The presidential election cycle is in full swing. Many topics, from climate change to the economy, are on people’s minds, but the subject of cannabis is sparking a lot of conversation. And while Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump disagree on practically everything, it seems that the plant may be one subject where they align.
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Harris has repeatedly stated that people “should not be in jail for cannabis,” and the Biden administration has been calling for the plant to be rescheduled. When asked by a reporter at a press conference Thursday whether he agrees with Harris’s position on cannabis, Trump said, “As we legalize it, I start to agree a lot more because it’s being legalized all over the country.”
The Republican presidential nominee did not take a hard-line position on the plant but insinuated that he’s against incarceration for simple possession.
“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 added. “So I think obviously there’s a lot of sentiment to doing that.”
The question came after Trump was asked about the presidential pardons he ordered during his administration, saying many of them “served a lot of time for something that today people wouldn’t even serve time by.”
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Despite her continued public support for cannabis reform, Harris’s role as a prosecutor has been called into question by some, including by Trump, who claimed at a rally the former Calif. attorney general had put “thousands and thousands of Black people in jail.”
Rep. Nolan West, a pro-cannabis Republican lawmaker from Minnesota, believes Trump is the more progressive of the two when it comes to marijuana.
“Former President Trump is likely the more pro-cannabis presidential candidate this election—it seems like something that he has expressed support for,” West told GreenState, also pointing to the vice president’s prosecutorial record.
“You can see she has not been particularly friendly to marijuana and not in the too-distant past,” he said.
West previously told GreenState that the GOP should support cannabis legalization because “it’s based on individual liberty, which is one of the biggest pillars of the Republican Party.” Considering two-thirds of Republicans support reform, he may be on to something.
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During the press conference, Trump also mentioned Florida’s upcoming adult-use bill, teasing that he would make a statement on it soon. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is vehemently opposed to Amendment 3 but does support the state’s thriving hemp industry. The former president’s comments this week may set up a showdown with DeSantis on the subject.
The election cycle always ignites hot-button issues, and it’s clear cannabis is one of them. People on both sides of the legalization issue will likely look forward to hearing more from each candidate, especially as they prepare for a series of debates in September.
