Mccaslin’s Pot Ad Burns Orr Up Says He Only Favors Legalizing Marijuana For The Terminally Ill

Sen. Bob McCaslin’s current ads attack George Orr as a champion of legalizing marijuana, citing the Democrat’s response to a question on the topic.

The ad’s claim is absurd, his answer taken out of context, Orr said. He mistakenly thought the question dealt with legalizing marijuana for medicinal uses.

Orr supports the use of marijuana to ease the suffering of terminally ill patients only, he said.

“My heartburn and my frustration is here’s an issue I agree with the man on and he paints me as a hoodlum, a drug dealer,” Orr said.

McCaslin, who has taken a lead role in advocating the research of marijuana’s medicinal uses, said he just reported Orr’s published response to a question. He isn’t buying Orr’s explanation.

“I can’t believe that,” McCaslin said. “George is very intelligent. The three questions are quite clear.”

Orr is trying to win the 4th Legislative District’s Senate seat that McCaslin, a Republican, has held for 16 years.

At issue is Orr’s response to the last of three questions posed to state candidates in a questionnaire distributed last summer by Washington Citizens for Hemp Reform.

The final question reads, “Do you support the decriminalization of Hemp/Marijuana for personal use by adults?” The other two questions made similar queries about legalizing marijuana for industrial, agricultural and medicinal uses.

Orr answered yes to all three. McCaslin did not respond.

The results were published in the group’s voter guide and on its Internet home page. Orr was one of only four Eastern Washington candidates to respond.

McCaslin recently received a copy of the voter guide. Last week, he began running a television ad and distributing a similar mass mailer claiming Orr supported legalizing “pot smoking and possession.”

“That’s what he said on the questionnaire,” McCaslin said.

Lynn Schindler, McCaslin’s campaign chairwoman, said the questions left no room from interpretation.

“The third (question) is for adult use,” Schindler said. “The second one is for compassionate use. There is a distinction between the two.”

Still, Orr insisted he made a mistake.

“I’m certainly not a champion of legalizing drugs,” said Orr, a 26-year firefighter. “When people get stoned and high I have to go clean up after them.”

Orr first heard about the ad from a voter who called to question why the candidate wanted to legalize marijuana.

Shortly after that call, Orr received another one. This time it was his granddaughter on the other end of the line. The second-grader had seen the TV ad and wanted to know what was going on, Orr said.

Orr questioned the timing of the ad and called it a desperate move by a nervous candidate. He does not plan to rebut the ad with one of his own.

“When you’re slinging mud, you’re losing ground,” Orr said.

McCaslin insisted the ad has nothing to do with mudslinging.

“I don’t see how George misread the questions,” McCaslin said.

, DataTimes