Pointing to drug law hypocrisy, pro-pot group labels Cindy McCain 'dealer' Nick Juliano

Published: Tuesday August 5, 2008





Print This Email This A group dedicated to legalizing marijuana use is launching a new campaign Tuesday aimed at pointing to hypocrisy in a country that could have as its first lady a woman who made millions selling a substance that's killed tens of thousands of people while purveyors of a relatively harmless herb are imprisoned. The just-launched Web site DrugDealerCindy.com points to Cindy McCain's position as chair of her father's Hensley & Co., one of the country's largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors, and it argues that alcohol is more toxic, addictive and prone to inspire violence than marijuana. The site, launched by the group Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, also features mock "Wanted" posters featuring a photo of McCain, wife of the Republican presidential candidate, and offering a -- wait for it-- $420 reward. The site also features a video parodying the Budweiser frog advertisements, labeling McCain a "Drug-Deal-Er" "No one seems to have a problem with the fact that a potential First Lady sells a drug that contributes to countless violence and other destructive acts," SAFER's Mason Tvert tells RAW STORY . The Denver-based group led a campaign there for a city-wide ballot initiative making marijuana use legal for adults over 21 within the city limits. Tvert says the group is not targeting McCain out of malice nor for partisan reasons. The aim is simply to point out the disparity between how alcohol and marijuana use are treated as public policy issues. "Cindy McCain sells millions of dollars worth or alcohol every year" and may go to the White House, he says. "Whereas someone who may sell hundreds of dollars worth of marijuana gets sent to prison." SAFER is "not against alcohol," Tvert says, it would just prefer marijuana receive the same recognition under the law. The "Drug Dealer" campaign will officially kick off Wednesday with a press conference in front of the Hensley distributorship in Phoenix, and SAFER is purchasing a few thousand dollars worth of advertising on several political blogs to promote the campaign. On its Web site, SAFER also is offering printable Wanted posters it's encouraging supporters to display wherever they can. Tvert says he hopes the poster displays will give the campaign more of a "guerrilla element." SAFER posted the following video on its new site and on YouTube: