As the year lurches closer and closer to November, Donald Trump's\ncampaign for the Republican nomination continues to gain steam. Trump\nhas a reputation as a political outsider who breaks from the GOP\nestablishment, and he's known for saying and doing unpredictable things.
\nThere are plenty of issues where his stances are unclear. Particularly,\nTrump's opinions on medical marijuana have received little to no press,\nespecially compared with his outspoken positions on issues like\nimmigration and trade. With a Trump candidacy looking more likely with\neach primary, we should put some serious thought into what this wildcard\ncandidate's stance might be.
\nWhat Is Trump's Opinion on Medical Marijuana?
\nPart of the problem with predicting the position a Trump administration\nwould take regarding medical marijuana is that Trump himself has\nsubstantially changed his opinions on several issues over time. He has a\nreputation in the political press for changing his\nmind\non issues as varied as abortion, ISIS and others.
\nIn an\ninterview\nwith the Miami Herald in 1990, Donald Trump said he was in favor of\nlegalizing all drugs for adults. However, he announced at the 2015 CPAC\nconference\nthat he opposes the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes.
\nBut regarding medical marijuana, he's been more uniformly positive. At\nthat same conference, he said he is \"100 percent\" in favor of medical\nmarijuana, and he also reiterated\nthis\nat a 2015 political rally.
\nDespite the mercurial nature of Trump's opinions, it appears that he's\nrelatively constant about the merits of medical marijuana and how to\nenforce federal laws surrounding it. Still, we should keep a close eye\non any opinions the candidate might voice, just in case.
\nChris Christie as Attorney General?
\nWith former New Jersey governor Chris Christie's recent endorsement of\nDonald Trump, pundits have speculated that Christie is jockeying for a\nplace\nin a Trump administration. While it's possible that Christie's trying to\nbecome Trump's vice presidential pick, there's been ample speculation\nthat he's leaning toward a position as Attorney General - especially\ngiven his previous experience as US Attorney for New Jersey. Since the\nattorney general heads the Department of Justice and makes essential\ndecisions about prosecution and the federal government's legislative\nauthority, whom the president chooses as his attorney general has a\nmajor impact on how federal marijuana laws are enforced.
\nChristie generally takes a very strong\nstance\nagainst marijuana legalization on a state level. If he were to become\nPresident Trump's attorney general, it's likely that he'd seek to pursue\nstrict federal enforcement of existing marijuana laws. However, while\nthe attorney general is a powerful figure, the attorney general works\nfor the president, and carries out the administration's policies. Since\nTrump's position on medical marijuana is more moderate than Christie's,\nit's possible that Attorney General Christie could soften his stance on\nmarijuana, especially medical marijuana.
\nThe Importance of States' Rights
\nPolitical conservatives in the United States have a strong record of\nsupporting the states' rights to decide policies about certain social\nissues, including abortion and gay marriage. The traditional\nconservative stance has been a strict construction of the 10th\nAmendment, saying that any powers that are not strictly enumerated by\nthe federal government are left to the states to decide.\\
\nHowever, the legality of medical (and recreational) marijuana has\npolarized\nthe GOP field this election season. Some GOP candidates have expressed\ntheir support for states deciding and enforcing their own marijuana\npolicies, while others have said that various states' policies\nsurrounding marijuana are illegal vis-a-vis federal law, and that\nfederal law should be strictly enforced.
\nBut further complicating the issue is the fact that a large part of\nTrump's appeal to voters is that he doesn't follow conservative\northodoxy. Trump leaves many of American politics' traditional\nleft-right distinctions behind. If Trump were to take office, would he\ntow the standard conservative line, and leave medical marijuana\ndecisions up to the states? Or would he follow suit with many of the GOP\ncandidates, and reject the legality of medical marijuana? Thus far, it\nappears that he generally sides with medical marijuana patients (and\nagainst recreational users), but only time may tell.
\nConclusion
\nThis early in the race, it's difficult for us to say exactly how things\nwill pan out. It's not clear that Trump will become the Republican\nnominee. It's not clear who he'll choose as his attorney general, or\nwhere Chris Christie would fit into a Trump cabinet (if anywhere). And,\nof course, Trump's own positions are frustratingly vague to many\npolitical observers. On several major issues, he's regularly changed his\nstance, just during this election.
\nGenerally, Trump seems to support medical marijuana prescription and\nusage. This is, tentatively, good news for medical marijuana patients,\nwho use cannabis for conditions as\ndiverse as\nglaucoma, chronic pain, migraines, anxiety and more.
\nBut the tens of thousands of individuals in the US who rely upon this\ndrug shouldn't rest easy. With so much uncertainty surrounding this\nelection -- and the positions of the GOP frontrunner -- it's important\nto stay on top of the issues. Patients, caretakers and advocates should\neducate themselves about candidates' stances on medical marijuana use,\nas well as the legalization, regulation and taxation of recreational\nmarijuana. The US political arena is rapidly changing, especially\nsurrounding drug legalization, and if we educate and mobilize voters and\nconcerned citizens, we can make a huge difference for good.
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