We like to believe that cannabis reform is all about people. It is about giving patients access to quality medical cannabis and recreational users a choice similar to their choices involving alcohol and tobacco. But the reality is that cannabis reform is as much a political issue as anything else. The actions of a progressive PAC have made it all too clear.
Reform Continues to Struggle
As you might already know, the federal government has been wrestling with cannabis reform for years. It seems like the House puts together some sort of reform bill with every legislative session. But the bills ultimately die in the Senate. Meanwhile, the DOJ is still working its way through a Biden Administration decision to move cannabis to Schedule II or III of the Control Substances Act.
With all of that as the backdrop, a group known as the Progressive Turnout Project recently sent out an alert for fundraising purposes. The alert informs readers that the Republican party and President Trump could “steal” the cannabis reform issue away from the Democrat party. Whether they intended to or not, the PAC has revealed the political nature of the issue.
Who Gets Credit Shouldn’t Matter
If cannabis reform is truly about medical cannabis users, recreational users, business owners, etc., it should not matter who gets credit for getting reform done. Politicians are supposed to be serving their constituents, right? Constituents are served by any politician who votes in favor of reform, regardless of party affiliation.
The fact that certain PACs are worried that Republicans might steal the issue screams politics instead of people. Would these same groups favor maintaining the status quo just so that Republicans do not get credit? That seems to be the implication.
The Issue on the Streets
It is important to understand that the politics of cannabis reform have less of an impact on what people on the street think about it. PACs are political machines by their nature. They don’t necessarily reflect the views of average Americans.
Consider a chronic pain sufferer who hooks up with BeehiveMed in Brigham City, UT to get his medical cannabis card. He’s convinced medical cannabis will help alleviate his pain. There’s a pretty good chance he doesn’t care that the vast majority of lawmakers who created the state’s medical cannabis program some five years ago were Republicans. What he cares about is getting some relief.
How ironic that cannabis legalization began as a medical issue. Individual advocates and PACs pleaded with California lawmakers to legalize cannabis by bringing up the plight of suffering patients desperately wanting relief from pain, seizures, and other symptoms.
We now know that pushing the medical angle in California was just a way to get a foot in the door. As soon as medical cannabis was legalized, advocates began working on legalizing recreational consumption. That pattern has been repeated in dozens of states around the country.
It’s Why People Despise Politics
Issues like cannabis reform explain why average Americans despise politics. Medical cannabis users simply want access to products that could offer significant symptom relief. Recreational consumers just want the freedom to use cannabis the same way they might use alcohol or tobacco. They don’t care who gets reform done.
Meanwhile, in Washington and most of our state capitals, politicians and their PAC allies are more concerned about who gets the credit. They use cannabis reform as a tool to improve their own images while disparaging their opponents.
If cannabis reform ever comes to full fruition, does it really matter who gets it done? Your answer says a lot about your politics.