Despite millions spent on cannabis lobbying, industry donations have yielded little federal reform, revealing a costly and ineffective strategy for change.
The cannabis industry’s foray into political finance—cannabis lobbying at its most ambitious—has proven to be a multi-million-dollar gamble with remarkably little to show for it. Major operators have funneled massive contributions into campaign coffers, inaugural funds, and PACs, often targeting the same political machine responsible for criminalizing cannabis in the first place. As federal reform stalls and state-level efforts crawl forward, the disconnect between financial investment and actual policy movement has become increasingly difficult to ignore. For all the access bought, influence remains elusive—a cautionary tale unfolding in real time.
High-Dollar Donations, Minimal Returns
Few examples encapsulate the miscalculation of cannabis lobbying better than Trulieve’s $750,000 contribution to Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, followed closely by Curaleaf’s $250,000 donation routed through the U.S. Cannabis Council. These weren’t symbolic gestures. They were deliberate, high-stakes plays to secure federal reform—rescheduling, tax relief, interstate commerce protections, and access to banking.
Altogether, cannabis donations soared in early 2024. Nearly $15 million was poured into Florida’s legalization ballot campaign during the first quarter alone, with Trulieve leading the charge via a $9.225 million push atop nearly $40 million already invested in previous years. From state-level ballot measures to national committees, cannabis companies were operating under the assumption that money could move the policy needle.
So far, it hasn’t.
Years into these efforts, cannabis remains federally illegal. The promises made on the campaign trail have translated into little more than bureaucratic stagnation.
Trulieve’s Bet on Trump
Trulieve took the gamble a step further. CEO Kim Rivers didn’t just cut checks—she cultivated proximity. Rivers met with Trump personally just before he publicly backed the Florida ballot initiative. She attended VIP inaugural events, including a candlelight dinner and a celebration for Vice President J.D. Vance.
Yet despite the closeness, Trulieve’s access failed to deliver federal policy change. The very initiative Trump endorsed, backed by more than $70 million in cumulative funding, failed to become law. Acknowledging the defeat, Trulieve is already bankrolling another push for the 2026 ballot. Rivers remains bullish, recently affirming her confidence with an emphatic “Hell yeah” when asked whether Floridians would support legalization in the next round.
Optimism persists, but the track record suggests the industry’s financial and strategic capital has yet to yield meaningful return.
Trump’s Pot Promises: Words Without Action
Trump’s second campaign dangled just enough rhetorical bait to keep cannabis companies hopeful. Vague nods toward descheduling and banking reform signaled just enough possibility to maintain donation momentum. He voiced agreement that “people shouldn’t be in jail for marijuana,” and floated the idea of reform during debates.
Since then, silence. No executive actions, no legislative pushes, not even lip service. In fact, the White House has clarified that marijuana rescheduling isn’t part of the administration’s drug policy agenda. A million-dollar investment netted nothing. The very status quo that cannabis lobbying hoped to disrupt remains intact, unbothered, and comfortably funded.
Advocacy or Astroturfing? The PAC Paradox
When federal channels stalled, the cannabis industry shifted to another front: the airwaves. PACs aligned with major operators have taken a dual-track approach—criticizing Biden for the slow pace of reform while simultaneously courting Trump, whose own record on cannabis remains negligible.
One PAC, operating under the banner “Legalize America,” features a Curaleaf executive as its treasurer and collected hundreds of thousands in donations from cannabis firms, including $250,000 from Cresco Labs. Their messaging has been scattershot. One ad framed the DEA as part of a “deep state war” to keep marijuana illegal. Another invoked nationalism by attacking Canadian cannabis as a threat to American jobs.
What these campaigns omitted was perhaps most telling. Biden’s administration—whatever its flaws—initiated the current rescheduling review. Trump’s first term, by contrast, delivered no progress on cannabis at all. Even the PAC’s financial breakdown illustrates a peculiar strategy: of the $66,500 given to federal candidates during the 2021-2022 cycle, $41,500 went to Democrats and $25,000 to Republicans, despite many Republican recipients maintaining overt anti-drug platforms.
