Democrats Will Not Pursue Full Cannabis Legalization Under Biden's Leadership

In what is a disappointing blow to cannabis legalization efforts in the United States, Joe Biden has decided to pursue other goals, but has plans to make cannabis a lower priority for law enforcement efforts and enable states to continue on their own paths to legalization.

Biden's administration plans to pursue decriminalization and a removal of cannabis from the Control Substances Act classification as a Category 1 substance. A full 2/3 of Americans support full cannabis legalization, and the number has been rising in the past few years. This populist rising shows Americans are ready to legalize it.

Cannabis has been illegal since 1937 on a Federal level, and state's rights has been the path forward in terms of new legalization efforts. Joe Biden is a more centrist Democratic candidate vs Bernie Sanders, who was a more pro-cannabis left-leaning candidate. Joe appeals to more mainstream voters, and has an appeal to his wider base than Bernie did, despite his stance on cannabis.

Decriminalization is extremely important for cannabis in the United States. Joe Biden may help with decriminalization, and this runs counter to his strong stance on criminal justice. Our jails are filled with those convicted of possession, and the war on drugs has harmed many young people who have their whole lives ahead of them. Some 40% of drug offenders in jail are there for possession. These people need compassion and potentially help, not jailing and a black mark on their records for life.

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Picture from Pixabay.

https://reason.com/2020/07/28/democrats-wimp-out-on-federal-marijuana-legalization-thanks-joe-biden/