Oregon Dem top recipient of 2018 marijuana industry money, study finds – By Alex Gangitano (The Hill) / Jan 22 2019
Among Democrats in Congress, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) received the most money from marijuana industry groups in the 2018 election cycle, a new study finds.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), a group which opposes legalization, reviewed FEC filings to track donations from the country’s top marijuana groups to incumbents who ran in November.
Topping the list is Blumenauer with $33,176. He received money from multiple contributors, including two contributions of $5,000 from the National Cannabis Industry Association PAC.
Blumenauer leading the list is no surprise based on his pro-weed record in Congress. He introduced a bill to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances at the beginning of the new Congress this year and numbered it H.R. 420, a joking reference to April 20, a popular day for pot enthusiasts. Blumenauer is also co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.
Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) was second on the list, taking in $19,350, most of which came in contributions of less than $1,000.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), came in third with $18,604 in contributions, while Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) received $16,858 from marijuana industry groups and Rep. Tom McClintock (Calif.) received $12,350.
The states the lawmakers hail from — Oregon, Nevada, California and Colorado — all have laws allowing legal recreational cannabis use.
Two former House GOP lawmakers actually took in more than Blumenauer, but both are out of Congress after losing their reelection bids.
Former Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) took in over $90,000 and former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) received over $80,000, according to Smart Approaches to Marijuana’s data. Rohrabacher was a prominent pro-marijuana industry advocate while in the House.
Looking at senators who won reelection in 2018, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) received the most from marijuana groups. He took in $5,733 while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) received $5,400, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) received $2,700.
Two former House members who were elected to the upper chamber, Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), received $10,150 and $2,500, respectively. Former Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who lost his re-election bid to Rosen, took in $5,000 from marijuana groups, according to SAM.
The lawmakers’ offices did not respond to a request for comment or declined to comment.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana is opposed to the relaxing of marijuana laws and represents a broad, non-partisan coalition of groups and organizations who are pushing back against legalization. The group on Tuesday shared their data in a map that breaks down industry donations to officials.
