Somebody should let the federal government know that Americans want legal marijuana

You or someone you know wants the United States government to legalize marijuana. In fact, most of the people you rub elbows with on any given day are more than likely to support ending the federal pot ban.

The latest poll from the Pew Research Center found that 91% of the population believe Uncle Sam should end cannabis criminalization across the board and use it for therapeutic purposes. They also think it should be taxed and regulated like alcohol and tobacco. This means that only one in ten Americans think marijuana should continue to be classified as an illegal drug and that the majority of the population thinks it ridiculous to keep monitoring it.

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So, hey, someone should let the federal government know that the country is prepared for legal weeds. Because the insides of this rusty machine are unlikely to solve this problem anytime soon.

Although FiveThirtyEight recently stated that both parties want legalization, the article doesn’t mention that Pot, while it’s a non-partisan issue, isn’t getting enough support to run smoothly. And that’s why the federal government isn’t on board.

As we pointed out last week, just because marijuana reform is a hot topic that transcends the party’s borders, does not mean federal legalization is a surefire thing. The problem is, there is no new blood to really motivate the cannabis debate. It is mostly the same small group of non-partisan supporters.

You could say that not enough Republicans want it, or not enough of the right ones. Furthermore, not every Democrat thinks efforts to reform pot laws are strong. Even Pew found inconsistencies in the support threshold that will no doubt interfere with the cannabis root cause. Legislators cannot agree on marijuana. You certainly can’t when it comes to how to use it.

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“While both Republicans and Democrats differ greatly on whether or not marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, there are age differences within each party.” Pew reported. “A 63% majority of Republicans ages 18-29 are in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational and medicinal use, compared with 53% of 30-49 year olds and 48% of 50-64 year olds. However, only about a quarter of Republicans aged 65 and older (27%) say marijuana should be legal for both. “

Angry!

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If your head is spinning a little after reading the above paragraph, imagine this swirling, confusing data with faces and loads of opinions. It makes perfect sense why the ban hasn’t been lifted. The politicians in charge of changing national drug policies simply cannot figure out how or why to focus energy on legal pots. They’re not even sure God wants them to do it. It doesn’t matter that several states have already legalized an adult pot and many are very successful. The boys and girls on Capitol Hill remain concerned about marijuana. This is just one of the reasons Congress is considering a bill for which this session was designed study national legalization for the next ten years instead of just moving on.

No doubt Uncle Sam’s foot is sluggish.

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Yet, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will try to end the marijuana ban soon. He’s just waiting for the right time to push a bill into the Senate’s circus. It’s an admirable fight – it really is – but as mentioned above, Congress is a mangled mess right now, a political kitchen with too many chefs, most of whom have little to no experience with cannabis and are trying that Prepare menu as the pot industry is allowed to take shape. It remains to be seen whether the legal weed leaves the business equivalent of a Michelin restaurant or an ant-infested picnic table with a half-eaten Bologna sandwich and some french fries.

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Perhaps waving a wad of money around Capitol Hill would help advance the cannabis problem. A recent study shows that legal weeds could Contribute $ 92 billion for the national economy this year. But the money probably won’t matter. The IRS will get its share one way or another.

In the meantime, states are starting to base unemployment benefits on a person’s willingness to find a new job to make up for those lost to COVID-19. The United States is currently in a unique position to make drastic policy changes that will continue to benefit the country for decades to come. It’s just whether Congress will see marijuana should be part of the plan.