Democrats have a year to legalize marijuana nationwide

Democrats have borrowed time in relation to their control of Congress, which means they either have to work extra hard to secure the votes necessary to maintain power, or they have to beg, borrow, steal, and collect every favor to ensure that the party’s agenda is right well served before it is wiped out by the Republicans.

Among the many issues that the Democrats are trying to overcome, nationwide cannabis reform is a hot topic. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer previously said that legalizing marijuana at the federal level was a top priority for the Upper Chamber, but he’s been neglected so far. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking for the Democrats to get something in the books.

As it stands, next year’s midterm elections are not looking good for the Democrats. Early indicators show that Republicans are ready to regain control of a majority in the House of Representatives and further divide Congress. “Based on all the factors, you have to see Republicans as the early favorites for a majority in the House of Representatives in 2022,” David Wasserman said recently of the impartial Cook Political Report said NBC news. As for the Senate outcome, it seems to be each party’s game right now.

Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images

Some politicians believe that history repeats itself – and it does not go in favor of the Democratic Party. Senator Lindsey Graham said earlier this week that next year looks like another year, 1994. At this point the GOP stepped in with all its might and gained total control of Congress. “I think a tidal wave is brewing” he said. “When you look at rampant inflation, runaway crime and a broken border, and easy [a] general lack of knowledge of what you are doing, lack of competence … the Republican Party will have a great comeback if we recruit the right people. “

Assuming the political analysts are right, Schumer’s dream of nationwide cannabis reform must come now or he may not get another chance. Last month, he tabled a proposal aimed at ending the federal marijuana ban. The concept is now available for public comment until September. The only problem is that Schumer says he does not have the votes to bring the bill to the president’s desk anytime soon. He doesn’t have the support, the filibuster is still in the way, and even members of his own party are not on board.

RELATED: Mitch McConnell Works With Democrats on Infrastructure, What About Cannabis?

Nevertheless, Schumer is hopeful. “I think we’ll make it because it’s so, so overwhelmingly supported by the American people.” he said during an interview with ABC’s The View.

Photo by Nicholas Kamm-Pool / Getty Images

While most Americans support legal weed, there’s no denying that Mitch McConnell continues to stand in the way. Despite his demotion to the Senate minority leader, the Kentucky Republican still managed to abuse Schumer every step of the way. More recently, however, McConnell has embraced bipartisanism and voted for the Democrats’ infrastructure deal. But – and it’s a big one – he said there were no plans to work with the Democrats on other issues in the future.

RELATED: Billionaire Charles Koch Will Fund Lobbying Efforts To Legalize Marijuana Nationwide

Regardless of those cannabis advocates who are full of positive beliefs about the chances of marijuana legalization coming soon – which make the industry as legitimate as alcohol and tobacco – there really is no chance McConnell will get his Republican counterparts to approve Schumer a bill to help legalize marijuana nationwide. Under no circumstance. All Schumer can do at this point is fight to end the filibuster and pass the pot bill by a simple majority, which he doesn’t have the votes to either. According to all information, Schumer’s hands are tied.

When Farhad Manjoo’s column in the New York Times is correct, not only does the Democrats have a year to save the planet, but the party has exactly the same amount of time to legalize weed. In November 2022, Republicans are likely to return to power, destroying any hope of cannabis reform.