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Louisiana’s Democratic senator opposes medical pot. Her Republican opponent supports it.

Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) attends a press conference.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) attends a press conference.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) attends a press conference.
Allison Shelley / Getty Images News

Medical marijuana crossed party lines at Tuesday night’s Senate debate in Louisiana. Senator Mary Landrieu, the Democratic incumbent, said she opposes allowing pot for medical purposes, while her Republican challenger, Representative Bill Cassidy, a doctor, said he supports it.

The partisan split is a bit unusual. Democrat-leaning states have embraced medical marijuana more quickly than Republican-leaning states, and Democrats are generally more supportive of medical marijuana.

Although Landrieu opposes medical marijuana, she appears to be just fine with keg stands on college campuses, as BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski pointed out. The senator was photographed in September helping a man in his late 20s do a keg stand at a Louisiana State University tailgating event, the Hill reported.

Excessive drinking causes nearly one in 10 deaths among Americans ages 20 to 64, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published in June. Marijuana has never been reported to have caused a deadly overdose, although it may increase the risk of traffic accidents.

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