Changes in Marijuana Laws in the US
Changes in Marijuana Laws in the US
In the United States, marijuana laws are considered a gray area. This is because marijuana is still considered illegal under federal law. Although marijuana is most often seen as a Schedule I drug, which has a high potential for abuse and no medical benefits, marijuana is actually considered illegal for a reason. Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD, and peyote. Although these are not technically “meth” or marijuana, they do share some of the same risks associated with marijuana, such as addiction and dependency.
Currently, eight states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. California, Massachusetts, and Nevada are currently considering making recreational marijuana legal. Alaska, Hawaii, and Oregon are considering putting the issue on the ballot, and California currently has a voter initiative petition on their list.
Three states have legalized recreational use of cannabis; Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. However, Alaska, California, and Massachusetts are expected to soon pass legal marijuana laws. Two other states – Maine and Rhode Island – have legalized medicinal use of marijuana, but the views of the voters on these issues vary. Maine is also an experiment in legalized marijuana.
In California, marijuana is illegal according to the California State Legislature. According to the California Supreme Court, marijuana “begins to be a danger,” and the California High Court has upheld the ban. On December 17th, voters will decide on the California marijuana laws at the polls. If Proposition D is passed, which seeks to legalize marijuana in California, it will become legal in the California market and will be available for anyone over the age of 21 to purchase and possess. If no proposition is passed by the voters, a legal marijuana initiative could be introduced in the next general election. If the initiative is passed by the California legislature, recreational cannabis usage will be fully legalized in the state.
In the opinion of many experts, marijuana should remain illegal. One reason why it should remain illegal is that it causes schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder, according to the United States National Institute of Mental Health. Schizophrenia is not a disease, it is a disorder. In a recent article in Forbes Magazine, James Trudeau wrote, “The science behind this is unclear, and there’s a real danger that it makes people more stupid and less able to find work.” Clearly, marijuana should not be considered a legitimate medicine.
There is an interesting bit of trivia in the history of marijuana in the United States. It was created in 18 49 when citizens complained about the lack of availability of tobacco and considered it a medical problem. The delegates to the first national marijuana convention voted to legalize it, and called it cannabis. The reason they preferred cannabis over tobacco was that it was smoked, rather than ingested. Thus, the saying that marijuana cannot be smoked, but can be eaten, is obviously a misnomer, because marijuana can be smoked as well, and six plants of mature marijuana can produce over thirty thousand joints each year, making it the most potent substance in America.
Many of the marijuana laws in the US are obviously not laws which will be easily changed. States such as California, where marijuana has been legal for a decade, have still not seen major changes in law enforcement priorities. The current crop of marijuana entrepreneurs do not appear to be willing to wait for federal authorities to act on their proposals. California marijuana entrepreneurs expect that marijuana cultivation, sale, and use will become legal in January 2021.
Marijuana is still considered to be an illegal drug, despite the fact that almost half of all American adults have used it at some point in their lives. However, many jurisdictions have legalized possession of small amounts of cannabis or have created laws surrounding personal use, including sales and cultivation. Although marijuana remains illegal under most state laws, marijuana advocates believe that it should be legalized because the current enforcement strategy, which involves arresting people caught in private property without probable cause, is ineffective and expensive. In addition, marijuana is more widely used by teenagers, who do not face criminal charges, and may actually benefit from its legal status.
Changes in Marijuana Laws in the US