Pay attention that growing marijuana may be subject to special restrictions and regulation in your country or state. Please contact your attorney to obtain advice before cultivating cannabis.
Disclaimer
Pay attention that growing marijuana may be subject to special restrictions and regulation in your country or state. Please contact your attorney to obtain advice before cultivating cannabis.
The legalization of marijuana provided the abolition of penalties for any activity related to cannabis. Commercial regulations control the possession, cultivation, and distribution of weed. Legalization is an essential topic of the 21st century as not so long ago, people have begun to learn about the health benefits of cannabis. Besides, legalization also provides an opportunity to control the traffic of the drug. However, within the US, the weed situation is getting a little confusing since federal laws are different from state laws.
To begin with, all cannabis is banned at the federal level. This herb is classified as a "Schedule I" substance. This means that marijuana is recognized as a harmful ingredient that has no proven medical use. Despite this stringency, most states have legalized the use of cannabis. In turn, the Ministry of Justice announced that it would not sue to block the laws. However, there are specific conditions: the use of marijuana must be controlled. For example, states must prohibit the use of marijuana by minors, control international trade, and help victims of drug abuse.
Main types of legalization
Numerous reforms and changes in the direction of cannabis have changed the laws themselves. In total, legalization can be divided into 4 types:
- The prohibition under which any interaction with marijuana is punishable.
- Decriminalization. It heralds the replacement of some of the penalties with fines. At the same time, personal possession of small quantities of cannabis is not criminalized.
- Medicinal marijuana is allowed. This point needs to be clarified depending on your state since the main regulations may differ. This type prohibits recreational use of marijuana; however, it legally allows using of the plant for medical reasons.
- Legalization. State laws add new rules of permissibility. The allowed amounts of growing and storing marijuana are strictly determined and controlled.
States where cannabis is legalized
For example, the full legalization of cannabis has already been introduced in the following states:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Guam
Many states have also allowed marijuana for medical use. These regions include:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
Utah
West Virginia
Puerto Rico
Benefits
The legalization of marijuana has greatly simplified the process of controlling this drug. For example, the number of arrests has decreased which helps the authorities to focus on more serious crimes. The quality of cannabis itself has improved significantly; it has become much purer. Also, as marijuana industry has got out of the shadow, this led to creating new jobs: according to Leafly and Whitney Economics, in 2020 alone, the legalization has established 77,000 jobs. Currently, the industry can boast with around 321,000 jobs.
Many people worried that legalization would drop the prices, but on practice getting high has not become cheaper. Thus, marijuana has not become more easily available for teens, for example. It just got safer and better regulated.
Final thoughts
It's no wonder that the idea of legalizing marijuana is so popular today. Even though it is a drug, NCBI prove that it is less addictive than alcohol and opium. In addition, many states have approved marijuana for medical use, which has turned to be beneficial in many ways. Thus, the advantages of legalizing cannabis are obvious, and they outbalance any drawbacks of this innovation.
