Pubdate: Tue, 27 Oct 2015 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2015 The Boston Herald, Inc Contact: http://news.bostonherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53 Note: Prints only very short LTEs. Author: Kimberly Atkins SANDERS' POT STANCE GETS HIGH MARKS WASHINGTON - As U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's presidential campaign goes to pot, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders stands to roll up some of his supporters - marijuana advocates and weed purveyors. Sanders, the first presidential candidate to support marijuana legalization, got a bump from the nation's largest pot advocacy group yesterday. The Marijuana Policy Project boosted Sanders' voter guide report card score from a "B" to an "A" after the Democratic Socialist said he'd vote for Nevada's pot legalization initiative if he lived in the state. That places Sanders ahead of Paul, who scored an "A-." And it's not just blowing smoke: The move could mean growing vocal and financial support from what could plume into a $4 billion industry by the end of 2016. With a number of states - including Massachusetts - on track to put the issue of marijuana legalization on the ballot next year, the burgeoning industry is starting to flex its political muscle. "The issue is front and center in a way that it hasn't been before in a presidential election," said Taylor West, deputy director of marijuana business trade group the National Cannabis Industry Association. As of Sept. 30, the trade group is Paul's second-biggest campaign contributor, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. But its $12,000 total contribution from the group and its related PAC pales in comparison to the $1.25 million that marijuana rights activist Scott Banister gave to the pro-Paul super PAC Concerned American Voters. With his campaign floundering, Paul's loss could be Sanders' gain. "That's a huge deal," West said of Sanders' statement. "That was a huge messaging moment." Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, said more candidates are responding to growing public opinion in favor of legalization, including those who don't support legalization. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, for example, initiated a meeting with the advocacy group to hear about the effect of legalization in Colorado. Other candidates, like U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, have traded a flat anti-legalization stance for one that supports states' rights to decide for themselves. Pot's place in a presidential campaign had already changed dramatically from Bill Clinton's awkward "I didn't inhale" admission to Barack Obama's quip: "I inhaled, frequently. That was the point." But with the legal landscape as unclear as a billow of smoke, it's uncertain what power a pro-pot president will wield, even if elected. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom