Is California the tipping point for Federal approval?
As we all know, election season is upon us and the time to cast our ballots is rapidly approaching. But, if you live in California, you could help push over the domino that brings Federal legalization of Cannabis….. or so Cannabis advocates would like you to think, this is the narrative at least.
First, we must look at the legalization climate in California. The golden state broke the MMJ ice by pioneering this countries most established Medical Marijuana program back in 1996. A decade later, they will vote to legalize Cannabis for Adult-use. Polling shows that there is a very real possibility this will be voter approved, with support at 60%.
Advocates feel this will pressure the Federal government into legalizing Cannabis for Adult-use, similar to alcohol. Nearly 1 in 10 Americans live in California. The population of southern California alone, eclipses the populations of the already legal states of Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon combined. The state also boasts an economy larger than many countries around the world.
"It really is the state that wags the tail of the nation, so if California's 55 senators and representatives in Congress were to be in favor of legalization, then it would be a total dynamic change," says Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
"We see California as a tipping point to end federal prohibition," says Lynne Lyman, California state director for the Drug Policy Alliance. If legalization passes, overnight a plurality of the United States population will reside within cannabis-legal states, and the federal government will be forced to reckon with the "marijuana question," she says.
Another factor, is the tax revenue this will generate for a state, that has constantly been underfunded. California's independent Legislative Analyst's Office estimates $1 Billion in revenue and $100 Million in savings annually. Money would be used to fund youth drug prevention programs, CHP to establish DUI protocols, education, treatment, research and more. The proposed laws also have the strictest in the nation when it comes to youth access and use.
So this doesn't sound too bad, if the voters approve it, the Federal government would ultimately have to approve of Cannabis legalization… right?
Not so fast (this is just our opinion). While a victory in California or any of the seven other states voting for Adult-use Marijuana laws in 2016 would be another ripple in the wave of legalization, it would take approval from some pretty staunch politicians to happen. Although both Clinton and Trump have made statements regarding Medical Marijuana, there has been absolutely nothing to indicate a desire to legalize on a Federal level from either candidate. Couple this with the recent refusal by the DEA to reduce the Drug Scheduling of Marijuana and you have a pretty high wall. Sure, the House and the Senate may get behind new measures but this could be more about showmanship than genuine efforts.
A simple review of the science from other countries and at minimum, we should lower the bar for Cannabis research in this country. Research is a key component to presenting the Marijuana legalization argument to the opposition. Yet, they block the research.
What will happen in November, we shall see. Be sure to vote!
