2024 Presidential Candidates on Marijuana Reform

Benjamin Franklin once said, “When people differ in opinion, both sides ought equally to have the advantage of being heard by the public.” Earlier this week, the Republican and Democratic candidates for President engaged in a lively debate, but despite making news on the subject, neither addressed their stance on marijuana reform. To fill that gap, we’ve prepared a summary for voters who are curious about the 2024 Presidential candidates’ positions on cannabis legalization.

TL;DR: For the first time in modern political history, no Presidential candidate from a major party (and possibly no candidate at all) supports keeping marijuana on the list of Schedule I controlled substances. For decades, both the Democratic and Republican parties largely agreed that marijuana had no accepted medical use and carried a high potential for abuse. However, as NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano noted, “In an election where every vote counts, both Trump and Harris wisely see advocating for marijuana policy reform as an opportunity to connect with a wide range of potential voters.”

On Monday, September 9, 2024, Former President Donald Trump made headlines by expressing support for reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The Biden Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services had already recommended rescheduling cannabis, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is currently considering rules to make this change. Since the DEA won’t finalize its rules before the election, Trump’s statement significantly raises the likelihood that marijuana will be reclassified soon.

But that’s not all. Trump became the first presidential candidate in modern history to openly endorse legalizing marijuana for adult use. In a social media post, he declared his support for Amendment 3, known as the Smart and Safe Florida Amendment.

While the amendment has been compared to Arizona’s model—despite lacking provisions for expungement, social equity, or home cultivation—Trump’s endorsement of any adult-use legalization measure as the leader of the Republican Party is poised to reshape conservative perspectives on marijuana reform.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris broke new ground with her campaign. During this election cycle, Harris became the first modern presidential candidate to openly support the federal legalization of marijuana. That’s right– not federal rescheduling, but federal legalization. 

Notably, Harris was previously the lead Senate sponsor of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019, a bill drafted with help from NORML. She also backed President Biden’s rescheduling efforts, while her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, recently legalized the adult use of marijuana in Minnesota.

As NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano recently noted, “At a time when voters are historically divided, ending America’s failed marijuana policies is one issue that Americans largely agree on.” 

With both major candidates advocating for reform, we may finally see the end of prohibition-era marijuana policies.