Marijuana in a Trumpian World

State-legal cannabis is probably too far along to be affected, but the federal status of the plant is still in question.

By Herbert Fuego

November 19, 2024

Westword

Audio By Carbonatix

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Dear Stoner: Will Donald Trump or Project 2025 come after my weed once he becomes president? I live in a state that just legalized, and I'd like it to stay that way.
Walsh

Dear Walsh: State-legal cannabis is probably too far along for Trump or prohibitionists who support him to bottle it back up, but the federal status of the plant was in question no matter who won the election, especially with DEA rescheduling hearings looming.

Project 2025 may want to set this country backward in a lot of ways, but there is no mention of cannabis legalization. Still, the organization behind Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation, has been staunchly against legal pot since, like, forever, and Trump has had a flip-flop attitude toward cannabis. Sure, his most recent comments indicated he was open to legal or decriminalized cannabis, but he's said the opposite in the past, even calling out Colorado's decision to legalize in 2015. I don't think you have much to worry about as a legal dispensary shopper, but this was a president who chose Jeff Sessions as his attorney general last time around, so nothing is out of the question.

Send questions to [email protected].

Herbert Fuego is the resident stoner at Westword, ready to answer all your marijuana questions.

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