Cannabis reforms need politicians who are willing to take the lead on cannabis. This post from Green Flower presents a 2018 elections guide on which candidates support cannabis.
Cannabis advocates have made tremendous strides at removing the stigma from cannabis. As a result, public support for legalizing is at an all-time high.
However public sentiment doesn’t manifest into law without politicians to do the work.
At the federal level, cannabis advocates need politicians who are willing to take the lead on cannabis legislation.
While many candidates are statistical locks, here are the races which are less certain in their outcome, and how the candidates in those races view cannabis.
Below you can find guides for both Congress and Senate races, which we will continue to update as new info emerges.
Key Congressional Races, 2018
California
10th District: Josh Harder-D v. Jeff Denham-R
Josh Harder has yet to respond to a request for a comment on his stance regarding cannabis.
Jeff Denham has thrice seen bills that would have positively impacted the cannabis community, and thrice he has voted against those bills.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
25th District: Stephen Knight-R v. Katie Hill-D
Every time a bill has arisen that would benefit cannabis consumers, Rep. Steve Knight has voted against that bill.
Katie Hill has not yet responded to a request for a comment about her views on cannabis reform.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
39th District: Young Kim-R v. Gil Cisneros-D
When asked who on stage supports the legalization of cannabis, Gil Cisneros raised his hand.
Young Kim opposed prop 64 in California.
Candidate for cannabis: Gil Cisneros-D
45th District: Katie Porter-D v. Mimi Walters-R
Mimi Walters–when faced with a bill to reduce cannabis possession from a felony to misdemeanor–voted to keep cannabis stigmatized and illegal.
When I spoke to Katie Porter’s team over email, they told that “Katie supports the will of California voters [and] will fight to make sure the industry is afforded the same privileges and is held to the same account as other businesses when it comes to banking, environmental, and consumer protections.”
Candidate for cannabis: Katie Porter-D
48th District: Dana Rohrabacher-R v. Harley Rouda-D
Harley Rouda has twice tweeted about cannabis, neither time in a positive light, though he did once write in a Facebook post that “people should not be going to prison for possession or use of marijuana.”
Dana Rohrabacher is a vocal supporter and leader of pro-cannabis legislation, usually under the framework of it being a state issue.
Candidate for cannabis: Dana Rohrabacher-R
Florida
26th District: Carlos Curbelo-R, v. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell-D
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has yet to respond to a request for comment on legalized cannabis.
Carlos Curbelo is a co-sponsor to the Medical Cannabis Research Act, and voiced his disgust over the DOJ getting in the way of cannabis in the United States.
Candidate for cannabis: Carlos Curbelo-R
Iowa
3rd District: Cindy Axne-D v. David Young-R
Cindy Axne said earlier this year that she supports the idea of federal cannabis decriminalization.
David Young is a co-sponsor of Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2017 and doesn’t object to the idea of cannabis as a medicine, but he doesn’t think cannabis should be legalized.
Candidate for cannabis: Cindy Axne-D
Illinois
6th District: Peter Roskam-R v. Sean Casten-D
Chief Deputy Chair Whip Peter Roskam voted ‘no’ on a bipartisan cannabis bill.
Sean Casten said he would support decriminalization of cannabis and the elimination of the “3 strikes” rule.
Candidate for cannabis: Sean Casten-D
12th District: Mike Bost-R v. Brendan Kelly-D
Every time Mike Bost has seen bills in front of him that would have benefitted cannabis consumers, he has voted against their best interests.
Brendan Kelly seemed compassionate to cannabis consumers at a town hall event and is in agreement that cannabis should be removed from schedule I.
Candidate for cannabis: Brendan Kelly-D
Kansas
2nd District: Paul Davis-D v. Steve Watkins-R
When asked, Paul Davis criticized Washington’s involvement in cannabis but did not make an endorsement in either direction for cannabis.
Steve Watkins, when asked the same question, mentioned that he is “open to reviewing the findings of studies conducted into the effectiveness of medicinal marijuana as a treatment for certain conditions.”
Candidate for cannabis: Toss-up
3rd District: Sharice Davids-D v. Kevin Yoder-R
Kevin Yoder is no friend to cannabis consumers, and he’s endorsed by Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a group opposed to cannabis legalization.
Sharice Davids has yet to respond to a request to comment on cannabis reform.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
Kentucky
6th District: Andy Barr-R v. Amy McGrath-D
When Andy Barr sees a bill that would benefit the cannabis industry, he votes against it.
Amy McGrath is calling for the use of medical cannabis and for further study into its use after removal from Schedule I status.
