In recent years, more politicians have been seen endorsing the idea of legalizing marijuana. Political figures, such as Democratic governor candidate Rob Sand, are using this widely debated issue as part of their campaign platform.
A reason for this campaign development is that legalization can increase state revenue.
Rob Sand notes that bringing in more agricultural revenue would greatly benefit farmers and the Iowa economy. Along with this, Sand also adds the idea of additional small businesses and job opportunities to open.
Many states are split on whether to adopt laws that legalize the use of marijuana in some way. There are 24 states with recreational cannabis programs and 16 with medical cannabis programs, which both legalize the usage of marijuana for different purposes. Iowa is not a part of either of these programs.
Joe Youngbauer, AP Government and Politics teacher at Pleasant Valley, acknowledges that this topic is controversial among states and leaves many split. “It really depends on the political makeup of the state. Some states have already legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and that policy was welcomed with open arms. Other states have kept recreational marijuana illegal due to a lack of support from state legislatures and/or the state’s citizens,” he said.
In the states with legalized cannabis usage, there are still laws prohibiting certain acts. Rob Sand has expressed the need for clear rules when legalizing the product, such as licensing of producers, limiting total and restricting ages.
There is also the idea that the legalization of marijuana could be an appeal to the younger, rising voting population.
“Generally, I do think among many younger citizens, there is a growing amount of support for the legalization of marijuana. So, politicians looking for electoral support from younger generations might be well served to support that policy initiative,” said Youngbauer.
Along with younger voters, the legalization of marijuana could also be an appeal to the populist party supporting voters.
Nathaniel Pielak is a current junior at PV and has plans to study political science in the future. He expressed that he has noticed that this issue seems to be more of a partisan issue, and politicians attempting to reach a wider voting base have used this issue as a big campaign push.
“Politicians promoting these types of changes will have a profound impact on campaign platforms and American politics moving forward,” Pielak said. “There has already been a significant movement towards platforms that focus on partisan populist ideas like affordability. Following Mamdani’s landmark victory, the platform of affordability has been widely adopted by the Democratic Party.”
Rob Sand has been seen making similar moves to appeal to a wider voting population, with one of his big campaign pushes being the legalization of marijuana.
“Rob Sand is no different; he is targeting the same demographic through both his stance on the legalization of marijuana and his anti-corruption and government waste pro-affordability policies. This new platform changes the game as it focuses on what the average person wants regardless of party,” said Pielak.
While the legalization of marijuana in Iowa remains a debate, support for the policy among politicians could lead to an increase in voter turnout, especially among younger voters. This phenomenon highlights the growing need for politicians to listen to younger voters and learn from what they want from their legislators, across the political spectrum of campaign platforms.
