WASHINGTON, D.C (NBC) — One in three Americans now live in states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. But the federal government still classifies it as a Schedule 1 narcotic. Now, there’s an effort in Congress to change that with a historic vote to legalize marijuana passing through the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, December 4, 2020.
The House passed a bill that will decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, something seen as unfathomable not that long ago. But public opinion has experienced a tectonic shift in recent years. A majority of Americans are now in favor of the legalization of marijuana with those numbers rising steeply in the past two decades and the issue is gaining support from both sides of the aisle.
Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said, “I believe in cannabis reform in this country. The federal government has lied to the American people for a generation about cannabis.”
In this year’s election, Arizona, New Jersey, Montana and South Dakota voted to legalize marijuana, bringing the count up to 15 states plus Washington D.C., where recreational pot is now legal. Those states, along with 20 others, have approved marijuana for medical use.
Deputy Director of the Marijuana Police Project Matthew Schweich said, “What that tells you is that wherever you go in this country, blue state, red state, urban state rural state, voters are ready for legalization.”
More states are hoping to capitalize financially on what others, like Oregon, have already been doing for years. States stand to gain a huge profit. Colorado, one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, surpassed $1 billion in tax revenue from marijuana sales.
Many see the vote to legalize pot as a huge step forward in social justice reform. By decriminalizing marijuana, many convictions at the federal level would be expunged and states would be incentivized to do the same.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Black Americans are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana.
The bill that passed through the House will likely hit a brick wall in the Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said he will never bring a marijuana legalization bill to the floor. “The House of Representatives is spending this week on pressing issues like marijuana… marijuana,” he stated.
Many still oppose cannabis legalization. This week, some opponents took issue with not only the contents of the bill, but the timing. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) said, “The far left needs to sort of cool their jets right now.”
If the Senate remains controlled by the GOP after the runoff elections in Georgia in January, it’s likely the final vote would be put on the back burner for some time. But proponents of marijuana legalization say that it is quickly becoming a bi-partisan issue and consider the fact that this vote is happening at all a monumental achievement.
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