Two years after losing his reelection bid to President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he\u2019s making another run for the White House.<\/p>\n
In a speech announcing his candidacy, Trump signaled that drug policy will be a focal point of his campaign\u2014but not by advocating for reform. He talked about waging \u201cwar on the cartels\u201d and working with Congress to pass legislation to impose the death penalty on \u201cdrug dealers\u201d who are \u201cresponsible for death, carnage and crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the first time that Trump has expressed interest in executing people over drug trafficking, as during his presidency he applauded counties that impose extreme penalties like capital punishment on people who sell drugs. But in the lead-up to launching his latest candidacy, he\u2019s made it a frequent talking point, strongly leaning into the punitive drug policy in a way that\u2019s alarmed civil rights advocates.<\/p>\n
\nThe former president\u2019s political influence has come under question after Republicans underperformed expectations in the midterm elections that he involved himself in. But if he ultimately receives the GOP\u2019s 2024 presidential nomination, he could again face President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced his candidacy for a second term.<\/p>\n
As president, Trump did not pursue a full-scale crackdown of state-legal cannabis programs and he did voice tentative support for modest reform legislation, but his administration made a number of hostile anti-marijuana actions\u2014from rescinding Obama-era guidance on cannabis prosecutions to implementing policies making immigrants ineligible for citizenship if they consume marijuana or work in the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n
Put simply, the former president is a drug policy enigma. His past comments on drug policy, attitude toward state-level legalization efforts and administrative actions as president offer a dizzying portrait of a person who once said all drugs should be legal but who also appointed a vociferous anti-cannabis attorney general as one of his first acts in the White House.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, he did not launch an all-out offensive on state-legal cannabis businesses and, in fact, said it was his administration\u2019s policy that they could continue to operate unencumbered by the federal government despite prohibition remaining on the books. Trump also signed a bill federally legalizing hemp following decades of its prohibition. On the other hand, he declined to use his power to enact changes to legitimize the industry and appointed several officials who hold hostile views toward reform.<\/p>\n
During the course of his failed 2020 reelection bid, Trump\u2019s campaign made clear it wanted to depict him as the criminal justice reform candidate<\/a>, repeatedly attacking Biden over his record as an \u201carchitect\u201d of punitive drug laws<\/a> during his decades in the Senate, for example.<\/p>\n To be sure, Biden does have his own drug policy baggage that he\u2019s worked to unload after facing criticism from advocates over his past role as an architect of harsh punitive policies during his time in the Senate. But after staying relatively silent on reform issues during much of the first half of his term as president, he\u2019s since been touting recent actions<\/a> to pardon people who\u2019ve committed federal marijuana possession offenses while directing an administrative review of cannabis scheduling.<\/p>\n To help sort out where Trump stands on marijuana and drug policy in general, here\u2019s an overview of policy actions his administration took and remarks he\u2019s made before, during and after his presidency.<\/p>\n Support for states\u2019 rights.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In 2018, the then-president gave advocates reason to celebrate. Asked whether he supports a bipartisan bill filed by Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), which would allow states to set their own marijuana policies, Trump said \u201cI really do.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n \u201cI know exactly what he\u2019s doing. We\u2019re looking at it,\u201d he said, referring to Gardner. \u201cBut I probably will end up supporting that, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n He reiterated his support for a states\u2019 rights approach to marijuana<\/a> in August 2019, saying it\u2019s \u201ca very big subject and right now we are allowing states to make that decision. A lot of states are making that decision, but we\u2019re allowing states to make that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Gardner, who held up Justice Department nominations in protest of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions\u2019s move in order to generate a cannabis commitment from the president, told Marijuana Moment in an interview that Trump typically makes \u201cvery supportive\u201d comments about cannabis reform<\/a> when they\u2019ve talked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all been positive. And I think we\u2019re seeing that,\u201d he said. \u201cHad they wanted to do something, they\u2019d do what Jeff Sessions did and mess around with that and they haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s second attorney general, William Barr, said that he was not interested in upsetting \u201csettled expectations\u201d as it concerns policies in place while the Cole memo was still effective.