The Cannabis Industry Is Lobbying Republican Lawmakers More Than Ever – News

Much of the industry’s initial growth occurred under the Obama administration, but politicians in Trump’s White House, particularly AG Jeff Sessions, have rekindled the War on Drugs and threatened the growth of legal weed. Cannabis advocacy groups like NORML have been lobbying for cannabis reform for decades, but now canna-businesses are getting in on the game,

In 2016, the cannabis industry made around $100,000 in political contributions to support recreational cannabis laws, 60% of which went to Democrats, while 40% went to Republicans. Last year, the numbers reversed dramatically, with over $50,000 in contributions made to Republicans, and under $15,000 made to Democrats. These contributions are tiny compared to the amount that alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical companies spend on lobbying Congress, but the recent increase in political contributions suggests that the cannabis industry will continue to increase its spending in order to protect itself from federal intervention.

California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, one of the most active proponents of cannabis reform in Congress,