Candidate for cannabis: Amy McGrath-D
Maine
2nd District: Bruce Poliquin-R v. Jared Golden-D
Bruce Poliquin once said he doesn’t think cannabis should be decriminalized, but he did vote in favor of several amendments that were pro-cannabis.
Jared Golden supports rescheduling cannabis on the federal level and believes reform to be an issue that should be left to the states to decide.
Candidate for cannabis: Jared Golden-D
Michigan
8th District: Mike Bishop-R v. Elissa Slotkin-D
Mike Bishop has consistently voted against cannabis reform.
Elissa Slotkin supports the use of medical cannabis and said she is open to reviewing how legalized cannabis goes in other states before making any decision on full legalization.
Candidate for cannabis: Elissa Slotkin-D
11th District: Haley Stevens-D v. Lena Epstein-R
Haley Stevens advocates for descheduling cannabis and pardoning past-offenders convicted of non-violent cannabis offenses. She also calls for the end to the War on Drugs.
It’s unclear how Lena Epstein feels about cannabis; her silence is deafening in a state that has had medical cannabis for a decade.
Candidate for cannabis: Haley Stevens-D
Minnesota
1st District: Jim Hagedorn-R v. Dan Feehan-D
When Jim Hagedorn was asked by his local CBS station if he supports the legalization of cannabis, he had one word: no.
Dan Feehan has not yet responded to our request for comment.
Candidate for cannabis: uncertain
8th District: Joe Radinovich-D v. Pete Stauber-R
Joe Radinovich had a cannabis-related charge dropped against him in his younger years; he currently believes in legalizing cannabis from end-to-end.
Pete Stauber is a former police officer; he’s proud to say that his job as a police officer 22 years was to “protect citizens and get all drugs off the street…including marijuana.”
Candidate for cannabis: Joe Radinovich-D
North Carolina
9th District: Dan McCready-D v. Mark Harris-R
Mark Harris is not a supporter of cannabis use.
It’s uncertain where Dan McCready stands on cannabis.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
New Jersey
3rd District: Andy Kim-D v. Tom MacArthur-R
Tom MacArthur has said that legalized cannabis would be a “terrible mistake.”
In an email, Andy Kim’s Communications Director told Green Flower that “Andy believes we should allow Americans to access the medical benefits of marijuana. We should also remove marijuana from the federal Schedule 1 drug list, and be making investments in research, like those proposed in the bipartisan Medical Cannabis Research Act, that would allow for further analysis on the drug’s potential for adult use and other medical uses.”
Candidate for cannabis: Andy Kim-D
7th District: Tom Malinowski-D v. Leonard Lance-R
Leonard Lance favors medical cannabis use but does not support legalizing cannabis for adult-use.
Tom Malinowski tweeted about his support for Senator Booker’s bill that would legalize cannabis.
Candidate for cannabis: Tom Malinowski-D
New Mexico
2nd District: Xochitl Torres Small-D v. Yvette Herrell-R
Yvette Herrell has not supported cannabis reform in the past when votes have come to her desk.
Xochitl Torres Small has yet to respond to a request for comment regarding cannabis legalization.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
New York
19th District: Antonio Delgado-D v. John Faso-R
John Faso is taking the ‘wait-and-see’ approach to cannabis legalization.
As an advocate for criminal justice reform, Antonio Delgado wants addiction to be treated instead of criminalized.
Candidate for cannabis: Toss-up
22nd District: Anthony Brindisi-D v. Claudia Tenney-R
It’s unclear where Anthony Brindisi stands on cannabis reform, his campaing has yet to respond to a request for comment.
In a 2014 bill that was aimed at benefitting the medical cannabis industry, Claudia Tenney was conspicuously absent.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
Pennsylvania
1st District: Brian Fitzpatrick-R v. Scott Wallace-D
Scott Wallace believes that cannabis should be rescheduled to a Schedule V drug.
Brian Fitzpatrick has old-school views on cannabis, believing it to be a gateway to harder drugs.
Candidate for cannabis: Scott Wallace-D
7th District: Susan Wild-D v. Marty Nothstein-R
Susan Wild has voiced her support for cannabis decriminaliztion.
Marty Nothstein has yet to respond for a request for comment on cannabis legalization.
Candidate for cannabis: Susan Wild-D
Texas
7th District: John Culberson-R v. Lizzie Fletcher-D
John Culberson has voted against every cannabis reform bill that he has seen.
Lizzie Fletcher has yet to respond to a request for comment on cannabis legalization.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
32nd District: Pete Sessions-R v. Colin Allred-D
Pete Sessions supports the War on Drugs, including a War on Cannabis.
