The Marijuana Policy Project has formally endorsed the Libertarian Party candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson in his bid for the White House. Johnson served two terms as governor from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party.
In a statement announcing their endorsement, MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia said Johnson “clearly has the best position on marijuana policy” out of the three candidates that will appear on the ballots in all 50 states, noting that the organization fights for “a single-issue” – regulating marijuana like alcohol.
“Legalization has been Johnson’s number-one issue for 17 years,” Kampia said in the statement. “MPP’s endorsement of Johnson was an easy call; the more difficult question is whether MPP should support a candidate who’s good on medical marijuana but bad on legalization, when the candidate is facing an opponent who’s bad on everything.”
Johnson received an “A-plus” grade in the group’s presidential candidate report card. Democrat Hillary Clinton, the party’s presumptive nominee received a “B,” while the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, was given a “C-plus.”
In January, Johnson stepped down from his role as CEO of Cannabis Sativa, a legal cannabis company, in order to focus on his campaign. In a recent interview with USA Today, Johnson indicated that he hasn’t used marijuana for “about seven weeks” and said he would abstain if he were elected.
The Libertarian Party elected former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld as Johnson’s running mate.