Today is April 20, or Friday, 4/20. It is the start of the weekend, but the day means more than just that as it is a holiday for people who use marijuana or smoke in general, but specifically marijuana. It is typically marked as a day to have fun with friends and take part in other shenanigans. It is no secret that marijuana use has been prohibited and marked as the devil's drug for many years throughout America's history.
However, the support for marijuana use has grown in the past couple of years with more States legalizing Recreational Marijuana. It is a difficult topic to speak about because it is said to be a gateway drug that leads to other dangerous ones that could damage and kill, but the research is controversial. And the fact that it would make people not want to go to work or be productive is equally controversial.
People have to remember that alcohol and tobacco are legal but tend to be worse for the individual than marijuana. Marijuana has also been found to help treat illnesses and other conditions.
Even some professional sports players have come out in the past to say that they have used it to cope with pain brought on by their chosen sport. America currently has an opioid epidemic and making marijuana legal could help with that issue in the grand scheme of things.
According to an article by Inverse Culture, it lists a state to state guide in terms of which states allow recreational and medical use, as well as the states that completely prohibit it.
Recreational use
Nine states, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized weed for both medical and recreational use. The only state that has legalized weed through law has been Vermont, while the others were through voting.
Not all of the nine states have set up a market to purchase the product, though.
In other states, a person cannot legally buy or sell the product. People, however, can possess or gift it to another person. In other states like Washington and Colorado, it is a booming industry that has brought in tax dollars. This is one of the other aspects that makes weed being legal a benefit because it brings in money that can be used in the state to improve schools, roads, or other things.
This is the list of states that have allowed recreational use and medical use, as listed in the article:
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Washington
- Washington D.C.
Medical only
Now, while nine states have legalized weed for recreational use, forty-four have made it available for medical use only.
This means that somebody has the right to use it if they have cancer or it helps treat their condition. Although, individuals need a license to buy it from a dispensary.
That said, four states that completely prohibit it include:
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- South Dakota
What do you think? Should weed be legalized in all states or is it a bad move? Is marijuana more harmful than beneficial? Despite what people might think, "A Pew Research Poll in January found that 61 percent of Americans believe marijuana should be legal."