I am a former prosecutor in the Marine Corps. I do believe in the importance of the rule of law, but I have seen firsthand how law enforcement and our justice system can negatively impact vulnerable populations. This is one of the reasons I am running. As a legislator, it will be my job to ensure the laws that our justice system is required to enforce are fair and make sense.
Candidate in race for State Senate District 40 on Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Not only do I support the decriminalization of marijuana, I am in favor of recent legislative efforts in California to protect workers who use cannabis. I am also in favor of the expungement and/or dismissal of marijuana-related charges. Not only do these efforts reduce the populations of our prisons and allow our law enforcement officers to concentrate on solving violent crimes, they significantly reduce the inequity we see in the criminal justice system.
Answers to NORML's questionnaire:
Do you support reducing excessive taxes and regulations on adult-use cannabis to make the legal market more competitive with the illicit one? SUPPORT
Do you support measures to expedite local licensing of cannabis in underserved parts of the state? SUPPORT
Do you support the right of workers to use cannabis off-the-job and not be subject to urine testing for cannabis metabolites (as proposed in AB 2188)? SUPPORT
Cannabis use has been shown to have real positive effects for many patients, and the lack of access to medical marijuana is a big problem in several areas of my district. Since these areas also coincide with those places where opioid addiction is at its highest, it should be a priority to fill these cannabis deserts with access to medical marijuana, not only to potentially reduce these patients' dependence on opioids, but to address many other conditions for which medical marijuana has been shown to be effective.
Do you support reducing taxes and expanding access for medical marijuana patients across California? SUPPORT
I believe that education of the public will go a long way toward increasing equity and reducing the illicit trade when it comes to access to cannabis. As the stigma of marijuana use reduces, it will become easier to propose and enact legislation that ensures equitable access and encourages the legal market to thrive. I understand that the marijuana industry is excessively taxed. We should take steps to reduce taxation and provide relief to social equity operators to encourage more legal participation. At the state level, my job as a legislator will be to ensure that we enact laws that will both encourage the legal market and discourage the illicit vendors while maintaining certain regulations that protect the safety and health of consumers.
777 South Figueroa Street Suite 4050
Los Angeles, CA 90017