Top Congressional Democrat Raises Campaign Funds From Marijuana Industry Ahead Of Election Day

The top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives has stepped up efforts to raise money from cannabis industry executives in recent weeks, according to a review of federal campaign finance records and interviews conducted by Marijuana Moment.

The marijuana-focused fundraising by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who stands to become the next speaker of the House if his party wins a majority in next week’s elections, involved a Capitol Hill event last month and a separate fundraiser in Ohio hosted by the CEO a cannabis company this month.

The fundraiser in Washington, D.C. on September 2 involved a speech by Jeffries in which the minority leader indicated that federal marijuana decriminalization is an issue that is on his radar for the upcoming 120th Congress, according to a cannabis industry executive who attended.

The top House Democrat also said there is an ongoing need to better foster social equity in the state-licensed cannabis business model by ensuring participation from communities harmed by past enforcement of prohibition, the source said.

A separate cannabis industry source who did not attend the fundraiser but who was familiar with it told Marijuana Moment that they believe the event generated $100,000 in contributions for the minority leader’s joint fundraising committee, the Jeffries Majority Fund.

A Marijuana Moment review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records identified at least $71,500 worth of contributions from cannabis industry executives and consultants who have worked on the issue in the days before and after the fundraising event.

While Marijuana Moment was not able to confirm that all of the donations in question were specifically related to the cannabis-focused event, the contributions noted above came within a week of the fundraiser and all of the donors have ties to the marijuana industry, either as executives for cannabis companies or as lobbyists or consultants who have worked on the issue.

Separately, Jeffries attended a fundraiser hosted by Klutch Cannabis CEO Adam Thomarios in Akron, Ohio for Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH) on October 18.

“Events like this say a lot about where the industry is at, as well as where the cannabis movement is at more generally,” Thomarios told Marijuana Moment on Monday. “Even just several years ago, we saw cannabis advocacy and policy-making still primarily taking place at the state level. However, as the industry has matured, a lot of the overarching policy conversations have matured along with it and are now taking place before Congress.”

“We see this trend continuing,” he said. “Like Klutch, the industry has continued to grow over this time and is now a major employer and revenue generator. It’s taken a lot of hard work and investment to get us to where we’re at, and for us to maintain the positive trajectory we’re on, it’s important for us to seek out partners in elected office who understand the unique issues facing the industry at this time.”

“We’re extremely grateful that people like Congresswoman Sykes and Minority Leader Jeffries have been willing to have these conversations with us and are looking forward to continuing this work with them,” Thomarios said.

While the latest FEC records do not yet show contributions made through the date of the Akron event on October 18, a handful of sizable cannabis industry donations to Sykes’s campaign were recorded in the days before the fundraiser.

Representatives for Jeffries’s campaign and congressional office did not immediately respond to queries from Marijuana Moment.

Jeffries 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.

During his time in Congress and before that as a New York state legislator, Jeffries has sponsored numerous cannabis and drug policy reform proposals.

For example, teamed up with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on a cannabis legalization bill called the Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act.

He is also cosponsoring legislation with Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) that would lay the groundwork for federal marijuana legalization by creating a commission to study the issue and make recommendations on a regulatory system for cannabis that models what’s currently in place for alcohol.

Meanwhile, as some cannabis industry executives are donating to Jeffries and other Democrats, 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 several who have voted against legislation to legalize cannabis.

One recipient of the funds, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), said during a debate last month that the legalization of marijuana is “hurting” society.

Photo element courtesy of Carlos Gracia.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.