Why wants legal marijuana in the US? According to Pew Research Center, an overwhelming 88% of U.S. adults say either that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use by adults (59%) or that it should be legal for medical use only (30%). Only one-in-ten (10%) say marijuana use should not be legal. It has become a $20 billion industry and a proven revenue driver for states.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and US Senators Corey Booker (D- NY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) along with a whole slew of bi-partisan senators from Alaska to Montana to Ohio are backing the the SAFE Banking Act was a way to give the industry the beginning of an infrastructure for a solid industry.
But a few prominent individuals strongly believe they know better and feel they need to chaperone and ignore 88% of the population’s wishes.
Despite a slow federal process, the Department of Veterans Affairs changed policy for veterans so they can use medical marijuana without losing their eligibility for care and services. The change was based on science, data and need.
Yes former Senator President Mitch McConnell has bragged about stopping the cannabis industry. But in 2018, McConnell was able to legalize hemp in the Farm Bill generating jobs and revenue for Kentucky, but blocking marijuana small businesses. He continued and has successfully gotten hemp insurance provisions through disaster aid legislation and even approved a resolution that created a Hemp History Week.
RELATED: Maine Is Getting It Right About Legal Weed While California And Others Struggle
Florida twice approved legalization. In November of 2016 Floridians voted on a constitutional amendment to introduce medical cannabis to the state. The amendment passed with 71.3% of voters in favor of the initiative. This was after it had won over 50% in a previous election, Governor Ron DeSantis refused. Since then, the potential presidential candidate, his state legislature and his Department of Health have done everything possible to make access to this plant as cumbersome as possible. Recently, DeSantis said that the smell of marijuana is among the reasons he remains opposes to the creation of a regulated, adult-use cannabis market in Florida. With a series of laws driven by him around cannabis, movies, Disney, colleges, and voting, Florida is becoming the largest nanny state in the country.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is unmoved by a new poll revealing that a majority of Texans support legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use.
Abbott stated his position has not changed beyond what he’s proposed in the past — reducing the criminal penalty for marijuana possession to a Class C misdemeanor, but not legalizing the drug.
Meanwhile, his nanny state policies has wrecked havoc in the state from people going days without power to potentially telling voters in Houston their votes no longer count.
The journey to legalize weed has become a Battle Royale in politics, we are hoping the good guys win.
