As the presidential election approaches, it’s becoming clearer that cannabis policy might be a point of interest for voters. With the Kamala Harris campaign leaning into the vice president’s pro-weed agenda, contender Donald Trump is now shifting his position to the soft support of legalization. The former president is also attempting to use Harris’ poor history of cannabis prosecutions as a talking point against her.
During a press conference at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, Trump hinted that he might support the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Florida. While not committing outright, he expressed a growing acceptance of marijuana legalization, noting that it is becoming more common across the country.
“As we legalize it, I start to agree a lot more because, you know, it’s being legalized all over the country,” Trump said.
Trump acknowledged the inconsistency in keeping people in jail for actions that are increasingly legal nationwide.
“As we legalize it throughout the country — whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing — it’s awfully hard to have people all over the jails that are in jail right now for something that’s legal,” Trump said.
It’s somewhat of a turning point for Trump, who has praised countries that execute drug traffickers since his time in the Oval Office (although he more recently walked that back).
During his time as president, Trump refrained from making any moves to help or harm the legal cannabis industry. He seemed willing to allow states to experiment with their own cannabis policies and even reportedly chastised then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions when he chose to rescind an Obama-era Department of Justice memorandum that instructed federal prosecutors to leave state-approved marijuana businesses alone.
Although Trump has repeatedly opposed marijuana legalization, he’s also repeatedly voiced concerns about disproportionate enforcement and overly harsh punishments for cannabis use. He even pardoned or commuted the sentences of three cannabis prisoners in the final weeks of his presidency.
Those remarks were made in response to a question about Harris’ stance that people should not be arrested for low-level marijuana crimes and the Biden administration’s attempt to reschedule the drug under the Controlled Substances Act, and they appear to place Trump on equal footing with Harris when it comes to the criminalization of marijuana.
To give himself the upper hand in the matter, Trump recently attacked Harris for her less-than-golden record with cannabis prosecutions during her time in the California justice department.
“She was a bad prosecutor. She was a prosecutor of black people,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News. “She put thousands and thousands of black people in jail over marijuana. But when it came to big crime — murders and everything else — she was weak.”
Notably, the former president briefly mentioned Florida’s upcoming vote on cannabis legalization. “Florida has something coming up,” he said. “I’ll be making a statement about that fairly soon.”
This ballot initiative proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow adults 21 and over to possess, purchase or use marijuana for personal, nonmedical purposes. The amendment would also enable medical marijuana treatment centers and other state-licensed operators to cultivate, process and sell marijuana products. If approved by 60% or more of voters, the amendment would take effect in May 2025. If passed, individuals will be allowed to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana and 5 grams of concentrate.
If Trump chooses to support the measure, it would present an interesting contrast with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican leader who has been a vocal opponent of marijuana legalization and who recently faced off against Trump in the Republican primaries. At a recent breakfast meeting during the GOP convention in Milwaukee, DeSantis urged the Republican Party of Florida to oppose the ballot measure. He criticized the amendment, arguing that it would grant individuals an unlimited right to possess and smoke marijuana. DeSantis also expressed concerns about the potency of modern cannabis products and reiterated the claim that drug dealers might lace marijuana with fentanyl.
While most elected Republicans in Florida remain against legalization, Joe Gruters — a Trump ally and candidate for the state’s chief financial officer — publicly supported the amendment. Gruters decided to back Trump instead of DeSantis in 2023, and his support of cannabis legalization could be a hint at how Trump’s policies might differ from more traditional GOP leaders like DeSantis.
The potential alignment of Trump with the pro-legalization movement in Florida reflects the evolving national landscape on cannabis policy. If Trump publicly endorses the amendment, it could influence the upcoming vote in Florida and drastically change Republican sentiment around marijuana across the country.
The only fly in the ointment might be Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
In November, Ohio voters legalized recreational marijuana, with nearly 60% support, despite opposition from Vance, who recently expressed his disapproval of marijuana legalization during an interview with conservative Christian Right Wing talk show host Bob Frantz in Cleveland.
Vance explained his opposition by saying that he does not want marijuana to be prevalent in public spaces where children play or people go about their daily activities. He expressed concerns that cities in states like Colorado and California, where recreational marijuana is legal, have become “open-air drug markets.”
While Vance opposes recreational marijuana, he clarified that he does not believe people caught with small amounts, such as a joint, should be imprisoned. However, he emphasized his personal disapproval of marijuana use.
Legalize federally now. What’s legal to possess and consume in over half of the populated areas of The United States should not make you a criminal in states still being governed by woefully ignorant prohibitionist politicians.
Cannabis consumers in all states deserve and demand equal rights and protections under our laws that are currently afforded to the drinkers of far more dangerous and deadly, yet perfectly legal, widely accepted, endlessly advertised and even glorified as an All-American pastime, alcohol.
Plain and simple!
Legalize Nationwide Federally Now!
It’s time for us, the majority of The People to take back control of our national cannabis policy. By voting OUT of office any and all politicians who very publicly and vocally admit to having an anti-cannabis, prohibitionist agenda! Time to vote’em all OUT of office. Period. Plain and simple.
Politicians who continue to demonize Cannabis, Corrupt Law Enforcement Officials who prefer to ruin peoples lives over Cannabis possession rather than solve real crimes who fund their departments toys and salaries with monies acquired through cannabis home raids, seizures and forfeitures, and so-called “Addiction Specialists” who make their income off of the judicial misfortunes of our citizens who choose cannabis, – Your actions go against The Will of The People and Your Days In Office Are Numbered! Find new careers before you don’t have one.
The People have spoken! Get on-board with Cannabis Legalization Nationwide, or be left behind and find new careers. Your choice.