Gary Johnson: 'Pot Smokers May Be The Largest Untapped Voting Bloc'

Former New Mexico Governor and GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson told Outside Magazine that legalizing marijuana was a popular political stance.

"Pot smokers may be the largest untapped voting bloc in the country," he said. "A hundred million Americans have smoked marijuana. You think they want to be considered criminals?"

Johnson is one of two better-known libertarian-leaning candidates in the GOP primary race, along with Texas Rep. Ron Paul. However, the former governor has found himself excluded from several debates and registers at only about one percent in national polls.

Johnson has told several publications that he smoked marijuana. He told The Weekly Standard that he smoked from 2005 to 2008 to alleviate pain after a paragliding accident in Hawaii. He signaled to The 420 Times that he only smoked marijuana after pain pills didn't work, and that marijuana helped "tremendously." Previously, he joked with The New Republic about his younger days, saying, "I never exhaled."

Comments

[pharmmajor]

05:54 PM on 10/16/2011

I've seen a few people bashing "Big Pharma" in this thread. You guys do know that if marijuana is legalized, the drug companies will come out with their own brands to sell. They would do it now if it was legal, because it's profitable.

[Scott Berrian]

10:21 PM on 10/10/2011

At least he's honest...

[getoffmedz]

05:26 PM on 10/10/2011

Weighing in on the economic factors of legalization actually makes sense.

One of the factors which turned around the Great Depression was repealing the Volstead Act.

Perhaps ridding our country of another ill-advise­d Prohibitio­n would ease this current economic downturn?

[Richard Britton]

10:07 AM on 10/11/2011

completely agree

you could invite the big firms to enter an auction to buy licences to supply the stuff people want - but restrict the number given. Then tax and raise duty of the packets just like on tobacco. You could raise BILLIONS and take money away from drug cartels. Hammer those that infringe on the legal supply.

You could spread that to all recreational drugs and raise a serious chunk of cash

the problem would be what to do with the cash

[mdmbuzz]

04:10 PM on 10/10/2011

Pot smokers, in general, are not going to vote for a conservative or a libertarian with conservative views, solely on the issue of legalizing pot. It is my belief that, in general, most regular pot smokers are liberal-leaning people and while they may appreciate that libertarians have their backs on this one singular issue, it's not going to make them forget everything else and vote for the nutty libertarian.

[RLaitres]

06:07 AM on 10/11/2011

No, the Libertarians don't have their back as they argue mostly from an economic standpoint and not from a personal freedom issue, their thinking does not reach that deeply to consider anything beyond the materialistic level. That is quite obvious for those who listen very carefully and comprehend their arguments. That is also why, in the Congress and Senate, they always ally themselves with Republicans, and in particular the Tea Party. It is because they share the same core value of materialism. In that world, the individual and his dignity as a person does not really matter.

[Cheri Quinn]

08:26 AM on 10/07/2011

I wondered how long it would take Johnson to get to his pet political rally. Don't get me wrong I think we could get rid of a host of petty drug issues by legalizing and taxing weed.

[Indian Dog Scout]

05:37 PM on 10/06/2011

The Only Reason it is Not Legal is that a small group is getting Very Wealthy.

AKA: GOVERNMENT !

[thebicyclecop]

10:44 AM on 10/06/2011

Go sign this petition to get Gary Johnson included in this debate!

http://www.change.org/petitions/dartmouth-college-include-gary-johnson-in-the-debate-oct-2011

[dreamymiss]

05:44 AM on 10/06/2011

States are already passing laws to allow medical pot use, but there's a problem because of the fed laws. Gary wants to allow states to make their own decisions, and thinks taxing and regulating the stuff, just as we do with alcohol makes much more sense for the country (too many resources going towards arresting pot smokers - law enforcement, courts and prisons). He also thinks this would help alleviate drug gangs and cartels operating in this country and causing violence. He likens the ban on pot to The Prohibition era.

I hope that all sounds better to you than just, "He wants to legalize marijuana."

[Bill Herbst]

10:10 PM on 10/05/2011

Until they televise the debates on Cartoon Network and package campaign literature inside bags of Doritos, that pot smoking voter bloc will remain untapped.

[eric681]

01:38 PM on 10/07/2011

You'd be surpised bill. The pot smoker bloc is very involved, aware and active. And most aren't the stereotypical stoner from 80s comedies.

[Ma Lucille]

12:45 AM on 10/08/2011

just wait and see... this isn't about partisan politics

[Jaladeno]

09:44 PM on 10/05/2011

The problem is that the ballots keep coming back twisted at each end.

[Sevastian Winters]

08:16 PM on 10/05/2011

I like Johnson, but if he's counting on pot smokers to vote for him, he'd better tell everyone the election is 24-48 hours earlier than it really is. That's all I'm saying.

[Jaladeno]

09:46 PM on 10/05/2011

Allow voting in 7-11s. Problem solved.

[edenooch]

06:47 PM on 10/05/2011

yes. u will only Tap this voting block when the law to legalize their smoke gets passed (like a joint)

[Kate Ragas]

05:02 PM on 10/05/2011

I'm not sure about the US, but there is actually a Marijuana Party in Canada.

[Jaladeno]

09:39 PM on 10/05/2011

And everyone calls each other Bud.

[Tom Horne]

04:36 PM on 10/05/2011

I've worked most of my life as a welder, but I drove a taxi in New Orleans for a few years, every two years we would get a drug test in order to get our taxi permits renewed, I would just stop smoking pot for a month, no problem, but the last time I failed it, seems that the test had gotten more stringent, kept driving without a permit, went back three months later, they had forgotten about me, took the test again, passed, but I decided to go to welding school during the day to get back my welding skills, and drive at night, good thing, when Katrina hit, drove the taxi up to NYC, got a job as a welding instructor at a trade school in Manhattan, I might be the only person that's glad he failed a drug test.

[Nicon]

08:46 PM on 10/05/2011

Glad to hear your doing well.

Yes We Cannabis!

[sonofsonoflars]

04:20 PM on 10/05/2011

Untapped bloc. Um, ok. Because celarly there isnt anyone who smokes dope AND votes. what is this guy smoking? oh wait.

[Nicon]

08:32 PM on 10/05/2011

Clearly your abstention from marijuana has not improved your cognition. An "untapped" block of voters is one that no political body panders too. Think GOP and Christians.

[Jaladeno]

09:41 PM on 10/05/2011

"Think GOP and Christians­."

But with Communion 2.0