Benzinga - by Maureen Meehan, Benzinga Editor.
Tuesday's news that the DEA will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug after five decades of being in the same classification as heroin, meth and LSD has roiled some Republican opponents. One in particular, Tennessee’s Bill Hagerty, sees the move as opening the door to social decay, or worse.
Hagerty accused the Democrats of pursuing policies that are pro-criminal and anti-American, warning that such measures would only serve to exacerbate crime rates on American streets.
Lambasting the Democrats' efforts to undertake marijuana policy reform, Hagerty singled out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
"What the Joe Biden administration — what Leader Schumer — is trying to do is basically stimulate more crime on American streets," Hagerty said. "Here we have Chuck Schumer basically lowering the barriers for gateway drugs like marijuana, and it's going to damage society, and this is exactly what Democrats have been pushing. This is not good for America."
In a hallway interview on Thursday, Fox News reporter Tyler Olson asked Hagerty about the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, which is designed to shield financial institutions that deal with state-licensed marijuana businesses. Hagerty, a member of the Senate Banking and Foreign Relations Committees, dismissed banking reform as enabling a conducive environment for more drug usage in America, saying the U.S. needs to curb rather than encourage drug consumption.
Hagerty then went back to criticizing the Democrats’ motives behind the push for cannabis legalization, which he branded as completely political and geared towards garnering support from a niche demographic ahead of the November 2024 elections, rather than addressing broader concerns facing the country.
"If you look at American sentiment, everyone says that America is moving in the wrong direction. But what they're [the Democrats] trying to do is pick off minor issues like this, encouraging drug abuse, frankly. It's obscene that this would be happening," he said.
Hagerty then took another shot at Schumer. "But this is Chuck Schumer's perspective on basically putting another sliver of the Biden fragmented population together to vote for him. It's a shame. Democrats are willing to do anything to maintain power here in Washington."
Despite the increasing trend of states — even traditionally conservative ones like Montana — moving towards marijuana legalization, Hagerty has remained steadfast in his opposition. He adamantly rejected the notion of establishing any regulatory framework that would facilitate what he viewed as a harmful culture of drug abuse.
Don Murphy, legalization advocate and co-founder of the American Cannabis Collective (ACC) posted the interview on X.
This is Exhibit A why I thought the @DEAHQ should announce #Schedule3 (fwiw, S3 was leaked not announced) on a Friday prior to a recess. Unless they wanted the GOP to embarrass themselves…#SAFEBankingThanks to @TylerOlson1791 at @FoxNews for the questions. @AmericanCCo
(Also… pic.twitter.com/9JQj8LaQFm
— Don Murphy (@donmurphy12a) May 2, 2024
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