Increased governmental oversight could further legitimize cannabis use
During this past year’s elections, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana use. The actual implementation of a “legal” marijuana industry has seen mixed results, as some states have been able to operate efficiently while others have struggled to regulate and enforce proper procedure. Washington and Colorado are taking their time to create a legitimate and sustainable market for marijuana. Representatives from Oregon, which failed to legalize marijuana in 2012, and Colorado are working on a bill that would help tremendously with that effort by allowing the federal government to regulate the industry through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and apply a lucrative tax. Legislation like this is necessary to legitimize the marijuana industry.
The federal government’s stance on marijuana is clearly outdated. Cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” While there has been much debate on both sides of the latter point, some would argue marijuana has been demonstrated to have a clear medical purpose. Weed isn’t completely harmless, but it certainly does not deserve to be classified in the same category as heroin and LSD. An end to the government’s vilification of the drug would be a necessary first step toward comprehensive legislation.
The bill being introduced this week would add marijuana to the title of the ATF and move its regulation from the Drug Enforcement Agency. This would allow the federal government to aid in implementing marijuana legislation and avoid some of the big issues certain states have faced with running their own cannabis industries. In 1996, California was the first state to legalize medical use of the drug, and there was little oversight or regulation of dispensaries. This has led to many problems, including marijuana making its way from California to places where the drug was still illegal and conflicts between regulations in different cities and counties in the state.
Former President Bill Clinton joined a growing chorus of leaders who have denounced the “war on drugs.” Multiple polls have shown that a majority of Americans now support legalization of the drug. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, recently came out in favor of efforts to legalize the drug in his home state. Though the bill being introduced has a small chance of actually being passed and getting signed into law this year, the support for reform is broadening quickly.
Legal marijuana is here, and in order for it to be legitimately implemented the federal government must take the lead and work with states. The next logical step would be to let states decide whether to allow it and then work with the states that do allow it to regulate responsibly.