2016 Marijuana Election: Where Do The Republican Presidential Candidates Stand?

On Tuesday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that if he is elected president he will crack down on states that no longer prohibit marijuana. When asked if he would enforce federal drug laws in states that have legalized and regulated cannabis, Christie said that he would crack down and not permit it.

Governor Christie’s comments have made us think about what could happen to the cannabis industry if a conservative Republican was elected as the next President of the United States. Would the President destroy all of the progress that has been made over the last few years? Or would he or she allow states to continue to make their own laws pertaining to marijuana.

Polls favor marijuana more than candidates

Many advocates are not concerned about the next president cracking down on states that recently enacted marijuana reform legislation because marijuana polls are better than candidates from either party. If a candidate’s campaign involves cracking down on marijuana, they are most likely not going to get elected.

Colorado and a number of other states that have reformed their marijuana laws are critical swing states that are needed to win the election. Also, The Department of Justice’s policy of deference toward the states was not implemented because it was the popular option. It was based on a legal position that there is little that the federal government can do given the importance of “states rights”.

The polls are in marijuana’s favor. In 2008, the Gallup poll found that 23% of Republicans were in favor of legalizing marijuana. In 2015, the Gallup/Pew Research Center poll found that 39% of Republicans were in favor of legalizing marijuana.

So where do the leading Republican candidates stand on this issue?

Rand Paul: Senator Paul announced that he is running for president in the 2016 election. Senator Paul is the first presidential candidate from either party to make marijuana reform a significant campaign issue. In March, Senator Paul introduced a bipartisan bill with Democratic Senators Cory Booker (N.J.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), which would effectively end the federal ban on medical marijuana and implement a series of reforms. Senator Paul has also been a strong supporter of the industrial hemp industry. In 2014, he played a key role in the Senate’s passage of legislation to allow states to grow hemp for research

Jeb Bush: In November 2014, (who admitted he smoked pot in high school), Bush said, “Florida leaders and citizens have worked for years to make the Sunshine State a world-class location to start or run a business, a family-friendly destination for tourism and a desirable place to raise a family or retire.” “Allowing large-scale, marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medicinal purposes, runs counter to all of these efforts,” he added. “I strongly urge Floridians to vote against Amendment 2 this November,” he said.

Marco Rubio: Many people believe that Marco Rubio would be in favor of allowing states to make their own decisions regarding marijuana. Rubio, however, has also said that his own family was hurt by the drug business when his brother-in-law was arrested and sent to prison. Rubio said that there is no responsible way to use marijuana (recreationally) and he thinks that legalization would be bad for the country.

Scott Walker: Walker told CNN, “From my standpoint, I still have concerns about making it legal. I understand from the libertarian standpoint, the argument out there. I still have concerns.” Walker added, “I’m not, unlike the President, I still have difficulty visualizing marijuana and alcohol in the same vein.”

Rick Perry and Ted Cruz:  Both have taken politically safe positions with marijuana. Perry has not officially declared himself a Presidential candidate and believes in states’ rights, but he said in his book that he “didn’t think legalization was good for the citizens of Texas.” Ted Cruz has stated that he think states should be able to make their own laws, but he has never been a marijuana supporter. 

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Michael Berger is Managing Partner of StoneBridge Partners, LLC and Founder of Technical420.com. Prior to entering the cannabis industry, Michael was an Equity Research Analyst at Raymond James Financial covering the Energy Sector. Michael has been featured in publications such as The Street, Bloomberg, US Money News, and hosts various cannabis events across North America.

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