{"id":2524509,"date":"2025-12-24T06:31:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T11:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marijuana-companies-spent-millions-ahead-of-trumps-executive-order\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T06:32:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T11:32:44","slug":"marijuana-companies-spent-millions-ahead-of-trumps-executive-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marijuana-companies-spent-millions-ahead-of-trumps-executive-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana companies spent millions ahead of Trump\u2019s executive order"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmarijuana-companies-spent-millions-ahead-of-trumps-executive-order%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2524509&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Marijuana industry groups and companies spent millions on donations,advertising,and lobbyists tied to former President Donald Trump in teh months before his executive order to reschedule cannabis. Public records show at least $2 million in political donations from the United States Cannabis Council, American Rights and Reform PAC (ARRP), and retailer Trulieve to Trump-linked committees, and roughly $3.2 million paid to lobbyists overall.<\/p>\n<p>ARRP gave $1 million to MAGA Inc., while Trulieve and the US Cannabis Council sent another $1 million to the Trump Vance Inaugural committee; trulieve also donated $50,000 to another pro\u2011Republican PAC.ARRP spent about $1.5 million in 2025 on conservative communications firms and activists to run ads praising Trump and urging him to follow through on his campaign pledge to reschedule marijuana.<\/p>\n<p>The industry also hired high\u2011profile Trump allies and alumni &#8211; including Brian Ballard, Bryan Lanza, and Daniel McFaul &#8211; to lobby the White House. Officials and industry supporters say rescheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III would expand medical research, ease access to capital, and reduce tax burdens without legalizing cannabis. Critics and watchdogs have raised concerns about potential &#8220;pay\u2011for\u2011play&#8221; influence, which the White House denies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Marijuana companies spent millions on lobbying ahead of Trump rescheduling order<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2449373\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Political committees, consultants, and lobbyists linked to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> made out with millions of dollars in payments <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marijuana\/\">from the marijuana industry<\/a> in the months leading up to his executive order demanding the substance&rsquo;s reclassification, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stacey-abrams-purchased-two-homes-valued-at-1-4-million-after-reporting-massive-debts-in-2018\/\" title=\"Stacey Abrams purchased two homes valued at ....4 Million after reporting massive debts in 2018\">public records reviewed<\/a> by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The United States Cannabis Council and American Rights and Reform PAC, a pair of pro-marijuana interest groups, alongside leading cannabis retailer Trulieve, collectively donated at least $2 million to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >political committees linked<\/a> to Trump following his victory in the 2024 presidential election, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-taking-millions-from-corporate-pacs-maloney-wants-big-corporate-money-out-of-politics\/\" title=\"After Taking ... from Corporate PACs, Maloney Wants \u2018Big Corporate Money Out of Politics\u2019\">campaign finance records show<\/a>. Lobbying disclosures, meanwhile, document how the marijuana industry has shelled out over roughly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/federal-lobbying\/industries\/summary?id=N09\">$3.2 million<\/a> to lobbyists to plead their case &mdash; often paying individuals with ties to the president.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4357139\/proceedings-paused-against-zizian-murder-suspect-following-competency-claims\/\">Proceedings paused against &lsquo;Zizian&rsquo; murder suspect following competency claims<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4356857\/epstein-files-mention-newly-dropped-co-conspirators-brings-heat-doj\/\">Epstein &#8216;co-conspirators&#8217; mention in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epstein-co-conspirators-mention-in-newly-dropped-files-brings-scrutiny\/\" title=\"Epstein &#039;co-conspirators&#039; mention in newly dropped files brings scrutiny\">newly dropped files brings heat<\/a> to DOJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4356741\/female-inmates-allege-sexual-abuse-transgender-separation-case\/\">More female inmates allege sexual abuse in transgender separation case<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The largest single donation, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/fecimg\/?202507319779675124\">$1 million <\/a>from American Rights and Reform PAC, was directed toward MAGA Inc. &mdash; Trump&rsquo;s primary super PAC &mdash; in March. The remaining $1 million, coming from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/fecimg\/?202508079789419581\">Trulieve <\/a>and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/fecimg\/?202508079789419587\">United States Cannabis Council<\/a>, went to the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee. Trulieve gave an additional $50,000 to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/fecimg\/?202505019758905170\">Conservative Fighter PAC <\/a>this year, and the firm&rsquo;s CEO, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;contributor_employer=Trulieve+&amp;min_date=01%2F01%2F2023&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2026\">Kim Rivers<\/a>, is a consistent donor to congressional Republicans.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Retail marijuana grows at the 3D Cannabis Center in Denver. (AP\/Brennan Linsley) | Brennan Linsley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Contributions aren&rsquo;t the only way the marijuana industry is using campaign finance to sway the president and his allies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Disclosures filed by the American Rights and Reform PAC <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00843433&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2026\">show <\/a>that, in 2025, the committee paid out roughly $1.5 million to conservative communications firms and activists. Among these were top MAGA consultant Alex Bruesewitz&rsquo;s X Strategies, the GOP-aligned firm Strategic Media Placement, and American Action Network, an advocacy group.