Is the war on marijuana going to end after California passed Recreational Marijuana laws?

The legalization of weed in California received a major boost in 1996 when voters ratified Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act. This permitted doctors in the state to recommend marijuana to their ailing patients. It was the beginning of a major wave of medical marijuana reforms in a number of states throughout the United States. It began in California and up to date, 28 states in America have now passed medical cannabis laws. Some even went ahead of California and passed recreational marijuana laws. So, what impact can be expected with the passing of recreational weed laws in California? Will other states now join in the reforms? Well, 2016 was a great year for marijuana advocates in California as they saw voters pass Proposition 64 that allowed the use of weed for any adult aged 21 years and above. This is believed to herald the start of the end of the national government’s misbegotten war on marijuana.

For about two decades now, marijuana has somewhat been available for many aged 18 years and above who were willing to make payment for medical reasons. The experience has been really great for medical weed users. With technology, they have been able to get marijuana online. All they needed to do is sign up on a website and after making the necessary payments, weed would be delivered to them. Weed dispensaries came up almost everywhere starting with Los Angeles and many other cities in the state. Being the most populous state in the United States, many think that California is sending a message to the world that America may soon relax its laws on marijuana. Marijuana delivery services will soon begin to pop up almost everywhere in California and in no time, the wave may reach the national level.

Presently, the federal government considers weed as a Schedule I drug, with no permitted medical benefit and officially considered as dangerous just like other substances such as cocaine and heroin. However, it is perplexing to note that no one has ever died of doing an overdose of cannabis yet the national government continues with its hard stance on the substance. The federal government has also impaired research and therefore, there is very little evidence to give the drug a good backing. So, have authorities at the state level seen something positive about the drug? Apparently, California seems to have laid the groundwork for many other states that may not go back to the basics of how weed is useful to the masses.

It is no doubt that marijuana has been proven to be effective with some health conditions including chronic pain, child epilepsy, appetite loss, mitigating chemotherapy effects for cancer patients and nausea among several others. It has found a major use even among sportsmen and sportswomen after suffering acute injuries. Cannabis has ideally taken the place of conventional drugs that have been found quite ineffective and addictive at the same time. However, reforms on marijuana have not been without criticism. All the same, those who have used it responsibly claim that weed, even for the smallest use for relaxation following a hard day’s work can be termed as a medical benefit. Therefore, the situation doesn’t have to be that serious. Medical marijuana doctors have been recommending cannabis for pain mitigation and the trend seems to continue even amongst recreational users. With proper regulation, California and several other states that have passed recreational cannabis laws will set a good example to others that are looking forward to have the same in their states. One of the biggest issues has been in the area of regulation but now that medical marijuana laws have worked, recreational laws will also work. This is not only in those who have passed them already but others who are making these considerations.

Barry

Barry here and I live in Hollywood. Yup, that’s right, I live in the city that’s home to the stars of the silver screen and walk along Rodeo Drive that could be paved in gold with the obscene amounts of money spent in its shops. I’m a writer. Well actually I’m a frustrated author of a book yet to be published about a subject that still eludes me. In the meantime I write blogs for websites to earn my crust and particularly enjoy writing about marijuana, particularly about the medical breakthroughs that are benefitting untold numbers of people worldwide.

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