Although the latest talks regarding cannabis legislation have been slightly more hopeful, it seems pretty obvious that President Joe Biden isn’t a diehard supporter of legalizing the plant entirely.
Back in the 1980s, Biden was actually very committed to the war on drugs, and cannabis in particular, helping draft numerous pieces of legislation that would keep low-level, non-violent drug offenders incarcerated for years to come. As of 2010, his opinions hadn’t changed much and he can be quoted saying, “There’s a difference between sending someone to jail for a few ounces [of marijuana] and legalizing. The punishment should fit the crime. But I think legalization is a mistake. I still believe [marijuana] is a gateway drug.”
Fast forward another decade and Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States, during a time when cannabis legalization is an incredibly polarizing topic on many fronts: economic, social, and health institutions all have a major stake in the industry. At the very least it seems Biden has accepted that cannabis legalization is inevitable, and even mentioned that he thinks “it is at the point where it has to be, basically, legalized.”
However, he maintains his stance in favor of decriminalization over full legalization. But as we already know from watching the many states that have tried it already, decriminalization is a completely pointless step in between prohibition and legalization that allows for too much “interpretation” of the law.
For example, in a decriminalized state, a police officer can take your cannabis, fine you, and send you to court where your case will end up getting thrown out if it meets the criteria of a legal decriminalized amount. So, you’re out the money you spent on flower that remains confiscated, the city doesn’t get any money from your fines because they’re tossed out in court, and the entire ordeal is a mega waste of time for everyone involved.
Regardless, this is what Biden supports. And not only does put him at odds with most US citizens who have been wanting cannabis legalization for years, but it pits him against the majority of his own political party. This year, with Democrats in control of the Senate, leadership just promised to pursue comprehensive cannabis reform legislation within the first term year. To make good on this promise, Joe Biden proposed a plan for mandatory rehabilitation instead of jail/prison time for non-violent drug offenders. The idea might sound good on paper, but it is 100% misguided, and let me tell you why.
The mandatory rehab proposition
Cannabis has been illegal in the US for the better part of the last century, and as a result, thousands of people have been unjustly incarcerated for completely non-violent offences, and it continues to this day. This puts even more weight on the importance of passing comprehensive cannabis reform legislation.
New laws couldn’t come soon enough, but with any kind of significant legal changes in a country with millions of people, there will undoubtedly be some kinks to work out in the beginning. Many details go into the making of a successful cannabis market – such as social equity, interstate commerce, at-home cultivation, racial justice, business zoning and so forth.
Another important issue is legislating the newly legal product itself. It’s “legal”, yes,…
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