According to an article in Rolling Stone on February 8th, 2024, the majority of states have already legalized cannabis to some degree, and only some 10 percent of Americans believe it should remain prohibited in every form.
As such, last August the Department of Health and Human Services recommended the Drug Enforcement Administration reschedule cannabis. The DEA is currently reviewing this proposal with Republicans fighting it and Democrats calling for a lift to the federal ban.
Among the most vocal opposition is the trad-life movement fighting weed and saving the world.
Who Is This Trad-Life Movement Fighting Weed?
The trad-life movement is a group of folks on the right side of the aisle who extol the values of a ‘traditional’ lifestyle. In case you need a decoder ring, that essentially means a bunch of self-righteous Christian white folks who define ‘family’ by outdated gender roles.
Along with drag queens, risqué books, and the teaching of Black history, the devil’s lettuce is one of their latest targets. And these prognosticators, by and large, have no idea what they’re talking about.
One self-described trad Catholic man who authors a newsletter about philosophical texts took to X ranting and raving about how he slept for 13 hours after drinking two cans of sparkling water that contained adaptogens and hemp. As a result, he missed Sunday mass. This despite the fact that the water contained no THC and low amounts of CBD.
He was of course duly ridiculed.
Meanwhile, an X account avatar who goes by the name of Pepe the Frog (but who is actually a Christian Nationalist) claimed a large portion of the normal population who would have been rightwing had destroyed their brains with marijuana and turned into liberals.
An accused sex trafficker who’s a known misogynist and advocate for primal masculinity calls marijuana ‘gay’ and the vice of ‘lazy losers.’ Another right-wing lunatic media head has gone so far as to call on conservatives to abstain from not just Mary Jane, but rap music and Marvel movies. He’s even hinted at skipping NFL games. (Yeah, good luck with that one.)
What the Hell Is Happening?
Cannabis has become more mainstream and corporatized. And that means there’s money to be made. And where there’s money to be made in the cannabis industry, you’ll now find plenty of Republican figureheads who were once vocal opponents to legalization.
Despite all of this, the industry itself still retains liberal associations; making it anathema to the Republicans and trad-life movements – among other extremist movements. Of course, these folks on the fringe pride themselves on going against anything that’s mainstream. And marijuana now fits that bill.
Ironically, the Proud Boys denounce marijuana, but happily bow at the altar of alcohol and cocaine. And one MAGA rioter who died on January 6th while invading the capitol died not as a result of her bravery, but rather an amphetamine overdose.
Ah, the irony. And sheer hypocrisy.
The Cannabis Industry Is Here to Stay
As cannabis marketing experts, we’re proud to be part of an industry that generates billions in state tax revenue. And given that marijuana is widely available and around 90% of Americans have no problem with its legalization, if the DEA moves forward to decriminalize it, Republicans and others need to get on board. Pushing against it will only get them steamrolled.
And the trad-life movement fighting weed will have to find yet another target. (Which they’ll likely have no trouble doing.)
If you’re interested in more great stories like these about the weed industry, keep checking back in with our blog!