Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is running against incumbent President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primary for 2024. The congressman’s record on drug policy reflects his consistent commitment to reforms at the federal and state levels.
Phillips entered the race officially on October 27. He stated that he believes the president is doing a good job, but Biden’s sagging poll numbers make him worry about his viability. Phillips hopes to provide an alternative path for Democrats.
Phillips, when it comes to drug issues, has pushed for federal marijuana legalization. She also urged the Biden administration, to offer relief to those criminalized because of cannabis, and advocated research into psychedelics’ therapeutic potential.
His voting record shows his support for reforms across the board, including incremental measures to reduce federal prohibition of cannabis while promoting social justice.
The congressman’s not the only one challenging the incumbent for the Democratic nomination. Marianne Williamson, who is running for the Democratic nomination again with a platform which includes marijuana and psychedelics advocacy, has announced her candidacy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran as a Democrat before switching to Independent.
Dean Phillips, the Democratic presidential candidate, has a position on marijuana and psychedelics.
Legislation and Policy Actions
Phillips has voted and cosponsored several cannabis-reform bills since joining Congress, including a Democratic led legalization bill titled Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE) in 2020, 2022 and in this session , and a bipartisan proposal for legalization called the States Reform Act in this session .
He also voted in favor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE), which will protect financial institutions who work with state-licensed marijuana businesses between 2019 and 2021. He is also listed as a sponsor for the reform legislation in this session.
He also supported amendments in the appropriations bill to prevent federal interference with all state marijuana programs for 2019 and 2020. He also voted for legislation that was approved by Biden in late 2017 to streamline marijuana research. This included a measure which would prevent security clearances being denied based on cannabis use only.
Phillips’s cosponsorships include proposals to amend the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), code 280E, to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act(CSA), give the marijuana industry access to federal Small Business Administration services (SBA), and to allow U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical cannabis to veterans in legal states.
The congressman seems to have voted in favor of every cannabis reform bill that has been brought before him since he took office. He’s also actively shown his support by co-sponsoring modest and comprehensive bills.
The congressman sent a letter in October 2023 to the head the Drug Enforcement Administration, urging it to consider the efforts of Congress and the states to legalize marijuana when reviewing cannabis’s scheduling. The congressman and other legislators also criticized the limits of simple rescheduling while they push for a complete a removal of marijuana from CSA.
Phillips also signed a letter in 2022 to the leadership of the Appropriations Committee calling for broad protections from federal intervention against states, territories and tribal groups that have passed legalization.
In a letter he signed in 2021 addressed to Biden, he joined with his colleagues to urge the president to exercise his executive authority and issue a pardon to all people who have federal cannabis convictions. In the year following, President Biden did grant such relief to those who had committed federal marijuana possession crimes.
Phillips is also interested in the policy surrounding psychedelics. In January 2022, Phillips was part of a group that sent a letter to the head of DEA asking the agency to let terminally ill people use psilocybin for an experimental treatment, without fear of federal prosecution.
Phillips also wrote a letter asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create a task force on psychedelics to study the therapeutic effects of certain psychedelics such as psilocybin and MDMA, in anticipation of the federal approval of these substances for prescription. The agency replied that it had been “exploring” this possibility in the past.
On the Campaign Trail
Phillips does not seem to have discussed his drug policies since entering the race for president.
Previous Quotes and Social Media Posts
The congressman’s home state, Minnesota, was moving towards a 2021 legalization bill. He endorsed this proposal and sent a Letter to the legislative leaders. In the letter he stated that laws against cannabis “defy common sense and the wishes of the people.”
He said that as elected officials it was our collective responsibility to hear our constituents. This is especially true when there’s such broad consensus on the need to take action. I urge the Minnesota House to respect freedom and liberty for those they serve, and pass H.F.600, joining the states–both Red & Blue–who already recognize the sense of legalizing and regulating cannabis.
It’s time. #LegalizeMN. Expunge. Regulate. Tax.https://t.co/HVwjFhAUEK https://t.co/vrK1x0mvmr pic.twitter.com/fLZFXjI4iK
Rep. Dean Phillips
(@RepDeanPhillips). 12 May 2021
Phillips wrote in a letter to another constituent of his that the issue of legalization had “taken center stage in our society and we need to take it seriously.”
