Trump, Cannabis & the Progressive Left’s Freakout Over the Marijuana Issue

Photo by Gage Skidmore on Flickr. Image obtained under a creative commons license.
Published: 11 Dec, 2025
1 min read
Independent Voter Podcast host Chad Peace and co-host Cara McCormick dive into the left’s political freak-out over Trump potentially rescheduling cannabis — and what it exposes about a system that weaponizes even 80/20 issues. With guest Adam Swart of Crowds on Demand, they go from weed reform to immigration to gerrymandering asking: Can independents help drag politics back to common sense solutions?
Listen to this episode and more from Independent Voter Project on Spotify and Apple Music.
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Cara Brown McCormick





