It’s hard to avoid the holiday buzz kill that is political advertising these days, especially if you live in places like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada – where the presidential primary is really starting to heat up. For the majority of us here in Colorado, we are bound to get our share of Democracy soon enough, good and hard.
In the meantime, we don’t want to leave you, dear reader, without talking points when you’re at your regular cocktail party or dinner reception. As always, we are here to make sure you sound like the smartest guy, or girl, in the room. You look the part, why shouldn’t you sound like it too?
Before you hit the social circuit, don’t forget to review our earlier post about the current state-by-state breakdown of pot laws. The only change is that Ohio just voted against the pro-marijuana ballot initiative. (It’s widely believed to be because the vote would have assigned ownership of the dispensaries to very small and exclusive group of owners rather than just open it up as a free-market).
Now, with a h/t from our friends at the Marijuana Policy Project, below is a short list of presidential candidates and a brief description of their position on marijuana policy.
Jeb Bush
In 2014, former Gov. Bush formally opposed a statewide ballot initiative to establish a comprehensive medical marijuana program in Florida. At the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference, he said he supports states’ rights to establish their own marijuana policies and that the federal government should not interfere in their decisions.
Chris Christie
Gov. Christie opposes the legalization of marijuana and has spoken out repeatedly against states that have legalized marijuana for adults. He opposed New Jersey’s medical marijuana law, which was signed by his predecessor, and he has imposed strict restrictions on the program that have hampered its effectiveness.
Hillary Clinton
Clinton has expressed support for legal access to medical marijuana and more research into the medical benefits of marijuana. In 2014, when asked about the legalization laws approved in Colorado and Washington, she said “states are the laboratories of democracy” and that she wants to see what happens in those states prior to taking a position in support or opposition to such laws.
Ted Cruz
At the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference, Sen. Cruz said he is opposed to the legalization of marijuana for adult use, but he believes states should have the right to establish their own marijuana policies.
Previously, the senator had criticized the Obama administration for not enforcing federal marijuana laws in Colorado and Washington after voters in those states adopted laws that regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol.
Carly Fiorina
Fiorina does not support the legalization of marijuana for any purpose, including medical use. She recently expressed support for decriminalization. She has expressed support for the rights of voters to establish their own state marijuana policies.
John Kasich
Gov. Kasich is “totally opposed” to marijuana legalization, including the use of marijuana for medical purposes. He believes states should “probably” have the right to establish their own marijuana policies and would not challenge state laws regulating marijuana for medical or adult use.
Rand Paul
Sen. Paul has consistently supported states’ rights to establish their own marijuana policies, and he has been a vocal supporter of decriminalizing or reducing criminal penalties for those arrested for marijuana possession.
He is a sponsor of the CARERS Act, a bipartisan bill that would allow states to set their own policies regarding the legalization of medical marijuana without interference from the federal government.
He is also the co-sponsor of a bill that would allow marijuana-related businesses to access the banking system. In addition, Sen. Paul has been vocal on decriminalization or reducing criminal penalties for those arrested for the use of marijuana.
Marco Rubio
Sen. Rubio has expressed some support for allowing the use of non-psychoactive forms of medical marijuana, but he is staunchly opposed to the legalization of marijuana for adult use.
He has equivocated in his support for letting states establish their own marijuana. In April 2015, he said he believes federal prohibition laws should be enforced in states that have repealed state prohibition laws.
Bernie Sanders
Sen. Sanders has expressed support for allowing states to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult and medical use. He has been critical of the war on drugs, particularly with regard to how it has been enforced. He has expressed some concerns about regulating marijuana for adult use, which stem from his concerns about other illegal drugs.
During the first 2016 Democratic presidential debate, Sen. Sanders said he would vote “yes” on an initiative to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use if he were a voter in Nevada, where such a measure is set to appear on the November 2016 ballot.
Donald Trump
In 1990, Trump said he favored legalizing all drugs, but more recently he has said he opposes legalizing and regulating marijuana for adult use. He supports legal access to medical marijuana, and he believes states should be able to set their own marijuana policies with regard to adult use.
