Home Latest News Bumps on the Road for the Legalization of Marijuana

Bumps on the Road for the Legalization of Marijuana

0
SHARE
Bumps on the Road for the Legalization of Marijuana

Certain events have made for a bumpy road regarding the legalization of marijuana in America.

For one, the Secretary of Homeland Security, John Kelly, has delivered a speech last April 2017 wherein he states that possession and distribution of marijuana are grounds for deportation. His stance on marijuana as a gateway drug to the abuse of harder drugs is clear as he states that the Department of Homeland Security will continue its investigations regarding the illegal pathways of marijuana into the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel may use weed as a reason to send people out of the states.

From big bumps…

Kelly and other Trump administration officials, including Sean Spicer and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have voiced out their anti-marijuana sentiments since Trump had assumed office.

Sean Spicer, White House spokesman, commented that the government would step up its drug law enforcement. Shortly after, Sessions remarked that he was not in favor of the legalization of marijuana and that it was a more dangerous drug than citizens realize. Sessions has been critical of the drug for quite some time and has even gone so far as to say that good people do not smoke weed.

Trump has been inconsistent with his statements regarding marijuana as he seems to be with anything else. In the 1990’s, he has called for its legalization. During his campaign, he gave emphasis on his support for medical marijuana. But then he also warned citizens about the negative effects that weed could have on the mind’s functions.

Others like Jerónimo Saldaña, policy manager at Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs, believe that the Trump Administration is using the Drug War to target immigrants. After all, it’s ridiculous to think medical patients can be deported by following medical advice. So it’s nothing personal, Mary Jane, it’s just the United States of Trump. Melissa Moore, deputy director for the Drug Policy Alliance’s New York office, is also against the speech and stated that citizens must stand against these fear mongers and protect their residents. This pertains to states that have legal framework for cannabis.

READ  Ohio on Marijuana’s Moratorium

…to small bumps

Meanwhile, in Hartford, Connecticut, an attempt at an amendment for recreational marijuana met a difficulty when Rep. Melissa Ziobron walked out on June 5’s morning press conference which was eventually called off. Rep. Josh Elliott and Rep. Juan Candelaria called the conference but Ziobron was “upset by the process” because she was only informed at the last minute.

The fact that several bills regarding the legalization of marijuana for recreational use has not made it out of the committee, the amendment would have been a way around the problem.

Needless to say, even with the majority of voters pushing for the legalization of marijuana, there are many bumps that need to be ironed out first. Whatever the weed’s fate may be, hopefully it won’t have any hidden agendas. May the law makers always have the people’s and the nation’s best interest at heart.

LEAVE A REPLY