A Vote to Exempt Legal Marijuana States From Federal Intervention Will Occur Within Weeks

The marijuana movement in North America has come an incredibly long way in a relatively short amount of time.

Looking back to 1995, not a single U.S. state had given the green light to medical marijuana, medical cannabis was still illegal to our north and south, and a mere 25% of surveyed adults by Gallup favored legalizing recreational weed. The idea of legalizing adult-use marijuana in the U.S. would have probably been met with laughter, rather than serious debate.

Today, 33 U.S. states have legalized medical cannabis, 10 of which also allow adult-use of the drug. Further, Canada is one of only two countries worldwide to have legalized recreational weed, while Mexico gave the OK to medical pot in June 2017. According to Gallup’s October 2018 poll, an all-time record two out of three Americans wants to see marijuana legalized nationally.

Marijuana’s Schedule I classification is a buzzkill

Yet in spite of this momentum, the federal government has stood firm on its classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug. As a Schedule I substance, cannabis is placed side by side with LSD and heroin as being entirely illicit, is not recognized as having any medical benefits, and is considered to be highly prone to abuse. [Read more at The Motley Fool]