Marijuana reform is emerging as a midterm elections issue on both sides of the aisle

Cannabis reform is emerging as an issue in the upcoming midterm elections. Two states, Massachusetts and Idaho, will vote on ballot initiatives regarding legalization, and in several others, including Kansas and Iowa, gubernatorial candidates are debating cannabis matters. While not as critical to voters as the economy or immigration, polling shows it is popular with Democrats and Republicans, though support among the latter has been declining. Since 1996, 40 states and the District of Columbia have legalized either medical or recreational adult-use marijuana, yet cannabis remains a federally illegal Schedule I drug. President Donald Trump urged the Justice Department to expedite the reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, a category that includes Tylenol with codeine and ketamine. This move could be seen as a tactic to boost Republican voters who support loosening drug restrictions and to steal thunder from Democrats. In April, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order to reschedule state-licensed medical marijuana to Schedule III, easing research restraints and federal tax burdens on companies in the $30-billion legal cannabis industry. Public support for legal marijuana stands at 64%, according to a November Gallup poll, though this popularity may not directly translate into votes, as some believe it will be a low-priority issue in the elections.