Bi-partitisian supports seems to be the constant red light for cannabis in Congress. While Trump, as of late, has stayed consistent to his support of state’s individual decisions, it wouldn’t be the first time he changed his mind on a topic. After the whirlwind of positive movement towards federal legalization, bringing up Trump’s feelings on cannabis can seem odd. It’s been a few weeks since his statements before the G7 summit but, not much has been added or done on his end to solidify that statement. Despite his supportive comments, some of his administration has had opposing views since beginning of his candidacy. Those views have constantly contradict his stance to let states decide. While he has been our most vocal president as far as his support of Cannabis, the lack of consistency from the group is a concern. As news of Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer’s, de-scheduling plans makes its way to the House of Representatives, it’s only fit to go over what President Trump could be doing to help our plant get where it needs to be.
Despite my skepticism, the support is an echo of a promise given privately to Colorado Senator Cory Gardner regarding cannabis. This discussion came after Gardner held up DOJ nominations when Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, rescinded protections to legal-cannabis states. It’s the only follow-up statements Trump has made since then.
I support Senator Gardner. I know exactly what he’s doing,” Trump told reporters in Washington, when asked about the legislation. “We’re looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes.”
-President Donald Trump, to reporters before departing for G7
The lack of clarity doesn’t help when many Republican leaders strike down any cannabis-related legislation they see. Pete Sessions, no relation to the attorney general, is responsible for more of this on the House level. The Chairman of House Rule Committee has blocked any cannabis amendments from seeing the floor in the last two years.
The last time a cannabis amendment was voted on by the full House was back in May of 2016 to allow veterans to receive medical recommendations from U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs physicians. The House saw numerous cannabis-language before that point, which was approved. The blockade began when the house prevented measures for cannabis banking in Washington D.C. Chairman Sessions has been committed to not giving his peers the opportunity to vote on another cannabis bill. Even recently, he shared his views on cannabis effect of the opioid epidemic.
“If addiction is the problem and we have marketers of addiction that include marijuana — because all you have to do is go to any of the stores in Colorado and they can give you high to low to medium to chocolate — we ought to call for it what it is. If it were nicotine, it would have been outlawed; well, it would have been handled differently. But this is a political issue.”
These are just the views of some of the republican side, however. Many others such as Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, and former Speaker, John Boehner, are among the republican party members who support and advocate for cannabis legalization. They’ve both pushed for legalization for medicinal and agricultural reasons instead of simply for adult-use. They continue their push for legislation that will bring bipartisan support in both the Senate and House of representatives, given that without republican support, no cannabis bill will ever make it.
At the moment, however, the House Judiciary Committee has not scheduled any meetings or hearings about the STATES Act or the Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act.
Trump’s support could potentially have a major impact, providing political cover for Republicans who worry about being tagged as soft on drugs. Still, the proposal faces a tough road in Congress. Gardner is still very welcoming of Trump’s “continued interest in an approach that respects the will of the voters in each state.” But interest only won’t get the job done. Either way, the president’s comments of support put him directly at odds with the Attorney General and caused a bit of a stir with their differing stances. Sessions, in response, has ramped up those threats and has also lobbied Congress to reduce current protections for medical marijuana.
Though many do feel the cannabis industry needs to go over a few more obstacles on a state level before it goes higher, the support still needs to be there to get anything positive done.
We have the president’s support based off his relationship with Senator Gardner. We, as a community, need to advocate for our plant’s protection the correct ways. Research politicians who share your views on cannabis and inquire about your current legislations to find out their stance. For this process to work, we have to use the process to our advantage. Educate on cannabis reform and share the plant’s benefits outside of adult-use as much as possible.
One of the only ways to help Trump keep his promise and get legislation through Congress is to make sure those in Congress hold similar views to the communities.
Written by: Joycelin Arnold
