could change a lot, but they dont.. so .. who do you think we should putin office? I submit our vote is useless in teh face of electronic voting.. propaganda instead of truth in media and other election tricks.

[AlfredE69]

11:35 PM on 08/23/2011

Thank you Rep. Kucinich. You are a man of integrity. Now I have to go and hide so I can cry my manly tears in private !!

[Pavan Krishnamurthy]

08:50 PM on 08/23/2011

not all rights are created equal, basic human rights like the right to vote, free assembly, etc. that are being violated in the middle east are not akin to the prohibition of drugs in the united states. this reminds of rick perry likening arab spring to the right not to be overtaxation -- again a flawed analogy.

I am all for legalization and Im a huge kucinich supporter but he is just trying to ride the media on this one

[worldlyhick]

02:57 PM on 08/23/2011

I love Dennis Kucinich and wish he was my representative. What a wonderful man he is.

[theveggiedude]

01:41 PM on 09/13/2011

And he's vegan too.

[LogicalMathMan]

01:26 PM on 08/23/2011

Ahhhh...We long for the days when 'Hindu Kush' is what we smoke and not a place where our soldiers fight.

[reviewingthesituation]

03:18 PM on 08/23/2011

Which is why worrying about smoking weed legally, as opposed to worrying about war, famine, joblessness, homelessness, etc., seems kind of juvenile and out-of-touch.

[tice]

04:37 PM on 08/23/2011

I didn't realize they were mutually exclusive.

[camanokat]

05:25 PM on 08/23/2011

Tell that to the grandpa that got sentenced to 30 or so years for 2 joints.

[DMT8665]

11:24 PM on 09/06/2011

Amen, brother. Well said...

[shuffleoff]

12:58 PM on 08/23/2011

Love Dennis Kucinich...smartest man in politics.

[aveindustries]

03:42 PM on 08/23/2011

Ron Paul is the smartest.

[theveggiedude]

01:41 PM on 09/13/2011

Ron Paul is not vegan, so how can he be?

[Lochness71]

12:56 PM on 08/23/2011

You literally will have to fight for your right to party.

[oliver clothesov]

11:45 AM on 08/23/2011

pot is boring. some people grow out of it, others don't.

[we-r-stardust]

01:39 PM on 08/23/2011

some people grow it, others don`t......

[AlfredE69]

11:36 PM on 08/23/2011

whatever floats yer boat mate!

[wooper]

11:43 AM on 08/23/2011

Our country is deep in debt, and yet one of the easiest ways to help reduce the deficit is to kill the war on drugs and release non violent drug offenders from prison. After spending billions of dollars on this war, we need to wake up to this reality...in the majority of neighborhoods almost any illegal drug can be found in a five mile radius of where you live. How's that for a successful war on drugs.

Also think how at least legalizing marijuana would impact the violence on the border. And finally, for those with children, you need to face the facts. They will be around marijuana. And even if they don't smoke it, there is always the possibility of them being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being arrested.

My greater fear is that not that my child will become addicted to drugs but that he will be arrested because of these laws. Few people become addicted to drugs, although millions have used them. Let's let adults make adult decisions and end this prohibition that is costing us billions.

[kathy001]

11:39 AM on 08/23/2011

I want marijuana legalized as much as anyone but, really, Ghandi's march to the sea?

[qwr]

12:23 PM on 08/23/2011

If you watch the tape, he never mentions marijuana, just the drug war. And to be fair to him, the comparison was made to the fight against, war, poverty, civil liberties, etc.

[worldlyhick]

03:06 PM on 08/23/2011

It is a serious, serious problem that we have the largest proportion of our people in prison than any other nation many for cannabis possession. It is a serious, serious problem that cannabis laws can be used to forcibly search your car, confiscate your property and to have your home invaded by SWAT teams with sometimes tragic consequences.

Not to even mention what we are doing to other countries, like Mexico for example. I think it is serious stuff and worthy of activity to reverse the status quo.

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

11:14 AM on 08/23/2011

Lets face it, the world would be a better place if everyone smoked a bowl every now and then. People could relax and let go of some the anger and tension that causes so many of the worlds problems.

[Luke Dennis Lucas]

03:16 PM on 08/23/2011

the world would be a better place if everyone smoked a bowl every now and then.

- I could not agree more.

[reviewingthesituation]

03:20 PM on 08/23/2011

The world would be a more peaceful place if everyone were under general anesthesia, but, frankly, I wouldn't want an unconscious person or any of you potheads putting out a forest fire or performing heart surgery. Or even removing a splinter, for that matter.

[camanokat]

06:23 PM on 08/23/2011

Exactly. These law and order pro=prohibition folks need it more than anybody. They think Reefer Madness was a documentary!

[92102]

10:30 AM on 08/23/2011

I'm glad I live in California where medical marijuana is legal and easily accessable (in most cities and counties). Given a choice of risky surgery, oxycotin, vicodin or marijuana as a pain reliever many people that suffer from chronic (no pun intended) pain would obviously opt for the latter. The pharmaceutical industry would much rather push more profitable and addictive pills. Keep in mind that a part of the escallating cost of health insurance is for all of these expensive pills that are prescribed like candy. How many times have you seen a television commercial that advises you to ask your doctor if xyz is right for you? We all pay for xyz whether we take it or not.

Critics claiming that marijuana is a dangerous drug, etc generally have no problem with liquor, even though it is much more dangerous physically and societally - think drunk drivers. Additionally, the savings of police time and incarcerations, plus tax revenue (like cigarettes and alcohol) would be substantial. Too bad it's the potheads that make more sense than our elected representitives that are bought and paid for by big business.

[reviewingthesituation]

06:59 PM on 08/23/2011

Was at Venice Beach a couple of years ago. The dope docs were so ubiquitous, I've heard the state had to put a brake on them.

We already have drunks on the road, I'm not sure making it easier to be high behind the wheel will improve road safety.

But for people who claim to be mellow, potheads get mighty agitated about restrictions on drug use. They do realize that they can get lung cancer from smoking anything, don't they?

[AlfredE69]

11:39 PM on 08/23/2011

are you the resident do-gooder?

[Pavan Krishnamurthy]

10:30 AM on 08/24/2011

i believe most people who use marijuana medically are told to vaporize it or ingest it to avoid lung damage.

Kind of puts a big hole in the anti-medicinal debate.

[Josh Heintzelman]

02:45 PM on 08/25/2011

well said.

[Nevervotesrepublican]

10:28 AM on 08/23/2011

God forbid you should be able to buy or grow weed. You would cut into the profits of the big pharma and the prison industry. The war on drugs would probably get their budgets cut. Organized crime would be losing a profitable business. Farmers could grow hemp and cut into the paper and rope business.

You selfish weed smokers, trying to cut into everyones profits, just buy it illegally like the federal government wants you to and it can be business as usual.

[Josh Heintzelman]

02:49 PM on 08/25/2011

Love the humor, but all BS aside it's time for change and I don't me Obama's definition of change. Can we be a responsible country if we legalized marijuana? Yes We Cannibus.