From California To Capitol Hill: The Fight For Federal Cannabis Legalization In The USA

California has long been a leader in the fight for state-sanctioned cannabis. In the 1970s and 1980s, cocaine and heroin were legalized in many U. S. states as well as designated drug legalizations, making it easier to fight enforcement.

Today, cannabis is already legal at the federal level, making campaigning for its legalization more feasible. Since 2012, when Congress first made a limited medical marijuana legalization bill disappear into thin air, both houses of Congress have introduced bills to legalize all drugs.

While some members of Congress have recognized the positive effects of cannabis as medical and social (see article link below), most try to put national politics aside when voting on bills.

This year, two crucial bills were introduced in Congress: The Medical Cannabis Accessibility Act of 2017 and the Comprehensive Addiction Bill National Action Plan. Both aim to help Americans with drug addiction by legalizing cannabis for medicinal use.

The fight for federal legalization

As America becomes a more politically and socially progressive place, requests for medical marijuana legalization continue to rise. Currently, there is a bi-partisan effort underway in Congress to make this happen, though it is still in the early stages.

Currently, there are six states and Washington, Das Capital City, that have some form of legal cannabis. These states are California, Connecticut, Maine, Nevada and Rhode Island. Each of these states have their own laws regarding use, possession, manufacturing and distribution of cannabis.

In California alone there are over 60 dispensaries located throughout the state. There has been an increase in users over the past year as regulations were made more accessible to everyone. There has also been an increase in crime against them due to increased usage.

The STATES Act

In 2013, Congress passed the Roh polish Family and Medical Insurance Act of 2013, or Obamacare. This law established the current exchanges forinsurance, Medicaid, and financial aid for college.

It also added medical marijuana as a Schedule I drug with no current treatment. This put severe restrictions on its usage including a criminal background check before purchasing.

In response, several states legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes and passed their own laws. These include California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Other states such as Alaska and Massachusetts have recent success stories where cannabis helped with medical problems.

These states represent over half of all US states that have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes. As more and more people are finding relief through this method, more politicians are coming out in support of federal legalization.

The CARERS Act

In the past year, Congress has passed two bills related to cannabis. The CARERS Act, introduced in the Senate by Vice President Mike Pence, would reform the federal marijuana laws and allow states to determine their own policies.

The Justice Department has expressed interest in changing its policy, and it is likely that President Trump will sign the bill into law.

As Congress works on their proposals, advocates are quietly passing legislation at the state level. Four states and Washington, DC have fully legalized cannabis for recreational use, with more being added every year. Several more have limited legalization, allowing people to only buy legal cannabis from a licensed source.

These changes are happening at a rapid pace due to public opinion changing and leaders pushing for full legalization. Currently, only four out of thirty-eight United States states have legalized cannabis for recreational use.

What happens next?

As the Trump administration struggles to define its policies on marijuana, congressional action on federal cannabis legalization is underway. Currently, both the House and Senate are debating bills that would establish a federally controlled system of legalized cannabis in the USA.

If passed, these bills would be signed into law by President Trump. As of now, neither bill has been passed into law, but it does show signs of movement.

Since both houses of Congress are looking at these bills, this should not be too much of a problem.

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