Why Republicans Need to Embrace Cannabis

Republicans weren’t too pleased about the cannabis industry’s inclusion in the latest coronavirus stimulus package. Here’s why they’re wrong.

Modern conservatism, in many respects, is a continuation of Reaganism — acting in opposition to communism, and the “left,” while promoting small government and tax cuts. Admittedly, Donald Trump’s brand of conservatism is a departure from Reagan’s, with his nationalist, America-first ideology, in which he seeks to build walls rather than tear them down.

Though one thing that Reaganites and the Trump Administration seem to agree on is that cannabis is a big no-no.

In the 1980s, Reagan famously said that cannabis was “probably the most dangerous drug in the United States.”

While Trump has comparatively been rather laissez-faire when it comes to cannabis legalization, saying that he would “leave it to the states,” his party still have their reservations about the drug.

The clearest example of this was just last week when the House of Representatives passed the second coronavirus stimulus bill, named the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. The HEROES Act, which is valued at roughly USD $3 trillion, makes little…