Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s choice to serve as the next U.S. attorney general\u2014a selection that would put one of the only GOP members of Congress who actively supports and voted for marijuana legalization into the nation\u2019s top law enforcement position.<\/p>\n
As Trump works to put together his cabinet, the choice of Gaetz stands out as one of the most positive signals that the state-level cannabis marketplace will not be impeded under his administration. And it also bodes well for the ongoing Biden administration-led marijuana rescheduling effort that Trump has endorsed. That\u2019s assuming, however, that Gaetz is confirmed by the Senate to assume the position.<\/p>\n
Gaetz was one of three Republican members of the House to approve a Democratic-led bill to federally legalize marijuana<\/a>, titled the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act in 2022. He also supported a prior version of the legislation despite his concerns with equity-focused provisions.<\/p>\n It will be an honor to serve as President Trump\u2019s Attorney General! pic.twitter.com\/dg0iQ0bA6Y<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The congressman also said last year that he\u2019s concerned that if the federal government doesn\u2019t \u201cgo further\u201d than simply moving marijuana to a lower drug schedule, large pharmaceutical companies might be able to overtake the cannabis industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Gaetz voted in favor of a federal legalization bill, he actually departed from Trump on a state-level measure to legalize adult-use cannabis in Florida that failed at the ballot this month. He said in August that the reform should be enacted statutorily so that there\u2019s more flexibility for the legislature<\/a> to adjust the law in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless of how someone feels about abortion or marijuana, I don\u2019t believe that those issues should be resolved in the state Constitution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The congressman pointed out that a limited medical cannabis bill\u2014which he sponsored during his time in the Florida legislature\u2014\u201chad lots of flaws\u201d that required fixes that would have been more difficult to address if the policy change had been written into the state Constitution.<\/p>\n Gaetz also joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and lawyer John Morgan in 2019 to advocate for expanding the medical marijuana bill he helped usher into law<\/a> by making it so patients had access to smokable products.<\/p>\n Delist Cannabis https:\/\/t.co\/UXuDODca3J<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n In Congress, Gaetz has on two occasions voted in favor of a bipartisan marijuana banking bill to ensure that financial institutions are protected from being penalized by federal regulators simply for working with state-legal cannabis businesses.<\/p>\n He further sponsored amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have eliminated language preventing military branches for testing recruits for cannabis for enlistment or commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n David Culver, senior vice president for public affairs, at the U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC) said in a press release on Wednesday that Gaetz \u201cis one of the most pro-cannabis Republicans on Capitol Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy tapping him to serve as the nation\u2019s top law enforcement officer, President-elect Trump is signaling his commitment to make good on his campaign promises around cannabis reform,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve said from the outset that the cannabis community has good reason to be optimistic about a second Trump Administration. Today\u2019s Attorney General announcement, along with other recent staffing moves, give us hope for the next phase of federal cannabis reform, including passing the SAFE Banking Act and finalizing the reclassification of cannabis to Schedule III.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s choice of Gaetz for the role stands is stark contrast to Trump\u2019s first attorney general during his prior administration, Jeff Sessions, who faced widespread criticism for rescinding Obama-era guidance on prosecutorial discretion for federal cannabis enforcement.<\/p>\n Texas Lawmakers Prefile Bills To Legalize Marijuana In 2025 And Expand Low-THC Medical Cannabis Program<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Meredith Geddings<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Trump Taps Pro-Marijuana Legalization Congressman Matt Gaetz For U.S. Attorney General<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s choice to serve as the next U.S. attorney general\u2014a selection that would put one of the only GOP members of Congress who actively supports and voted for marijuana legalization into the nation\u2019s top law enforcement position. As Trump works to put togetherContinue 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\/78990"}],"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=78990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78991,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78990\/revisions\/78991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\n
\nRead More: Trump Taps Pro-Marijuana Legalization Congressman Matt Gaetz For U.S. Attorney General<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"