(TheConservativeTimes.org) – The United States has been divided when it comes to state and federal marijuana policies, but political developments could be proving this is coming to an end.
Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have teased their support for a federal policy to reclassify marijuana. Marijuana is still illegal federally in the United States, but the number of states that are legally selling it has increased significantly.
As of now, possessing marijuana is a federal crime that is punishable by fines and prison time. Selling or cultivating marijuana is a more serious federal crime and can be punishable by prison sentences of five years to life, depending on how much of the drug is possessed.
Twenty-four states, and the District of Columbia, have legalized marijuana and tax and regulate it in similar ways that alcohol is taxed and regulated. Additionally, seven states have removed jail sentences for possessing small amounts of marijuana and a total of thirty-eight states have laws that allow medical use of marijuana.
A couple of months ago, the Justice Department set out to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, but the official switch can take a lot of time as it’s a lengthy process.
The DEA will take comments on the proposal in a hearing set for the beginning of December, meaning an official ruling may not take place until the next president is in office. Harris and Trump have both supported the change in federal legalization.
Harris stated that she believes it’s “absurd” that marijuana is put in the same category as LSD and Heroin. And Trump recently posted on social media, saying he would “continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana as a Schedule III drug.”
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