Nevertheless, beginning in 1996 with California, when voters accepted Proposition 215 with a 56% to 44% majority, states moved away from the federal approach to cannabis. Over the next 25 years, legalization spread across U.S. states as doctors and patients began to insist on access to medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids to mitigate the catastrophic effects of diseases such as cancer, Crohn`s disease, epilepsy and PTSD, as well as palliative care for other illnesses that cause severe chronic pain. Over the past decade, several states, led by Colorado and Washington State, went further in 2012 and legalized marijuana for all purposes, including recreational and medical use. The legalization of marijuana is in a tricky place: while most states have legalized it for recreational or medical purposes, it is still illegal at the federal level. Currently, 37 states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes and 18 have legalized it for medical and recreational purposes. However, because it is still illegal under federal law, it poses significant challenges for marijuana businesses, including access to financial services and the ability to obtain loans or bank accounts. In the November 2020 election, cannabis referendums were on the ballot in five states. Voters in those five states — Arizona, New Jersey, South Dakota, Montana and Mississippi — have approved measures to legalize a form of marijuana use. The margins were large: 67% of New Jersey voters, 57% of Montana voters, 53% of South Dakota voters, and 60% of Arizona voters voted for it.
Now, there are 15 states where the drug is legal for recreational use, meaning about one in three Americans now live in a state where recreational marijuana is legal. As a result, 34 states and two territories have now legalized some form of medical marijuana, and 15 states as well as two territories and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational cannabis. If you encounter any technical problems, please contact the webmaster at Webmaster@house.mn. WASHINGTON, 1. April (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday to end the federal ban on marijuana, which has caused legal headaches for users and businesses in states that have legalized it, though the measure was deemed unlikely to pass the Senate. Marijuana users and the companies that sell it face a complicated legal patchwork in the United States, where 37 states have legalized it in one form or another — for recreational or medical purposes — while 13 still ban it altogether. Marijuana is one step closer to legalization in the United States. But the Democrats` quest for their perfect bill worries some lawmakers and pro-cannabis advocates who don`t see a clear path for sweeping Republican-led drug policy changes in both chambers — particularly in the Senate.
Given that Democrats may not control both houses of Congress in January, the window for a change in cannabis policy at the federal level may not be open much longer. Forum News Service `The tide is turning` as Minnesota House of Representatives prepares to legalize recreational cannabis Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed his own marijuana legalization bill and pledged to implement it in April. Booker and Schumer have drawn a line on marijuana policy, even refusing to hold a hearing on a cannabis bank bill that the House of Representatives has approved six times because it does not address criminal justice reform. As I have said many times during my presidential campaign, no one should be in jail simply for using or possessing marijuana. Sending people to jail for marijuana possession has upended too many lives and imprisoned people for behavior that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also created unnecessary barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities. And while white, black, and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced at disproportionate rates. Today, I am announcing three steps I will take to end this failed approach. First, I am announcing a pardon for all previous federal offences of simple possession of marijuana. I have asked the Attorney General to develop an administrative procedure for issuing pardon certificates to eligible individuals. There are thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession who may be denied employment, housing or educational opportunities.
My action will help mitigate the collateral consequences that result from these beliefs. Second, I urge all governors to do the same with respect to government offences. Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely for marijuana possession, no one should be in a local or state prison for that reason. Third, I ask the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to begin the administrative process to quickly review how marijuana is planned under federal law. Federal law currently classifies marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification of the most dangerous substances. That`s the same timeline as heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine – the drugs that cause our overdose epidemic. Finally, even if federal and state marijuana regulations change, significant restrictions on trafficking, marketing, and sale by minors should be maintained. Too many lives have been turned upside down because of our failed approach to marijuana. It is time for us to correct this injustice. Today`s vote underscored the growing divide between parties — and even among Democrats — over how cannabis policy should be approached.
Despite growing support from GOP lawmakers for legalization and polls showing that two-thirds of Americans support that position, only three Republicans voted for the marijuana reinvestment and write-off law. Cannabis companies are also largely excluded from the U.S. banking system due to the federal ban. Pioneer Press Minnesota House of Representatives Democrats push for legalization of recreational marijuana There could be a lot of money for the federal government if the MORE bill becomes law. California, one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana use, generated more than $1 billion in marijuana tax revenue just two years after nationwide legalization. The sale of legal cannabis is expected to reach $40.5 billion by 2025. Republican Rep. Michelle Fischbach called the legislation „not only flawed, but dangerous” and argued in the House that it failed to protect minors and would encourage people to open marijuana businesses.
If passed by the Senate, the bill would then be submitted to the president for signature at the White House. At this time, it is unclear whether a presidential signature, veto, or no action will be taken by the current administration. Because federal law classifies cannabis as an illegal drug with no medical use, researchers are severely limited on how to study the drug and its effects, making it difficult to write guidelines.