Trump Weighs Reclassifying Marijuana as Less Dangerous Drug

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The president told donors earlier this month he was interested in reclassifying the drug

President Trump is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, according to people familiar with the matter, after pot companies have poured millions of dollars into Trump’s political groups.

At a $1 million-a-plate fundraiser at his New Jersey golf club earlier this month, Trump told attendees that he was interested in change, the people, who declined to be named, said. Such a shift, which the Biden administration started pursuing but didn’t enact before leaving office, would make it much easier to buy and sell pot and make the multibillion-dollar industry more profitable.

The guests at Trump’s fundraiser included Kim Rivers, the chief executive of one of the largest marijuana companies, Trulieve, who encouraged Trump to pursue the change and expand medical marijuana research, according to people present at the event. 

Trump listened and said he was interested, according to three people in the room. He flagged it to staff members there, the people said.

Among the other guests: Pfizer’s CEO, cryptocurrency executives and political advisers close to Trump. The group also discussed New York politics, attendees said, and requests from other donors.

The fundraiser conversation was part of a campaign by cannabis companies to persuade Trump to pick up where the Biden team left off and reclassify the drug. The companies have contributed millions to the president’s political groups and hired some of the Washington’s top lobbyists and advisers to Trump. The companies went to Trump directly after failing to gain traction across other agencies in the government.

The push centers on whether marijuana should be reclassified as a Schedule III drug, which wouldn’t make the drug entirely legal but would ease restrictions on it. It would also allow for tax breaks for some marijuana companies and additional medical research.

Trump is an unlikely champion of the marijuana industry. Last year, Trump said he would vote for marijuana legalization in Florida, an effort that narrowly failed to secure the 60% it needed to pass. Trump announced his position in September, after meeting with Trulieve and lobbyist Brian Ballard, according to people familiar with the matter. Trulieve wrote a large check to Trump, two of the people said.

Trump also said his administration would focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana, and other priorities the industry has sought. 

Senior administration officials said Trump himself is no supporter of marijuana, given that he has talked about his brother’s addiction issues and doesn’t consume alcohol or drugs. He has also complained about the smell of pot. 

But one senior administration official said Trump was interested in taking on issues, like marijuana, that are “80-20 cultural issues,” meaning those that have broad support among 80% of the public. Others who have talked to him said he has also referenced friends in New York who used medical marijuana for pain. 

Discussions are ongoing in the administration, officials say, and it remains unknown what Trump will ultimately decide.

“All policy and legal requirements and implications are being considered. The only interest guiding the president’s policy decisions is what is in the best interest of the American people,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman. 

The Trump administration has done little on the issue since taking office, driving the industry to take increasingly aggressive steps. An umbrella group called American Rights and Reform PAC has been seeded with millions of dollars from the industry and has advertised extensively. It also gave $1 million to Trump’s PAC. 

On its website is a poll commissioned by Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio’s firm that shows Republicans back legalizing and reclassifying the drug. The group paid about $120,000 for the poll, disclosures show. Consultants working on behalf of Trulieve have provided Trump’s team with polling that shows that more than 80% of independent voters support it, too.

The PAC has also paid $300,000 to Trump campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz to work on social media and advertisements. Bruesewitz said Trump had expressed support for the issue in the past.

“This is not calling for decriminalization or legalization but simply knocking it down a few notches on the criminal scale,” he said. “It’s probably targeted more to a younger demographic, where the president has made great headway.” 

Trulieve representatives have met with Trump on several occasions, according to people familiar with the matter, at fundraising events. Ballard and Trulieve declined to comment. Other lobbyists on the effort include Nick Iarossi, a Florida lobbyist who has raised money for Trump. 

One presentation provided to Trump’s team includes Trump’s September social-media post that advocated for reclassifying the drug, and says that employees within the federal government are trying to block Trump.

“These actions directly subvert the very goals President Trump set out to achieve on the campaign trail,” the presentation reads.

Those opposed to the drug are trying to lobby Trump as well. One group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, has launched advertisements against the drug on Fox & Friends and Maria Bartiromo’s Fox Business show, hoping to appeal to Trump. The group’s leader, Kevin Sabet, said in an interview he’d met with administration officials who don’t want the drug to be reclassified. “It doesn’t help America. It doesn’t help our youth, our competitiveness, job prospects, it doesn’t help people go to work,” Sabet said. 

Another group, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, is telling its members to reach out to the White House, according to Sue Thau, a consultant who works for the group. “We’re telling them, ‘tell the vice president and president we think it’s a bad idea.’ The problem is we don’t have a whole lot of money,” she said.