Prez candidate Johnson campaigns in Colorado for pot legalization

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson was in Denver Monday to campaign for Colorado’s Amendment 64, which would legalize adult possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Johnson, former Republican governor of New Mexico, said the war on drugs has been an “abysmal failure.”

He criticized Pres. Obama for turning loose the Department of Justice on medical marijuana businesses after “promising not to spend federal money on enforcement in states that have legalized medical marijuana.”

Asked about speculation that he could take votes away from presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, he said polling has shown that in some states he takes votes from Romney but that in other states he takes votes from Obama.

“I come at Obama from the left. I am better than Obama on civil liberties. I support marriage equality as an absolute constitutional right. I want to end the war on drugs. I’m the only candidate who doesn’t want to bomb Iran. I’m the only candidate who wants the U.S. out of Afghanistan immediately.

“I come at Romney from the right. I’m better on the economy than he is. I have a plan to balance the budget that involves cutting Medicaid, cutting Medicare and cutting the military. Anyone who says they can balance the budget without those cuts is lying,” Johnson said by phone.

[Photos courtesy of GaryJohnson2012.com ]

Scot Kersgaard has been managing editor of a political newspaper, editor and co-owner of a ski town newspaper, executive editor of eight high-tech magazines (where he worked with current Apple CEO Tim Cook), deputy press secretary to a U.S. Senator, and an outdoors columnist at the Rocky Mountain News. He has an English degree from the University of Washington. He was awarded a fellowship to study internet journalism at the University of Maryland's Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. He was student body president in college. He spends his free time hiking and skiing.

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