Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine and Washington have decriminalized the recreational use of marijuana - and most believe other states are about to follow. Recent surveys have found that 61% of Americans now feel marijuana should be legalized. About 75% feel that efforts to enforce anti-marihuana laws are more costly than beneficial. Marijuana supporters claim alcohol, tobacco and prescription drug use kills at least 500,000 Americans each year, but no deaths have been directly attributed to marijuana use. They say it is a waste of humanity and resources to incarcerate so many non-violent offenders. They also say political pressure, not medical research, caused this drug to be outlawed in 1936. Health advocates claim Marijuana can relieve symptoms associated with HIV/AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy and glaucoma. It also shows promise in treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Our pharmaceutical industry must see some truth in these claims since, next to law enforcement, it is one of the strongest voices opposing legalization. Some marijuana opponents claim legalizing marijuana will act as a gateway to the use of dangerous drugs. However, this claim has been refuted by numerous medical studies and only one in three Americans believe this is a real concern.


Proposed Legislation: Reintroduction of H.R.2843 - Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act (116th Congress 2019-2020)
Prospective Sponsor: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY)