Just in time for Super Tuesday, here’s an overview of the presidential candidate’s stances on federal Cannabis legalization.
After all, this green plant holds a very dear place in our hearts and the hearts of over 30 other states. So, before you hit the polls tomorrow make sure you check out our list below!
Republican Candidates
(Incumbent) Donald Trump
The president has made it clear in the past month that he is against legalizing cannabis on a federal level. The Trump Administration has proposed removing medical marijuana protections in the 2021 fiscal budget. This means that the federal government would again have funding to arrest, fine, or harass state medical marijuana agencies and patients.
“I think what the president is looking at is looking at this from a standpoint of a parent — of a parent of a young person — to make sure that we keep our kids away from drugs,” Mr. Lotter, the director of strategic communications for the Trump 2020 campaign. “They need to be kept illegal. That is the federal policy.”
Bill Weld
Bill Weld is on the board of directors for the Cannabis investment firm Acreage Holdings, so it is fair to say he has a personal stake in the legalization of Cannabis. Recently, Weld endorsed the STATES Act, calling the bill to end federal prohibition, “his favorite piece of legislation that is on the Hill right now.”
Democratic Candidates
Joe Biden
Joe Biden’s opposition to the legalization of Marijuana has been made very well known even before his bid for the race. Biden recently gave an interview to the New York Times editorial board where he stated that Cannabis should not be legalized without more studies.
” I think science matters,” he stated. ” I mean one of the reasons I’m running against the guy I’m running against is science matters, not fiction.”
Michael Bloomberg
Mike Bloomberg does not support the federal legalization of Cannabis, in fact, history has shown him to tout quite an anti-marijuana rhetoric. On the topic of Marijuana law reform, he had this to say,
“We have a different kind of problem in America, for example. Last year, in 2017, 72,000 Americans [overdosed] on drugs. In 2018, more people than that are OD-ing on drugs, have OD’d on drugs. And today, incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic, which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done. “
Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard is very much for Cannabis legalization on a federal level. In a statement made in her formal campaign launch speech, she made this clear by criticizing a criminal justice system that,
“puts people in prison for smoking marijuana while allowing corporations like Purdue Pharma, who are responsible for the opioid-related deaths of thousands of people, to walk away scot-free with their coffers full.”
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is on the side on Cannabis legalization so much that he has promised legal Marijuana to all 50 states on day 1 of his presidency if he were to be elected.
“We will end the destructive war on drugs,” Sander said at a rally in Ceder Rapids “On my first day in office through executive order we will legalize marijuana in every state in this country.”
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren is very much for the legalization of Cannabis. Her campaign website has a lengthy page dedicated to all of her beliefs on why Marijuana needs to be federally legal. She even states,”
“For four decades, we’ve subscribed to a “War on Drugs” theory of crime, which has criminalized addiction, ripped apart families—and failed to curb drug use. Legalizing marijuana and erasing past convictions won’t fully end the War on Drugs or address its painful legacy, but it’s a needed step in the right direction.”
