Last fall, when Colorado and Washington legalized the recreational use of marijuana. there was much controversy over not only the drug and abuse, but also the federal vs. state law issue. Although 18 other states allow the use of medical marijuana, at a federal level, the use of marijuana is illegal. Despite the federal law against the illicit drug, the Obama administration will not challenge state marijuana legislative laws. There's not much to say on the actual drug itself, but the fact that Obama and his administration will not sue to change these state laws is surprising, given the fact that "Last week, the White House said President Obama did not support changing federal laws regulating marijuana, which treat the drug as a highly dangerous substance with no medical purpose."Although there is definitely a shift in views concerning the legalization of marijuana across America, the murkiness of federal vs state law is something to watch.LA times story
Washington Post story
Government policy on marijuana
State law vs Federal law
1 comment:
I think it's a good idea for the federal government to be sort of laissez-faire about the use of marijuana, even though the supremacy clause does place federal law over state law. It's just not in the top interest of the government right now to pursue the issue, and I think Obama recognizes that the fight against marijuana is a losing battle. I think things are leaning in the direction of Colorado and Washington -- in the LA Times article that Alex linked, it says "U.S. prosecutors will continue to aggressively enforce the law against those who sell marijuana to minors." That sounds like they care more about minors using marijuana than people in general, which goes along with Colorado and Washington's policy that marijuana is legal for those over 18.
I personally think the recreational use of marijuana should be legalized throughout the country. Legalize it, tax it, whatever. I think the government should be focusing their time and money on more important things than trying to contain a widely used drug. If marijuana were legalized, it would lose its power (in the sense of money, drug wars, etc), and there wouldn't be anything left for opponents of marijuana to fear.
Post a Comment