This will add to investor confidence in aphria/Tilray merger The filibuster will probably remain on the books. And that will inevitably cause marijuana to travel another rough road for the next few years.
Cannabis advocates rejoiced upon hearing that Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer would replace Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader on Wednesday. The recent victory by the Democrats in the Georgia runoffs put the party in control of the Hill.
Advocates believe this power grab means the marijuana debate will finally get a fair shot in Congress. After all, McConnell has stood in the way of every pot-related measure to cross his path. But now that Schumer, a supporter of the cannabis cause, runs the show, all cannabis legislation is a sure thing. Right?
In a perfect world, yes, Democratic control in both the U.S. House and Senate, not to mention a Democratic President would mean the party could push its agenda without any trouble from Republicans. But they have such a slim majority (the Senate is actually in a 50-50 split, with Vice President Kamala Harris being the tiebreaker) that they have to work with Republicans to accomplish anything — even marijuana reform. McConnell and Schumer must now come to terms on the inner workings of Senate business.
So far, those negotiations are stagnant.
On Tuesday, the two Senate leaders met briefly to discuss sharing the power, but nothing substantial transpired. Schumer told reporters that the two discussed “a whole lot of issues,” but didn’t strike a deal.
McConnell isn’t bending because he fully understands that there’s still a way for him to control the Senate as the Minority Leader — and that’s through the legislative filibuster. This is a political play that has historically included long-winded speeches and debates to thwart majority support. It requires controversial bills, like anything pertaining to the legalization of marijuana, to garner a supermajority of 60 votes to bring a discussion to a close. It spells trouble for the Dems.