It’s difficult to see these ads as anything other than performative—a corporate simulation of activism, long on noise, short on nuance. Cannabis lobbying can’t find its footing if its messaging is at odds with its donations.
DEA Appointees and Prohibitionist Thinking
The appointments to top federal drug enforcement positions reveal the steep terrain cannabis lobbying continues to face. Terrance Cole, named DEA Administrator, has linked marijuana use to youth suicide. Derek Maltz, currently acting in a top DEA role, has stated cannabis may contribute to school shootings and is a gateway drug. These aren’t fringe views from years past—they’re active positions held by gatekeepers of rescheduling.
Despite Health and Human Services recommending reclassification, the DEA has delayed action indefinitely. Administrator Maltz confirmed that no timeline exists for further review. The inertia isn’t logistical—it’s ideological. Cannabis companies, in their pursuit of influence, may be inadvertently underwriting the persistence of drug war logic.
Republican Base: Support Without Representation
Polling continues to show a paradox: Republican voters are generally supportive of marijuana reform—especially medical access and banking—but the officials they elect don’t reflect those views. Approximately two-thirds of Republican voters support rescheduling, and more than half want states to decide cannabis policy for themselves.
Still, Republican lawmakers remain hesitant or openly hostile. In states like North Carolina, New Hampshire, and even Texas, cannabis reform efforts often die in GOP-controlled chambers. At the federal level, Republican leadership has failed to prioritize the issue despite growing bipartisan support. The disconnect has rendered cannabis lobbying ineffective, because the feedback loop between voters and representatives is broken.
Clemency as Campaign Optics
Individual clemency actions—especially during the Trump years—were often framed as signs of progress. Several cannabis prisoners were released and celebrated in political speeches. The Biden administration followed suit, issuing a broad pardon for simple possession.
But these acts are ultimately symbolic. Trump’s clemencies freed a few; Biden’s cleared records but left incarceration numbers unchanged. Former prisoners recently gathered outside the White House to thank Trump while simultaneously begging Biden to finish what neither administration started.
Clemency, in this framework, isn’t reform. It’s a campaign anecdote—an optical gesture that covers up the absence of structural change.
Why Cannabis Lobbying Keeps Going
Despite meager returns, cannabis companies keep donating. And donating. And donating. The reasons are equal parts desperation and strategy.
Federal prohibition creates logistical nightmares: IRS 280E tax penalties, no access to banking, and constant fear of federal interference. So long as that tension exists, industry leaders will continue betting that influence can eventually be bought. Trulieve’s repeat investment in Florida legalization is a case study in this stubborn optimism.
There’s also the issue of performative equity. While the industry frequently name-drops social justice and racial equity, few donors make meaningful efforts to address the harms of prohibition. The most harmed remain sidelined while white-led firms wine and dine elected officials who offer little more than inertia in return.
The industry’s behavior suggests a belief that throwing money at the problem is the only viable path forward, even if that path leads in circles.
A Cautionary Tale in Political Investment
What started as a push for reform has, in some corners of the cannabis sector, morphed into a pay-to-play routine with no receipt of service. Despite tens of millions spent, federal cannabis policy remains unchanged. The access purchased through cannabis lobbying has delivered more headlines than headlines have delivered legislation.
This saga should give pause to future donors. Influence can’t be measured in dinner invitations and PAC talking points—it must be evaluated by outcome. Right now, the outcome is clear: the industry paid the check, but the bill for reform remains untouched on the table.
Until cannabis companies demand measurable return for their investment—and align their contributions with their principles—they risk funding the same inertia they claim to be fighting. Cannabis lobbying has become less about reshaping policy and more about learning, the hard way, that access without impact is just another expense.
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