Donald Trump does not drink or smoke. On this issue, the president is what Bill Clinton wanted everyone to believe when he claimed, as a presidential candidate in 1992, “I didn’t inhale.” Yet Trump signed an executive order on Thursday instructing his administration to quickly reschedule marijuana, a change sought by the cannabis industry for decades.
The abstainer in chief is an unlikely hero for the cannabis industry, which historically felt closer to the Democratic Party and more aligned with the drug-reform efforts of its progressive wing. The executive order rescheduling marijuana could potentially loosen restrictions, lift tax burdens for cannabis companies, and pave the path for eventual federal recognition of medical marijuana.
Trump proved once again that his positions do not align neatly with traditional sacred cows of the Republican Party. Even the “just say no” conservative opposition to drug use is no more.
