Weed was the real winner of the 2020 election
Written by thcscout on . Posted in Legalization. No Comments on Weed was the real winner of the 2020 election
Watch more of our election coverage: http://vox.com/ElectionVideos
On November 3, four American states voted to legalize marijuana: Arizona, New Jersey, Montana and South Dakota. Combined with the other states that have done so in recent years, one in three Americans now live in a state where access to marijuana has been legalized. It shows that Americans are souring on the harsh drug policies that have put millions of people in prison.
But America’s national drug policy is a different story. Under federal law, marijuana is still classified as a “schedule 1” drug, meaning it’s considered to have little medical value and a high risk of abuse, along with drugs like LSD, heroin, ecstasy and psilocybin mushrooms. In states where marijuana has been legalized, that conflict with federal law creates numerous problems for legal marijuana sellers and users. And few national politicians talk about legalizing marijuana throughout the country. But advocates are hoping that by introducing new state laws one by one, Americans who are ready to move on from the country’s decades-long war on drugs will eventually force the federal government’s hand.
Further reading:
Read Vox’s coverage of marijuana legalization in the 2020 election here: https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/2020/11/4/21548800/election-results-marijuana-legalization-drug-decriminalization-new-jersey-arizona-oregon-montana
There’s more about Americans’ support of weed legalization in the latest Gallup survey: https://news.gallup.com/poll/323582/support-legal-marijuana-inches-new-high.aspx
The ACLU’s report on racial disparities in marijuana possession arrests: https://www.aclu.org/report/tale-two-countries-racially-targeted-arrests-era-marijuana-reform
Marijuana Policy Project’s breakdown of state laws: https://www.mpp.org/states/
FBI’s Crime Data Explorer for arrests by state and year: https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/
Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don’t miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com
Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Or our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o
If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution: http://www.vox.com/contribute