
Election Day is looming…again. And although we’re all sick of hearing the word “unprecedented,” that’s exactly what this Election Day is. Among other things, for the first time ever, both of the major party candidates have spoken out in favor of weed.
But there’s a big difference between being in favor of weed and prioritizing it in policy reform.
Any potential policy reform could be a boon to the pre-roll sector of cannabis specifically, as it's one of the only categories continuing to show growth, even in markets where overall cannabis sales are declining. Broader legalization could encourage a new wave of canna-curious consumers to explore the plant’s offerings, and the easiest place for them to start is with a pre-roll. No tools required; no large flower purchase necessary.
Of course, once those new consumers get a taste for something they like, it’s only a matter of time before they start exploring other consumption methods. Needless to say, cannabis has a lot on the line this Election Day.
Kamala Harris’ Stance on Cannabis
Harris’s opinion on cannabis policy has changed throughout the years.
Her prosecutors convicted more than 1,900 people of cannabis-related offenses while she was San Francisco’s District Attorney in the early 2000s. And when she later ran for California Attorney General in 2010 and 2014, she opposed recreational marijuana laws both times.
Cut to 2019 during her campaign for president and her eventual election as vice president in 2020. At that time, she came out as pro-weed, and she’s since maintained that stance ever since.
So, she’s currently pro-cannabis, but what’s she going to do about it? Here’s what we know for the 2024 election:
On September 30, 2024, the podcast “All the Smoke” released a new episode featuring Harris where she said, “I have felt for a long time we need to legalize it.”
On March 15, 2024, Harris participated in a White House closed-door roundtable discussion on criminal justice where she urged the DEA to expedite the rescheduling process the Biden Administration initiated to remove cannabis from Schedule I, calling its placement there “absurd and patently unfair.”
Minnesota Governor and Harris’s VP running mate, Tim Walz, recently shared with Spectrum News that he thinks legalization is an issue for Congress to address once Democrats control it, dodging a firm “yes” or “no” answer in regard to his opinion on federal legalization.
Nowhere on Harris’s official campaign website does she discuss cannabis policy reform.
Donald Trump’s Stance on Cannabis
Trump also has a wishy-washy past when it comes to legalizing cannabis.
Some of the staff he appointed during his 2016-2020 presidential term were solidly against cannabis reform. His first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, repealed the Cole Memorandum, which protected states’ legal cannabis industries from the U.S. Justice Department. His second Attorney General, Bill Barr, was called out in a whistleblower complaint regarding his role in investigating cannabis businesses. Not to mention, the last time he was in office, his administration did nothing to move the needle toward reclassifying cannabis.
Recently, he suggested that “genetically engineered” weed could be behind the country’s mass shootings.
However, Trump has appeared to specifically support medical marijuana in the past. And in September, he came out in full support for cannabis rescheduling.
Here’s what we know about Trump’s stance on cannabis for the 2024 election:
On September 8, 2024, Trump posted on his own social media platform that he “...will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens.”
In that same post, he confirmed he will be voting yes on Florida’s Amendment 3 which proposes the legalization of recreational sales in the state.
Ohio Senator and Trump’s VP running mate, JD Vance, voted against the SAFER Banking Act in 2023, recently made the unfounded claim that “we’ve got fentanyl in our marijuana bags that our teenagers are using,” and appears to support state-controlled legalization over federal legalization.
Nowhere on Trump’s official campaign website or in Trump’s official Republican platform does he discuss cannabis policy reform.
Get Out the Vote
Harris claims to support the full federal legalization of cannabis. She can also lean on the fact that under the Biden Administration, she supported the move to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III.
Trump appears more in favor of a federal reschedule, with legalization matters left to the states. He doesn’t have past policy to lean on, but he is supposedly supporting legalized weed as a voter in Florida.
Frankly, either option could boost the pre-roll sector because either option could make cannabis more accessible and approachable to consumers. However, it’s concerning that neither candidate has included cannabis policy reform in their official presidential platform, but that’s not exactly unheard of. The fact that both candidates are even talking about the issues publicly is at least a step in the right direction.
Election Day is less than a month away. Do your research. Check your voter registration status here. If you need it, request your mail-in ballot here. If you’re planning to vote in person, find your polling location here. No matter which way you lean—VOTE!