What Would Happen if Cannabis Became Federally Legal?

People who pay close attention to the cannabis policies in the United States like myself have been eagerly awaiting for the federal government to legalize medical marijuana for many years now. After all, there are a lot of signs that we are heading that way very soon. Legalizing cannabis on a federal level would be huge. The United States has had a long history of demonizing and stigmatizing cannabis and making the American people feel very wary of it. However, this stigma is starting to change as more and more people are coming around to the idea of medical marijuana usage in the United States. In fact, the cannabis industry continues to boom in our nation as more and more people head to the dispensaries that keep popping up. There are currently about 39 states that have legalized medical marijuana, and it will not be much fartther of a push to secure those last 11 states that are holding out on us. However, the federal government will need to step in at some point. I can imagine some states like Idaho and Nevada being very slow to ever come out with medical marijuana programs until the federal government makes a bigger move. Have you ever wondered what would happen if the government legalized medical marijuana in our country? Well, now you don’t need to live in curiosity, because I am going to be writing about it today. So buckle up and keep reading this article to learn more about cannabis. 

One of the first things that would happen if the government legalizes medical marijuana nation-wide is that it would become decriminalized. There have been many people that have sadly been incarcerated for marijuana related charges. In the event that cannabis becomes completely legal across the United States, these people would be able to apply for expungement. The real tragedy about our prison system and marijuana is that the majority of people that get arrested for using cannabis are people of color. Perhaps this could be a way to do some justice and fix part of what is wrong with our justice system. It also makes it hard for people who are trying to get a job or an education but are dealing with an arrest on their record due to using cannabis. It is really unfair. This would allow people to start again and get out of prison for something that is now legal in the majority of states. 

Another thing that would happen if the federal government legalized marijuana is that you could travel anywhere with cannabis without restrictions (though the quantity you have will still matter for sure). The way that state medical programs and policies are set up right now makes it really hard to travel across state lines with marijuana. Some states can still arrest you for using cannabis, while others do not care at all. If weed was legalized across the nation, people would no longer have to worry about which products and how much THC are in them when they are traveling from state to state. The whole system is a bit complicated for my taste anyways. 

The economy will also begin to grow super fast as the cannabis industry begins to boom after the federal legalization. Think of all the tax revenue that would come into the government’s greedy paws. Many states are already realizing huge amounts of tax revenue from year to year directly from their medical programs. These state governments are able to use cannabis taxes to help with healthcare, infrastructure, debt, and a ton of other things as well.

Why Cannabis is a Safe Alternative

If you have been driving around in any state that has legalized cannabis dispensaries, you probably are familiar with all of the billboards that support and advertise medical marijuana. It is really not uncommon to see billboards from more than one company offering their cannabis products and services. You may also be familiar with an advertisement that says “less risk, more relief”. While you may not really think about the benefit of lower risk when it comes to using cannabis, this can be a huge reason that a lot of medical marijuana patients have applied for their card. The reality about marijuana is that, generally, it is much safer and more natural than a lot of prescription medications and treatment options that exist in our medical world today. 

Marijuana is inherently less dangerous than medications like opioids, which are steadily becoming the most dangerous form of prescription in the entire world. Did you know that opioids related deaths increased over the past few years? While the fight to end the opioid epidemic had some sway, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a lot of that progress to be lost. When it comes to prescription opioids, a lot of people are using them for managing pain and other such conditions. The CDC’s recent data has shown that synthetic opioids on the black market today are more likely to contain harmful chemicals like fentanyl. Guess how many milligrams of fentanyl is enough to kill a person? Shockingly, it is just about 2 milligrams. That is why marijuana can make some really good changes to our medical world and how doctors prescribe for pain relief. 

So how can there be no risk with using marijuana? Isn’t it a drug? After all, it was an illegal drug for so long - there has to be something dangerous about it. Well, you may be surprised to find out that there has never been a recorded case of someone dying from a marijuana overdose. There have even been tests done on animals back in the 1970s to see how much THC would be enough to kill something, and the scientists found that all the monkeys survived. When it comes to marijuana in its natural form, it is basically impossible to overdose. It is a very naturally safe drug and one that does not really cause harm when used properly. What if people were able to turn to using marijuana instead of prescription opioids? How is it that marijuana has been made illegal, why companies continue to shill out new synthetic medications that kill more people every year. 

It is honestly a tragedy. Moreover, smoking weed is even less dangerous than drinking alcohol, which is also completely legal in the United States. Did you know that the CDC reported excessive drinking of alcohol as one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States? It is really a shame that weed has gotten such a bad reputation for so long. While marijuana is generally much safer than opioids and alcohol, it does not exist without some potential risks as well. Some of the ones that you should know about include developing a dependency or addiction. Like any drug or medication that alters one's mood or behavior, there is always that risk of getting addicted to marijuana. If you are someone that gets addicted to things really easily, maybe consider this risk before you start using weed regularly. Another risk is decrease in brain development of young adults and teens, which has become a very big stigma among the anti-cannabis communities in our nation.