A Denver-based group -- Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER -- that advocates decriminalization of marijuana, has launched a new campaign focusing on Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy McCain, who heads one of the nation's largest beer distributors. According to its Website, SAFER's mission is "to educate the public about the fact that marijuana is safer than alcohol to both the user and to society." In the campaign, called "Cindy McCain: Drug Dealer," the group argues that because marijuana is safer than alcohol, marijuana should not be treated more harshly than alcohol in the eyes of the law. From the campaign's Website:

Cindy McCain is the chairperson and majority shareholder of Hensley & Co., which annually distributes more than 23 million cases of Anheuser-Busch beer. As the head of the Hensley cartel, Cindy makes millions of dollars dealing a drug far more harmful than marijuana: ALCOHOL.

Visitors to the Website will find a "Wanted" poster featuring McCain's photo (with a $420 reward, of course); counters that track the number of cases of beer Hensley has sold this year and the number of alcohol-related fatalities, and a petition stating, "If a major alcohol dealer can be the First Lady of the United States, then our country should not punish adults for simply making the rational, SAFER choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol for relaxation or recreation." The group insists that this is not an attack on McCain or alcohol. From a press release:

As we've said time and time again, we respect the right of adults to use alcohol responsibly. We are simply standing up for the millions of Americans our government punishes and considers criminals just because they make the SAFER choice to use marijuana for relaxation and recreation.

Some have speculated that Cindy McCain's position at Hensley could hurt the prospects of her husband for winning the support of teetotaling religious conservatives. Who would have thought potheads would be among the first to raise the issue publicly?