Why Thomas Massie Is Wrong About the Pot Legalization Bill

Before we talk about the delicious/delirious content on the latest Reason Roundtable podcast, a quick reminder: It’s the penultimate day of our annual Webathon. Challenge grants are afoot. We take still more listener questions in the pod below, but before you click the clicky…

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OK, long story short, the House of Representatives on Friday voted to, at long bloody last, end the federal war on marijuana. The winning 228–164 margin included just five Republicans—none of them named Thomas Massie, the libertarian-leaning Kentucky congressman who has been a past supporter of legalization efforts. Massie explained his position thusly:

I wish @SpeakerPelosi was serious about repealing the federal prohibition on marijuana. I could cross the aisle to vote on it if it weren’t being used as a vehicle to pass new taxes and spending.

Give us a clean Bill or at least allow amendments to be heard. https://t.co/bTenlmsjck

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 2, 2020

In today’s podcast, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, and Matt Welch each take turns arguing against this logic, while also reflecting on the broader history of repealing prohibitions and the immediate challenges of convincing any major political party to reduce state power and expand individual autonomy. The gang also has acidic words for the Food and Drug Administration’s foot-dragging on COVID-19 vaccines, kinder words