Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jul 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Matthew Nussbaum

PAUL RAISES WEED MONEY

For the first time ever, a major party candidate for president of the 
United States raised money from the legal weed industry.

Rand Paul, a U.S. Senator from Kentucky running for the Republican 
nomination for president, raked in thousands of dollars Tuesday when 
he held a fundraiser in conjunction with the Cannabis Business Summit 
at the Denver Convention Center.

Later in the day, he rallied with supporters and held a private 
fundraiser at the Denver Athletic Club.

"We have to be a more diverse party, we have to bring new people in," 
Paul told a rambunctious crowd of over 200 supporters at Chopper's 
Sports Grill in Denver. "If we become the party of the entire Bill of 
Rights, if we become the party that believes in the Sixth Amendment 
as much as the Second Amendment, we are going to win every election."

He called for a more diverse party, cutting taxes and protecting 
privacy in a wide-ranging speech in which he also took shots at 
Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic contender, and Jeb Bush, the 
presumed Republican front-runner.

Before the rally at Chopper's, Paul hosted the private fundraiser at 
the Convention Center, with a minimum donation of $2,700 to attend. 
The summit was put on by the National Cannabis Industry Association, 
though Paul's fundraiser was not affiliated with the summit. Paul 
received a $5,000 contribution from NCIA's Political Action 
Committee. This is the first time the PAC has donated to a 
presidential campaign.

"We are simply showing support for Senator Paul because he has shown 
support for us," said Taylor West, deputy director of NCIA.

"It's an untapped market which is awash in cash," said Kenneth 
Bickers, a professor of political science at the University of 
Colorado, who noted Paul is unlikely to have much competition within 
his party for marijuana money.

In the Senate, Paul joined with Democrats to sponsor a bill that 
would loosen federal restrictions on medical marijuana in states 
where it is legal and open access to banking for medical and 
recreational marijuana businesses alike.

Paul declined to answer whether he would have voted in favor of 
Colorado's recreational marijuana legalization, saying, "I think I 
see it just more from a federal perspective. ... And I think the 
federal government ought to stay out."

Paul is likely to enjoy better support in Colorado than in much of 
the country because of the state's strong libertarian streak and its 
caucus system, which plays to the strengths of Paul's young and 
enthusiastic supporters, analysts said.

"Much to his credit, he does have a certain appeal among young, 
libertarianminded Republicans," said Dick Wadhams, former chairman of 
the Colorado GOP. "He does set himself apart on so many levels."

But Paul could struggle to broaden his appeal, especially with social 
conservatives and defense hawks. Wadhams described Paul's foreign 
policy positions as "almost isolationist." Paul touched on foreign 
policy at the rally, saying the U.S. never should have invaded Iraq.

After the rally, Paul spoke about his appeal in Colorado.

"Well, I think the West, in general, people came out here to get away 
from government. They're very independent-minded and 
independent-spirited," he said. "I think I'm their candidate."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom