This 4/20, Democrats should take back the lead on legalization

Every April 20, Americans are reminded of a simple political truth: Marijuana legalization is no longer controversial. It’s popular, mainstream and growing more so by the year. A clear majority of Americans now support legal cannabis. That support cuts across party lines, age groups and regions. State after state has moved to legalize or decriminalize marijuana — not because politicians led the way, but because voters demanded it.

And yet, despite being largely on the right side of this issue, Democrats have failed to claim credit — or the political upside that should come with it.

For decades, legalization was championed by a coalition that included civil liberties advocates, racial justice leaders and notably, philanthropists like George Soros, who invested heavily in ballot initiatives to end the war on drugs. At the same time, cultural figures such as Joe Rogan have used massive platforms to argue for the legalization of marijuana and even psychedelics, often framing the issue around personal freedom, mental health and skepticism about outdated government policy.

But here’s the disconnect: While these figures have overlapping interests, no one has effectively connected the dots in the public conversation. Instead, the vacuum has been filled by partisan narratives and misinformation. The result is a fractured coalition that should be aligned — and a missed opportunity for Democrats to clearly articulate their leadership on an issue where they have long been ahead.

That mistake should not be repeated.

The next frontier is already here: psychedelics. A growing body of research suggests that substances like psilocybin and MDMA may have profound therapeutic benefits for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction. Clinical trials have shown promising results, particularly for veterans and patients who have not responded to traditional treatments. Cities and states are beginning to decriminalize or pilot regulated access, and public opinion is moving in the same direction as it did with cannabis a decade ago.

Democrats should not hedge. They should lead, loudly and unapologetically, on a science-based approach to legalization and harm reduction. It would be a disastrous lost opportunity to cede this territory to Trump, who issued an executive order in December to start the process of moving marijuana out of the most restricted category of drugs and, this weekend, signed another executive order to speed up the reviews of certain psychedelics.

That same principle applies beyond cannabis and psychedelics. Consider nicotine policy. Cigarettes remain one of the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S., disproportionately harming marginalized communities. Yet alternatives like vaping products and nicotine pouches offer a pathway to reduce that harm. While not risk-free, a substantial body of evidence shows that non-combustible nicotine products expose users to far fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes.

These products are already widely used, but an overly slow and inconsistent regulatory process has helped fuel a dangerous black market for unregulated vaping products, where quality and safety are far from guaranteed.

Meanwhile, conservative media figures and influencers have begun embracing these products as part of a broader cultural appeal to younger male voters. Democrats, in contrast, have largely ceded that ground — despite having the stronger public health argument rooted in harm reduction and regulation.

This is not just a policy gap — it is a political gap.

Democrats have an opportunity to build a broad, modern coalition by embracing a clear, consistent philosophy: trust science, reduce harm and respect personal autonomy. That means supporting marijuana legalization, advancing research and responsible access to psychedelics and accelerating science-based approvals for reduced-risk nicotine products — all while enforcing strong safety standards. 

The politics of prohibition are fading. The politics of harm reduction are ascendant.

If Democrats are willing to say so — clearly, confidently and without hesitation — they won’t just be on the right side of history. They’ll be on the path to building durable electoral majorities in the present.

Svante Myrick is president of People For the American Way.

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