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, I think the current situation is untenable and really has to be addressed. It\u2019s almost like a backdoor nullification of federal law,\u201d he said during a hearing<\/a>, later adding that he would prefer that Congress pass legislation codifying protections for states that have legalized cannabis rather than maintain the status quo of conflicting state and federal policies.<\/p>\n No large-scale marijuana raids against licensed businesses in legal states took place under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s personal opinion on cannabis consumption and drug policy reform is a mixed bag.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n Despite his pledged support for states\u2019 rights to legalize, Trump evidently holds some negative views toward cannabis consumption<\/a>, as evidenced in a recording from 2018 that was leaked two years later. In that recording, he said that using marijuana makes people \u201close IQ points.\u201d<\/p>\n During a presidential debate, Biden defended one of his son\u2019s experiences with substance misuse after Trump criticized his character and military record.<\/p>\n In August 2020, Trump weighed in on then-Sen. Kamala Harris\u2019s (D-CA) prior comments on marijuana<\/a> shortly after she was announced as Joe Biden\u2019s vice presidential running mate. While Trump declined to explicitly discuss the senator\u2019s cannabis policy positions, he said \u201cshe lied\u201d and \u201csaid things that were untrue\u201d when presented with details about an interview she gave in which she discussed smoking marijuana in college.<\/p>\n He also urged Republicans not to place marijuana legalization initiatives on state ballots<\/a> out of concern that it could increase Democratic turnout in elections. A Republican strategist told<\/a> The Daily Beast that, as far as Trump is concerned, the \u201cpot issue is one of many that he thinks could be a danger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe once told me it would be very \u2018smart\u2019 for the Democrat[ic] Party to get as many of these on the ballot as they could,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n In February 2020, Trump applauded countries that impose the death penalty for people who sell drugs<\/a>\u2014a point he has repeatedly made<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t know that our country is ready for that,\u201d Trump said in the more recent comment, \u201cbut if you look throughout the world, the countries with a powerful death penalty\u2014death penalty\u2014with a fair but quick trial, they have very little if any drug problem.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, the then-president in 2019 seemed to acknowledge the failure of policies prohibiting drugs during a meeting on vaping, stating that banned products are \u201cgoing to come here illegally\u201d even if they\u2019re prohibited<\/a>.<\/p>\n Curiously, Trump proposed<\/a> mandating that he and Biden take drug tests prior to participating in general election debates.<\/p>\n I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night. Naturally, I will agree to take one also. His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly. Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???<\/p>\n \u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\u00a0September 27, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n Joe Biden just announced that he will not agree to a Drug Test. Gee, I wonder why?<\/p>\n \u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\u00a0September 28, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Trump signed \u201cright to try\u201d legislation in 2018 that allows terminal patients to access drugs that haven\u2019t been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but have cleared a phase one trial\u2014a move that some advocates say could let a limited number of people use marijuana, psilocybin and MDMA<\/a> for therapeutic reasons.<\/p>\n Administrative marijuana and drug policy actions.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n One of the Trump administration\u2019s most widely publicized actions\u2014and one that caused acute panic among marijuana advocates and stakeholders\u2014happened in January 2018, when Sessions rescinded the Obama-era Cole memo<\/a>. Under that policy, federal prosecutors were advised to generally not pursue action against individuals for state-legal cannabis-related activity, except under a limited set of circumstances.<\/p>\n Its revocation worried many that a federal crackdown was looming, especially with longtime prohibitionist Sessions at the helm of the Justice Department. However, that fear was not realized\u2014and according to Gardner, Trump personally opposed the move<\/a> and said \u201cwe need undo this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis sounds like something my grandpa said in the 1950s,\u201d Trump reportedly said, referencing Sessions\u2019s rhetoric when rescinding the policy.<\/p>\n In 2020, the Justice Department asked a federal court to force California marijuana regulators to disclose documents about certain licensed cannabis businesses<\/a>, and a federal court ruled that they must comply<\/a>.<\/p>\n Under Trump, the U.S. government backed a World Health Organization recommendation to remove marijuana from the most restrictive global drug scheduling category<\/a>\u2014though it opposed separate international cannabis reform proposals, including one to clarify that CBD is not under international control.