Bipartisan Support Grows for Marijuana Reclassification in U.S.

It is too early to say whether America’s divide on marijuana is coming to an end. However, with new-found bipartisan support for a federal policy change moving marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to a Schedule III substance, the needle may finally be moving in a more positive direction.

It is no surprise that as more states legalize medical and recreational cannabis, attitudes toward marijuana have dramatically shifted in the U.S. According to a Pew Research Center poll, an overwhelming majority of U.S. adults support making marijuana legal for medical or recreational adult use. It may be that more politicians are listening to the American people and shifting their stance, leading to increasing bipartisan support for changing marijuana policy at the federal level. However, there is still plenty of work to be done by cannabis enthusiasts to bring the topic to the forefront of the political landscape.

Examining Bipartisan Support for Marijuana Reclassification  

In what many people suggest is a first, both presidential candidates are coming down on the side of a federal policy change to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Currently, the Drug Enforcement Administration has been moving forward with plans to move marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III substance. However, the federal agency has delayed their marijuana reclassification decision until December, after the presidential election.

Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, says she backs decriminalization and calls it “absurd” to put marijuana in the same class of drugs as heroin. She is the first presidential nominee to advocate for marijuana legalization, a significant shift from her time as a prosecutor and California’s top law enforcement official convicting people for marijuana offenses and opposing recreational marijuana sales. However, since that time, Vice President Harris has supported President Joe Biden when he proclaimed he was pardoning people convicted of federal and Washington, D.C. simple marijuana possession offenses. She has also co-sponsored a bill to end federal prohibition on marijuana.

The Leader of the GOP Weighs In

In one of perhaps the only issues they agree on, Republican presidential contender Donald Trump also says he supports reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. He has also stated that he would be voting “yes” on a Florida proposal to allow the sale of marijuana to adults in the state for any reason. In his first political outing, he also told Sean Hannity, “I’d say it’s bad. Medical marijuana is another thing, but I think it’s bad, and I feel strongly about that,” when asked whether Colorado’s decision to regulate marijuana for adult-use was a “good or bad experiment.”

During his 2016 campaign run, Trump also suggested that marijuana policy should be up to the states. However, when his then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions lifted an Obama-era policy that prevented federal authorities from cracking down on the marijuana trade in states where the drug is legal, his administration also upheld the federal prohibition of cannabis. Trump’s 2021 fiscal budget proposal included removing protections for state medical marijuana laws.

This presidential go-around, now that marijuana policy is front and center of the national debate, Trump is changing his turn about marijuana. However, his previous words and actions as president seem to suggest a more anti-cannabis stance.

If voters are confused about the candidates’ shifting positions on marijuana reform and reclassification, it may be time to examine the individual’s record, take words with a grain of salt, and instead focus on actions.

Bipartisan Support at the Presidential Level is Only Half the Story

Bipartisan support for cannabis reform at the presidential level is crucial. However, the president cannot unilaterally decide U.S. policy. The president must work with Congress to produce comprehensive marijuana reform policies that stick. Unfortunately, that has not been easy in a divided Congress, despite “bipartisan” appearances. The SAFER Banking Act has been stuck in Senate limbo, even though both sides of the aisle initially expressed support for the measure, which would help legitimate marijuana businesses access crucial financial services. Donald Trump’s Vice-Presidential pick and Ohio Senator JD Vance voted “no” on Ohio’s Issue 2 to legalize marijuana. He also voted against advancing the SAFER Banking Act for a potential full Senate vote.

Bipartisan marijuana legislation has stalled in the House of Representatives, thanks mainly to the efforts of House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), who staunchly opposes marijuana reform. The Trump-backed politician has repeatedly voted against numerous marijuana measures, including banking, research, and legalization. He has also refused to bring marijuana legislation up for a vote in the House.

While some conservatives are coming down on the side of marijuana reform, there are still several leaders in power who have continued to work to stall progressive cannabis reform measures to score political points.

States Continue to Pave the Way in Place of Federal Help

States continue to blaze the cannabis trail in terms of progressive reform policies such as decriminalization and adult-use policies. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have some form of marijuana legalization on the books. That number may increase as Florida prepares for voters to cast their ballot on legalizing recreational marijuana. The Florida Supreme Court recently ruled that voters can decide whether to protect abortion rights and legalize adult-use marijuana. The state’s attorney general argued that the measure should be kept off the November ballot, perhaps because those issues tend to galvanize more liberal voters.

Voters in North and South Dakota will also get the opportunity to vote on whether to legalize adult-use marijuana, which needs only a simple majority to pass in those states. Nebraska voters may also get the chance to vote to legalize medical marijuana. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen says enough petition signatures were collected to qualify for a statewide vote on the issue. He now faces a strict deadline to certify measures to place the issue on Nebraska ballots.

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