Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Blog 10: Voters Ease Marijuana Laws in 2 States, but Legal Questions Remain


The New York Times reported on November 7, 2012 about the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington State. These two states made it legal to smoke weed recreational without any prescription or medical reason. The Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado cautioned the citizens that it will be a matter of months until legalized marijuana will be in the books, and longer until for the states to write the rules, tax codes and other regulations for new state-licensed retail marijuana shops. The states are still the dispute with the federal government which still sees marijuana as illegal. The federal government still sees the drug as a Schedule I prohibition substance and has been cracking down on other states such as California and Montana that have voted to allow medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington are two of eighteen states with medical marijuana laws but they are the first to approve of recreational purposes. When the laws are certified it will be legal under Colorado and Washington law for adults 21 years and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. In Colorado people will be able to grow as many as 6 plants but in Washington users will have to buy their marijuana from state-licensed providers.
This can affect more than just these two states in America because by legalizing the drug it will cut back of illegal drug trafficking to these states. If other states if an improvement from this law than it could possible cut out the drug trade in America. This would affect the drug trade from Central and South America to the United States making the drug trade get smaller and smaller. This will also give America another way to put high taxes on it so that America can start to make money off of the drug. This could start other countries to eliminate the drug trade as well.

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