BY BRANDON SLOANE
While this past November was most notably defined by the reelection of Barack Obama as president of the United States, there was another issue that made national headlines which may have a much more significant impact on the future of this nation. On Election Day, two bills were passed (Colorado Amendment 64, and Washington Initiative 502) which legalized the personal use and regulation of marijuana. Both of these bills were passed by the margin of approximately 55% of voters for the legislation, and 45% against it. This electoral movement was not only the first of its kind in the United States, but in the world as well.
So what exactly do these two amendments entail? The first thing you should know is that it is not legal for everyone. In both bills the law requires you to be 21 or older in order to legally use marijuana. In this sense marijuana has become a product similar to alcohol in that it is only trusted to those considered to be fully grown and mature adults. Additionally, there are still legal limits to the amount of marijuana one person may possess. The law states that a person may only acquire one ounce of marijuana legally at any given time. What’s more is that in regards to industrial use and distribution, there are legal limits and regulations such as a licensing system that will be placed on retailers preventing unofficial vendors from allocating it.
There have been few amendments passed in the history of the United States that will have had as big of an impact on our society as Amendment 64 will have. For starters, it has set the standard for other advocacy groups such as pro-gay-marriage and peace activists that with enough persistence and prodding, their opinions can actually be heard and taken into consideration during the legilation process. Hopefully, a liberal bill calling for the legalization of marijuana will lead other states to take more progressive stances on other issues that can help this society evolve and grow.
The legalization of Cannabis has long been a polarizing issue. For the amount of supporters that believe it has a constructive use in our society, there are an equal amount of naysayers who affirm that it’s a gateway drug that can lead to poor decision-making and health dangers. Personally, I believe that this bill will do significantly more good than harm. Taxation and regulation on such a popular commodity as marijuana will result in boosted revenues and subsidies for many state-run industries such as public education and infrastructure maintenance. Moreover, legalization will take a large chunk of the gang involvement and violence out of the equation which can help make the streets of Colorado and Washington much safer for everyone.
You can be sure that we have not heard the end of this issue yet. Now that they have tasted some semblance of victory, supporters of the cause will work even harder in order to achieve their goal of fully decriminalizing marijuana in the United States. Medicinal Marijuana is already legal in 18 US states and that number is steadily growing. Additionally, four states other than Washington and Colorado voted on similar marijuana-related measures in this past election season. Sufficed to say, progress is being made.
One has to look back to the civil rights era to find anything comparable to the movement going on in today’s society. Although this issue has been much less violent and arduous than the civil rights movement, the net result was still the same: the passing of a bill that will change how we view and treat an aspect of our culture. And in my opinion, it is certainly a change for the better.
