The News Press wrote:Commission candidate espouses marijuana legalizationThe News PressOriginally published on July 10, 2006
Lee County Commission candidate Gerard David, running as a no-party candidate against Republican Commissioner Doug St. Cerny, has an issue for an oft-overlooked constituency: legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana.
That's beyond the usual role of a commissioner, but David's ready to use the bully pulpit.
He suggests such a move might lower the crime rate.
"All they do is sit home and smoke and eat and sleep," David said, referring to the infamous marijuana munchies.
"I'm a child of the '60s. If you can drink a beer or have a drink, you should be able to smoke a joint."
Approval for medical marijuana would be absolutely essential, he said.
Drugs such as heroin or crack should stay off-limits, he said.
"But locking up kids for a joint is a waste of energy when we have so many serious problems out there," he said.
He points to other politicians' admissions of pot smoking — including current GOP gubernatorial candidates Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher, former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack and former Gov. Lawton Chiles — as evidence it's not political suicide.
None of those politicians, however, advocated legalization.
David readily admits many of his views are in line with the Libertarian Party.
But running as a no-party candidate gives him a break on qualifying fees, he said — paying about $3,000 to run rather than the $4,000 required of party candidates.
He plans to borrow money for qualifying.
That won't be an issue for St. Cerny. The incumbent raised about $90,600 soon after opening his account. Of that, only about $1,500 came in the quarter that ended June 30.