Blog 1.2 “Marijuana Law Issues”
1. How much of the US population lives in a state or district with access to legal marijuana?

According to the article, “ more than a quarter of the US population lives in a legal marijuana state.”

2. Where in the US were the first places to make marijuana fully legal?
Washington state and Colorado were the first places to make marijuana legal for both medical and recreational uses. 

3. In the states where marijuana is legal, what differences might there be state to state?  And how are Vermont and DC different?
Some states, such as Vermont and DC do not allow marijuana sales for recreational use; however, they do all marijuana to be gifted to people and for residents to grow it. Some states have enabled possession limits and growth limits as well.

4. What is the difference between marijuana legalization and marijuana decriminalization?
Legalization means that there is a “removal of all government-enforced penalties for possessing and using marijuana”. On the other hand, Decriminalization means there would be no prison or jail time for marijuana, but essentially, a small marijuana offense would be similar to a traffic offense. However, people could still be fined or prosecuted for large amounts of marijuana.
5. Why does the ACLU argue that marijuana prohibition is bad for the government?
The ACLU argues that marijuana prohibition leads to numerous arrests “that not only cost law enforcement time and money, they also damage the government’s credibility”.

6. Why do some argue that "Big Marijuana" corporations would be dangerous if marijuana were legalized?

Opponents are afraid that marketing efforts of “ for-profit businesses” will be geared toward pot enthusiasts, similar to what happened with the alcohol industry. However, while pot fans are the industry’s best customers, the article says that “marijuana doesn’t pose the same risks”.

7. How has public support for marijuana legalization changed since the year 2000?
Since 2000, the public’s support for marijuana legalization has skyrocketed to sixty-six percent in 2019, according to a Civic Science Poll and the General Social Survey.  This can be attributed to the public’s awakened interest in criminal justice reform and retaliation against the War in Drugs.

8. How does the federal government classify marijuana?  What does that mean?
Marijuana is classed as a “ Schedule 1 drug”. As a result, it means that “ it’s perceived to have no medical value and a high potential for abuse”. Heroin is in the same category.

9. How have the Obama and Trump administrations treated the states that have decided to legalize marijuana?

Ushering in a more relaxed era, the Obama administration allowed states to decide about marijuana legalization. However, the Trump Administration, under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, called for “a tougher line” in regards to marijuana prohibition. Since Attorney General William Barr got in office, those policies have been walked back. 

10. Why are many marijuana businesses in "legal states" operating only in cash and not using banks?

Due to fear that the Federal government could decide to take their money, marijuana businesses only operate in cash. They could have their money taken from the banks and the banks could be shut down due to the Federal laws prohibiting marijuana.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog 2.3

Blog 2.3 1.What changed about Virginia's government in last week's elections? Democrats took control of both houses as a result of last week’s elections. 2. What would the Equal Rights Amendment proposed in 1972 do? It guarantees equal rights despite an individual’s sex. 3. How many states ratified the amendment when it was originally proposed?  What states have ratified it recently? Originally, 35 states ratified the amendment when it was proposed. Recently, 2 other states have ratified it, which makes the count increase to 37. 4. According to the constitution, why is it necessary to have a 38th state ratify the amendment? There must be ⅔ of states in favor of ratification. 5. What stipulation for its ratification did Congress add to the proposal in the 1970s? It was given a seven year deadline to be ratified. 6. How did the Virginia legislature vote on ratification of the ERA last year?  It was rejected by the GOP controlled legislature. 7...
Read more

Blog 3.3

1. The seven most recent polls they looked at measured opinion about last weekend (Those covering Jan 19 in the polling dates).  How many showed more support for removing Trump than opposition for removing Trump?  All of the seven most recent polls indicate that there is more support for the President’s removal than opposition to his removal. 2. Which of these 7 polls found the most support for removing Trump? Which found the most opposition to removing Trump? FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos found the most approval (54%).  The  Monmouth poll found the most opposition (48%). 3. In FiveThirtyEight's polling average, what percentage of Democrats support removing Trump from office? What percentage of Republicans support removing Trump from office? In their polling average, 54 percent support the removal of the President, and 42 percent oppose the removal of the president. 4. What difference did the most recent Monmouth University poll find in the people who say they ...
Read more

Blog 2.5

1. In changing environmental policy, how much bureaucratic regulation has the Trump Administration reduced? According to the article, " The  New York Times has identified 53 separate rules that have completed the rollback process  and 32 more that are still in the works." 2. How has the Trump Administration changed America's approach to resource extraction? Overall, resource extraction has improved. Coal mining is not declining anymore. 3. What changes has the Trump Administration made to the Medicaid program? The Trump Administration has included the possibility of work requirements. 4. What has been the result of these changes? In Arkanas, 20,000 people lost health insurance. 5. What policy changed has caused the biggest changes in the federal deficit? Due to tax cuts for large businesses, the federal government’s corporate revenue was reduced. 6. How has the Securities and Exchange Commission changed its enforcement of regulations about the stock market? ...
Read more