California’s cannabis legalization has been a success story for the country. It has influenced public opinion about drugs in general, and marijuana use in particular.
More people are realizing it isn’t as harmful as they thought and are starting to use it for medicinal purposes. This is a growing phenomena as more people realize its benefits.
More people are starting to speak out on its benefits and how it can help them. This is a positive thing since most people know not to start something without knowing what their risks are.
When one drug such as cannabis is legalized, more people tend to speak out against the previous laws that treated it like a dangerous drug with little safety measures put in place. They feel like they were forced to have access to it, which is not safe.
The nature of addiction has changed
Addiction is not a disease that can be diagnosed and prevented. Addiction is a condition that occurs when people’s lives are not in balance with their addiction and their surrounding life systems.
It has long been thought that an addiction could only be treated with drugs, but researchers are now realizing that therapy is just as important as medication in helping an addict get back control of their life.
There are many ways to address addiction, from education to recovery strategies. Because it has become so taboo to talk about addiction, people who struggle with it have a difficult time finding the help they need.
That is why it is so important for the public to understand how an addict should be treated, what kinds of therapies are available, and what kinds of people should try to address their dependency.
This adds another layer of stigma to the person who has a substance-use disorder, making it even more difficult to obtain treatment.
The culture of cannabis has changed
Over the past few years, there has been a cultural shift in regards to marijuana. People are beginning to understand the effects of smoking it and how it affects them. Individuals are starting to consume it for social purposes and to relax!
More people are learning about cannabis through news stories and media coverage, which has increased public awareness. Increased awareness increases demand which increases prices!
This increase in price is what hurts people who aren’t specialists in using cannabis because they can’t find what they want at a safe price. It also causes black market sales to decrease which decreases overall safety for users and businesses involved.
With more people using cannabis being casual now, there is no need for restrictions on usage or quantity. This reduces safety as individuals are not staying up to date on their dosage or being safe with their intake.
Medical applications expand
Recent developments in cannabis technology have expanded the publics awareness of CBD and cannabis’s potential as a medical treatment.
Medical marijuana, also known as medical cannabinoid therapy, has been growing in popularity over the past few years. From politicians to doctors to patients, more people are learning about this treatment option.
Many patients who are incapable of leaving their house without an identification card to prove their diagnosis use the terms legal marijuana status or LEGAL cannabis as proof that it is accepted medical practice.
This is huge! As more and more people start realizing the benefits of medical cannabis, it will only gain momentum and acceptance. Not only does this show how much power people have over their own health, but how widely accepted medicine is being for many people.
Cannabis is no longer seen as “devil’s weed”
Over the past year, cannabis has gone from being a drug that is harmful and illegal to being a medicine that can cure ailments. This change in public opinion has impacted the news as well as politics.
News outlets increasingly report on issues surrounding cannabis, including medical benefits and new iterations of mainstream drugs that don’t have psychoactive effects.
Because of this, California’s legalization law is receiving more attention than other states. This national spotlight has had an impact on how Californians view cannabis.
Some people believe that because there are more stories about cannabis, it must be more popular than before. Others believe that because there are more stories about why people oppose legalization, people must be stronger than before to defend it!
This trend of increased public opposition to cannabis is a changing one, and will continue to influence policy and public opinion over time.
Smoking cigarettes is more stigmatized than smoking marijuana
At least two major world religions have a position against the practice of smoking cigarettes, and many countries have laws against it.
Additionally, tobacco is widely considered a cancer-causing substance. Consuming it is equivalent to putting your health in the hands of the tobacco industry.
Yet in 2015, more than half of American adults tried smoking cigarettes with an average of nearly 10 cigarettes per session. This number has nearly doubled since 2010, when only 4% of Americans smoked regular cigarettes.
Marijuana is seen as a natural remedy
Despite decades of propaganda, the government continues to downplay the potential health benefits of marijuana. This national pot hypocrisy is no comfort to people struggling to come out of the shadows and find help for their pain and illnesses.
Until recently, public opinion about medicinal marijuana was dominated by negative stereotypes about its harmful effects.
These stereotypes were created primarily by law enforcement and their unethical use of medicinal marijuana. They were also reinforced by the mainstream media, which has a strong influence on public opinion.
Since California’s recent legal cannabis industry explosion, there has been a drastic shift in public opinion about medicinal cannabis. A large part of this change in public opinion came from changes in law and policy, not just for recreational use but for medical use as well.
Pot is pop culture
Over the past year, news stories have highlighted everything from the benefits of cannabis to its negative impacts.
With more attention being paid to cannabis than ever before, opinions on the drug are changing again.
A number of media sources have reported a rise in popularity of cannabis over the past year, highlighting it as a useful alternative to alcohol. This has been attributed to increased public awareness and government-sanctioned research.
Since California and many other states have legalized marijuana, people are beginning to learn about pot laws from an international perspective. This has been noted as being an influential factor in public opinion and policymaking worldwide.
This can be applied in countries that have banned or restricted cannabis use, as well as those that have legal permission but not legalization.
States begin to legalize and tax marijuana
After several years of limited cannabis legalization, states began to legalize it once again. In November 2016, voters in Nevada and Alaska passed recreational marijuana laws, making it the first state to allow the drug for medicinal and nonmedical purposes. In July 2017, Washington, D.C., became the second state to legalize recreational marijuana, doing so in November 2016.
In January 2018, Oregon became the first state to sell retail marijuana and the first to begin selling it at a specific location: a grocery store nearPortland’s airports. On December 12, 2016, Colorado’s legislature voted in favor of Senate Bill 19 — which would have allowed legal sales at grocery stores and other stores but was vetoed by then–governor John Hunzinger — putting Oregon on track to become the fourth state with legal retail sales.
These new laws were not only groundbreaking moves in cannabis policy, but also had an impact nationwide. Several news outlets contacted experts regarding this issue and found that more people were aware of these states’ policies than not.
