Politics
Democratic Lawmaker Pushes GOP House Speaker To Put Marijuana Bills On Floor After Trump Support And Nixon Revelation
A Democratic congressman is calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to bring marijuana legislation to the floor in light of former President Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of state and federal reform, as well as newly unearthed audio capturing former President Richard Nixon conceding that cannabis is “not particularly dangerous.”
In a letter sent to Johnson on Monday, Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) said the comments from Nixon, whose administration codified federal marijuana criminalization, represent “a devastating public admission of a devastating public policy.”
“For 50 years, the Schedule I classification of cannabis has inflicted generational harm on Black and Brown communities who have suffered from the deliberate and disproportionate enforcement of criminalization,” Blumenauer wrote. “It confirms what we have known for years, but we have never heard it in Nixon’s own words before.”
The congressman also pointed out that Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee, recently backed an adult-use cannabis legalization initiative that’s on the ballot in Florida, as well as federal rescheduling and legislation to allow marijuana industry access to the banking system. Vice President Kamala Harris has been silent on the issue since becoming the Democratic nominee, but she’s also strongly advocated for cannabis reform in the past.
“With both party leaders in favor of commonsense reforms and the revelation that the President who started the war on drugs never found cannabis dangerous, it is clearly past time for Congress to act,” the letter says. “I strongly encourage you to bring bipartisan cannabis legislation to a vote as soon as possible.”
Blumenauer, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, discussed a series of cannabis bills that he believes could pass if brought to the floor. That includes the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act to federally legalize marijuana, earlier versions of which have passed the House twice under Democratic control. He said bipartisan cannabis banking legislation and a proposal to promote veterans’ access to medical marijuana are also “examples of policies that could easily clear the House if you simply bring them to the floor for a vote.”
“As we approach the government funding deadline, it is clear we will need to remain in Washington to keep the government open. What remains unclear is what we will vote on while you continue to negotiate to resolve the budget impacts,” he said. “I would suggest moving policies that, instead of further dividing us, makes a difference for the American people, including for our veterans, law enforcement, small businesses, and more.”
“It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Whether Johnson will take the congressman’s advice remains to be seen. Prior to becoming speaker, Johnson consistently opposed cannabis reform, including on incremental issues like cannabis banking and making it easier to conduct scientific research on the plant.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with Marijuana Moment last week, Blumenauer also weighed in on Trump’s newfound position on cannabis, saying it “shows that now everybody agrees—even Donald Trump.”
But other lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Andy Harris (R-MD), have been skeptical about the authenticity of Trump’s stated support for marijuana reform, arguing that it amounts to a campaign ploy to attract voters ahead of the November election.
Harris’s campaign has also recently accused Trump of lying about his support for marijuana reform, stating that his “blatant pandering” runs counter to his administration’s record on cannabis.
“As president, Trump cracked down on nonviolent marijuana offenses—undermining state legalization laws, opposed safe banking legislation, and even tried to remove protections for medical marijuana,” Harris campaign spokesperson Joseph Costello said. “Donald Trump does not actually believe in marijuana reform, but the American people are smart enough to see through his campaign lies.”
While the campaign seems willing to call out Trump on his marijuana platform, it has so far declined to detail the Democratic nominee’s own position—even though she privately reaffirmed her support for legalization during a roundtable event at the White House event with marijuana pardon recipients in March and also sponsored a bill to end federal prohibition during her time in the Senate.
Advocates have also taken notice that a new, long-awaited issues page launched by the Harris campaign omits any mention of marijuana policy reform despite her record promoting comprehensive legalization.
The prior Biden-Harris campaign had also made several prior attempts to contrast the administration’s marijuana reform actions with those of the Trump administration, emphasizing the role that then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions played in rescinding the cannabis enforcement guidance.
Following Trump’s announcement of support for the Florida cannabis legalization ballot measure, the campaign for Harris has worked to remind voters that while in office, the former president “took marijuana reform backwards.”
