Trump Accepts GOP Nomination As Party Begins To Embrace Cannabis Legalization, Says Republican Consultant

As the Republican National Convention (RNC) ended with the longest acceptance speech in history delivered by Donald Trump, another Donald who attended the RNC offered a shorter but pertinent view of the politics and evolving landscape around cannabis legislation within the Republican Party.

Don Murphy, the founder of the American Cannabis Collective, shared his views on The Dales Report podcast “Trade to Black” in which he underscored the need for strategic industry engagement and shifting attitudes within the Republican Party in terms of cannabis policy.

Cannabis Industry Should Have Attended The RNC

A key theme of Murphy’s remarks was the missed opportunities for the cannabis industry to engage with key political figures. He called out the cannabis industry for its absence at the RNC, noting that proactive engagement is essential to influence policy.

"The industry should be here. There are 125 most conservative, influential Republicans in Florida… If measure three, amendment three is going to pass and you want to get to those people, this is where they are," Murphy said.

GOP’s Changing Views: Dems Should Get With The Program

On the transformation within the Republican approach to cannabis, Murphy indicated that the GOP is more open to cannabis discussions than many might think, as seen by an apparent cultural shift within the party and growing acceptance of cannabis discussions among influential Republicans.

"Just being here sort of amplifies that a little bit, sort of brings it to their attention one more time in a setting that they are not used to seeing this," he said.

Safe Banking Is Good For All

Murphy also talked about the critical legislative efforts like the SAFE Banking Act, which aims to establish a legal framework for cannabis businesses to access banking services, a big move toward normalizing the industry. He humorously suggested renaming the act to appeal to the GOP.

"Project Chokepoint gets fixed with SAFE Banking. I should change the name and call it the Project Chokepoint Fix Bill or something, because that's of more value to most Republicans than SAFE Banking," Murphy said.

To Reschedule Or Not To Reschedule?

Naturally, Murphy touched on the rescheduling of cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. "I think President Trump, like many other people, knows folks who are using marijuana for medical purposes and so that's why I think Schedule 3 is so safe."

While the former, twice-impeached president has remained somewhat vague in terms of his political views around cannabis legalization, Murphy noted that Trump is obviously aware of how much support it has across the vast ideological spectrum that is the United States.

 "I don't see Donald Trump sticking his finger in the eye of 80% of Americans," Murphy said.

Listen to the full Dales Report interview HERE

Now Read:

• Ron DeSantis Blasts Florida’s Cannabis Legalization Ballot At RNC: It Would Allow ’80 Joints’ A Day, Affecting Free Speech And Gun Rights

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Shealah Craighead on Wikimedia Commons and Kym MacKinnon on Unsplash