A second anti-marijuana official has assumed a key role at the Trump White House. In fact, the Senate recently confirmed the director of Office of Management and Budget. This person called marijuana a “gateway drug” and supported the rollback of all state cannabis reforms.
Russell Vought, the OMB’s new director was approved by the Senate in a party line vote on Thursday. The Senate voted 53 to 47. Vought is now in charge of key duties that will impact marijuana policy. This includes presidential budget requests which have traditionally addressed cannabis issues.
He would also play a role in any future drug scheduling decisions—a function that’s all the more relevant given the ongoing marijuana rescheduling process.
Vought has stated that cannabis reform is not his priority. He was also in OMB for Trump’s initial term.
In 2022, he called marijuana “a Gateway Drug” to more serious drugs during a C-SPAN interview.
“[You] can’t go to a big city without being involved with this—the smell of it,” Vought said. “It is a serious problem and that extends to—there are calls to legalize cocaine. “It’s where elite opinion is heading.”
Start watching the official at 24:58 in the video to discuss marijuana policy.
The official wrote a similar post in social media directed at Virginia’s governor, saying that the government should “roll back” the legalization of marijuana that Virginia passed the year before, and allow only possession by adults, as well as home cultivation.
“I don’t want these ‘tobacco’ huts popping up all over the place selling weed,” he said, adding that he finds it “funny how you never hear about the supremacy of federal law when it comes to legalizing weed.”
Why not roll back the legalization of marijuana, VA? What about rolling back marijuana legalization instead, VA? @GovernorVA.*
*It’s funny how you never hear about the supremacy of federal law when it comes to legalizing weedhttps://t.co/yw1na6AGP0
— Russ Vought (@russvought) February 2, 2022
Vought, who will lead OMB in the next administration after Biden leaves office, has the opportunity to impact the current process. While OMB reviewed the Justice Department’s plan to move marijuana to Schedule III from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act under Biden’s tenure and approved it.
It suggests at least possible obstacles if future proposals are made for the scheduling of cannabis, or other substances that advocates want to reform.
Preparation of the president’s budget is another of OMB Director’s top duties.
In the first year of Trump’s presidency, he proposed to end a policy protecting state medical marijuana programs against Justice Department interference.
The Justice Department is prohibited from using its funds, according to the rider that has been included every year in appropriations bills since 2014.
Trump’s budget repeatedly calls for a rider to prevent Washington, D.C. enacting an approved system of cannabis sales. This was the same under Joe Biden to the dismay of advocates.
With Vought leading OMB again, given his record, it seems all the more unlikely that the budget will depart from that anti-cannabis status quo—unless Trump, who endorsed cannabis rescheduling and state-level legalization during his last campaign, proactively presses the issue as a priority within the administration.
OMB Director’s Responsibilities include coordinating with Congress regarding proposed legislation, their fiscal impact as well as general supervision of implementation of President’s Priorities across Federal Agencies.
The industry has closely watched the appointment of Trump’s cabinet. Officials with mixed records on drug policy have been nominated for key positions or assumed those roles.
For example, Trump’s pick for attorney general, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) declined to say how she plans to navigate key marijuana policy issues—including the ongoing rescheduling process and renewing federal enforcement guidance.
Derek Maltz believes the majority of people who live in states where marijuana has been legalized will still obtain the drug from illegal sources, such as cartels, due to the high tax rates in regulated market.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’ll defer marijuana rescheduling to the DEA if he is confirmed as Trump’s nominee for head of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And he’d “like to review the data” that led to the health agency’s recommendation for the reform before he potentially embraces it—despite his previous, repeated calls for cannabis legalization.
Trump’s choice to serve as director of national intelligence (DNI), former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D/R-HI), said last week that past marijuana use should not disqualify a person from receiving a security clearance—but “ongoing” use of cannabis is a “more complex” eligibility consideration.
Elon Musk is the chair of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, a newly created department. He said that drug testing federal employees was a great idea. This comes as he pushes for massive spending cuts and government agency reductions.
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