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Kevin Ludlow presenting his closing arguments at the Dionysium Debate (photo credit: Jad Davis) Although not officially part of the campaign, the wonderful people at the Dionysium invited me to be one of the debaters for their September show. As one who loves formal debate and as one who loves the arts, I was thrilled to be a part of the show. The September topic was to resolve that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun". I had the pleasure of defending the position. Pitted against me was Dionysium regular Jonathan Patschke. And so for roughly 40 minutes Jonathan and I argued deeply philosophical points back and forth. The problem, I discovered, is that arguing that political power does indeed stem from the barrel of a gun is a wildly unpopular position. It is most certainly true, but it's not something that people want to hear. Be that as it is, the basis of my campaign is to show people that we can do better. We don't need the force of government dictating our every move. I did get to field a question or two from the audience regarding my campaign platform. The response received a huge round of applause and once again confirmed my belief that the ideas of personal freedom are very popular in Austin.

The Cannabis Report logo I was recently sent a candidate survey from the Texas Cannabis Report. I will post a direct link to the survey whenever it goes live on their site, but in the meantime wanted to ensure people had full access to my positions. Do you support any of the following? Please explain your specific stance on the issue. Hemp legalization Yes. I absolutely support the legalization of hemp. I do not support placing any unique taxes or restrictions on the growing or selling of hemp, hemp products, or hemp-related industries. Marijuana penalty reduction Yes. I fully support marijuana penalty reduction. I do not believe there should be any penalties for growing, possessing, using, selling or distributing marijuana to adults. Medical marijuana Yes, I support medical marijuana. It is an absolute travesty that any government would attempt to impose restrictions on a substance that has been medically proven time and again to treat myriad of problems without any significant side effects. Medical marijuana, at an absolute minimum, should be legalized in the State of Texas immediately. Affirmative medical defense in court for marijuana patients Yes, I support affirmative medical defenses. I do not support placing any penalties on marijuana and thus this becomes a moot point. However, and speaking within the law, states that allow medical marijuana should not be able to pursue charges of any kind against medical marijuana users regardless of whether the individual can produce state-issued identification cards or not. The right to treat oneself should never be infringed upon. Marijuana legalization Yes. I completely support marijuana legalization. While I do not believe that any restrictions or taxes should be placed upon the adult use of this plant, I would be willing to accept the recent Colorado legislation as a step in the right direction. Releasing non-violent marijuana offenders from prison Yes. I have stated this position time and again and spoke extensively about it at Texas NORML. People should not be in cages for non-violent drug offense - ever - period. Furthermore, all people who have been convicted of non-violent drug offenses should be immediately removed from prison. I would further add that such people should be restituted by the state for unjust and inhumane imprisonment. Growing marijuana at home, whether medically or recreationally Yes. I support the right to grow marijuana at home for any purpose desired, be it medical or recreational. Much like my position on the legalization of marijuana, I do not believe that any restrictions should be placed on growing marijuana at home. That stated, I would be willing to accept the recent Colorado legislation as a step in the right direction (this legislation sets a limit to the quantity of plants that can be grown at any one time).

The campaign spread in the Austin Pets Directory One of the best parts of running a political campaign is getting to meet new people in all sorts of life experiences. One of those people I stumbled across happens to be one of Austin's most amazing by the name of Liz Parker. Liz is the city's go-to for all things related to dogs. She is a volunteer at the Austin Animal Shelter, Austin Pets Alive, and also happens to own a local print magazine called Austin Pets Directory. And wouldn't you know it, she wanted to do a story about the campaign in her magazine. We had a great time with it and I love the writeup she did. The article reads as follows: Kevin Ludlow is a lot of things. He's a writer, musician, a successful owner and operator of a software firm, an avid animal lover, and most notably - he is a candidate for the Texas House of Representatives in District 46. He is passionate, but thoughtful, and pretty brilliant. There are a few people who make the world a better place and we think Kevin Ludlow is one of them. A Houston native (we love almost everything about him) and 16 year Austin resident, Kevin has always had a penchant for both writing and political activism. His involvement with civic activities began when he was a student at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating with a BA in mathematics in 2003, Ludlow traveled to New Zealand where he lived for a year. After returning to Austin, Kevin returned to writing. He was inspired by the feedback his political musings received and in 2012 that feedback fueled his drive to publish a book, American Healthcare: A Moderate Approach In August of the same year, Ludlow, along with Jad Davis, founded the JKPodcast, a weekly political science podcast. The show quickly grew in popularity and has thousands of listeners. When Kevin decided to run for office, he never imagined getting this far. "I thought, if I can get even 16% of the votes, that's a huge accomplishment", he says. But the Libertarian party had other plans. Thanks to the party and its volunteers, and thousands of supporters who believe in Ludlow's positions on both state and national issues, he has made incredible progress. Growing up, the Ludlow family had no less than two cats at a time. Kevin also enjoyed caring for the family fish, gerbils, hamsters, and even a crawfish named Bob. He's also had a Sheltie named Barney the Dog, a Chihuahua named Freckles, and Senor Taco, a dachshund. He is a big time fan of the put bull breed and is always pet sitting for friends. If you care about issues like drug law reform, LGBT: marriage and Equality, and women's rights, or just want to learn more, visit Ludlow2014.com.