A Democratic senator says marijuana reform is one “huge” example of an issue that could move voters during the election this November but that so far hasn’t been meaningfully addressed on the campaign trail by his party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s campaign is continuing to attack on Harris’s cannabis prosecutorial record in California.
Taking questions on X on Saturday, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) was asked what he considers to be “issues that aren’t being talked about could move voters.”
“I think cannabis is a huge one that can move votes,” he replied.
To the senator’s point, a series of recent polls found that strong majorities of likely voters in five key battleground states—Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—back federal marijuana legalization and other reforms such as allowing banks to work with state-legal cannabis businesses.
Since becoming the nominee after President Joe Biden bowed out in July, however, Harris has curiously declined to embrace the issue, despite having privately called for legalization as recently as March and sponsoring a bill to end prohibition during her time in the Senate.
Instead, it’s been Trump, the GOP nominee, who’s publicly promoted pro-reform policies such as federal rescheduling and industry banking access, while announcing support for a Florida marijuana legalization initiative that will be on the state’s November ballot.
Read the full article at Marijuana Moment.
