Last Thursday marked a turning point for marijuana legalization. On Aug. 29, according to ABC News, the Department of Justice announced it would not prosecute marijuana-related crimes that are legal under state law.
The statement by the DOJ takes some weight off the shoulders of state politicians in Washington and Colorado. Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana use in Nov. 2012, but remained suspicious of how the federal government was going to react. Knowing their residents will not be prosecuted under federal charges paves the way for other states to follow Washington and Colorado’s examples. With the proper regulatory system, states can argue for legalization bills on their ballots.
You can expect to see such bills being introduced quickly. Rhode Island and Maine have already introduced legalization bills, Massachusetts and Vermont are having discussions about a legalization bill, and Oregon and California are seriously talking about ballot initiatives, according to ABC News. While these states are working toward legalization, Colorado and Washington are being carefully watched to see how they formulate a system to effectively deal with the newly legalized drug.
Regardless of how long it takes for states to set up their respective systems and introduce bills, the consensus is clear: Marijuana is finally achieving across the board legal acceptance, and it’s about time.
Some may not believe legalization is the right step because of a belief that marijuana is a gateway drug. But to get to the stage of marijuana use, most people first use cigarettes. Actually, cigarettes, marijuana and alcohol can all initiate a drug-related path by themselves, but alcohol and cigarettes, being legal, are more easily accessible.
A fuss is also made—by the government, as well as other entities—regarding health concerns, but they seem to have trouble finding substantial footing to argue with. Smoke damages the lungs whether it comes from tobacco or from marijuana. But marijuana lacks the damaging chemicals that are in cigarettes.
Cigarettes have been common since they first became popular, and eventually, we won’t look at marijuana any differently. There will be no-smoking zones for joints and cigarettes, and there will be packs of joints at grocery stores and gas stations. Marijuana growers will sell their crops to processing plants and marketers will create brand images to sell their products.
The lone concern about legalization is a possible loss of revenue due to the inability to tax all production, seeing that cannabis is easy to grow at homes. But the federal government seems to forget the U.S. public likes convenience and while some people will grow their own cannabis, most will choose to buy marijuana in the market.
Change is not a bad thing, and some people will need to accept the new item will soon be in our markets. Things will never be “how they use to be,” and people need to avoid the inevitable. Though it may take a decade or two, that’s fine—it is better off as a gradual progression. With each state changing one by one, uproar will be minimized and some damages will hopefully be avoided. As time progresses, things may get a little crazy, but it will work itself out.