Will Weed Be Legal Federally In The US? What The Experts Say

Many states have already passed laws and regulations to make the sale and use of marijuana legal. The question is whether the US will legalize the drug at the federal level. In a recent November 2020 poll, 68% of American residents support federal marijuana legalization. Making marijuana legal across the country is something many hope for, but legalization is not supported by politicians. Based on the same survey, less than half of Conservatives and Republicans support the legalization of marijuana by the federal government.

The owners and founders of AskGrowers’ major cannabis brands have addressed this important question. Fox Hollow Flora CEO says federal laws will go into effect in 2022, backed by a statement from Lisa Tollner, co-founder of Sensi Products, explaining that the Democrats are currently working on new laws. She is right! Two Democratic senators, along with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have announced that they will push for legislation to be passed this year, which would end a lengthy federal ban.

Proponents of cannabis reform have given some strong reasons why legalization should take place. These include:

Mindful Earth founder Kelly Benson supports legalization but believes it will be for “financial / economic reasons, not health reasons”. She believes the lack of cannabis education and abuse will stall any legalization for medical benefit. 502 Hemp’s Dee Dee Taylor isn’t convinced there will be federal legalization of marijuana anytime soon. However, she states, “I believe that more and more states will make it legal and force Congress to remove it from the DEA’s absurd schedule that I am listing.”

There are many steps involved in getting marijuana off this list. Legislators need to change the financial laws that allow banks to benefit from credit cards issued to pharmacies. There must also be a single issue bill that would remove marijuana from the list and allow studies and research into medical treatment to be conducted. When these two things go together, it would be possible to revise the current Criminal Code and push federal weed legalization and move marijuana from the Appendix I list to an Appendix III list.

While many in the cannabis industry are hoping for changes to existing laws, there are many political hurdles. The CEO and co-founder of the Humboldt Pharmacy, Gillian Levy, believes there will be no federal weed legalization in the coming year. She believes that “it is more likely that it will be decriminalized, at least in the near future.” The House Democrats are showing great support for the decriminalization of marijuana, and this is also supported by the current president in his plan for Black America.

Decriminalizing this drug would end government interference in cannabis research. It would also make marijuana available for medical use and allow veterans to get medical marijuana prescriptions from the VA for the first time. But when will weeds become legal nationwide? This answer remains unclear. Decriminalization at the federal level would be a big step in a positive direction, but support from both parties is required.

Those who firmly believe that the federal government will legalize marijuana will appreciate the latest news about marijuana at the federal level. Existing cannabis companies and their founders, including Robert Miller of Purefectionary, Aaron Puryear of Oak City Hemp, and Rahul Lavingia of Stoned Genie, support federal legalization and hope for changes in 2021 or 2022.

Chuck Schumer will drive changes to federal law with or without the assistance of President Biden. Schumer supports decimalization at the federal level and plans to introduce legislation soon. When asked about this legislation, he said that he personally supported legalization and that this bill that was being introduced would go in that direction. This bill would also include provisions to remove marijuana convictions from criminal records.

Until federal laws change, cannabis users and producers will continue to adhere to state laws. With many states already allowing the sale and use of medical marijuana and recreational marijuana, the industry continues to grow. Bonsai Cultivation CEO Tom Stevenson believes weeds will be legal at the federal level, “but the rollout will be slow. The states have the tax revenues and are not going to give them up anytime soon. “Federal weed legalization would open up many more opportunities for business owners. However, some are not overly convinced that federal laws will be changed in the coming year.

Zach Romey of Robhots and Brandon Dorsky of Fruit Slabs both believe there will be legal weeds at the federal level, but it won’t happen for a few years. Robert Miller, owner of Purfectionery, responded to federal legalization by saying, “Yes, and hopefully in the next few years.” It’s going to be a slow process, but this latest bill will be a good start to the road for state-legalized marijuana in the near future.