How Will Trump Deal With Cannabis

Ever since the election results came in earlier this month, cannabis supporters are feeling very up in the air about the future of cannabis. Although many states voted yes on medical and recreational legalization, as well as on issues like public use, a Trump presidency is such a wild card that many fear he will pull some rash new regulations against cannabis.

While some think that Trump will go easy on cannabis because he favors states’ rights and knows good business, some are still worried that those he appointed will be anti-cannabis, or that he will allow rights to be stripped from local business owners. Trump has stated in the past that this is a state issue, but also alluded to the fact that states need to be in compliance with federal regulations.

“Donald Trump is totally unpredictable on this issue,” Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, stated in a conference call with reporters, according to US News. “There was a moment years ago when he said he was interested in legalizing all drugs,” in 1990, when Trump was not yet a Republican, Nadelmann explained, “and then he was seen using drug-war rhetoric in debates with Hillary Clinton.”

In other words, no one is completely sure what stance Trump will take. While he has at times appeared liberal on the issue, he has also been making a lot of promises about upping the presence of law enforcement across the country. Many also fear that because he will appoint individuals like Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani to enforce his policies, causing the industry to suffer. If either of these individuals end up as Attorney General, the future could certainly look bad for cannabis.

However, despite the issues that may be faced under a Trump administration, this election was still a big win for cannabis, and the industry is progressing too far forward to be stopped now.