MAGA rails against "pothead" culture as Trump weighs weed reform

Prominent MAGA leaders are urging President Trump to back off his plans to review federal restrictions on marijuana, warning of a one-way ticket to societal ruin.Why it matters: Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug would open the door to expanded research and deliver a major boost to the legal cannabis industry, which is currently constrained by a patchwork of state laws.As a Schedule 1 drug, marijuana is grouped alongside heroin and LSD as "drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."But many of Trump's allies are vehemently opposed to easing federal restrictions — portraying marijuana as a gateway to a smelly, lazy, dirty society.Driving the news: Trump confirmed reports that he was considering reclassifying marijuana in the next few weeks, though he seemed torn between medical benefits and other side effects."Medical, for pain and various things, I've heard some pretty good things, but for other things, I've heard some pretty bad things," he told reporters Monday.Trump also said in 2024 that he would vote for a Florida amendment that would legalize marijuana throughout the state. The amendment ultimately failed.What they're saying: MAGA luminaries sounded the alarm after the Wall Street Journal reported on Trump's discussions with the cannabis industry — which has donated millions to his political groups — about possible reclassification."No country of potheads has ever thrived, or ever achieved anything at all. Every city that legalized it became an even bigger sh*thole basically overnight," The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh posted."America deserves better, our kids deserve better, I don't want to have to be smelling weed anytime I take my kids anywhere in a city or a national park," MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec said on his podcast Monday.Between the lines: The criticisms may echo old-school "Reefer Madness" rhetoric, but they also offer a revealing window into how MAGA defines virtue, masculinity and the "ideal" society.MAGA is fixated on "Western civilization," casting the U.S. as the successor to ancient European civilizations who built historic empires on the foundation of hard work, meritocracy and the rule of law.It also has a rigid definition of masculinity and traditional gender roles, with men as stoic breadwinners who reject indulgence in favor of a relentless grind.In that context, the image of a bong-ripping couch potato is un-American — a departure from the whiskey-and-cigar era of 1950s mad men that MAGA reveres.The intrigue: There are partisan connotations too. Weed is the "liberal intoxicant of choice," while tobacco and alcohol are more conservative-coded, argues podcaster Michael Knowles."We're all for cultivating virtue, either stoic or Christian, but it doesn't mean we don't like pleasure. It's just that we prefer traditional pleasures," Knowles told Axios."The left is more comfortable just kind of vegging out, but they should not be, because sloth is bad for the individual and for society," he added.Reality check: Those broad characterizations and stereotypes aren't grounded in data. Both substances can be abused.The other side: Not all of MAGA is on the same page. For a movement with a strong libertarian streak and deep skepticism of Big Pharma, reclassifying marijuana has clear appeal — especially as a non-traditional treatment for PTSD and other medical conditions."Rescheduling marijuana doesn't legalize it, but it does allow for more medical research," posted MAGA influencer Rogan O'Handley, who said rescheduling marijuana would hurt "Big Pharma" and "Big Prison."Trump's "openness to rescheduling is research driven and shows he's listening to the countless veterans whose lives have been changed for the better by its medicinal benefits," MAGA influencer CJ Pearson added.

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