The list of countries that will legalize marijuana before the US gets longer and longer

Many people would agree that United States federal policy regarding the acceptance and legalization of cannabis falls far short of the American mindset and perhaps even the global psyche. Policies governing cannabis in the United States have been quite the trend in the mainstream media. But more often than not, the lack of concrete action by the US federal government to legalize cannabis makes the headlines.

Be it the forgotten Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act or a powerful open letter to President Joe Biden from his closest associates calling for an overhaul of federal cannabis laws; It is evident that US federal policy on cannabis is not visionary.

Meanwhile, other nations and states are taking bold steps towards legalizing cannabis and have achieved significant results over the past decade. As things stand, therefore, it is not out of place to confirm that US federal policy is lagging behind global cannabis stance, as the country remains cautious about cannabis. Canada, the neighbor to the north, legalized cannabis at the federal level years ago and has a full-fledged recreational and medical marijuana market.

While the US government is taking a slow and tentative approach to legalizing cannabis, other countries seem to be taking the problem head-on. So the question arises: what reasons have other nations and their states found to decriminalize and legalize cannabis? In contrast, the USUS could not find any concrete justification. Even the US’s strong ally, Germany, has moved to legalize recreational and medicinal cannabis in the last 12 months, sparking a stir in the European bloc over legality issues.

Mexico

Mexico, one of the United States’ closest neighbors, bordering America to the south, decriminalized and legalized cannabis at the federal level in 2021. Without elaborating on why the Mexican government legalized cannabis, the public response has been that legalizing cannabis in is the hope of reducing violent crime.

With a broad majority vote of 8 to 3, the Supreme Court of Mexico decriminalized cannabis in 2021. As a result, cannabis is now legal for cultivation and use for medicinal purposes only. According to CNN, after cannabis advocates pushed for cannabis decriminalization, the country made the decision to reduce violent crime.

While drug-related violence was not the primary and sole reason for the Supreme Court’s decision, it is a reason worth considering as the justification for a policy change can come from any number of reasons.

Thailand

As the United States continues to debate cannabis, Thailand has taken the giant step of becoming the first Asian country to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis. The Asian government has clearly stated that public use of cannabis is still strictly prohibited, but has legalized the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

While Thailand has only legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes, the Asian country can still position itself and rightly use its current stance on cannabis to boost tourism in the country. According to National Public Radio, Thailand’s main goal is to shut down the medical cannabis industry. The article also explains that Thailand has positioned itself to make the most of current opportunities, even though few neighboring countries have legalized marijuana. This is especially true as Thailand already has a well-established tourism industry and its natural tropical climate is more than ideal for growing cannabis.

Additionally, Thailand will pardon and release inmates currently serving non-violent cannabis-related crimes. While this seems relatively easy for Thailand to achieve, US lawmakers are still pushing for the cannabis decriminalization bill.

Malta

Thailand isn’t the only country to make international headlines for cannabis legalization. Similar to Thailand, Malta also took the bold step of legalizing marijuana in 2021, becoming the first European country to do so. Although Malta has not inaugurated any cannabis dispensaries or lounges, the country has legalized cannabis cultivation and use within its territories.

The rationale for legalizing cannabis in Malta is quite similar to that of Mexico. According to the New York Times, the Maltese government stated that the new law aims to tackle illegal and criminal drug trafficking while ending the criminalization of Maltese people for the use of cannabis.

Looking at the trend in Mexico and now Malta, it appears that cannabis regulation and legalization is a driving factor in many countries that decriminalized and legalized cannabis before the United States, rather than waging war on the illicit criminal market.

Switzerland

Switzerland is among the countries that only recently legalized the medicinal use of cannabis, after the cannabis ban was lifted in August 2022. This latest development from the Swiss government also allows for the export of medicinal marijuana products. One of the main reasons behind the legalization of medical cannabis in Switzerland is the exponential growth in popularity of medical cannabis. Another important reason is the increasing administrative burden that has developed due to the increasing popularity of medicinal cannabis.

According to Forbes, the Federal Council has duly justified the canton’s recent stance on the legalization of medical cannabis. The Federal Council confirmed that the demand for permits had increased in recent years. These include slowed medical treatment and a significant administrative burden. In 2019 alone, the Ministry of Health issued around 3,000 special permits.

Conclusion

Many factors are responsible for why other countries are making significant strides in legalizing cannabis, while the United States is slowly lagging far behind. Justifications between these countries range from hoping to reduce drug-related crime and violence to promoting medical tourism in their countries.

While the United States has many battles to choose from to push for federal cannabis legalization, not a single strong enough cause has been chosen. Without this, it will be difficult for the United States to transition into a post-prohibition cannabis era.

As of today, however, the move to legalize cannabis has garnered massive support in states like Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina — but while the idea of ​​legalizing cannabis is popular, it doesn’t seem like a huge priority for many voters. Regardless, as the cannabis industry evolves, pressure on lawmakers to end federal cannabis prohibition is bound to increase.

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