In a memo from a senior campaign spokesperson, the Harris campaign accused Trump of “brazen flip flops” on cannabis. The Democratic campaign says it’s one of the Republican former president’s “several bewildering ‘policy proposals’ that deserve real scrutiny.”
“On issue after issue, Trump is saying one thing after having done another,” the memo says. “For example: As a candidate in 2024, he suggests he is for decriminalizing marijuana – but as President, his own Justice Department cracked down on marijuana offenses.”
Trump’s latest marijuana post follows up on one he made last month in which he indicated—but did not explicitly say—he supported Amendment 3 in Florida. The earlier comments predicted that Florida voters would approve the cannabis measure and generally discussed the benefits of legalization, but left some observers wanting more clarity on the former president’s position on the specific state initiative.
Trump also recently discussed the medical benefits of cannabis and said legalization would be “very good” for Florida in an interview with Lex Fridman.
Last month at a press conference, Trump told a reporter that he’s starting to “agree a lot more” that people should not be criminalized over marijuana given that it’s “being legalized all over the country”—adding that he would “fairly soon” reveal his position on the Florida ballot measure.
Meanwhile, longtime ally and GOP political operative Roger Stone, who is also a Florida resident and supports the legalization proposal, separately told Marijuana Moment that if Trump did ultimately endorse the measure it would “guarantee victory.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who is sponsoring a bill to federally legalize marijuana called the States Reform Act, separately said that while she hoped Trump would back the Biden administration’s rescheduling move, she also said part of the reason Republicans in Congress have declined to embrace marijuana policy change is because they’re “afraid of it.”
Trump also recently went after Harris over her prosecutorial record on marijuana, claiming that she put “thousands and thousands of Black people in jail” for cannabis offenses—but the full record of her time in office is more nuanced.
Trump’s line of attack, while misleading, was nonetheless notable in the sense that the GOP presidential nominee implied that he disagrees with criminalizing people over marijuana and is moving to leverage the idea that Harris played a role in racially disproportionate mass incarceration.
Meanwhile, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) separately told Marijuana Moment in a recent interview that if Trump is serious about his recently stated support for the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, he needs to “bring us some Republican senators” to advance it through the chamber.
Hickenlooper, as well as Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), weighed in on the cannabis banking issue in interviews last week, though none were aware at the time that Trump had endorsed the policy change days earlier.
Brown said that “we don’t have enough Republicans, we don’t think,” to secure the passage of the SAFER Banking Act. That point has previously been contested, however, with the bill’s lead Republican sponsor Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) insisting that the votes are there to move the measure along.
Hickenlooper, meanwhile, said that while he hadn’t been appraised on the latest Trump remarks on cannabis banking, he’s skeptical about how serious the former president is in the position, commenting that “it might change by tomorrow” given his proclivity for rapidly taking on opposite sides of various issues.
He added that the SAFER Banking Act is “going through this process,” but he also said the Biden administration’s push to federally reschedule cannabis represents “a major step forward” that could help grease the wheels on marijuana banking reform.
“I think rescheduling is going to get SAFE Banking through the Senate,” the senator said. “Donald Trump can say whatever he wants, but unless you bring us some Republican senators, we’re not going to get SAFE Banking.”
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report last month explaining that federal marijuana rescheduling is “unlikely” to improve banking access for state-legal cannabis businesses, But Blumenauer similarly argued that the reclassification move, when it is enacted, could have a political effect that spurs action on the separate marijuana banking legislation.
It should also be noted that the proposed rescheduling action isn’t guaranteed. Following a public comment period, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last month announced that it has scheduled an administrative hearing in December to gain additional input before potentially finalizing the rule. It’s possible that rulemaking could extend into January, meaning there’s a chance that the next presidential administration could influence the final outcome.
Read Blumenauer’s letter to Johnson on bringing cannabis reform bills to the floor below:
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