<\/p>\n A federal prosecutor appointed by Trump issued a statement in October 2020 that urged Montana voters to \u201cconsider the risks\u201d<\/a> of approving marijuana legalization measures that appear on their November ballots.<\/p>\n Another controversial administrative action concerned immigrants and marijuana<\/a>. In April 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a memo stating that using marijuana or engaging in cannabis-related \u201cactivities\u201d such as working for a dispensary\u2014even in states where it\u2019s legal\u2014makes immigrants ineligible for citizenship because it means they don\u2019t have \u201cgood moral character.\u201d<\/p>\n In December 2019, the Justice Department issued a notice that it was seeking to make certain marijuana offenses, including misdemeanor possession, grounds to deny asylum to migrants<\/a>.<\/p>\n That month, officials with Trump\u2019s U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also testified against several pieces of legislation<\/a> that would increase access to medical cannabis for service members and also require the department to conduct clinical research into the therapeutic benefits of marijuana for conditions that commonly afflict veterans.<\/p>\n Using funds provided by a salary donation from Trump, the surgeon general issued and publicized a warning in August 2019, cautioning against marijuana use by adolescents and pregnant women<\/a>. The notice also suggested that the state-level cannabis legalization movement was enticing young people to consume marijuana by normalizing the plant.<\/p>\n BuzzFeed News reported<\/a> in 2018 that the Trump administration created a secret committee that requested agencies across the federal government submit memos on how to combat public support for cannabis reform.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s Justice Department in 2019 sided with a Mississippi student who filed a lawsuit against his school after he was allegedly prevented from talking about the issue, arguing that the First Amendment protects students who discuss legalization<\/a> and that restrictive policies prohibiting such free expression at public schools are unconstitutional.<\/p>\n FDA under Trump has on several occasions<\/a> solicited public comments<\/a> to help inform the country\u2019s position on the potential global reclassification of marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Internal Revenue Service in September 2020 released updated guidance on tax policy for the marijuana industry<\/a>, including instructions on how cannabis businesses that don\u2019t have access to bank accounts can pay their tax bills using large amounts of cash.<\/p>\n Administration\u2019s hemp regulatory actions following Trump signing legalization into law.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n One of the most significant cannabis developments to occur under the Trump administration was the federal legalization of hemp that was accomplished when he signed the 2018 Farm Bill<\/a>\u2014unleashing a massive market for a crop that had been prohibited for more than 80 years as a federally controlled substance. The move elicited bipartisan praise, and Trump\u2019s U.S. Department of Agriculture put significant resources into implementing the reform.<\/p>\n That said, advocates, lawmakers and industry stakeholders raised several concerns about proposed rules for hemp<\/a> such as requiring that the crop be tested for THC contents by only Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-certified labs.<\/p>\n DEA also released proposed rules for hemp and CBD<\/a> in August 2020 to put the federal agency officially in compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill. However, some industry players suspect that the agency was really setting the stage to crack down on the newly legal market<\/a>.<\/p>\n In September 2020, USDA announced that hemp farmers could qualify for coronavirus relief loans<\/a>, reversing an earlier decision to exclude the crop based on price decline data amid the pandemic.<\/p>\n Also in 2020, the department made hemp farmers eligible for relief programs<\/a> if they\u2019ve experienced damage or losses due to a natural disaster.<\/p>\n White House officials met with several hemp industry groups<\/a> in the summer of 2020 to discuss pending FDA guidance on enforcement policies for CBD products.<\/p>\n Speaking of FDA, the agency had similarly been in the process of developing regulations for CBD to be marketed as a food item or dietary supplement, but did not issue them by the end of the administration. In the meantime, it used enforcement discretion to keep the market in check.<\/p>\n The agency continued to issue warnings to cannabis businesses in certain cases\u2014such as instances in which companies claimed CBD could treat or cure coronavirus<\/a>\u2014and\u00a0provided public<\/a>\u00a0notices about recalls<\/a>.<\/p>\n FDA also opened a comment period on separate draft guidance on developing cannabis-derived medications<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cannabis and the Trump budget.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n While Trump has spoken out in favor of medical cannabis legalization, on several occasions he released signing statements on spending legislation stipulating that he reserved the right to ignore a long-standing rider<\/a> that prohibits the Justice Department from using its funds to interfere with state-legal medical marijuana programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n He also proposed deleting the rider altogether in multiple annual budget proposals to Congress<\/a>, though Obama did the same thing when he was in office.