Although he’s from northern California it appears his links with the wine industry and also the kratom sector are swaying his attitude towards regulated cannabis.
Here’s a snippet from the report highlighting whhere some of his donations are coming from
Read the full report here – https://ivn.us/posts/why-ca-senator-mike-mcguire-trying-kill-legal-cannabis-industry-2025-07-03
A Campaign Funded by Cannabis Competitors?
McGuire is termed out of the Senate and is running for California Insurance Commissioner in the 2026 election cycle. His new campaign has raised over $2.1 million from 1,412 contributions, many of them from corporate wine and hemp interests with a financial stake in undermining the legal cannabis market.
McGuire’s campaign donors include:
Big Wine – $408,000
Wineries, vintners, wine associations, and associated PACs have contributed more than $400,000 to McGuire’s campaigns.
DoorDash Inc. – $17,000
The food delivery giant has launched a hemp-derived THC category, offering intoxicating products not subject to cannabis regulation or taxation.
Instacart (Maplebear Inc.) – $10,000
Another delivery platform that could profit from looser hemp-based product rules.
American Beverage Association California PAC – $22,300
Beverage companies are eager to expand into cannabis and hemp-infused drinks, especially if cannabis-specific regulations and taxes remain high.
Syngenta Corporation – $3,000
Based in Basel, Switzerland, Syngenta lobbies on hemp production. Syngenta made just one contribution to McGuire on 9/30/2024.
Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust, Inc. – $5,900
A Kentucky-based pro-Kratom organization with minimal revenue and staff made a recent contribution on May 20, 2025, to McGuire. Kratom, a psychoactive stimulant, is marketed as a cannabis alternative and faces virtually no regulation in most states.
All of these donors represent industries that either compete with legal cannabis, benefit from a weakened regulated market, or operate in parallel gray markets that bypass the burdens placed on licensed cannabis businesses.
