Indiana U.S. Senate candidate says he smoked pot at concerts
Thomas McDermott Jr. (Photo Provided/The Committee to Elect Thomas M. McDermott, Jr.)
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — A northwestern Indiana mayor has acknowledged he smoked marijuana at two recent Grateful Dead concerts in Chicago and pledged he would work to legalize marijuana nationwide if he wins election next year to the U.S. Senate.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. is the highest-profile Democrat seeking to challenge Republican Sen. Todd Young’s reelection campaign.
McDermott, 52, talked during his “Left of Center” podcast Friday about the shows at Wrigley Field, saying they were enhanced by the ability to legally use marijuana, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports.
He said he was driven home and wasn’t intoxicated.
McDermott says Indiana is missing out on economic growth by keeping marijuana illegal.