<\/p>\n In 2019, the White House released a budget request that proposed slightly scaling back restrictive language<\/a> that has prevented Washington, D.C. from spending its own tax dollars to legalize and regulate the sale of recreational marijuana.<\/p>\n Under several budget proposals, the administration called for significant cuts<\/a> to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy<\/a>, a central agency when it comes to setting federal drug policy and upholding prohibition.<\/p>\n Trump administration personnel and cannabis.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n A top spokesperson for Trump\u2019s reelection campaign raised eyebrows in February 2020 when he said that the administration\u2019s policy is that currently illicit drugs, including cannabis, \u201cneed to be kept illegal.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The campaign also criticized a coronavirus relief bill House Democrats unveiled in September, sharing an article headlined \u201cDemocrats\u2019 New $2.2 Trillion COVID Stimulus Includes The Word \u2018Cannabis\u2019 68 Times \u2014 Mentioned More Than Jobs.\u201d That\u2019s because it contained the full text of a bipartisan bill to protect banks that service state-legal marijuana businesses from being penalized by federal regulators.<\/p>\n Democrats\u2019 New $2.2 Trillion COVID Stimulus Includes The Word \u2018Cannabis\u2019 68 Times \u2014 Mentioned More Than Jobshttps:\/\/t.co\/m6Gf2EwS6k<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 29, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Trump reelection officials also issued a cease and desist letter in 2020 demanding that Mississippi medical cannabis activists stop using the then-president\u2019s name to campaign for their ballot initiative<\/a>\u2014despite the fact that the advocates accurately quoted his repeated comments in support for medical marijuana.<\/p>\n During a press briefing in July 2018, then-Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about the newly elected Mexican president\u2019s suggestion that legalizing and regulating drugs could curtail cartels. She said the administration didn\u2019t have any policy announcements to that end<\/a>; however, \u201cI can say that we would not support the legalization of all drugs anywhere and certainly wouldn\u2019t want to do anything that would allow more drugs to come into this country.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also named then-Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), as his chief of staff in March 2020<\/a>. As a member of Congress, Meadows consistently voted against marijuana reform amendments and was one of only a handful of lawmakers who cheered Sessions\u2019s move to rescind the Obama-era cannabis guidance.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s stance on cannabis legalization became the jumping off point for a spat between a top White House aide, Republican operatives and a reporter after Meadows laughed off a question about the prospects of broad marijuana reform advancing<\/a> before the 2020 election.<\/p>\n In April 2020, Trump hired a new press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who has a long record of speaking out against legalization<\/a>.<\/p>\n Barr, Trump\u2019s second attorney general, allegedly directed the Justice Department\u2019s Antitrust Division to carry out investigations into 10 marijuana mergers out of personal animus for the industry<\/a>. A whistleblower who testified before a key House committee claimed the investigations were unnecessary and wasted departmental resources. But the assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division later argued that the investigations were actually \u201cconsistent with protecting consumers\u2019 access to cannabis products<\/a>, not with animosity toward the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n During a speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention at which Trump was renominated, the granddaughter of Evangelical preacher Billy Graham took issue with Democratic governors who designated cannabis dispensaries as essential services<\/a> amid the coronavirus pandemic while imposing restrictions on churches. In a separate convention speech, an advisory board member for Trump\u2019s reelection campaign claimed that Democrats\u2019 push for universal health care is really about ensuring a right to cannabis access<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a head of the Republican National Committee (RNC), who was recommended for the position by Trump, dodged a question about where the party stands on medical marijuana<\/a> and stressed that the issue should be addressed at the state level.<\/p>\n After House leadership announced in August 2020 that the chamber would be voting on a bill to federally legalize marijuana, the director of press communications for Trump\u2019s reelection campaign tweeted, \u201cHouse Dems\u2014more worried about pot dealers than providing relief for the American people.\u201d (That vote was ultimately postponed<\/a>.)<\/p>\n House Dems \u2014 more worried about pot dealers than providing relief for the American people. https:\/\/t.co\/wJAGDJuaCs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Erin Perrine (@ErinMPerrine) August 31, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n It might come as a surprise, but 30 years ago, Trump argued in favor of legalizing all drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re losing badly the war on drugs. You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cWhat I\u2019d like to do maybe by bringing it up is cause enough controversy that you get into a dialogue on the issue of drugs so people will start to realize that this is the only answer; there is no other answer.