<\/p>\n<p>While paying the trio of organizations for &ldquo;advertising,&rdquo; American Rights and Reform PAC released ads targeted specifically around the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wral.com\/story\/pro-marijuana-group-aims-to-sway-trump-by-airing-ads-around-white-house-and-mar-a-lago\/21938712\/\">White House and Mar-a-Lago<\/a> praising the president for his record on pharmaceuticals, framing opposition to medical marijuana as a liberal position, and reminding Trump of his promise on the 2024 campaign trail to reschedule the drug.<\/p>\n<p>Bruesewitz, notably, argued in favor of rescheduling marijuana on X in July, saying that he had &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/alexbruesewitz\/status\/1943646466179801297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1943646466179801297%7Ctwgr%5E70a539f31e431e29cd13a1250a93c45482944552%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marijuanamoment.net%2Fmarijuana-industry-political-committee-donated-1-million-to-trumps-pac-new-fec-filings-show%2F\">no personal stake<\/a>&rdquo; in the debate even after his firm had accepted $300,000 from American Rights and Reform PAC.<\/p>\n<p>American Rights and Reform PAC is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00843433\">funded <\/a>by a wide array of cannabis companies, including Green Thumb Industries, Verano Holdings Corp., Curaleaf, Cresco Labs, Trulieve, and the United States Cannabis Council.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Trump made a campaign trail pledge to expand medical research into applications of marijuana and cannabidiols by rescheduling marijuana,&rdquo; a White House spokesman told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;This historic action paves the way for the development of promising new treatments for American patients, especially veterans &mdash; and the presence of several leaders from law enforcement and veterans groups at the Oval Office signing is indicative of how President Trump continues to push the envelope to support our nation&rsquo;s heroes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump faced <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3926048\/trump-exeuctive-order-medical-marijuana-restricting-products\/\">resistance <\/a>from congressional Republicans on the issue, who argued that reclassification would &ldquo;send the wrong message to America&rsquo;s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Reclassifying the drug from Schedule I to Schedule III does not constitute legalization; rather, it represents the federal government taking the position that marijuana poses a limited addiction risk and that it has legitimate medical uses. Experts <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3917752\/what-expect-trump-reclassify-marijuana\/\">say <\/a>the move will make capital <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/vicentellp.com\/insights\/cannabis-rescheduling-explained\/\">more readily available<\/a> for industry players, expand research opportunities, and lessen their tax burdens.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Of comparable importance to campaign expenditures and contributions to the marijuana industry is its sprawling lobbying network. After the Biden administration left town, top cannabis firms and interest groups retained Trump administration alumni and others close to the president as lobbyists and deployed them to the White House to advance their interests.<\/p>\n<p>Among the Trump-linked lobbyists accepting large sums to assist the marijuana industry are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/lda.senate.gov\/filings\/public\/filing\/62056620-d881-4624-a7ea-c1cab458966c\/print\/\">Brian Ballard<\/a>, who is widely viewed as one of the lobbyists closest to the president owing to their roughly three-decade long relationship; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/lda.senate.gov\/filings\/public\/filing\/a80a35db-f763-45d3-a56d-8bc33681efe9\/print\/\">Bryan Lanza<\/a>, a GOP strategist who held to roles in the Trump administration and campaign; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/lda.senate.gov\/filings\/public\/filing\/62056620-d881-4624-a7ea-c1cab458966c\/print\/\">Daniel McFaul<\/a>, who was previously chief of staff to MAGA aligned former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and a handful of other <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/lda.senate.gov\/filings\/public\/filing\/de1932c6-bdf9-460e-adec-79e9aa79be65\/print\/\">more minor<\/a> White House and Trump administration alumni.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3790674\/gop-donors-could-win-billions-after-trump-dismantled-puerto-rico-oversight-board\/\"><strong>GOP DONORS COULD WIN BILLIONS AFTER TRUMP DISMANTLED KEY PUERTO RICO OVERSIGHT BOARD<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s second administration has been hit with accusations of engaging in &ldquo;pay for play,&rdquo; a phrase used to imply that payments from interest groups are accepted by individuals in power in exchange for policy concessions. The Campaign Legal Center, a liberal watchdog group, has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/campaignlegal.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-11\/CLC_Corruption_Tracker_Nov20.pdf\">accused <\/a>the Trump administration of dropping government investigations, approving favorable policies, granting appointments, and offering pardons to major donors.<\/p>\n<p>The White House has rebuffed accusations of impropriety by publishing a partial donor list for its controversial ballroom project and framing the calls for greater transparency as partisan attacks. Administration officials have also pointed out that, by using private donations, they can avoid charging taxpayers for the renovations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cannabis firms paid millions pre-Trump reschedule<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2524510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25353705920908.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[69358,4198,5561,39978],"class_list":["post-2524509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cannabis-industry","tag-lobbying","tag-marijuana","tag-political-spending"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25353705920908.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2524509"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2524513,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524509\/revisions\/2524513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2524510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2524509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2524509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2524509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}