How Trump’s Call for Congressional Term Limits Could Affect Marijuana Reform

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently said that he plans to take immediate action to eliminate some of the stagnation among United States lawmakers that has prevented substantial progress from being made inside the halls of Congress.

On Tuesday, during a rally in Colorado Springs, Trump proposed an ethics plan intended to force term limits on members of Congress. The goal of this concept, according to the GOP candidate, is to “drain the swamp,” in the nation’s capital that continues to hold down the American dream.

“If I am elected president, I will push for a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress,” Trump said. “Decades of failure in Washington, and decades of special interest dealing, must come to an end. We have to break the cycle of corruption, and we have to give new voices a chance to go into government service. The time for congressional term limits has arrived.”

Later at a rally in Grand Junction, Trump elaborated on the specifics of his plan to castrate the governmental machine, suggesting that House members would be restricted to a six-year term while Senate seats would be permitted to serve only two terms—or 12 years.

“The decades of failure in Washington and decades of special interest dealing must and will come to an end,” Trump told a group of supporters, adding that the time has come to put “new voices” in Washington, D.C.

Like him or not, Trump’s idea of scrubbing the Congressional controls could be beneficial for a number of issues, especially when it comes to the reform of the nation’s marijuana laws.

Despite the latest polls showing that 60 percent of the American population is in favor of tearing down the prohibition scheme, federal lawmakers have not exactly been quick to represent the voice of the people.

In fact, the 2016 Congressional Scorecard published by our friends over at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) indicates that only 20 U.S. representatives and two senators out of the 535 members of Congress have come forward to publicly support proposals aimed at legalizing marijuana. That means only around four percent of the nation’s congressional forces are currently prepared to stand up to change the nation’s pot laws—not nearly enough to bring about the federal legalization that some have predicted is destined to happen within the next five years.

Furthermore, the government corruption that Trump’s proposal would serve to eliminate runs deeper now than ever before. Just last month, an investigation from the Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity found that pharmaceutical companies have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars in legal bribes to get state representatives and senators in all 50 states to vote against legislation that threatens their bottom line—and that includes any bill that so much as references the legalization of marijuana.

Trump’s plan, while not a new idea, is intended to pull in the reins of the congressional lobbying scam in an effort to push policies that better serve the people. The Republican told supporters in Colorado that his plan to keep Congress fresh is “so that we can have a government that works again and can function properly.”

However, not everyone is convinced that imposing term limits on Congress is the right move to “Make America Great Again.” Some legal experts say these limits would actually give lobbyists more power by reducing the clout of the elected official.

Sadly, Donald Trump has spent the majority of his campaign promoting lunatic ideas, degrading women and minorities, rather than voicing promising, much needed policy changes like the one pertaining to term limits. Perhaps had he gone this route, straight out of the gate, he would have a stronger chance at beating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton this November in what has become one of the most insane races to the White House we have ever witnessed.

The New York Times recently predicted that Clinton has a 90 percent chance at winning the election. And while most supporters of marijuana legalization seem to be siding with Clinton, there is something to be said for Trump’s willingness to make concrete changes to our broken government.

Note from Mike Adams: This article should not be considered an endorsement of either candidate. So please, no more death threats.

Related: The Presidential Candidates… On Weed

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