GOP Senator Claims Marijuana Is A ‘Gateway Drug,’...

A GOP senator says his opposition to marijuana reform—and his conviction
that cannabis is a “gateway drug”—hasn’t changed even after President
Donald Trump signed a rescheduling order.

Asked about the president’s directive to move marijuana from Schedule I to
Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)
told Marijuana Moment that cannabis is a “gateway drug” and that his
position is informed by the fact that his brother died from a drug overdose.

Scott said he does “understand medicinal marijuana,” which voters in his
state legalized via a constitutional amendment at the ballot in 2016.

The senator, who previously served as Florida’s governor, also noted that a
separate initiative to legalize recreational cannabis on the 2024 ballot
failed to reached the 60 percent threshold needed to be enacted—though it
did get majority support.

Pressed on Trump’s assertion that rescheduling cannabis would free up
research and whether he’d support the policy change in that respect, Scott
said simply: “Why don’t we just do the research?”

Scott was among a group of GOP lawmakers who sent a letter last month challenging
the marijuana rescheduling push, urging the Trump administration to trash
the policy proposal.

Ahead of a vote on a Florida ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for
adult use—which gained majority support but not enough to reach a 60
percent threshold—the senator pledged to do everything he could to defeat it
.

The campaign behind that initiative has mounted another push for the
ballot, but activists have faced complications amid litigation and
invalidated signatures from the state.


*— Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug
policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon
supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps,
charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.*


*Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on
Patreon to get access. —*

As far as federal rescheduling is concerned, a bipartisan majority of
American voters across nearly all major demographics—age, race, gender and
political affiliation—support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll
released just days after Trump issued the executive order.

The latest poll from the Daily Mail is generally consistent with the
growing bipartisanship around marijuana legalization, but another recent
survey from YouGov showed Republicans evenly divided on the issue, with 41
percent in favor and 41 percent against the broader reform.

The rescheduling process initiated by the Biden administration, which Trump
has now asked to be finalized, is still pending. Congressional researchers
also recently released a report noting that there’s a chance the Justice
Department could opt to start the process all over again, or even not
complete it at all. But as prior polling has indicated, it’s a politically
popular reform across the aisle.

The president said last month that cannabis can “make people feel much
better” and serve as a “substitute for addictive and potentially lethal
opioid painkillers.” He clarified, however, that he personally has no
interest in using marijuana himself.

Trump also dismissed the concerns of GOP lawmakers who oppose rescheduling,
pointing out that an overwhelming majority of Americans support the reform
and that cannabis can help people—including his personal friends—who are
suffering from serious health issues.

*The LCB contributed reporting from Washington, D.C. *

The post GOP Senator Claims Marijuana Is A ‘Gateway Drug,’ Voicing
Opposition To Trump’s Rescheduling Order appeared first on Marijuana Moment.