Republican Rep. John Mica rolls into pot hearing with fake joint
Screenshot


"I have this joint here" is probably not a phrase often uttered in subcommittee hearings.
John Mica (R-Fla.) rolls differently, though, and he brought a marijuana cigarette — "Don't get too excited…this is not a real one, it's a mock one." — to a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee hearing on Friday. The hearing was in response to a recently passed bill that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in Washington, D.C., Politico reports.
Mica used the prop while discussing how many grams of cannabis individuals would be able to possess without triggering criminal penalties under the new law. Either way, the image was surprising, to say the least:
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As for who prepared the visual aid?
"I had staff do it," Mica said. "They have more experience."
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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