Former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Sunday signaled support for reclassifying marijuana under federal drug laws and legislation to give regulated cannabis companies access to traditional business banking services. He also indicated that a second Trump administration would support state efforts to legalize recreational marijuana, including a measure to legalize recreational marijuana on the ballot for the general election in his adopted home state of Florida.
“As President, we 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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday night, according to a report from online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment.
Trump also said that he would vote in favor of Amendment 3, a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida that voters will see on ballots for the November general election, a position he indicated in a separate social media post last month.
“As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” he said. “We must also implement smart regulations, while providing access for adults, to safe, tested product. As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November.”
Trump first indicated support for decriminalizing marijuana last month in a post on Truth Social. He also hinted support for Amendment 3, although he did not explicitly endorse the measure.
“As we legalize it, I start to agree a lot more because, you know, it’s being legalized all over the country,” Trump said, according to a report from Marijuana Moment. “Florida has something coming up. I’ll be making a statement about that fairly soon.”
Cannabis Industry Reacts
Cannabis industry executives were quick to note that Trump’s rather sudden support for cannabis reform measures threatens to co-opt an issue that has been championed by the Biden administration and the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. A proposal to reclassify cannabis to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, however, will not be decided until after the election. Democrats have also advanced legislation to give cannabis operators access to banking services known as the SAFE Banking Act, but so far have been unable to gain approval for the bill in the Senate.
Cannabis Industry Reacts
Cannabis industry executives were quick to note that Trump’s rather sudden support for cannabis reform measures threatens to co-opt an issue that has been championed by the Biden administration and the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. A proposal to reclassify cannabis to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, however, will not be decided until after the election. Democrats have also advanced legislation to give cannabis operators access to banking services known as the SAFE Banking Act, but so far have been unable to gain approval for the bill in the Senate.
