2024 presidential campaign press release: on Drugs

Ron DeSantis: Don't federally decriminalize cannabis

"Canada has gone all that way [with legalization], and other countries have gone all that way. Some countries won't do it," he said during a recent interview with Newsmax. "But I am going to take a look at some final results. But indications are that is not exactly helpful."

DeSantis, for his part, said in June that he would not federally decriminalize cannabis if elected. He said he's concerned about the potency of marijuana and, despite a lack of evidence, the possibility that products could be laced with more dangerous drugs such as fentanyl. "If you do something with that, it could be goodnight right then and there," he said. "You could die just by ingesting that, so I think that that's problematic."

Mike Pence: Lean into the war on drugs; cannabis is a gateway drug

"Canada has gone all that way [with legalization], and other countries have gone all that way. Some countries won't do it," he said during a recent interview with Newsmax. "But I am going to take a look at some final results. But indications are that is not exactly helpful."

Mike Pence, who served as vice president under Trump, has long been against marijuana use and has consistently opposed even incremental reform, claiming that cannabis is a gateway to other illicit drugs. As governor of Indiana, he pushed the legislature to ramp up criminalization of illicit substances--saying the state was "leaning into the war on drugs"

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Federally decriminalize cannabis

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as a Democrat, took a swipe at DeSantis over his opposition to reform. If elected, he said, "I will decriminalize cannabis at the federal level." He later declined an invitation to smoke a joint with comedian Bill Maher.

Kennedy's decriminalization position aligns him to some extent with President Joe Biden, who has also backed decriminalization and allowing states to set their own cannabis laws. The president has also directed an administrative review into marijuana's federal scheduling that one top official recently told Marijuana Moment he hopes to have completed by the year's end.

Vivek Ramaswamy: Legalize marijuana, plus psychedelics for PTSD vets

Ramaswamy also posted on social media: "I support decriminalizing ayahuasca & ketamine for veterans suffering from PTSD, to prevent the epidemic of fentanyl & suicide."

Ramaswamy repeatedly described decriminalization as an "important" piece of a more comprehensive drug policy, emphasizing his view that tighter border security and reduced U.S. demand for drugs are also essential. "In the long run, decriminalization, serially, is an important part of the long-run solution here," he said in June in NH, adding that he's skeptical of prohibition and is "not a war-on-drugs person."

He also stressed the availability of psychedelics as a viable alternative for people who are suffering from mental health conditions. "For veterans at least. Let's start with PTSD, where there's good evidence for psychedelics, from ayahuasca to ketamine," Ramaswamy said.

Chris Christie: End war on drugs: treat addicts; penalize dealers

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, meanwhile, claimed in June that he would "end" the drug war if elected, but only partially. He said he wants to focus instead on treatment, but he prescribed a tougher approach for those who sell drugs. "The dealers who are making money off of this, you bet they should be penalized," he said during a CNN townhall. And Christie still opposes the legalization of marijuana, describing tax revenue from regulated sales as "blood money."

Kamala Harris: $50 million in grants to address fentanyl overdose epidemic

Together, the Vice President and the state Attorneys General identified opportunities to enhance federal and state collaboration to beat the fentanyl and opioid epidemic [including] coordinating with regional HIDTA Programs to disrupt the commercial activities of transnational criminal organizations and maximizing opioid settlement funds for evidence-based programs that save lives and expand access to overdose reversal medications.