Reefer madness grips GOP congressional race

Republican Rob Merkle, of Norwalk, who is challenging two other candidates in an August primary to run for U.S. Congress, said a video making fun of his arrest 10 years ago on marijuana charges is over the line and distracts voters from real issues.

One of his two opponents in the race, Rick Torres, of Bridgeport, called Merkle a "hypocrite."

Torres and Merkle are running against Dan Debicella, of Shelton, who won the Republican Party endorsement at the convention for the 4th Congressional District, a seat held by Democrat Jim Himes, of Greenwich.

The issue of Merkle's arrest in 2001 came to a head this weekend as a YouTube video link called "Reefer Rob" was posted by user harryrockwell88. The video shows images of Merkle; his father, a former U.S. prosecutor known for prosecuting drug traffickers; a major drug king; Cheech and Chong; and images of people smoking joints, while a parody of Afroman's "Because I Got High" plays.

An e-mail sent to

harryrockwell88 via YouTube was not returned. Debicella could not be reached for comment.

Merkle confirmed he was arrested in Florida for having a joint in his pocket. He also confirmed it was not the first time he used cannabis, but he said he no longer uses it.

"It was over 10 years ago," he said. Merkle blamed the Torres campaign for disseminating the video, though he added, "I don't have definitive proof."

Merkle said it was a misdemeanor charge, and he went through a first-time offenders program and did community service.

"I'm human," he said. "I've never claimed I'm running as a saint or a

librarian."

He said he made a mistake and that he's settled down in his life.

Merkle said the video borders on libel, and he said this kind of political trickery is part of the reason so many people are turned off by politics. He said opponents have also gone after him over his 19-year-old daughter, whom he had out of wedlock. He said he paid child support for the daughter, who is now in college.

"It's a personal issue. Nobody has any business digging into my family," he said.

Torres was incredulous at that reaction.

"Everything is fair game," Torres said. "People want to know the character of a person."

Torres said that's why he opens his home to voters every Thursday so they can meet with him in person and learn who he is.

He also confirmed he has smoked marijuana, but the last time he did it was in college at age 23. He said he thinks the age at which Merkle was arrested is a valid campaign issue. Once someone is in their 30s, the time for youthful indiscretions is over, Torres said.

Torres has also been arrested twice, but both cases were thrown out. He noted his mistakes are well-known and that he's answered questions about them. Like Merkle, Torres said he's learned from his mistakes.

But Torres said he isn't sending video links to his supporters; he said he has forwarded the information to some friends. Torres said that what disturbs him about the arrest is that Merkle and his campaign blasted Torres for his stance on marijuana laws. Torres said he favors legalization.

Merkle said he does not -- a stance, in light of his arrest and lenient treatment, that Torres said he finds hypocritical.

Torres said there are too many young people serving sentences for marijuana possession when they should be entering programs like the one that Merkle went through. Torres said he's for legalizing marijuana only so that it can be regulated.

Merkle is for "enforcing our drug laws." He said he believes this is a national security issue, as well as an issue of following the law.

While the video's message might be suspect, drug policy in the U.S. is a real issue, both candidates said.

Southwestern states are facing violent drug gangs pushing up from Mexico, and dealing with the use of illegal drugs in the U.S. will be part of any policy to try to stop the violence here and in Mexico, according to administrations on both sides of the border. There is also a social issue at play, as many urban neighborhoods can attest, holding up the wrecked lives that drug addiction and trafficking have left behind in their communities.

Ultimately, Merkle and Torres said there's more to this campaign than the video. Merkle said he's concerned about fiscal policies and the direction of the country, and Torres said he's concerned about the failures of government policies, especially in regard to public housing.

Merkle will be at the East Norwalk Library on Monday and the Bridgeport YMCA on Park Avenue on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for town hall meetings with voters.

Torres has appearances scheduled for Monday with the AFL-CIO, his own town hall-style meeting at the Black Rock Library on Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport on Tuesday at 6 p.m., and an afternoon meeting at the Oxford Senior Center before he holds an open "fun raiser" at his home at 108 Midland St. in Bridgeport beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Both campaigns have websites and Facebook pages that provide full details.