Business Writing Sample: The Likelihood of American Marijuana Legalization Based on the Top 4 Candidates for President

Legal marijuana supporters continue to believe nationwide legalization in America is just a few years away, and with presidential primary voting in full swing; hope, as it always does, “springs eternal in the human breast” (Alexander Pope).

With that in mind, let’s look at what we could possibly expect from the top 2 candidates for President of the United States on the Democratic and Republican sides, should any of them become president.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary’s approach can be best be described as “wait and see”, or; she’ll wait and see if enough people support an issue before claiming she was in favor of it all along. She has stated that “states are the laboratory of democracy” meaning that if enough states decide that marijuana can be legally sold, she could be persuaded to be in favor of decriminalizing it nationally.

During a November 2015 appearance at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, she said she was in favor of reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule 1 Drug to a Schedule 2 drug. Schedule 1 drugs, which include LSD and Bath Salts, cannot be studied or used medicinally but Schedule 2 drugs can be. She believes that more research on marijuana would be helpful to find the best way to use it.

Bernie Sanders

Bernie’s approach to what the Federal Government should do in regarding marijuana is exactly the same as his approach to everything else in his campaign that he has a problem with on a national level — he wants to rip it up at the roots. He’s not too shy with letting his feelings be known on his website FEELTHEBERN.ORG which states “Bernie believes that the war on drugs is ineffective and harmful and has destroyed people’s lives through mass incarceration of non-violent offenders.”

Sanders is very much in favor of ending the federal prohibition on marijuana, has in fact submitted legislation to this effect, and believes that states should have the right to regulate marijuana just like they regulate tobacco and alcohol. He is absolutely in favor of medical marijuana.

If you support medical use of marijuana and full legalization, Bernie is your man.

Ted Cruz

In 2014 Ted Cruz criticized Barack Obama for not arresting marijuana users in Colorado but has since recognized the state’s right to make their own rules saying “It’s appropriate for the federal government to recognize that the citizens of [Colorado and Washington] have made that decision.”

He is not in favor of legalization but won’t attempt to block states that do; so, in other words he’s a conservative Republican.

Donald Trump

Trump’s opinions on marijuana are all over the map. 25 years ago he could have been channeling Bernie Sanders when he said legalization should be on the table because we’re losing the war on drugs. Then in 2015 he said that he’s against legalization of marijuana but just like Ted Cruz won’t fight the states if they want to legalize it. I imagine him shrugging his shoulders and laughing while saying “Hey, who am I to deny people what they want to vote for?”

To wit: I’m sure you guys are not surprised that the Democratic candidates are generally in favor of legalization but the Republican candidates are not and wish it would go away. Fret not though true believers — the winds of change are sweeping this country and gradually more and more states will vote to legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal use, but If Bernie becomes president, this could happen sooner rather than later.