Louisiana Senate Candidate Smokes Weed Blunt In Campaign Ad To 'Destigmatize' Marijuana

In a campaign video released on Tuesday, Democratic Louisiana Senate candidate Gary Chambers shared his use and approval of marijuana.

The video, entitled “37 seconds,” was posted to Chambers' Twitter account. He is seen smoking a blunt in a field and says, “For too long, candidates have used the legalization of marijuana as an empty talking point in order to appeal to progressive voters.”

“I hope this ad works to not only destigmatize the use of marijuana, but also forces a new conversation that creates the pathway to legalize this beneficial drug and forgive those who were arrested due to outdated ideology," he said in the video.

Chambers, 36, from Baton Rouge, is a social justice advocate and community organizer for the city. He ran in 2021 during a special U.S. House election for Louisiana’s 2nd District to replace Rep. Cedric Richmond. This year, Chambers will challenge Republican incumbent, Sen. John Kennedy.

The video was aired in New Orleans, where the City Council recently passed an ordinance intended to remove penalties for simple possession of marijuana. Chambers' intent is not to persuade voters through legalization, but rather through bringing awareness to marijuana still being used to criminalize people.

Chambers explains that the title of his video represents the amount of people that are arrested for possession, versus the amount of people that are smoking it legally in other parts of the country. He explains how he believes that this is unfair.

“Every 37 seconds someone is arrested for possession of marijuana," said Chambers in the video.

"States waste $3.7 billion enforcing marijuana laws every year. Most of the people police are arresting aren't dealers but rather people with small amounts of pot, just like me," he added.

Chambers is believed to be the first politician ever to openly smoke marijuana in a campaign ad.