Polls indicate the majority of Americans favor medical marijuana availability to those patients who experience relief from their pain or disease symptoms once they inhale or consume marijuana. And with the vigorous opiate backlash sweeping across the United States, chronic pain sufferers have little or no effective pharmaceutical options available.  Those pain sufferers living in states that still forbid medical marijuana often turn to alcohol or street supplements to ease their pain.  Many of these sufferers desire at least the option to legally experiment with marijuana to see if it works for them.  For chronic pain sufferers, it is inhumane to deny them this access.

When laws are ignored, society suffers until the laws are changed or evenly enforced.  When states ignore federal laws and the federal government does nothing about it, the state or states become a sanctuary for scofflaws.  This breakdown in law and order can lead to violence, imprisonment, and even death if the federal government suddenly changes course and takes a renewed enforcement stance. 

There are now 33 states and the District of Columbia that allow some form of medical marijuana use.  Consequently, 33 states and the District of Columbia are marijuana sanctuary states.  These states are ignoring federal drug laws.  The people of these states are committing a federal crime when purchasing, possessing, growing, and distributing marijuana.  Unfortunately, most marijuana users in these states, particularly in the states that have allowed medical marijuana for years now, have lost sight of the fact that they are committing a federal crime.

Polls suggest that the majority of Americans favor medical marijuana availability to those patients that experience relief from their pain or disease symptoms once they inhale or consume marijuana.  And with the vigorous opiate backlash sweeping across the United States, chronic pain sufferers have little or no effective pharmaceutical options available.  Those pain sufferers living in states that still forbid medical marijuana often turn to alcohol or street supplements to ease their pain.  Many of these sufferers desire at least the option to legally experiment with marijuana to see if it works for them.  For chronic pain sufferers, it is inhumane to deny them this access.

Illinois, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Vermont, Michigan, and the District of Columbia have also legalized recreational marijuana.  Despite the longstanding federal law that criminalizes marijuana the same as heroin and cocaine, these 11 states now allow, or will soon allow, the usage of marijuana much like the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Ultimately the U.S. Congress is responsible, by its turning of a blind eye, for all of the federal drug law violators in 33 states – users that would not be using marijuana if it was not legal in their state.  When the Obama administration decided not to interfere with Colorado’s legalization experiment, the Congress should have decriminalized marijuana immediately.  When the Trump administration validated the Obama policy of non-intervention, even those members of the House and Senate that strongly oppose decriminalization should have moved to change the marijuana laws to reflect the will of the people.

While well past due, the U.S. Congress could now act.  Either marijuana will be legal in the United States of America, just like alcohol, or it will not be legal, and federal laws will be enforced.

A step in the right direction, today the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security met to hear expert testimony regarding the prohibition of marijuana. This is the beginning of what is always a cumbersome process for any change to come about in our nation’s Capitol.  The subcommittee explored 4 legislative proposals on the table to change how the federal government characterizes and decriminalizes marijuana. 

The STATES Act [sponsor: Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-MA], the Marijuana Justice Act [sponsor: Sen. Cory Booker D-NJ], the Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act [sponsor: Sen. Charles Schumer D-NY] and the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act [sponsor: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard D-HI] are 4 bills, one of which could gain bipartisan support if lawmakers recognize how difficult it would be for the federal government to now change course and send in the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In states that now allow recreational marijuana, the DEA will need the U.S. Marines to eradicate the state legal marijuana trade.  The resistance would be formidable.  The only good option for the federal government is to concede that the marijuana debate has long since been won by those who favor decriminalization. Congress should get this done.