When you think of cannabis users, who do you think of?
Often our cultural image of pot smokers is quite polarized; our minds tend to wander towards hippies, rappers, and crowds of unruly teenagers. These groups are seen as degenerates by some and liberators by others, but most important, none of them truly exist. Much as there is no “average” American, there is no average “stoner”. These assumptions make it all too easy to look past reality: as cannabis consumption becomes more mainstream, it has become more bipartisan.
With the exception of those 75 and older, the majority of adults in the US are in agreement that Marijuana should be legalized for both medicinal and recreational use. According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of those who lean Democrat and 47% of those who lean Republican are in support of legalization. Remember, that’s just the people who are in support of full legalization.
When we account for people who feel that medical, but not recreational Marijuana should be legalized but not recreational use, the opinion of the American public is undeniable: only 5% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans feel that Marijuana should be illegal in all cases.
With such strong, bipartisan support in the polls, it’s impossible not to wonder, why isn’t more legislation being passed? Let’s take a look:
On April 4th the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Medical Marijuana Research Act. Currently, American researchers must get their data from Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries with more forward-thinking legislation.
This legislation would allow researchers to study cannabis from dispensaries instead of having to outsource information. Additionally, the bill makes it easier to apply and get approved to study cannabis by eliminating and simplifying many federal barriers.
The most interesting thing about the legislation? It was bipartisan.
Passing by a vote of 343 to 75, the bill was sponsored by Democrat Earl Blumenauer and Republican Andy Harris. What is most interesting about this duo – and the bipartisan coalition surrounding cannabis – is that even when there are disagreements about whether or not marijuana should be legalized there is a consensus that what people are smoking should be researched to make sure that it’s safe . As Blumenauer himself states in the congressional record:
“The cannabis laws in this country are broken, including our laws that govern cannabis research,” he continues, “because cannabis is a Schedule I substance, researchers must jump through hoops and comply with onerous requirements just to do basic research on the medical potential of the plant.”
Gone are the days of staunch rejection of anything to do with marijuana, as even those repelled by the smell can’t ignore the smoke ; Cannabis is undeniably a bipartisan issue. Recognition that it is no longer politically feasible to ignore questions of health, safety, and legalization are contributing to a changing political climate. Politico reports:
“In interviews with more than a dozen lawmakers, staffers, advocates and lobbyists, all agreed that in recent weeks the tone has changed on Capitol Hill. Senators previously opposed to anything but a major marijuana decriminalization bill are slowly warming to another option: adding provisions to a broadly supported bill that would allow financial institutions to offer banking services to the cannabis industry, called the SAFE Banking Act.”
So, what does this tell us about the future of Marijuana legalization?
Well, not much. Despite this change in tone, very little seems likely to occur on the Federal level; as of yet there is no tangible plan to pass anything substantive. This is because any plan to Federally legalize Marijuana would come with many other provisions attached. What this does mean, is that the question is no longer “should cannabis be legalized?” but rather “how and under what conditions?”
Some, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are seeking to have criminal records expunged for those with non-violent cannabis-related offenses . Others are less concerned with amending the injustice of cannabis criminalization’s past and are focusing more on companies having access to Small Business Administration programs.
Where does this leave the average weed smoker?
Even if full legalization on the Federal level may seem like a pipe dream, smokers can better trust what’s going in their pipes because the government has made it easier for cannabis related research to occur. If it’s a sign of anything, it is that the act of smoking is getting safer as what is being smoked is becoming more transparent.
Additionally, as cannabis becomes normalized State governments are filling in to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana. On the state level, it is becoming an inevitability due to the overwhelming support for it. As KHN writes:
“In Montana, 57% of voters approved the recreational marijuana initiative — the same share received by President Donald Trump. In South Dakota, 54% voted for recreational marijuana and a whopping 70% approved medical marijuana. In Arizona, the recreational pot proposition also passed easily.”
Those kinds of margins are what caused state Rep. Derek Skees to reconsider a bill he was drafting to repeal the Montana ballot measure in anticipation of its passage.
Skees told the Missoulian the day after the election that after it became clear voters supported it — while also supporting Republican candidates for office up and down the ballot — he decided to shelve it.
“There’s no way I’m going to try to overturn the will of Montana”
Even Red states are turning Green, showing the Cannabis may be the true bipartisan issue.