Rep. Ilhan Omar, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, told TMZ there are “a lot of people who smoke cannabis in Congress.” Then she flashed a peace sign and walked off.
Somebody in Congress is holding, and Rep. Ilhan Omar isn’t naming names.
The Minnesota Democrat, who co-chairs the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, got stopped by TMZ in Washington on Wednesday and asked whether it was strange that no member of Congress is an openly self-identified stoner. She didn’t take the bait at first, drawing a line between advocacy and use.
“Advocacy for legalizing doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a user, so everybody can be an advocate to legalizing it because we understand that it is not OK for us to spend the billions of dollars we do now in incarcerating people for smoking a joint.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Then they pressed her. She smiled, laughed, and gave them the line that made the clip travel.
“I think there are a lot of people who smoke cannabis in Congress.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Two fingers up, peace sign, and she was gone. No names, no committee assignments, no roll call. Just the confirmation that a lot of cannabis enthusiasts already suspected: the Capitol runs on more than coffee and campaign donations.
The serious point underneath the peace sign
The joke landed, but Omar’s actual argument was about policy. She pushed for nationwide legalization, pointing to the number of states that have already done it, and she gave credit where she didn’t have to: to President Trump, for moving the GOP off its decades-long drug-war reflex.
“I think any step forward is a good step, but we need to go farther than where we are yet. We need to continue building the coalition, we need to continue to have people speak to the president. He has the power, Congress has the power, and it’s time for us to come together and get this done.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
A progressive from Minneapolis crediting Trump on anything is the kind of crossover that tells you the politics of cannabis have genuinely shifted. And she’s not wrong about the recent moves.
What the administration actually did
The Trump administration has spent the spring reshaping the federal posture on cannabis and psychedelics. Last month the president signed an executive order loosening research restrictions on psychedelics as treatment for conditions like depression and substance use disorder, and directing the FDA to fast-track reviews toward approving psychedelic medicines. Republican lawmakers including Reps. Morgan Luttrell of Texas and Jack Bergman of Michigan have been making the case for psychedelic access for veterans.
Days later, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche ordered state-licensed medical marijuana reclassified to a less restrictive schedule, part of what the administration framed as a campaign promise to expand access to medical treatment. The order also lowered regulatory burden on medical cannabis and opened tax relief for licensed medical operators.
“These actions will enable more targeted, rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and efficacy, expanding patients’ access to treatments and empowering doctors to make better-informed healthcare decisions.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
None of it changed the legality of using these drugs recreationally. What it changed is the direction of travel. The federal government that built the war on drugs under Nixon is now, however cautiously, walking some of it back. And the co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus is standing on the Capitol steps telling you her colleagues are already onboard, whether they’ll admit it on the record or not.
