GOP senators claim marijuana is a 'gateway drug' while opposing reclassification and legalization

Two Republican senators recently said they remain opposed to marijuana reform, in part because they believe cannabis is a “gateway drug,” bolstering their dubious claim as other Republican lawmakers voice concerns about the Biden administration's efforts to reclassify the drug.

In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio broadcast Monday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was asked about his opinion on various cannabis reform proposals, including comprehensive legalization and bipartisan legislation to protect banks that work with state-licensed marijuana businesses.

“I just think marijuana is still a gateway drug,” Hawley said. “We have medical marijuana, which I supported in Missouri, so if you want to take advantage of the medical benefits, there is a way to take advantage of them.” He qualified, however, that he believes “the medical benefits are limited.”

Although he knows that the state's voters have now approved legalization for recreational use and would “abide by” the law, he said he did not vote for it and “would not support an extension.”

“I think for children and adolescents, the dangers of long-term, long-term use are high,” Hawley said. “I think it creates dangers.”

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) also said Saturday that he sees marijuana as a “gateway drug,” which is why he opposes reforms at the federal and state levels, including a legalization proposal that is on the ballot in his state of Florida.

“I will do everything in my power to make sure these do not pass,” he said, according to Florida Politics, referring to both the cannabis measure and another ballot initiative on reproductive rights.

Meanwhile, several other GOP senators expressed opposition to various marijuana reform proposals, including reclassification and banking, in recent interviews with AskAPol's Matt Laslo.

Senator Mitt Romney (Republican of Utah), for example, said he thought reclassifying marijuana was “a bad idea,” adding, “Marijuana is much more potent than people of my generation remember, and this is a bad decision.” When asked if his opinion was based on personal experience, the senator confirmed that he had not tried cannabis.

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), whose state will vote on marijuana legalization this November, said, “I don't like it” about the new bill that would not legalize cannabis at the federal level.

“I think given the impact that's happening right now on the health care system – and now to reclassify a drug that clearly has health care implications and suggest to young people that it's now less dangerous? That's just a bad message,” he said.

Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) said, “I don't think it should be removed from Schedule I,” while Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) declined to comment on his position on cannabis policy, as did Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

However, not all Republicans are vocally opposing cannabis reform ahead of the election.

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), for example, who has criticized the Biden administration's process that led to the marijuana reclassification proposal, nevertheless says the reform would be a “good thing.” He adds that it would be better to tax cannabis and give licensed businesses access to the banking system.

In the background, delegates are meeting in Chicago this week for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where Vice President Kamala Harris is to be formally nominated. Delegates voted virtually to put her at the top of the list of candidates after President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the race.

Delegates also voted on Monday on a party platform that praises Biden's pardons and debt rescheduling in marijuana cases while calling for broader reforms to expunge past criminal records.

Observers are also waiting for an official statement from Trump on his stance on a bill to legalize marijuana for recreational use, which is scheduled to be voted on in his home state of Florida in November. He had previously stated that he was increasingly open to decriminalization in the wake of the legalization movement at the state level.

Harris has a clearer position on cannabis issues ahead of the election. While critics, including Trump, have been quick to point to her record as a marijuana prosecutor, she also supported a comprehensive legalization bill in the Senate and called for legalization as recently as March in a closed-door meeting with pardon recipients of cannabis defendants.

Harris, meanwhile, has chosen Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, choosing a candidate who supported numerous cannabis reform measures in Congress, called for an end to prohibition during his run for governor, and signed a comprehensive legalization bill in 2023.

As president, 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump largely stuck to his position that marijuana laws should be regulated at the state level. There was no major action against cannabis programs, as some feared after then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions rolled back Obama-era federal enforcement guidelines. In fact, Trump criticized the Justice Department's top official and suggested reversing the move.

While he has remained largely silent on the issue of legalization, he tentatively supported a bipartisan bill to codify federal policy on protecting states' right to legalize.

However, on several occasions he has released statements accompanying his signing of appropriations bills noting that he reserves the right to ignore a long-standing amendment that prohibits the Justice Department from using its funds to obstruct state-legal medical marijuana programs.

The Democratic National Committee also touted the Biden-Harris administration's marijuana reform program on social media – but faced resistance after suggesting that cannabis had already been reclassified and that the country's “failed approach” to marijuana was now over.

Ohio retailers sold $22.5 million worth of recreational marijuana in the first 11 days of legal sales

Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.