Federally Legal Marijuana Coming Soon?

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In 2021, only 8% of American adults believe cannabis shouldn’t be legal for adults, according to a poll by Pew Research. In other words, more American adults than ever are in favor of legalizing cannabis.

However, public opinion is only one factor that supports the case for cannabis legalization. Financial pressures, social inequality, and public safety issues could also lead to state legalization of cannabis in the not-too-distant future.

While there are still many obstacles in the way, here are four factors that are causing lawmakers to consider federal legalization more seriously:

1. The economy

According to Cantor Fitzgerald, total legal cannabis sales are estimated at $ 36 billion by 2023. That’s more than 100% growth from sales of $ 17 billion in 2020. With numbers like this, it’s not surprising that more and more states are legalizing cannabis and that state legalization is getting closer and closer to a reality.

Money – and its impact on the economy – plays a role in many ways in when and if cannabis is legalized at the federal level – where the money comes from and where it is going.

States that have already legalized medical marijuana and / or adult marijuana have enjoyed the tax revenue of the industry, so it’s not a big step to understand why legalization and the money it generates could be tempting at the federal level. A 2018 study by New Frontier Data estimates that legalizing marijuana at the federal level could generate annual tax revenues of at least $ 10 billion for the industry.

Add to this the economic crisis as a result of COVID-19, and the extra money cannabis legalization can bring in is hard to ignore.

2. Public opinion

According to the April 2021 Pew Research poll mentioned above, 91% of US adults believe that cannabis should be legal for medicinal purposes and / or for adults. However, support for marijuana legalization still varies widely based on party affiliation and age.

In the Pew Research study, 96% of Democrats and Democrat-minded Independents are in favor of legalization compared with 87% of Republicans and Republican-minded Independents. The gap between Conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats is even greater. In 2021, five times more Conservative Republicans (15%) believe that all cannabis should be illegal, compared with just 3% of Liberal Democrats

Legalizing cannabis for medical purposes and / or for adults is particularly popular with younger American adults. The Pew Research study found that younger Americans were more likely than older Americans to support legalization. When you consider that almost 88% of millennials think marijuana is safer than alcohol, this is not surprising. The study results showed the following breakdown by age:

• 18-29 years old: 4% do not support legalization
• 30-49 years old: 10% do not support legalization
• 50-64 years old: 8% do not support legalization
• 65-74 years old: 6% do not support legalization
• 75+ years old: 14% do not support legalization

The reality is that the population is not getting any younger and cannabis sentiment is likely to continue to lean towards legalization support in the future. There is no turning back now.

4. Social justice

Social justice is lacking in the United States, and the war on drugs has exacerbated the problem. While many states have built social justice programs into their cannabis business licensing programs and passed other decriminalization laws, pardons people, and cleared records of low-level cannabis convictions, there is still much work to be done to ensure cannabis is no longer a source of social inequality.

On August 29, 2021, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke at a city hall event in Iowa where he said, “The so-called war on drugs was an abysmal failure. God knows how many lives it destroyed – a disproportionate number of Afro-Americans and Latinos. What you are seeing now is a radical shift in awareness regarding this war. You see marijuana being legalized from state to state. “

As the call for social justice continues to grow across the country, the case for legalizing cannabis at the federal level continues to grow.

3. Public safety

Selling on the black market poses a threat to public safety and, due to the List 1 status of cannabis at the federal level, very little research has been conducted to find out about it, particularly regarding safety and medical opportunities and risks. Until federal laws change, it will continue to be extremely difficult to fund and approve this type of research project.

The good news is that on September 2, 2021, the Biden government proposed changing the registration process for scientists to access List 1 drugs. The change would facilitate research by aligning the registration of List 1 drugs with the procedure for List 2 substances. While this is not the shift in cannabis desired by many, the change could at least make research into cannabis easier, which should lead to safer products and improved public safety.

diploma

President Biden has yet to change his stance on the full legalization of cannabis at the federal level, so all eyes are on Congress to see if any of the legalization laws currently underway are sensibly pushed forward. Until then, it’s a waiting game with 91% of Americans hoping for state legalization that will bring solutions to some of the country’s economic, social inequality, and public safety problems.

‍ Originally published 11/21/18. Updated 9/10/21.