Gupta begins with a review of current trends on state ballots, media reports, and surveys which show more than three quarters of American voters support legalization of marijuana for any purpose and more than half favor legalization of medical marijuana. This is in stark contrast to surveys conducted in the late 1960s, when just over ten percent of respondents favored legalization of marijuana, and the concept of medical marijuana was not yet realized.
Obviously there is a growing trend in support of young people to legalize marijuana, but they are not alone. Gupta discusses how police officers, parents, and even grandparents are increasingly support legalization of marijuana. One young patient whose parents were interviewed for this story was seeing a neurologist for a serious seizure disorder. She was reportedly having as many as 300 seizures each week, and after taking medical marijuana, the number of seizures she exhibits is down to one to two each month. This was after neurologists had expended all feasible traditional methods of controlling her seizure disorder.
As our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys can explain, while the public is becoming more and more accepting of legalization of medical marijuana and even recreational use of marijuana, opponents are not willing to give up without a fight. One of the most high-profile examples came when citizens of the District of Columbia, by a large majority, voted to approve a referendum added to the election ballot to legalize possession of less than two ounces of marijuana without regard to purpose. The referendum also legalized paraphernalia designed for the use of marijuana (not sale of marijuana).
Under the unique nature of the city being a federal territory and not a state, all local legislation must be submitted to the United States Congress for review and approval. While Congress could not stop the ballot amendment from taking effect, legalization of marijuana opponents added a rider to a trillion dollar budget making it a crime for the city council to spend any public funds on regulating the sale and taxation of marijuana.
Representatives even went as far as trying to put the mayor in jail, though they did not follow through on this threat. Basically, possession is legal in a way as to support a black market economy and prevent the city from earning any revenue from sale of marijuana.
In California, Congress could not do this. However, any possession of marijuana is still in violation of federal law. While the current presidential administration has chosen not to make enforcement of federal marijuana laws a priority, there is no guarantee the next administration will not begin to enforce those laws once again. This may even interfere with being able to have operating accounts related to medical marijuana maintained at banks.
The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.
Additional Resources:
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: It’s time for a medical marijuana revolution , Apr. 17, 2015, CNN
More Blog Entries:
San Diego’s First Legal Marijuana Dispensary Opens Doors, April 5, 2015, Los Angeles Medical Marijuana Lawyer Blog