EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Rep. Kinzinger On GOP’s Internal War Over Drug Policy, Cannabis, Psychedelics – ‘Quite Likely Legal In 5-10 Years’
Adam Kinzinger has never been one to toe the party line. As a former Republican congressman, he has seen his party shift over the years, growing more divided on key issues—including drug policy. Now, with the question of cannabis rescheduling looming and bipartisan discussions on psychedelic therapy gaining momentum, the ideological battle within the GOP is more visible than ever.
“There is a group within this kind of new whatever-we-want-to-call-it Republican Party, I guess, that is very hardcore anti-drug,” Kinzinger says. “It’s kind of like from the ’80s.” The old-guard mentality, deeply rooted in the Reagan-era War on Drugs, still holds significant sway. But another force is emerging. “You also have a group of more libertarians, which are more open to things like cannabis and psychedelics and things like that,” he adds. “So I don’t know who’s going to win that fight.”
Speaking in the context of Saxo’s US Election Hub, Kinzinger acknowledges that the Republican Party is in a state of flux. While some within the conservative base still view drug policy reform as a nonstarter, others—driven by economic incentives, medical research and shifting public opinion—are warming up to the idea of change. For Kinzinger, it’s not just a political debate; it’s a matter of catching up with reality.
“I’ll tell you though, there has been massive progression on those issues in the U.S., both in my thinking—from, I guess, the last time I would have had to vote on this was probably eight years ago—and then what we’ve seen in studies.”
Psychedelics And PTSD: A Policy Shift In Progress
That shift in thinking is particularly pronounced when it comes to psychedelics. For decades, substances like MDMA and psilocybin were dismissed as fringe or dangerous. Today, however, scientific research tells a different story. “Not that long ago, the idea that MDMA or other psychedelics would somehow help somebody with PTSD… You could look back and say, ‘that was something from the hippies in Vietnam that said that kind of stuff,'” Kinzinger says. “But now, we’ve seen a number of studies –-and I’ve talked to a number of people, by the way–- that have been helped by this kind of stuff.”
His interest in the …