He said that while we acknowledge the health risks and other dangers associated with cannabis use, we also need to recognize how criminalizing its usage exacerbates racial inequality in our legal system. “Prohibition prevents people with certain illnesses from getting the medication they need and creates a dark market. This is exactly what politicians are trying to avoid when criminalizing cannabis.”
“I think we should legalize and regulate cannabis.” RepDeanPhillips responded to a constituent’s message today, in support of the #MOREact which would end federal prohibition on marijuana. pic.twitter.com/dy1fsCsjLa
— NORML June 23, 2020
He said, “It is time to de-schedule marijuana, to allow the states to control the industry as they see fit and to ensure that responsibly operated businesses and their employees receive the same treatment as any American business”, in April 2023. He was aligning himself to Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-SC), who shared his views about normalizing the federal tax policy on the marijuana industry.
Nancy and I agree completely. It’s time for cannabis to be de-scheduled, so that states can control it according to their own preferences. Responsible businesses and their employees should also receive the same treatment as other American businesses.
Rep. Dean Phillips
He joked that he would give a constituent a high five after the House passed the MORE Act.
What better way to commemorate the passage of the MORE Act decriminalizing marijuana than with a “high-five”? https://t.co/fZPJKPNBLh
Rep. Dean Phillips
Phillips is not the first to embrace cannabis culture. He made a joke about members running out of the chamber after 2020’s vote to approve marijuana legalization.
After the marijuana vote, I believe some people rushed to Taco Bell.
Rep. Dean Phillips
Phillips responded that this gave a “new meaning” to the term “joint session of Congress.” When Denver Riggleman, then-Rep. (R-VA), punned on that comment being “blunt,” Phillips said that it was “an insult”.
It gives new meaning to the term “joint session” of Congress.
Rep. Dean Phillips
Riggleman replied, “I love the way you keep ‘rolling them out’,” to which Phillips replied, “I’m surprised it wasn’t named the Green New Deal. ‘”
It’s surprising it wasn’t named the “Green New Deal”.
Rep. Dean Phillips
The congressman also spoke out about his criticisms of the Olympics for suspending U.S. runner, Sha’Carri Richson because she tested positive for THC.
It’s time to regulate cannabis, tax it and stop treating those who use it like criminals. He said that the current law was ruining people’s lives, not saving them.
It’s time for cannabis to be legalized, regulated, taxed, and people who use it no longer treated as criminals. The current law does not save lives, it destroys them. https://t.co/PJBcaQrA4c
Rep. Dean Phillips
He also condemned the imprisonment of WNBA star Britney Griner, who was convicted for possessing cartridges containing cannabis oil. Later, the athlete was released after a prisoner exchange.
Brittney Griner’s sentence of nine years for possession of marijuana is as absurd as the classification cannabis as a Schedule I drug.
Rep. Dean Phillips
Phillips spoke about how Biden was “pushed” into moving on cannabis reform at Benzinga’s cannabis conference, in April 2023. Phillips added that, “anyone that has to be pushed into understanding that cannabis shouldn’t be classified with other dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine, needs much more information.”
Marijuana: My Personal Experience
Phillips does not seem to have publicly spoken about his personal experiences with marijuana.
Marijuana Under A Phillips Presidency
Phillips is an outspoken advocate of marijuana legalization, as well as psychedelics. Phillips, unlike some other candidates, has a legislative record that supports his position. He has multiple votes, co-sponsorships, and a number of endorsements.
He was among the lawmakers who pressed Biden about cannabis policy and has shown an interest in working with other legislators to promote comprehensive reform. Phillips appears to be a strong advocate for marijuana reform and the industry, if elected.
Vivek Ramaswamy, Presidential Candidate Vivek’s Position on Marijuana and Psychedelics
The first time that Marijuana Moment published the post Where presidential candidate Dean Phillips stands on marijuana and psychedelics, it was Marijuana Moment .
