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“Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance…It goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.” —Abraham Lincoln

The only thing surprising about the rising wave of Republican support for the loosening of cannabis laws is that it’s taken this long. Ever since conservative stalwarts like Milton Friedman and William F. Buckley famously declared prohibition to be antithetical to conservative values, the intellectual cover has been available to young Republicans, but only in the last decade did their support swing sharply upward.

Even as leaders in the national Grand Old Party like Jason Chaffetz make threats against the District of Columbia’s loosening of cannabis laws by saying “move forward at your own peril,” a recent poll found that 63 percent of young Republicans of the millennial generation support marijuana legalization.

I found a ready example of a pro-legalization Republican at the Drug Policy Alliance conference recently in DC when I met Jason Vaughn of Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition (RAMP), a pro-life gay Texan and the only known paid Republican activist for cannabis legalization. Vaughn’s start in the movement began after David Simpson, the state representative in Texas who wrote the Christian case for drug law reform, introduced a bill for full legalization with no restrictions, the so-called “tomato bill.” Vaughn’s first exposure to the nuts and bolts of legislation fascinated him and he sat down with Simpson to learn more.

Vaughn explained that “because I worked in various pro-life legislation but had always been supportive of cannabis, I had been quiet because I didn’t want it to ruin my other life. But then David Simpson made a comment that I now use all the time: ‘Pray that the legislators will have the faith of their convictions instead of the fear of their constituents.’”

This phrase gave Vaughn the impetus to write, “A Pro-Life Defense of Marijuana Legalization,” an essay that went viral and got him invited to several cannabis panels. He impressed the audiences with his knowledge of the legislative bill and caught the eye of someone with RAMP. They soon hired him to be their membership coordinator.

At this Republican cannabis legalization organization, Vaughn got to work with their founder, Ann Lee, a powerhouse octogenarian activist and mother of Richard Lee, the founder of Oaksterdam University. Inspired by her wheelchair-bound son, she now tells fellow Lone Star Republicans to “Just say grow.” She makes quite a stir at the drug conferences, an outspoken grandmother helping to lead the conservative wing of the cannabis movement. As she told the Washington Post, “It disturbs me greatly that Republicans would distort the principles of small government, fiscal responsibility and personal liberty in such a way that they could support the failed principle of marijuana prohibition any longer.”

This Drug Policy Alliance conference was Jason Vaughn’s first of this kind. His sign read Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition, which prompted remarks from the left-leaning attendees like, “Normally I hate Republicans, but I’m glad you guys are here.”

Such comments are a reminder that close-minded partisanship exists on both sides of the aisle and that this movement is more diverse then just liberals and medical patients. Money against prohibition flows in from sources as far apart on the political spectrum as George Soros and the Koch brothers. As Vaughn observes, “People don’t realize how vast it is. If they only pay attention to a certain media that leans a certain way, either right or left, you’ll miss the other side.”

Vaughn’s first field of ministry began by working at a drug recovery center. “Marijuana was not the reason for anybody to be there. Alcohol was considered the gateway, but the black market is the real gateway drug. A market principle is that if I’m going to Walmart, it’s their job and duty to try and to get me to buy me other things. That’s a basic principle. A drug dealer will act in the exact same manner.”

One of the points he’s found that most resonates with fellow conservatives is that the black markets cause our communities to be more unsafe. In addition, there are negative consequences like the rise of spice, the synthetic cannabinoid(s) increasingly seen at harm reduction centers across the country as well as often being used as a hammer by city cops looking to clear streets in a manner similar to the enforcement of the crack laws. As Vaughn repeats often, “Stop putting people in jail for a plant.”

“Most people want some form of restriction on who gets access to medical marijuana but we believe in medical freedom and doctor-patient rights.” He believes the easiest bill to pass in his state’s current political climate would be a clear and easy piece of legislation allowing moderate medical access and a decriminalization of possession with $100 fines that steadily increase until a third strike sends the violator to jail.

RAMP wants to go further than that by advocating for full legalization. However, in the fisticuffs of state politics, “when you’re talking about bills, what actually matters is what voters actually show up.” Usually that’s only 10 percent of the potential electorate — so with only 5 percent support, you can probably get a bill through. Most representatives in Texas don’t need to worry about the general election because gerrymandering already decided that part.