The United States is close to legalizing cannabis federally

Fran Quesada Moya

08-01-2021 17:00:07 - Updated: 8 January, 2021

The legalization of cannabis at the federal level in the USA is closer than ever. After the last House of Representatives vote, now under Democratic control, it became clear that the majority of Americans are in favor of using marijuana, only the Senate has still to approve it. The problem is that this legislative body is still in the hands of Republicans, who are not in favor of full legalization, although it is a matter of time before that happens.

🎯 MORE Law, the legislative project that will change marijuana legislation in the USA

 

It is the first time since this country was founded that any of the chambers of Congress voted in favor of legalizing cannabis. And its approval by 228 votes in favor and 164 against is a historic moment that fills both the cannabis industry and consumers who use weed for recreational or medicinal purposes with hope.

It is a comprehensive legislation, which in addition to decriminalizing marijuana, would remove any criminal record of non-violent sentences related to the possession, cultivation or sale of this plant. The legislative project also aims to remove cannabis from the controlled substances law and authorize a 5 % tax to fund grant programs for the community and small businesses, which would help those most affected by the criminalization of this drug.

These possible legislative changes come at a key moment, when states across the country, including some of the most conservative, are in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana, increasingly convinced that the war on drugs has clearly failed. Of the 50 states that make up this nation, 35 already have medicinal cannabis and in 15 of them the recreational use of cannabis has already been legalized, so full legalization is now inevitable.

⛳ State laws that often clashed with federal regulations

One of the major problems that the cannabis industry has experienced in many states of the USA in recent years is insecurity and uncertainty. Although some states allow the production, transport and distribution of cannabis in a controlled manner, the higher federal law prevented free commercial activity, stopping the investments, billing, and growth of the companies of this sector.

Due to the strict federal regulation in the United States regarding cannabis, banks have not wanted to facilitate financial transactions, grant loans or open accounts for companies in this industry, making everyday life very difficult for workers too.

✨ Joe Biden is also in favor of decriminalization

The new President of the United States has affirmed to be in favor of decriminalizing this plant and revoking the sentences for consumption of marijuana. However, he has expressed himself a bit ambiguously about it so far, so we’ll wait and see how it goes on.

In the primaries to elect the Democratic Party candidate, Joe Biden expressed his skepticism about the full legalization of cannabis, although on the website of the presidential campaign he said that they are in favor of the legalization of medical marijuana and, if he won, he would let the states vote whether the recreational consumption should also be approved.

🚀 A promising future for cannabis in the USA

In the last US elections, in addition to electing a president, 4 states voted to decide on the decriminalization of cannabis, Montana, Arizona, New Jersey and South Dakota. Most of the residents of the 4 states were in favor of it and joined the other 11 states where cannabis use and possession is already legal: California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Illinois and Michigan.

They also took the opportunity to do a voter survey, showing surprising results and suggesting a bright future for this plant in the United States.

Cannabis survey results from Arizona, South Dakota, Montana and New Jersey

3 out of 4 voters see the federal legalization of cannabis in the USA as inevitable, regardless of their individual thinking. 81% of those respondents were against the federal government intervening in states that have voted to decriminalize cannabis. 27% of respondents say that their opinion has changed in favor of decriminalizing this plant in the past 4 years.

The most surprising thing is that Republicans in particular have changed their point of view, who otherwise used to be against it. A recent alternative survey found that 53% of Republicans would support the MORE Law, compared with 85% of Democrats and 66% of Independents, a large majority that must also be attained in the Senate.