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, 25 years later, he was at the Conservative Political Action Conference stating<\/a> that he thinks marijuana legalization is \u201cbad\u201d and that he feels \u201cstrongly about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got a lot of problems going on right now in Colorado, some big problems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But the candidate clarified that he supports states\u2019 rights to set their own marijuana laws, saying, \u201cIf they vote for it, they vote for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMedical marijuana is another thing,\u201d he added. \u201cI think medical marijuana, 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMedical I agree with. Medical I like,\u201d he said similarly in 2016. \u201cMedical is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump on medical marijuana: “Medical I agree with. Medical I like.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) January 6, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Asked about Medical Marijuana, Trump says “Medical is ok.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) January 6, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cI think medical should happen, right? Don\u2019t we agree? I mean I think so,\u201d he said at a 2015 rally in Nevada. \u201cI know people that are very, very sick and for whatever reason, the marijuana really helps them.\u201d<\/p>\n He went on to say that \u201cI really believe you should leave it up to the states\u201d when it comes to recreational legalization. \u201cIt should be a state situation\u2026 In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state by state.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump reiterated in a radio interview in 2016 that adult-use legalization has \u201cgot to be a state decision.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cColorado did it as you know and I guess it\u2019s very mixed right now, they haven\u2019t really made a final determination,\u201d he said. \u201cThere seems to be certain health problems with it and that would be certainly bothersome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do like it, you know, from a medical standpoint \u2014 it does do pretty good things,\u201d he added<\/a> \u201cBut from the other standpoint, I think that should be up to the states. Certainly, from a medical standpoint, a lot of people are liking it.\u201d<\/p>\n Legalization of drugs is \u201csomething that should be studied and maybe should continue to be studied,\u201d Trump told<\/a> ABC\u2019s This Week in 2015.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s not something I\u2019d be willing to do right now,\u201d he added. \u201cI think it\u2019s something that I\u2019ve always said maybe it has to be looked at because we do such a poor job of policing. We don\u2019t want to build walls. We don\u2019t want to do anything. And if you\u2019re not going to want to do the policing, you\u2019re going to have to start thinking about other alternatives. But it\u2019s not something that I would want to do. But it\u2019s something that certainly has been looked at and I looked at it. If we police properly, we shouldn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n In a 2016 radio interview<\/a> with Hugh Hewitt, Trump seemed more skeptical about cannabis legalization, saying that \u201cthere are a lot of bad things happening in Colorado with people\u2019s health. And if you look at the results, you know, they\u2019re getting some pretty bad results.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlus, it\u2019s being taken all over the place. I mean, I would have to look at it very seriously,\u201d he said. \u201cNow I think if you talk about medical, you\u2019re talking about a different ball of wax. But there are a lot of bad results happening in Colorado, and people are talking about it. I\u2019m reading about it. So I would be looking at a couple of different things, but I really would want to study it further, because they\u2019re doing a lot of studies. But you know, some bad medical reports and some bad, bad things are happening with what\u2019s going on in Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n Discussing legalization during a Fox News interview<\/a>, Trump said that \u201cin Colorado, the book isn\u2019t written on it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of difficulty in terms of illness and what\u2019s going on with the brain and the mind and what it\u2019s doing,\u201d he said. \u201cIn some ways I think it\u2019s good and in other ways it\u2019s bad.\u201d<\/p>\n But he reiterated that he supports medical cannabis, saying that \u201cI know people that have serious problems and they did that and it really does help them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy the way, medical marijuana\u2014medical\u2014I am in favor of it 100 percent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n At a Wisconsin campaign rally in 2016, Trump said he is \u201cwatching Colorado very carefully, see what\u2019s happening out there. I\u2019m getting some very negative reports, I\u2019m getting some OK reports, but I\u2019m getting some very negative reports coming out of Colorado as to what\u2019s happening, so we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lasting negative impact [from marijuana use]. You do too much of it\u2026 There\u2019s a loss of something, so that book has not been written yet but it\u2019s gonna be written pretty soon and I\u2019m not hearing very positive things,\u201d he said, adding that on medical cannabis, \u201cI think I am basically for that. I\u2019ve heard some wonderful things in terms of medical.