The year is 2021, and cannabis is experiencing a wave of acceptance and understanding across the globe. Cannabis, most commonly referred to as marijuana since the early 1900’s, is now only fully illegal in 6 states.
A brief history of marijuana prohibition
At a federal level, the Marijuana Tax Act was enacted in 1937, which effectively prohibited cannabis federally, though at this point in history it was still permitted for medical use. In 1970, after the Marijuana Tax Act was struck down in a Supreme Court case, the Controlled Substances Act was enabled and cannabis was classified as a Schedule 1 drug. At a state level, states had been banning cannabis since 1911. By 1933, 29 states had criminalized marijuana.
These state and federal laws kicked off more than a century of inequalities and injustices related to marijuana arrests as well as copious propaganda against the plant. Today we are in the very beginning of healing from those wounds.
Marijuana legalization today
After the last round of elections in this country, only 6 states still have cannabis as a fully illegal substance (ಠ_ಠ wtf, Kansas) whereas 15 states and 3 territories have fully legalized it for recreational use. Every state besides Kansas, Idaho, Wyoming, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina has some form of decriminalization or legal access to marijuana.
Federally, marijuana is still illegal and still classified as a Schedule 1 drug. It’s a testament to the long-lasting impact of the propaganda in the early 1900s that some of those talking points are still around today. There are a lot of known benefits of marijuana despite the severe limits its classification puts on scientists’ ability to test it. Even still, the number of states that have legalized marijuana specifically for medicinal uses is completely at odds with the fact that Schedule 1 drugs are considered to have “no currently accepted medical use.”
Even meth and fentanyl are considered to be a less dangerous drug by the federal government’s standards, despite the fact that opioids are killing Americans at alarming rates. Basically, if you’re interested in federal legalization of marijuana it may be worthwhile to let your representatives know. We believe it will happen, with more than two-thirds of the country now in support of legalized marijuana.
Celebrate Missouri’s medical marijuana laws at 7th Heaven
As frustrating as it is that the federal government can’t keep up with states in terms of legalization, we can all at least be happy that the states are left free to implement these laws themselves. If you’re one of the Missourians who now has access to the medicine you need, we’ve got the accessories to make sure you have a clean, enjoyable smoke. Reach a higher high with Kansas City’s number one smoke shop. Online shopping is available for many products!