Colin Allred tweeted criticism of Pete Sessions about his failure to acknowledge that cannabis is a medicine.
Candidate for cannabis: Colin Allred-D
Utah
4th District: Mia Love-R v. Ben McAdams-D
Ben McAdams has said he supports rescheduling cannabis at the federal level while Mia Love remains undecided.
Candidate for cannabis: Ben McAdams-D
Virginia
5th District: Denver Riggleman-R v. Leslie Cockburn-D
In a recent debate, Leslie Cockburn noted that she supports the decriminalization of cannabis, while Denver Riggleman indicated that he believes the issue should be up to the states and that there has to be some room for common sense cannabis reform, hypothetically.
Candidate for cannabis: Leslie Cockburn-D
7th District: David Brat-R v. Abigail Spanberger-D
Abigail Spanberger supports the evisceration of the Controlled Substances Act and believes in letting cannabis businesses operate as all other businesses do.
David Brat co-sponsors the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, but he has repeatedly voted against cannabis reform in any meaningful way.
Candidate for cannabis: Abigail Spanberger-D
Washington
5th District: Cathy McMorris Rodgers-R v. Lisa Brown-D
Lisa Brown believes in protecting voter-approved cannabis and wants to protect the industry from federal interference.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers has opposed cannabis legalization in the past.
Candidate for cannabis: Lisa Brown-D
8th District: Kim Schrier-D v. Dino Rossi-R
Dino Rossi has criticized cannabis research in the past, claiming it to be a farce.
It’s unclear how Kim Schrier views cannabis, she has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Candidate for cannabis: Uncertain
Key Senate Races, 2018
Arizona
Martha McSally-R v. Kyrsten Sinema-D
Other than a vote in favor of veterans having access to cannabis, Martha McSally has consistently voted againstcannabis reform.
Kyrsten Sinema co-sponsored the Marijuana Business Access to Banking Act.
Candidate for cannabis: Kyrsten Sinema-D
California
Dianne Feinstein-D v. Kevin De Leon-D
Dianne Feinstein recently signed onto a cannabis reform bill after being a staunch opponent for decades.
Kevin De Leon is a staunch supporter of federally legalizing cannabis.
Candidate for cannabis: Kevin De Leon-D
Florida
Bill Nelson-D v. Rick Scott-R
Bill Nelson recently filed a bill to help Veterans gain access to medical cannabis, though he has expressed his lack of enthusiasm for legalized cannabis.
Rick Scott has repeatedly been against cannabis users, though he signed a bill allowing for medical cannabis in Florida (which banned smoking cannabis).
Candidate for cannabis: Bill Nelson-D
Indiana
Joe Donnelly-D v. Mike Braun-R v. Lucy Brenton-Libertarian
Lucy Brenton is a staunch advocate for the end to cannabis prohibition.
Mike Braun has voiced his support for treating cannabis as a freedom-to-choose issue.
Jon Donnelly has voted against cannabis reform in the past.
Candidate for cannabis: Lucy Brenton-Libertarian
Missouri
Claire McCaskill-D v. Josh Hawley-R
Josh Hawley has taken a conservative approach to discussing cannabis, and he has made his position essentially indecipherable.
Claire McCaskill has voted against cannabis reform in the past, but has softened her tone more recently and endorses cannabis for medical use.
Candidate for cannabis: Claire McCaskill-D
Montana
Jon Tester-D v. Matt Rosendale-R
Matt Rosendale appears to endorse the idea that voters should decide the fate of cannabis.
Jon Tester has been pushing for the advancement of cannabis research.
Candidate for cannabis: Jon Tester-D
Nevada
Jacky Rosen-D v. Dean Heller-R
Jacky Rosen vehemently supports regulating cannabis like alcohol and removing it from Schedule I status.
While Dean Heller has a mixed history when it comes to cannabis support, his most recent stance is at best “leave it up to the states.”
Candidate for cannabis: Jacky Rosen-D
Tennessee
Marsha Blackburn-R v. Phil Bredesen-D
While neither Phil Bredesen nor Marsha Blackburn are staunch supporters of cannabis, Blackburn has indicated her belief that cannabis should be medically available (but has voted against cannabis at every turn), while Bredesen believes it to be a state issue that needs more research.
Candidate for cannabis: Toss-up
Texas
Ted Cruz-R v. Beto O’Rourke-D
Beto O’Rourke indicated in a video that he supports legalization and regulation.
Ted Cruz said he would personally vote against cannabis legalization, but that he would leave it up to states to decide what’s best for them.
Candidate for cannabis: Beto O’Rourke