Looking Ahead to the New Year: Marijuana News Online Points to a Marijuana Industry Shifting Toward Legalization

 

As with any other type of new media, the cannabis industry is creating its own version of marijuana news. The latest trend, for example, is that marijuana is being considered as the "underground prescription" that is being openly used by Americans with physician approval. Marijuana, which can be smoked or ingested through edible means, has been deemed to have a similar effect on the body as illegal prescriptions such as Percocet and Vicodin. Many marijuana companies have been affected as a result, according to recent เว็บข่าวกัญชา online reports, including Marijuana Moment, national marijuana dispensary chain, MedMen, are temporarily closing all their locations while of June 1st, 2021, following several of their retail stores were robbed. The same is true for other cannabis companies, including Leaf Consulting Corporation who recently closed its Colorado Springs location.

Meanwhile, news outlets are beginning to cover the topic of marijuana regulation, and local governments are preparing to implement stricter regulations around cultivation, production, sales, etc. The Marijuana Legalization Implementation Act was introduced in the Senate this spring, and is currently in committee. If passed into law, it will make it legal to buy marijuana from licensed sellers across the state. The same goes for the implementation of recreational marijuana in Colorado; currently, the state's voter-approved initiative allows patients and adults over 21 years of age to use, possess, and consume regulated marijuana.

In addition to regulating cannabis at the local level, the federal government is also considering taking a hard stance against marijuana legalization. President Obama has made it clear that he does not support legalized marijuana and has urged Congress to prevent any changes to the current federal laws regarding illegal drug use. He has also claimed that there is no medical evidence supporting the idea that marijuana is helpful in treating symptoms of certain ailments. While Obama may have a point, many medical professionals, including members of his own administration, continue to believe that marijuana has great healing powers. Reporters have repeatedly asked the administration about why they are opposed to legalization of the plant, only to receive confusing responses from spokesperson, which only serve to confuse them further.

Meanwhile, amidst all of the confusion, some reporters have begun to take matters into their own hands, traveling to different states to interview local police officers and sheriffs on the front lines of the cannabis industry. While often heated, these interviews provide some insight into the minds of those enforcement officials who are charged with the responsibility of protecting the citizens of the United States from impaired drivers, unlawful drug dealers, and other criminal offenders. Many of these police officers feel that legalization would make it much easier to bust criminals, especially those who operate within large cities and metropolitan areas where drug densities are rampant. Others are leery of the effectiveness of legalization, fearing that increased use of the drug would lead to increased use of dangerous synthetic drugs that are created from cannabis. These officers argue that the federal government should focus its efforts on deterring drug use rather than regulating a legal industry that has been created solely to profit from the suffering of others.

Unfortunately for the medical cannabis industry, the federal government has yet to appear prepared to address these issues head on. Instead, the Obama administration has attempted to regulate the medical cannabis industry like any other business, imposing tough regulations and fees upon participating companies and seeking strict compliance from providers. Although the government is not actively fighting the growing industry, it appears to be attempting to marginalize it by regulating it like a hobby business. For marijuana news online readers, this move could spell trouble ahead for those who wish to profit from cannabis culture but refuse to abide by current federal laws.

Despite the recent attention the medical cannabis industry has received, it's important to remember that it is still considered illegal under the United States federal government, regardless of state law. Although many marijuana users feel free to smoke at home and use joints in public, using or selling this substance is still a crime. Just as with many other industries and businesses, those who profit from the cannabis industry will continue to need the support of federal government agencies in order to avoid prosecution. While the Obama administration has put forward an executive branch attempt to crack down on commercial marijuana sales, the implementation strategy remains unclear at best. For now, patients and marijuana users around the country are leaving to watch as the future unfolds.