Legalization of marijuana has been and will continue to be a primary focus for the 2016 presidential candidates. The current candidates overall have very pointed opinions about marijuana and if it should remain legal in some states, and become legal in others. No matter which way you slice it, how the next United States president feels about marijuana, and his or her policies surrounding that, will be a game changer. Legalization may be on the chopping block if the next president identifies as conservative and is against the use of cannabis.
Because marijuana has remained federally illegal, a conservative president could take away the rights of individual states to keep it legal. Of course, this would cause a huge stir in the legal states, but, as many know, federal interference could trump state wants.
Liberal President Obama is transparent about his relationship with cannabis: he smoked it in his adolescence and does not believe it to be any worse for people than alcohol. He views smoking cannabis as a “bad habit,” but has not declared war on it. This is the exact opposite of many presidential candidates, many of which want to see cannabis illegal everywhere. Let’s take a look at a few candidates who have conservative views and have spoken about legalization, and what their presidency would mean for legal states.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie: Governor Chris Christie is no stranger to controversy. He has angered many groups of people, including those dedicated to animal rights and now those who enjoy smoking legal cannabis. Christie has made it clear that if he wins the presidency, he will crack down on marijuana and not permit it, even in legal states. He plans on enforcing federal drug laws and will target legal states like Washington and Oregon with intent to once again prohibit the cultivation and sale of cannabis.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush: Jeb Bush has smoked marijuana before but does not agree with cannabis legality. When Florida was voting on whether or not to legalize medical marijuana, Bush released a statement urging the people to reject legality. He is assuredly against legality, but there is an important detail in his stance: He believes that states should be allowed the final decision on legality. So, if Bush becomes the next president, legal states will have nothing to fear though future legalization in other states may prove challenging.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul: The son of Ron Paul, Rand Paul is very involved in marijuana legalization. He is completely for medical legality, and has even co-sponsored a bill that would lift the federal ban on medical marijuana. He also believes that recreational legality should be left up to the states to decide and that cannabis should be decriminalized.
The current conservative presidential candidates are all over the place in terms of legalization. Overwhelmingly, Republican candidates believe that legalization should be left to individual states. However, there are extremes on either end, as is seen with Christie and Paul. A “conservative” label on a president is not the end-all-be-all of cannabis legality, simply because many of them do not want to interfere with state jurisdiction. It is important to remain informed and up-to-date on presidential policies.
If you enjoy your legal Washington cannabis, be sure to vote in the coming presidential elections in support of your beliefs. Legality, ultimately, rests in citizens’ hands.