Marijuana Industry Political Committee Gave Another $1.05 Million To Trump’s Super PAC Ahead Of Rescheduling Order, FEC Filings Show
Marijuana rescheduling order: follow the money and the trail smells like fresh ink and burnt coffee. In the months before the White House told the Justice Department to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a political committee bankrolled by big marijuana businesses slid another $1.05 million toward the president’s super PAC. The American Rights and Reform PAC—reborn from an earlier moniker, Legalize America—wired $1 million in July and $50,000 in November to MAGA Inc., bringing its total to $2.05 million, according to FEC filings. No stated purpose. Just numbers, dates, and a coincidental tailwind for cannabis policy reform. If you’re tracking the cannabis industry impact, this is the kind of political spending that hums under the neon—loud if you know where to listen.
Faces behind the checks
The PAC’s treasurer is an executive from Curaleaf, a company that knows the terrain and plays it like a seasoned card sharp. Its public-facing argument has been blunt: rescheduling is pragmatic, patriotic, profitable. Earlier this year the committee amplified ads roasting Biden’s past posture and even took potshots north of the border, pitching a vision where an “America First” cannabis policy lifts patients and businesses alike. The message had one target audience in mind—a president who prizes spectacle and scorekeeping. If the industry gets Schedule III, one of the biggest shifts won’t just be tax relief from 280E, it’ll be the permission structure to speak louder, cleaner, and more often. On that front, analysts have already flagged how rescheduling could loosen marketing handcuffs; for further context, see Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Would Ease Restrictions On Advertising By The Industry, Congressional Researchers Say.
The orbit expands
Another outfit with a heartland gloss—America First Agriculture Inc.—cheered the rescheduling push and framed it as a strike on the illicit market and a blessing for seniors and veterans. The group is tethered by shared personnel to a PAC aligned with the president’s political world; the web of alliances here looks less like a smoke ring and more like a braided rope. That’s the point: when the policy window opens, everyone crowds it. And yet, timing remains the biggest unknown. The Justice Department has offered no calendar for a final decision. Congressional researchers have noted the agency could slog back to square one—or stall entirely. For executives and small operators alike, that uncertainty is the dragon: plan for Schedule III’s benefits, live with the lender’s skepticism until it’s real.
Pushback, pressure, and the patchwork
Republican attorneys general in multiple states are arguing cannabis stays “properly” scheduled where it is. GOP members on Capitol Hill issued their own last-ditch letters urging the president to stand down. He didn’t. He cited overwhelming public support and pointed to real people—friends, patients—who find relief. The policy battlefield is bigger, and blunt as a cast-iron pan. States keep writing their own chapters: New York touts billions in legal sales and a growing licensed footprint, a reminder that markets don’t wait forever; for a snapshot, see New York Officials Tout $2.5 Billion In Marijuana Sales, Expansion Of Licensed Businesses And More Since Adult-Use Legalization. Massachusetts is tuning its rules and limits—incremental, methodical, political—because the local grind never stops; read Massachusetts Bill To Double Marijuana Possession Limit And Revise Regulatory Framework Heads To Conference Committee. And in the constitutional crosshairs, courts are weighing where civil liberties meet cannabis normalization; the forthcoming high-court review is a signal flare—see U.S. Supreme Court Schedules Hearing In Case On Marijuana Consumers’ Gun Rights.
What this money is really buying
Donations don’t guarantee policy. They grease the hinges. Rescheduling to Schedule III wouldn’t legalize state programs, but it would change the math: reduced tax pain from 280E, smoother research pathways, potential advertising clarity, better odds with lenders who’ve been burned before. That’s why the checks are large and the timing tight. The play is simple: shape the narrative, show momentum, and let regulators feel the tailwind. Meanwhile, the political opposition is organized and loud. Expect more ads, more filings, more pressure points—because in cannabis, everything is provisional until it isn’t. Keep one eye on the FEC, another on DOJ’s docket, and a third—if you had it—on the states writing tomorrow’s rules in real time. If you’re ready to explore the legal market’s next chapter, take a look around and continue the journey here: our shop.
