The election for the new city commissioners is just two weeks away. Most voters are focused on the candidates’ stance on Ordinance 1856, but Candidate Louis Stocking is bringing a different proposal into the limelight: marijuana policy and reform in the city of Kalamazoo. Founder of the Kalamazoo Coalition for Pragmatic Cannabis Laws (KCPCL), the 22 year old KVCC student believes that many of the city’s problems can be benefited by marijuana policy reform. After spending his youth in Kalamazoo, but his teen and early adult years elsewhere around the state, Mr. Stocking has returned to his hometown to complete a Political Science degree at KVCC and try to make a difference on the local level.
JS: What specifically led you to create KCPCL?
LS: I discovered I could voice many issues that many supported but were afraid to speak about. “Even after decades of research, cannabis is probably most well known for causing anxiety, agitation, and paranoia among politicians…” – Arno Hazekamp, PhD. This will be helpful to the patients and caregivers in our area. Also, I live in a community where medical marijuana passed 3 to 1.
Why do you think Kalamazoo specifically is in need of marijuana policy reform?
We need to pass this measure to show Kalamazoo doesn’t support wasteful and unnecessary spending on prosecuting, arresting, incarcerating and demeaning non-violent marijuana smokers. This amendment will also encourage the state and other communities to rethink how money is spent on enforcing certain crimes. During this economic crisis we need to conserve tax revenues wherever possible.
Louis Stocking
If elected as City Commissioner, how will you work to create significant reforms?
The most important issue Kalamazoo has is lack of proper representation. We need to create a representative democracy made of 7 districts in the city limits. A representative democracy is a system that will provide a representative in each of these districts. I will propose this to the new commission and put it on the ballot if necessary.
How do you think this new system will benefit the city?
Most of the commissioners live just over a mile from each other. I am not going to attempt to propose how we will create this type of democracy here and hope to talk it over between the next set of commissioners and other officials to best fit our needs so no neighborhood gets left behind or is unheard. It is much like the proposal that Detroit is facing this November.
You are the only candidate who has spoken about marijuana policy in Kalamazoo, which, as a sensitive topic, has unintentionally become your signature policy. What other actions will you take if elected as City Commissioner?
I think some things are more important than marijuana reform such as the economy (which is actually directly related to marijuana prohibition) and maintaining a fair democracy. This being said I support the representative democracy and development projects such as the creation of new technology centers within the city.
You say that the economy’s weaknesses are directly related to marijuana prohibition?
I don’t think think the largest impact marijuana has or could have on the economy is from the cost of enforcing our current marijuana laws. Marijuana is the number one cash crop in the United States with a value of $35.8 billion, [which] exceeds the combined value of corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion). Due to marijuana prohibition we cannot create an unimaginable amount of careers nor tap into a source of revenue that could the United States’ depression (or recession, whichever you prefer to call it).
As a young, non-incumbent, do you feel confident in drawing votes from students from KVCC, Kalamazoo College, and Western Michigan University? How have you inspired their participation in your favor?
The students arrived back less than 2 months ago. I have been in touch with the editor at the Western Herald, also keep track of the local Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University chapters of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
What are your political aspirations? Do you think that you will stay in Kalamazoo or perhaps make politics a career on a statewide or even national level?
I plan to keep my focus on the local issues. I daydream but I try to be realistic. Move? Not anytime soon. I grew up in this city and have no intention to move anytime soon. I have left and come back several times.
Mr. Stocking is on Facebook and can be contacted via his website www.louisstocking.com.
