Cannabutter Digest – Will GOP Pivot Be More 420-Friendly?

It seems there will be dramatic policy shifts in the United States now that Donald Trump has been elected president and Republicans are set to take over the House and the Senate. The previous Trump administration legalized hemp via the 2018 Farm Bill. However, there is no good reason to believe that hemp legalization will translate into beneficial marijuana policies, federal cannabis legalization, or marijuana reform this time around.

Whether you are a cannabis enthusiast or part of the $32 billion legal marijuana industry, you are about to find out what Republican control of the White House means for the cannabis industry. If the past can tell us anything about the future, chances are the change in leadership and control of the country won’t bode well for cannabis reform and federal legalization measures.

Will GOP Control of the Country Mean More 420-Friendly Policies?

Will Republican control of the United States now mean more 420-friendly policies and cannabis reform? Don’t hold your breath. In November, Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump won a second term in office. Republicans also secured control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. With control firmly in Republican hands, many believe the president and new Congress have the power and control they need to enforce new and sweeping policies. However, that may not be a good thing for cannabis lovers and the legal cannabis industry.

Looking to Florida

It should be apparent where the pessimistic attitude comes from. Conservatives and Republican leaders have been haptically against radical cannabis reform and legalization measures. There should be no surprise that now that conservatives are in charge, nothing will change. While President-elect Donald Trump signaled early in his re-election campaign that he supported state marijuana legalization and that he would be voting in favor of legalization in his home state of Florida, voters there rejected an adult-use initiative. It was a measure his Republican counterpart, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), vehemently opposed.

Florida has over 800,000 medical marijuana patients on the books and generates nearly $2 billion in medical marijuana sales. Enthusiasm for marijuana in the state has only increased, making recreational legalization seem like a no-brainer. However, in 2006, an amendment raised the threshold for voter approval to 60 percent. Some conservative lawmakers and large business groups claiming it was too easy to change the state’s amendments pushed for a higher voter approval threshold. Ironically, the amendment that forced measures to hit a 60 percent voter threshold only passed by 57.78 percent of the vote.

Although the majority of voters voted in favor of legalizing adult-use marijuana in Florida, the measure did not hit the 60 percent requirement. Additionally, Republican lawmakers like Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) and Rep. Rick Roth (R-West Palm Beach) have suggested stricter measures requiring ballot measures to reach a two-thirds majority, or 66.67 percent of the vote to pass. Does that sound like Republicans want to allow Florida voters to decide the fate of recreational marijuana?

Considering Other States

This election cycle, look at the other conservative, red-leaning states with marijuana measures on the ballot. Voters in North Dakotas and South Dakota rejected adult-use legalization measures. Both measures faced heavy backlash from state Republican leaders. Gov. Kristi Noem ( R) has repeatedly fought against legalized recreational marijuana in South Dakota, even initiating a legal fight to strike down previously passed legalization initiatives. She has also signed a bill that removes protections from state medical marijuana facilities.

Actions like these by Republican governors seem to indicate that at the state level, cannabis legalization feels rigged to fail. For the overwhelming number of Americans who support legal medical or recreational marijuana, more progress on the issue needs to come from the federal government.

Marijuana Reform at the Federal Level

If you are expecting more progressive marijuana policies to come out of the White House and the federal government with Donald Trump at the helm, think again. He has continually offered mixed messages about the issue, recently claiming he supported some pro-cannabis policies. However, he has previously gone on record with conservative host Sean Hannity, saying, “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 about Colorado’s decision to regulate marijuana for adult-use.

Do not overlook his previous time in office either. His former 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. Additionally, the previous Trump administration upheld a federal prohibition of cannabis, and his 2021 fiscal budget proposal included provisions for removing protections for state medical marijuana programs.

Opposition Within the Grand Old Party

Consider the other members of his party currently in office to get an even better idea of where federal cannabis policy may be headed. It is no secret that current House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) tenaciously opposes marijuana reform. The Trump-backed politician has repeatedly voted against progressive marijuana measures and has refused to bring pro-marijuana legislation up for a vote in the House while President Joe Biden has been in office.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who just won re-election in Texas and backed Donald Trump, opposes the planned move of cannabis from a Schedule I controlled substance to a Schedule III substance, suggesting that reclassifying marijuana will increase impaired driving and car accidents.

These comments and beliefs do not sound like a positive move forward for the cannabis movement. Although there has been some bi-partisan effort toward cannabis reform, by and large, conservative Republican lawmakers are not pro-cannabis, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. It is difficult to expect significant movement from the federal government concerning cannabis legalization or decriminalization when those now in charge have shown time and again that they do not stand for pro-cannabis people or the marijuana industry. That does not mean all is lost for the cannabis reform movement. However, it will take passionate voters and grassroots state-based efforts to shift the tide and show politicians that cannabis is a topic that deserves serious consideration and is an issue that can move the dial.