AOC was “concerned” that Biden’s conservative marijuana views would derail bipartisan efforts to research psychedelics

AOC is doing what we love them most for: calling out the old Democrats. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democratic representative, says she’s concerned that President Joe Biden could derail bipartisan efforts to combat psychedelics because of his past conservative comments on cannabis use, Business Insider reports.

“I think the President has taken a regressive stance on cannabis policy,” she said, making clear her concerns about Biden’s approach to cannabis and psychedelics. “And if there’s a step backwards on cannabis policy, it’s likely to be worse on everything else,” AOC added.

Cannabis and “classic” psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin are enjoying increasing public acceptance among the American people. In June, a study found that Americans say cannabis is far less dangerous than opioids, alcohol and cigarettes.

Recently, during an interview with The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM on Wednesday, the President’s brother Frank Biden shared that the President may be suffering from psychedelics. “He’s very open-minded,” Frank Biden replied when asked by Smerconish about discussions with his presidential brother about the medical benefits of psychedelics.”

In 2022, Biden announced he would pardon people with federal convictions for simple cannabis possession. The President also announced that he will direct US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to begin reviewing cannabis classification at the federal level.

And in late June, the FDA issued the first-ever clinical trial guidelines for psychedelics. They filed the 14-page document following a bipartisan bill introduced by Congress, led by Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw, ordering the issuance of clinical trial guidelines.

However, that hasn’t convinced AOC that President Biden, the leader of the federal government, has made a commitment to respect the public’s shifting viewpoints based on the way he’s spoken about marijuana in the past. “I’m worried about the president,” New York’s Ocasio-Cortez told the Washington Post.

And she is not wrong when she questions his policy of rethinking. Back in the 2020 election, Leafly pointed out that Biden was the only Democratic presidential candidate opposed to federal legalization. Just a few years ago, in 2019, Biden said cannabis could be a “gateway drug,” one of the worst terms in the English language for the cannabis connoisseur.

“The truth is, there’s nowhere near enough evidence to determine whether or not it’s a gateway drug,” the then-presidential candidate said during a community event. “It’s a debate and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationwide. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it.”

However, when Biden realized that only he and Donald Trump were opposed to federal legalization, he quickly changed his mind. He has kept his distance on drug policy since taking office, but, as noted, has stated that federal legalization is in the future. However, Ocasio-Cortez says the reactions of other lawmakers to the pro-psychedelic legislation tell a different story.

According to AOC, she was laughed at by an unnamed senior member of her party when she first introduced the law. “Oh, is that your little ‘mushroom bill’?” Ocasio-Cortez said, saying lawmakers told her so. She and Crenshaw added changes that would increase access to psychedelic treatments for veterans and active-duty military personnel with mental illness, which were appended to the annual National Defense Authorization Act.

Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, who recently proposed abolishing drug testing for the military, says Congress’ “gerontocracy” is the reason lawmakers from both parties (the psychedelic movement is a surprisingly bipartisan effort) do so, which is consistent with the AOC’s observation that politicians like Biden are stuck in regressive stances.

But even if Biden came out as an anti-cannabis opponent four years ago, and even if he thinks so in light of recent activity, it’s clear he recognizes that if the president wants to stay in the game, he’ll embrace cannabis and psychedelics must be considered valid medicinal products. Most people in the movement would support federal deregulation, even if it stems from lawmakers’ desire to look cool, not what lives in their hearts.