When former President Donald Trump was considering his running mate options earlier this year, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio)'s history with marijuana, particularly his opposition to legalization, made him a candidate The newspaper reported that this has become an important point of interest for researchers who are conducting a thorough investigation. Leaked documents about senators.
The 271-page memo includes Vance's stance on marijuana based on a list of “notable vulnerabilities” to moderate voters, as well as cuts to Social Security and Medicare, opposition to student loan forgiveness, and abortion. It also includes past comments about his support for restrictions and his views on race relations. others.
Documents obtained and released last week by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein made multiple references to Vance's cannabis policy positions over the past decade. This is as Vance prepares for Tuesday's debate against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who signed legalization ahead of 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris' running mate nomination. It was held inside.
The title of the cannabis section of the document reads, “Mr. Vance appears to be opposed to the legalization of marijuana,” referring to comments he made in 2019 that “legalization will increase use” and that marijuana suggests that it is “concentrated in the lower classes, causing many social problems.'' process. “
“However, Mr. Vance has previously called on Republicans to 'get serious' about punishing black fathers for marijuana possession,” the subsection said, citing Vance's remarks in 2014, saying, “Possibly conservative I think it's time to seriously think about the fact that a black man was in possession of marijuana.” Fathers are more likely than whites to be separated from their families for marijuana possession. ”
While these comments indicate an interest in reform, Vance has recently leaned into anti-marijuana rhetoric, including during a campaign event last month with the Milwaukee Wisconsin Police Association.
At the time, he claimed that “bags of marijuana” were laced with fentanyl, saying the Biden administration's border policies would allow young people, including his own children, to buy marijuana and other drugs without risking a fatal overdose. He also said that he is not allowed to experiment with drugs. .
Although proponents will argue that that is the main reason for enacting regulatory frameworks for marijuana and other drugs that include testing requirements and other safeguards to reduce the risk of dangerous contaminants. , Republican candidates have not drawn that connection and continue to oppose marijuana legalization. .
Vance, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, does not have an extensive policy track record on cannabis policy, but his limited actions and comments on the issue suggest he is aligned with Trump on one key issue. He supports states' right to set cannabis regulations. Unique cannabis laws. He has also indicated he opposes jailing people for low-level possession.
But he voted against the bipartisan banking bill passed by the committee, argued that states that enacted legalization should step up enforcement efforts, and complained repeatedly about the smell of marijuana. , suggested its use could lead to violence.
Ethical questions have arisen over the disclosure of the Vance dossier and other Trump campaign documents shared with various media outlets, but the scrutiny documents show how cannabis policy issues permeated the campaigns in both countries. This will give you a clue as to what you are doing. aisle.
“Vance appears to be opposed to the legalization of marijuana,” another bullet point in the document on social and cultural issues highlights.
President Trump has a significant commitment to embracing certain cannabis reform policies, having recently supported the federal government's rescheduling of marijuana and granting industry access to banking services, as well as the Florida legalization ballot initiative. I don't think so. I have been a resident since November this year.
“As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical use of marijuana for Schedule 3 drugs and implement common-sense measures such as safe banking for state-chartered businesses and support for states’ rights to pass marijuana laws. “We're going to work with Congress to pass legislation,” he said earlier this month, “and like in Florida, it's working very well for the people.”
“As I have stated previously, I believe it is time to end the unnecessary arrest and incarceration of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” he said. “We must also put in place sensible regulations while ensuring adults have access to safe, tested products. As a Floridian, I will vote yes on Amendment 3 this November. intend to.”
President Trump's post about marijuana followed a post last month in which he suggested, but did not explicitly say, that he supports Florida's Third Amendment. While early comments predicted that Florida voters would approve the cannabis bill and generally discussed the benefits of legalization, some observers suggested the former president's position on specific state initiatives could be more clear. I was thinking of doing it.
President Trump also discussed the medical benefits of marijuana in an interview with Rex Fridman this month, saying legalization would be “very good” for Florida.
At a press conference last month, President Trump said he was “increasingly agreeing” that people shouldn't be criminalized over marijuana, given that it is “legalized across the country.” He added that it would be revealed “fairly soon.” His position on Florida voting measures.
Harris made her first comments supporting federal legalization since accepting the party's 2024 nomination and mentioned reform in a podcast interview published Monday. This follows weeks of silence on the issue, even though she has previously advocated for legalization and supported a Senate bill to repeal federal prohibition.
“This is not a new role for me,” Harris said. “I've felt for a long time that it needs to be legalized. So that's where I'm thinking about it.”
Meanwhile, Walz said earlier this month that he believes marijuana legalization is an issue that should be left to individual states, and that electing more Democrats to Congress would make it easier to pass federal reforms such as protecting cannabis banks. He added that it is possible.
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The Harris-Waltz campaign accused President Trump of lying about his support for marijuana reform and argued that his “blatant pandering” contradicted his administration's record on marijuana.
After President Trump recently announced his support for a Florida marijuana legalization ballot measure, Democratic campaigns have been working to remind voters that Trump “rolled back marijuana reform” during his time in office.
In a memo from a campaign official's spokesperson, the Harris-Waltz campaign accused President Trump of “brazen flip-flopping” on cannabis, citing the former Republican president's “several embarrassing 'policies that deserve real scrutiny. This is one of the “proposals”.
The presidential candidates' stance comes as the process of moving marijuana to the less restrictive Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is underway.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended this spring that the drug be reclassified as Schedule III, but the move has faced resistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which announced that A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Dec. 2. As the presidential election begins, there are growing concerns that the process will not be completed until a new president is sworn in.
Meanwhile, President Trump also recently went after Harris over her marijuana prosecutorial record, claiming that she has “put thousands of black people in jail” for marijuana crimes, but her overall record in office is even more shaky. .
Trump's line of attack, while misleading, is that the Republican presidential candidate disagrees with criminalizing people over marijuana and that Harris has contributed to racially disproportionate mass incarceration. It was notable in the sense that he hinted that he was trying to take advantage of this idea.
As president, Mr. Trump largely stuck to his position that marijuana laws should be handled at the state level, a move that some feared after then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded Obama-era federal enforcement guidelines. There was no major crackdown on marijuana programs. In fact, President Trump criticized Justice Department officials and suggested the measure should be reversed.
He has remained largely silent on the issue of legalization, but he tentatively supported a bipartisan bill that would codify federal policy to respect states' legalization rights.
However, he has issued several signing statements on spending legislation, saying he reserves the right to override longstanding provisions prohibiting the Justice Department from using the funds to interfere with state medical marijuana programs. stipulated.
Before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, his campaign focused on the president's push for marijuana amnesty and rescheduling, drawing a contrast with the Trump administration's record. Harris' campaign has so far not addressed that specific issue, and the candidate has yet to publicly discuss the issue of marijuana policy since his campaign was launched.
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