Congressional Progressive Caucus Fundraises Off Marijuana Decriminalization As Harris Maintains Cannabis Silence On Campaign Trail

Weeks out from the election, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is circulating a fundraising survey asking people’s opinions on federally decriminalizing marijuana while also broadly condemning the “failed war on drugs.”

In an email blast on Wednesday, CPC asked: “Do you support the decriminalization of marijuana?” Respondents could answer “yes,” “no” or “unsure.”

“This is important: Anti-marijuana policies and the failed war on drugs have been a DISASTER for Americans across the country,” it says. “That’s why progressives are ready for a new approach. But we need to know if you’re on board, so please respond today!”

Selecting a response then directs recipients t0 a follow-up survey with an additional question about whether people feel it’s “important to elect more Progressives who will make combating antiquated laws like this one a priority.”

Respondents are then prompted with a fundraising push and donation options for the CPC PAC.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has similarly leveraged cannabis reform in campaign emails to supporters. For example, in June he sent out a blast asking where marijuana decriminalization should fit in among other priorities for Democrats in Congress as this year’s elections approach.

Meanwhile, this latest message from CPC comes months after the caucus unveiled a legislative agenda that includes marijuana legalization and expungements among a list of priorities that members say Democrats “can pass with congressional majorities” if they keep the Senate and retake the House in the November elections.

That agenda starkly contrasted with a Republican Policy Committee memo urging GOP members to oppose even incremental reform proposals such as a bipartisan marijuana banking bill. Notably, the position now conflicts with that of the party’s 2024 nominee, former President Donald Trump, who recently backed cannabis rescheduling, industry banking access and a Florida marijuana legalization ballot initiative.

Meanwhile, a separate Executive Action Agenda that CPC put forward last year urged President Joe Biden to direct federal agencies to “expedite” the marijuana scheduling review that’s since led to a rescheduling recommendation and reinstate guidance protecting state cannabis programs from federal interference.

When CPC rolled out its platform in 2020, it called for marijuana to be legalized within the first six months of 2021 and the expungement of prior records.

The caucus’s latest effort to raise money off the popularity of cannabis reform, particularly among progressives, comes at an interesting time in the 2024 presidential election, which has seen Trump embrace the issue at the same time that Vice President Kamala Harris has curiously remained silent on it since become in the Democratic nominee despite her past vocal support for legalization.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said over the weekend that marijuana reform is one “huge” example of an issue that could move voters during the election, yet Harris has not addressed it on the campaign trail despite having privately called for legalization as recently as March and her sponsorship of a bill to end prohibition during her time in the Senate.

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.

Not everyone is convinced that Trump sincerely supports the cannabis reform policies he’s started promoting, with bipartisan lawmakers such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Andy Harris (R-MD) chalking the former president’s recent cannabis pivot a campaign ploy to attract voters, for example.

Harris’s campaign has similarly accused Trump of lying about his support for marijuana reform, stating that his “blatant pandering” runs counter to his administration’s record on cannabis.

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Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.