Two stories from the past week represent the strange dance politicians on either side of the aisle are doing when it comes to cannabis. First, as Marijuana Moment reported, the Trump administration, in an attempt to gather famous faces for a series of public service announcements surrounding its non-existent approach to reducing the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic, rejected celebrities for their stances on cannabis.
“The House Oversight Committee late last month released a ‘PSA Celebrity Tracker’ database that was maintained by a campaign headed by Trump aide Michael Caputo,” Marijuana Moment reported. “It listed nearly 300 celebrities that contractors vetted as potential spokespersons for a ‘Helping the President will Help the Country’ ad campaign to promote public safety amid the pandemic.”
Among those 300, a few were flagged specifically for their stances on cannabis: Seth Rogen, Seth McFarlane, Kelly Clarkson and Armie Hammer. Rogen, McFarlane, and Clarkson for their vocal support of cannabis legalization and Hammer for a 2011 possession charge.
Meanwhile in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that 350 city employees would not be laid-off from their jobs in part because of money generated from medicinal and recreational cannabis sales. Illinois legalized cannabis last year.
“Buoyed by higher than expected marijuana revenues, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Saturday canceled plans to lay off 350 city employees to help secure the 26 City Council votes she needs to pass her ‘pandemic budget,’” The Chicago Sun Times reported. “Revenues generated by the sale of recreational and medical marijuana have ‘gone through the roof’— topping $100 million statewide for the first time in October and $800 million in the first 10 months.”
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