The use, sale, and possession of cannabis over 0.3 THC in the United States, despite state laws is illegal under federal law. However, individual states have enacted legislation permitting exemptions for medical and adult use. This article therefore is going to focus on various states and the kind of changes they’ve made to cannabis laws within such states.
Main Changes to American Cannabis Laws
Several United States of America reflected on the legalization of cannabis. Some of the states linked to this kind of reforms included Florida, New Jersey, Arizona, New York, and Mexico. Only 23 states in America allow citizen-initiated ballot initiatives, implying that in several states the only way to reform Cannabis Laws is through the legislature.
Recent statistics shows that 68% of the Americans support making of cannabis use legal and around 90% support allowing medical cannabis use. The following are some of the remarkable changes to marijuana use in America.
Cannabis will now be sold mainly for recreational purpose and other cannabis products being sold in the state of Illinois. By the start of the New Year’s Day, people over the age of 21 with a pertinent identification will be in a position to buy recreational cannabis fom authorised retailers. Illinois has other cannabis-related laws in the pipeline for 2020, including a law that will allow students who are medical cannabis patients to use cannabis products on school grounds or at school activities.
Recreational use of cannabis in Arizona state is now legal. Possession and cultivation of recreational cannabis became legal on November 30, 2020, with the first state licensed sales occurring on January 22, 2021. However, this is only applicable for individuals who are over the age of 21 and patients of any age with qualifying conditions. Adults can possess up to one ounce(28grams) at a time and grow six plants.
In Mexico, the Supreme Court ruled that the country’s absolute ban on recreational Marijuana use was unconstitutional. This was a reform made on October 2018 with the effective date being extended by the highest court of the Mexican land to April 30, 2020, for the legislature to pass the law.
In addition to all these, cannabis is no longer a controlled substance for MLB. The Major League Baseball(MLB) and the MLB players union officially agreed to remove cannabis from the major and minor league’s list of Drug Abuse. This fortunately makes MLB the first American sports league to reduce its punishments for cannabis use. Starting 2020 spring training, cannabis consumption by players was treated the same as alcohol use.
Based on several health benefits linked to the use of cannabis, I think it would be advisable for all states within the America to adopt and if possible legalize the use of cannabis. The federal government should facilitate the use of this drug too but set maximum daily intake for each and every individual wishing to use such kind of drugs. this will be of great significance considering the fact that it can help regulate various health defects within the human body including the prevention of the incidences of cancer occurrence and development.