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.