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump told<\/a> MSNBC in 2015 that \u201cI don\u2019t really think\u201d people should go to jail for marijuana. However, he added that \u201cI think that maybe the dealers have to be looked at very strongly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have states all of a sudden legalizing it. So it\u2019s sort of hard to say that you\u2019re in one side of the border and you go to jail and you\u2019re on the other side and can you go into a store and buy it,\u201d he said. \u201cSo there is going to be changes made there, Joe, and there has to be\u2026 That is a very tough subject nowadays, especially since it\u2019s been legalized and will continue to be legalized.\u201d<\/p>\n In another interview with Fox News, he drew a contrast between recreational and medical marijuana consumption.<\/p>\n The former is \u201ca big problem\u201d that has \u201ctremendously damaging effects to the mind, to the brain, to everything,\u201d he said<\/a>. But he also said he\u2019s \u201call for medical marijuana and its help.\u201d<\/p>\n In July 2016, Trump was asked whether he would allow former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) crack down on legal marijuana states if he were to become attorney general.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do that, no,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI think it\u2019s up to the states. I\u2019m a states person. I think it should be up to the states, absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Had to ask @realDonaldTrump<\/a> about #marijuana<\/a> in light of his alliance with @GovChristie<\/a>:#9NEWS<\/a> #COpolitics<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lK4btIQWuK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Brandon Rittiman (@BrandonRittiman) July 29, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Trump said<\/a> in a radio interview in 2016 that \u201cI never have smoked it.\u201d<\/p>\n He also wrote<\/a> in one of his books, \u201cThe America We Deserve,\u201d that\u2019s he\u2019s never used cannabis or any other drug. \u201cI\u2019ve never taken drugs of any kind, never had a glass of alcohol. Never had a cigarette, never had a cup of coffee,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In an interview with Fox News in 2016, Trump said, \u201cNo I have not [smoked marijuana]. I would tell you 100 percent because everyone else seems to admit it nowadays\u2026 I\u2019ve never smoked a cigarette either.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of his aversion to drug use seems to be linked to his brother\u2019s death from alcoholism. \u201cHe had a profound impact on my life, because you never know where you\u2019re going to end up,\u201d Trump said<\/a>.<\/p>\n That said, Trump said on several occasions during his first election bid that he personally knows people who have benefitted from using medical cannabis.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to say how Trump would approach marijuana policy if elected to a second term. His first stint in the White House provided good reasons to assume that a federal crackdown would be unlikely, but at the same time, Trump hasn\u2019t signaled at any point that he\u2019d be proactive at pursuing reform. If anything, he seems to think that embracing the death penalty for people who sell drugs is a policy worth campaigning on.<\/p>\n What another term\u2019s impact on cannabis would be could largely come down to is the makeup of Congress, though it\u2019s not clear whether Trump would sign or veto any far-reaching bill that lawmakers would send to his desk.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Trump has been inconsistent in his views on marijuana and drug policy over the years, so it\u2019s hard to predict where he might come down on the issue if given another four years in the White House.<\/p>\n The post Where Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Stands On Marijuana<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Two years after losing his reelection bid to President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he\u2019s making another run for the White House. In a speech announcing his candidacy, Trump signaled that drug policy will be a focal point of his campaign\u2014but not by advocating forContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58239"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58239"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58240,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58239\/revisions\/58240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Policy Actions And Comments As President<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Pre-Presidency Comments<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Personal Experience With Marijuana<\/h2>\n
Marijuana Under A Second Trump Term<\/h2>\n
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\nRead More: Where Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Stands On Marijuana<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"