Politics
Marijuana Industry Political Committee Gave Another $1.05 Million To Trump’s Super PAC Ahead Of Rescheduling Order, FEC Filings Show
A political committee funded by major marijuana businesses has contributed an additional $1.05 million to President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC in the months leading up to his rescheduling order, FEC filings show.
The American Rights and Reform PAC—which initially launched in 2023 under a different name, Legalize America, and lists an executive at the marijuana company Curaleaf as its treasurer—gave $1 million to the president’s political committee in July and then another $50,000 in November.
That raises the PAC’s total contributions to MAGA Inc. to $2.05 million, after cannabis businesses helped to contribute an initial $1 million in the first half of the year.
The latest donation came about a month before Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to expeditiously complete the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The FEC reports don’t indicate a purpose for the contributions, but the American Rights and Reform PAC has been active in its push for the incremental reform.
For example, the committee released ads in March attacking former President Joe Biden’s cannabis policy record as well as the nation of Canada, promoting sometimes misleading claims about the last administration while making the case that Trump can deliver on reform.
“This is an America first fight,” one ad said. “President Trump had the courage to sign Right to Try, healing American patients. Let’s do it again. Reschedule cannabis and put American first.”
It seemed apparent that ads were intended to appeal directly to Trump, who has historically been driven by a desire to overshadow his political opponents and present himself as the champion for American enterprise.
Marijuana Moment reached out to the PAC for comment about the latest contributions, but a representative was not immediately available.
Curaleaf, whose vice president of government affairs Matt Harrell is listed as treasurer of the American Rights and Reform PAC, has also previously sought to gain Trump’s favor by donating $250,000 to his inaugural committee with a contribution filtered through a leading cannabis industry association.
Meanwhile, an agriculture-focused conservative nonprofit connected to a PAC linked to the president is applauding his rescheduling order, arguing that it will “destroy” the illicit market and support seniors and military veterans who could benefit from cannabis.
America First Agriculture Inc.—a group affiliated with a PAC of a similar name that previously urged Trump to follow through on a campaign pledge to reschedule marijuana—said in a new ad that the president “promised to put America first, and his word is as good as gold.”
The Justice Department has not given a timeline for when a rescheduling decision might happen, and congressional researchers recently pointed out that it’s possible the agency could start the process over again, or decline to move forward all together.
Notably, the organization behind the ad is associated with the similarly named America First Agriculture Action Inc., a PAC that lists Charles Gantt as its treasurer. Gantt is also the treasurer of MAGA Inc.
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Meanwhile, a coalition of Republican state attorneys general are criticizing Trump’s decision to federally reschedule marijuana, saying cannabis is “properly” classified as a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Last month, groups of House and Senate Republican lawmakers also sent letters urging Trump not to reschedule cannabis. Trump, however, dismissed those concerns—pointing out that an overwhelming majority of Americans support the reform and that cannabis can help people who are suffering from serious health issues, including his personal friends.
