The Republican is the first major-party presidential candidate to publicly seek out legal cannabis entrepreneurs to financially support his run

Leslie Bocskor is looking forward to Rand Paul’s fundraiser.



As the managing partner in Electrum Partners, a consulting firm specialising in the medical marijuana industry, and the founding chairman of the Nevada Cannabis Industry Association, the only thing that would stop Bocskor from attending the fundraiser would be if business gets in the way – which, he said, might well happen.

There is no industry moving faster today than the legal cannabis industry, he said.



On Tuesday, Paul became the first major-party presidential candidate to publicly court donations from the marijuana industry, by holding a fundraiser at the Cannabis Business Summit in Colorado.



Though legal marijuana business owners have been active political donors for years, presidential candidates have avoided holding fundraisers made up entirely of them.



But Paul is different, according to Bocskor. “The industry is extremely welcoming to Paul because of his positions regarding [us].”



“Right now, we’re facing issues around banking and taxation that are extremely challenging and oppressive, and the only candidate that’s taken a firm stance that would solve those issues is senator Paul,” Bocskor said.



Paul has joined Democrats in the Senate to sponsor a bill to end the federal prohibition of marijuana for medical reasons; and he also supports a federal drug-sentencing overhaul.



Marijuana advocates say political candidates at every level are more publicly courting marijuana entrepreneurs for political donations.

Texas senator Ted Cruz and former Florida governor Jeb Bush have both spoken out on the issue as a matter of states’ rights, according to Mike Elliott, the executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group, who is also speaking at the Colorado summit this week.



But Paul is by far the most vocal advocate for the ending of federal prohibition of marijuana, Elliott said, and has led the way for the other candidates to soften their position on the issue. “It’s great to see that we now have a presidential candidate who’s willing to lead on this issue, and that’s never happened before,” he said.



Travis Howard, the founder and general manager of Shift Cannabis company, a Colorado-based consultancy and business services provider in the marijuana industry, said he thought the industry would be generous in its support of Paul, but he’s skeptical as to whether the senator would be able keep his principled stance as the race progresses.



“It’s very easy in to push a libertarian platform in the primaries, running as a Republican and wanting to set himself apart,” Howard said. “And I think internally he has a lot of the interests that a lot of us have – but if he needs to make it further, and needs to get the support of people who win elections in this country, I’m not sure he’ll have a different platform than any other Republican.”



Nonetheless, Howard said, he was curious as to what Paul had to say. “Most people I talk to are either straight cautious, or – best case – cautiously optimistic that he would be able to hold these points through to the general election.”



“But I don’t think that’s going to keep people from supporting him financially – in small doses – from our community.”