When it comes to bringing in the New Year on a high note, nobody did it better than Marijuana. 2015 was an incredible year for the cannabis community; from legalization to decriminalization, new advances in healthcare, thousands of jobs and huge amounts of cash flow.
What Does the Legal Future of Marijuana Look Like?
It seems that 2015 was just the runway for MMJ, allowing the community to get enough speed for takeoff and soar to new heights in 2016. With the Presidential Election approaching, there’s already a huge focus on legalization operatives the candidates will take when it comes time to smoke the competition’s ballots. Basically, if you don’t already live in a state where you’re able to medically or recreationally toke, POT may be coming to a city near you. Many states already have initiatives for November that will directly focus on legalizing or regulating Marijuana use for adults. You’ve got Nevada, Massachusetts, Arizona and Maine just to name a few. A variety of other legalization efforts are expected to take place in at least 12 other states, which include Florida and Michigan.
Basically, whether you like it or not, Marijuana is going to be a major #trending topic this year. Our next President has the potential to work on moving Marijuana out of the Schedule I category of controlled substances (where it currently sits alongside all the hard stuff like heroin and LSD), or to back the legislation to make weed legal in all 50 states.
If you’re behind the legalization of marijuana, it’s important to educate yourself on where the candidates stand on the issue. Not every candidate wants to legalize marijuana in a way that will make it completely open to the public, so it’s important to stay informed this election year. Candidates like Hillary Clinton have proposed making Marijuana a Schedule II drug, while Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders want to remove it from and scheduled narcotic list completely. Click here to view each Presidential Candidate’s stance on Marijuana Policy. Could this be the beginning of an all-time high? Here’s to a happy, healthy and green 2016!