U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is entering the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination—one of the latest contenders to try and stake their claim against the party’s current frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
As far as marijuana policy goes, Scott’s record is thin. During his time in the House, he voted against an amendment on protecting state medical cannabis programs. But overall, his drug platform has mostly focused on what he views as the nexus between border policies and opioid trafficking.
The senator serves as the Republican ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, which held a hearing where he weighed in on a bipartisan bill to protect financial institutions that work with state-legal cannabis businesses. And he said that, overall, he continues to have “concerns” about legalization efforts.
Generally speaking, his position on marijuana reform has been relatively muted, rather than vocally hostile. Other candidates vying for the party’s presidential nomination—like former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) and Trump—have more established records on the issue.
Here’s where Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott stands on marijuana:
Legislation And Policy Actions
One of the most telling legislative actions on cannabis policy that Scott has taken happened during his time in the House, when he voted against a 2012 spending bill amendment to protect state medical cannabis programs from federal interference.
Since joining the Senate in 2013, he hasn’t had many opportunities to cast votes on marijuana reform proposals—and he hasn’t proactively sought to sponsor or cosponsor any such legislation.
He did, however, cosponsor a drug policy-related resolution sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) that recognizes March 19-25, 2023 as “National Poison Prevention Week” and encourages communities to “raise awareness of the dangers of poisoning and promote poison prevention”—including the issues of “accidental edible cannabis ingestion” and “opioid and fentanyl misuse.”
At a Banking Committee hearing in May 2023, Scott discussed the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act to safeguard banks that work with state-licensed cannabis businesses.
“Each one of us on this committee represents different states with different marijuana laws, and I understand that some of us may be in very different places when it comes to the legality of marijuana,” he said. “In my home state of South Carolina, marijuana is largely still illegal—and I myself have concerns with it.”
When it comes to the incremental financial services reform, Scott said that “as a former small business owner, I understand and appreciate the importance of having that relationship with your financial institution. A banking relationship is crucial to providing safety and stability for a company’s employees and the customers it serves.”
However, he worried that the legislation could “create loopholes in our money laundering laws making it harder to catch criminals that traffic weapons, fentanyl and even people.”
Scott also served in the South Carolina House from 2009-2011, but he didn’t take any relevant drug policy actions during his tenure.
He doesn’t appear to have participated in a House roll call vote approving a large-scale criminal justice omnibus bill in 2010 that, among other things, made it so cannabis possession was no longer counted as a second or subsequent offense if the person’s first possession conviction happened more than five years ago.
On The Campaign Trail
It does not appear that Scott has discussed marijuana policy issues since announcing his candidacy on May 22, 2023.
Previous Quotes And Social Media Posts
At an American Bankers Association (ABA) Washington Summit in March 2023, Scott said that the federal-state marijuana banking conflict will “come to a conclusion likely in this Congress.”
He stressed the importance of addressing the SAFE Banking Act during regular order, calling it “an important decision, as opposed to rushing it to the floor.”
“There are Republicans who’ve come out very positively on behalf of the SAFE Act. I’m not one of those Republicans, but there is a bipartisan coalition who wants to have a serious conversation about the challenges that it would solve,” he said. “And the question is: does that legislation actually solve more challenges than it creates harm?”
Scott also said that lawmakers need to take on the broader debate about federal marijuana legalization, which is “something that we’re going to have to wrestle with as a nation and as a Congress and get to an answer there.”
“But there is a bipartisan coalition who wants to have that conversation, so I think that’s good news,” he said. “Both sides want to go through regular order—that’s better news. I think we’ll come to a conclusion likely in this Congress.”
The senator hasn’t used social media to specifically discuss cannabis issues, though he’s frequently posted about other drug-related topics, focusing on illicit drug trafficking.
In May 2023, he posted about legislation he’s cosponsoring this Congress that is meant to curb fentanyl trafficking by increasing executive and administrative enforcement authorities and declaring the issue a national emergency.
“President Biden’s incoherent border policies are enabling drug traffickers to bring fentanyl into our communities,” he said.
“Our nation’s drug crisis continues to worsen due to President Biden’s mishandling of our Southern border,” he said last year. “New federal data on drug overdoses fueled by the spread of illicit fentanyl shows the heartbreaking impact on communities across our country.”
He also discussed a bill he sponsored last year that sought to preemptively prevent the use of federal funds to distribute crack cocaine paraphernalia under a coronavirus relief package.
“It’s ludicrous that we even have to discuss the possibility of federal $$ funding crack pipe distributions,” he said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues on a bill to ensure the Biden admin does not fuel dangerous drug addictions at the expense of American taxpayers.”
In 2019, Scott touted drug courts in South Carolina, calling the alternative sentencing model “essential to lowering recidivism, reunifying families, and making our communities safer.”
Personal Experience With Marijuana
It does not appear that Scott has publicly discussed any personal experience he’s had with marijuana.
Marijuana Under A Scott Presidency
The limited actions and comments in Scott’s cannabis policy record leave open questions about how he would approach the issue if elected president.
On the one hand, he hasn’t been outwardly hostile to marijuana legislation. But on the other hand, he’s expressed ongoing “concerns” about legalization, as well as modest reform like the SAFE Banking Act—and he did vote against protecting state medical cannabis laws from federal interference. At the least, that leaves the impression that he would not be a champion of efforts to end federal prohibition. (Full Story)