ASA Re-launches voter advocacy tool, Vote Medical Marijuana

October 31, 2016 | Geoffrey Marshall

It is less than two weeks until the 2016 elections. Do you know where the candidates stand on medical cannabis? It matters. Lawmakers at the local, state and federal level are going to make important decisions about medical cannabis that affect your life in the next two years. Cities and counties will decide whether to ban or regulate patient safe access, state legislatures will vote on commercial licensing and patients’ rights measures, and the new US Congress may decide whether or not to keep paying for medical cannabis enforcement.

Today ASA is relaunching our updated MMJ Voter’s Guide and voter education website. We have analyzed the voting records of every Member of Congress to create an educational guide about the voting records of each House Representative and Senator. We have also announced the organization’s positions on each of the medical and adult-use ballot measures.

Check out VoteMedicalMarijuana right now!

For your education and convenience, ASA has gathered the names of the candidates with the highest grades for supporting medical cannabis patients, either through appropriations amendment votes or support of the CARERS Act. The members all earned "A" grades. Members who earned "B" grades can also be considered supporters of safe access at the federal level. Candidates with "C" or "D" grades have a mixed record, while those with "F" grades did not support federal medical cannabis reform in the 114th Congress.

US Senators who earned "A" grades:

Barbara Boxer (D) California**
Michael Bennet (D) Colorado
Chris Murphy (D) Connecticut
Mazie Hirono (D) Hawaii*
Brian Schatz (D) Hawaii
Rand Paul (R) Kentucky
Elizabeth Warren (D) Massachusetts*
Angus King (I) Maine*
Barbara Mikulski (D) Maryland**
Al Franken (D) Minnesota*
Steve Daines (R) Montana*
Cory Booker (D) New Jersey*
Martin Heinrich (D) New Mexico*
Dean Heller (R) Nevada*
Kirsten Gillibrand (D) New York*
Chuck Schumer (D) New York
Jeff Merkley (D) Oregon*
Ron Wyden (D) Oregon
Patty Murray (D) Washington
Tammy Baldwin (D) Wisconsin*

US House Representatives who earned "A" grades:

Don Young (R) Alaska
Raul Grijalva (D) Arizona
Tom McClintock (R) California
Zoe Lofgren (D) California
Julia Brownley (D) California
Barbara Lee (D) California
Ted Lieu (D) California
Dana Rohrabacher (R) California
Duncan Hunter (R) California
Mike Coffman (R) Colorado
Ed Perlmutter (D) Colorado
Jared Polis D) Colorado
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) District of Columbia
Ted Deutch (D) Florida
Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D) Georgia
Hank Johnson (D) Georgia
Tulsi Gabbard(D) Hawaii
Dave Loebsack (D) Iowa
Janice Schakowsky (D) Illinois
Peter Visclocky (D) Indiana
Thomas Massie (R) Kentucky

Chris Van Hollen (D) Maryland
Chellie Pingree (D) Maine
John Conyers (D) Michigan
Walter Jones (R) North Carolina
Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) New Mexico
Joe Heck (R) Nevada
Richard Hanna - New York
Hakeem Jeffries (D) New York
Jerrold Nadler (D) New York**
Sean Maloney (D) New York
Earl Blumenauer (D) Oregon
Peter DeFazio (D) Oregon
Mark Sanford (R) South Carolina
Mick Mulvaney (R) South Carolina
Tom Rice (R) South Carolina
Steve Cohen (D) Tennessee
Beto O'Rourke (D) Texas
Don Beyer (D) Virginia
Gerald Connolly (D) Virginia
Suzan DelBene (D) Washington

* = not up for reelection in 2016 due to the staggering of 6-year Senate terms

** = retiring in 2016

We encourage you to utilize Vote Medical Marijuana as an educational tool and to do your own research - especially at the local level - to make the most informed decisions to support safe access to medical cannabis this year.