"Between a sweeping new package of legislation introduced last week by one of the top Democratic presidential prospects and, on the other end of the spectrum, Attorney General Jeff Sessions' vigorous opposition to recreational use of marijuana, the debate over legalization of cannabis is about to receive a full airing on the presidential campaign trail," Politico declared this week after U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize cannabis and institute social justice reform. Booker's name has been mentioned in the short list of potential Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, the Center for Responsive Politics reported recently that the marijuana industry saw the biggest jump in federal lobbying expenditure than any other sector, doubling the amount it spent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2016.
"Whenever you see an industry that didn't use to be regulated becoming regulated, you are going to see a lot of people wanting to influence those regulations," Sarah Bryner, the Center for Responsive Politics' research director, told the Washington Examiner.
Cannabis' prominence in our political debate has been building momentum for years. Since California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, the country has seen 28 states follow suit. Last November, the number of states with legal adult-use doubled to eight, including California, the nation's most populous state and the sixth largest economy in the world with an estimated cannabis market potential of $8 billion.
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom who's running for governor supported Prop. 64, the state measure legalizing recreational use, and has openly courted the cannabis industry. According to Politico, Democratic nominees in this year's governor races in New Jersey and Virginia have staked out clear positions in favor of decriminalization. New Jersey is a medical marijuana state. Efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Virginia have made strides in that state.
On the other side of the aisle, perennial presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has called for the end of the federal Prohibition. The GOP's largest supporters, the Koch brothers, have championed decriminalizing marijuana. And the first Cannabis Caucus in Congress is led by two Republicans, along with two Democrats. Even President Trump - his attorney general's stance on marijuana notwithstanding, backed medical marijuana legalization in the campaign trail.
"We are witnessing first hand a clear shift in the conversation around marijuana that takes us away from the 'reefer madness' rhetoric to a truly intelligent discussion of how we are going to regulate this legitimate industry," said Chris Ganan, chief strategy officer for MedMen, a cannabis management and investment firm based in Los Angeles that is very active in local and national lobbying efforts through organizations like the Marijuana Policy Project and the National Cannabis Industry Association.
National polls continue to show growing support for legalization. The General Social Survey, a bi-annual poll of American attitudes, showed support for legalization increasing in 2016 to 57 percent. A more recent CBS News poll in April showed 61 percent of Americans support legalization, a 5 percent increase from last year and the highest percentage ever recorded in that poll.
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