Politics
GOP Congressman Being Supported By Marijuana Industry Donations Says Legalization Is ‘Hurting’ People
A Republican congressman whose reelection bid is being boosted by donations from some of the U.S.’s largest marijuana businesses says the legalization of cannabis is “hurting” society.
A question posed to Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and his Democratic opponent Cait Conely during a debate on Monday asked whether New York’s legal cannabis law is “helping or hurting our local economy and neighborhoods.”
Conley said legal marijuana is “helping,” while Lawler replied that it is “hurting.”
Although the answer is in line with the incumbent congressman’s track record of opposing marijuana reform, it comes as his effort to keep his seat is being boosted with ads that are paid for by cannabis company contributions.
As Marijuana Moment reported earlier this month, a political action committee that shares the same treasurer as President Donald Trump’s own super PAC is using money raised from marijuana business donations to pay for independent expenditures in support of several vulnerable Republican members of Congress, including Lawler.
Some of the U.S.’s largest cannabis companies donated a collective $11.5 million to America First Agriculture Action Inc. in June. The PAC’s funding comes entirely from marijuana businesses.
The contributions—from Trulieve Inc., Curaleaf Inc., Verano Holdings LLC and Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc., along with other entities tied to Green Thumb Industries and AYR Wellness Inc.—brought the total amount of donations from cannabis businesses or an industry-linked political action committee to Trump-linked PACs to at least $15.05 million, according to a review of Federal Election Commission filings.
Now, the agriculture-focused PAC is spending some of that to support several GOP lawmakers who are in tough reelection fights in November.
The PAC’s ad in support of Lawler—funded by the marijuana business donations—doesn’t mention cannabis at all and instead focuses on his votes to ban insider trading by members of Congress and in support of tax cuts, including a measure to make it so there would be no taxes on tips, overtime and social security.
FEC records show that as of the PAC’s latest filings on Monday, it had spent $288,774.79 of the cannabis business donations in support of Lawler specifically.
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano told Marijuana Moment that the tens of millions of cannabis consumers in the U.S. “have the potential to be a powerful voting block and sway politicians to support policies that are in consumers’ best interests.”
“Consumers should not tolerate politicians that either take their votes for granted or that support policies that jeopardize their personal freedoms and civil liberties,” he said. “As the cannabis industry becomes a larger player in both local and national politics, consumers should also pay attention to whether the political lobbying decisions engaged in by specific industry players align with their own political preferences, and act accordingly.”
Lawler said last year that it would be “wrong” for the Trump administration to reschedule cannabis, claiming that “marijuana is a gateway drug” and arguing that “most of the people [who] end up using harder substances start out on marijuana.”
He also joined a sign-on letter to the president arguing that rescheduling cannabis would “send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous.”
“Marijuana has no real medical value,” the letter said, calling cannabis a “harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis.”
The letter Lawler signed also addressed the marijuana businesses that are now indirectly funding the effort to keep him in Congress, calling them “addiction-for-profit dispensaries.”
“The marijuana industry wants Schedule III because large marijuana companies will receive billions in tax relief. Under Section 280E of the tax code, businesses trafficking Schedule I and II drugs cannot deduct business expenses. Financial estimates predict the marijuana industry will get a $2 billion annual tax break if they are no longer constrained by 280E. This would incentivize addiction-for-profit dispensaries to advertise more kid-friendly products than ever. Tax relief should be prioritized for hard-working, law-abiding Americans and businesses, not marijuana shops.”
“Rescheduling marijuana will not make America great,” the letter said.
Lawler is additionally a cosponsor of a bill that would continue to block marijuana businesses from taking federal tax deductions under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code 280E, even under rescheduling.
Although Trump’s administration has taken steps to federally reschedule marijuana, Republican congressional leadership and many members of the party’s House and Senate conferences remain openly hostile to cannabis reform.
The GOP-controlled House Appropriations Committee this year voted to block federal officials from taking further steps to carry out cannabis rescheduling, for example.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told Marijuana Moment in an interview this month that he thinks “marijuana is a gateway drug, and it causes other problems down the road” for people who use it.
In contrast, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who would be poised to become speaker next year if Democrats win back a majority in the chamber in November’s elections, said earlier this year that his party will “be in a position to do something about” marijuana laws “in the next Congress.”
The only two times that Congress has considered marijuana legalization legislation on the floor was under Democratic control in 2020 and 2022, via bills that all but a handful of Republicans voted against.
Notably, the treasurer of the agriculture PAC behind the ads supporting Lawler and other GOP lawmakers in tight races, Charles Gantt, is the same person named as treasurer of Trump’s political committee, MAGA Inc., which has separately received $2.05 million in donations from a cannabis-industry-backed committee, the American Rights and Reform PAC, Inc.
Last year, that cannabis industry PAC additionally gave a total of $1.5 million to the agriculture PAC.
Earlier FEC records also previously showed that Trulieve and Curaleaf contributed a total of $1 million to support Trump’s inaugural committee following his election in 2024. Curaleaf executive Matt Harrell is listed as treasurer of the American Rights and Reform PAC.
The most recent contributions from the cannabis companies to the Trump-linked agriculture PAC came weeks after the Department of Justice announced it is moving forward with the process of federally rescheduling marijuana, a reform that Trump backed during the 2024 campaign and then issued an executive order on late last year.
Under an action announced by Attorney General Todd Blanche in April, marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license immediately moved from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III, as did any marijuana products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A hearing is considering broader cannabis rescheduling, including for recreational products.
The Trump administration’s marijuana rescheduling move is also challenged by opponents through litigation.
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
