Cannabis Legalization Plans of 2022
Marijuana may be one step closer to becoming approved across the entire United States. The drive to decriminalize the herb has gained serious traction in the past few months. The federal legalization bill 2022 update exudes promising prospects for the future of weed in the nation.
Read on to learn how the proposal came to be, its progress, and the future outlook of marijuana.
While at it, consider looking into these top-shelf girl scout cookies cannabis seeds to usher you into hemp cultivation safely. As the prospects get brighter, the discourse will likely shift to high-quality weed, starting at the input stage.
Where Is Cannabis Legal in the USA?
The legality of marijuana remains a hot subject in most parts of the world. However, in the United States, there are encouraging possibilities.
Cannabis is classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. This category represents items considered to have a high dependency potential and lack credible medical use. This profiling makes it a federal offense to distribute the herb.
Things are different at the state level.
Cannabis is not only a hobby for people with double lobe piercing and dreadlocks, it is also widely used for medical purposes. As of February 3, 2022, 37 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia permit the medical use of hemp products.
Only 19 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia have set regulatory measures for nonmedical or adult use as of May 27, 2022.
What Different Demographics Think
Thanks to the reported health benefits of marijuana, the overall tone is leaning more in favor of the herb.
A recent survey by the National Cannabis Roundtable reveals that over 70% of GOP supporters demand regulation fairness. They believe cannabis firms deserve the same rights as other legitimate businesses in the USA. The main privileges they champion are allowing marijuana companies full access to the banking system and capital markets.
The widespread sentiment of these concerned voters is for the federal government to support state legalization efforts and not be an obstacle.
Other concerns in the GOP space are sentence reviews and conviction expungements. Most citizens argue, Why should the charges hold if the said state has now decriminalized medical and adult-use marijuana?
In another survey by Harvard Kennedy School, about 66% of Americans support the legitimization of clinical use. This view is shared across different political parties, ages, races, and genders.
More studies by industry groups such as Pew Research Center indicate overwhelming support for federal regularization for medical and recreational uses.
Across the strata, the general view inclines toward the former. Support for the latter leans more toward personal preference.
How the Legalization Journey Started in 2022
April 1, 2022, was the federal legalization bill 2022 vote date.
On this pivotal day, the U.S. House of Representatives voted and passed a bill to regularize marijuana federally for the second time. The decriminalization was backed by 220 against 204 lawmakers, the vast majority being Democrats. This historic milestone also meant adopting several amendments to the cannabis legislation before the final passage.
The landmark stride came after an hour-long debate on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act. The House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) led the session that saw a final overwhelming vote in favor of cannabis. The pertinent subject revolved around terminating federal weed prohibition and advocating social equity in the hemp sector.
What Next After Passing the Bill?
After a resounding win in the 117th Congress, the weed legalization update takes a thought-provoking twist.
From the House of Representatives, the bill moved to the Senate. Being illegal at the national level and mostly approved in various states places the marijuana decriminalization effort in a delicate balance. The Senates decision is crucial in ending the long-standing debate.
While the move is mainly welcome by the American public, as seen in the above surveys, will the upper chamber of Congress be swayed?
Before answering this provocative question, lets get a snapshot of what the MORE Act has in store for weed.
The MORE Act
The federal ban on cannabis poses significant challenges for marijuana enterprises. The essential issue thatd ideally hamper any venture is the inability to access financial services such as loans and bank accounts.
The MORE Act primarily seeks to accomplish two milestones:
- Remove weed from the list of scheduled substances
- Eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana manufacturers, distributors, and possessors
Should the Senate pass the bill, and it gets signed into law, itd clear anyone with prior cannabis-related convictions. This amendment would also mean resentencing those currently completing their terms.
The proposal also aims at imposing a federal tax on cannabis sales. These proceeds will then go toward substance misuse treatment programs and communities affected by the war on drugs.
The MORE Act is likely to encounter hurdles in the Senate. Even if all the Democrats supported the bill, itd still demand 10 GOP votes for approval and signing into law.
If the House voting (only supported by three Republicans) is anything to go by, the proposal may prove a tough sell in the upper chamber.
So, Whats the Latest?
Further to the federal legalization bill 2022 update, the U.S. Senate held a committee hearing in July 2022. However, there was not much action as the seating was less about debating the bill.
After many years of avoiding talks on marijuana-related legislation, the upper chamber of Congress finally brought the matter under a political spotlight.
The Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism drove a discourse around the newly introduced Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). The hearing featured five witnesses, three in favor of and two opposing CAOA.
Those supporting legalization argued the criminal justice system was racist in dealing with weed issues. They insisted the skewed drug war had denied the minorities a firm grip in the hemp industry. The opponents condemned the Act citing its approval as an enabler to cartels and gangs.
The committee ended up adjourning without enacting anything, leaving the future of CAOA uncertain. Whether or not the pro-cannabis proposal will advance depends on whether itll garner enough support to attain the 60-vote threshold.
For now, the focus shifts to the recently introduced bills to seal certain federal weed convictions and fund states to support expungements.
Is the Marijuana Future Promising?
Hopefully, yes. Cannabis legalization 2022 success might still be a ways off, but other proposals indicate how the tone toward marijuana is changing.
Disclaimer:
Qrius does not provide medical advice
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) outlaws the recreational use of cannabis products in India
CBD oil manufactured under a license issued by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 can be legally used in India, for medicinal purposes, only with a prescription, subject to specific conditions. Kindly refer to the same here for the legalities of use in India
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