Marijuana a drug, a placer or a medicine?
To smoke or not to smoke, there is the Marihuana question. The arguing about legal and medical use of weed gets a headline every day. From legalization to just business, undoubtedly cannabis consumption, legal in some states, has in a way increased the number of consumers, as evidenced by that very weird headline on media about its use. This time NY has been law-suited, which pointed to United States longstanding prohibition of marijuana as unconstitutional. But the madness was stopped with legal reasons, of course, by a judge who explained the issue could not be decided in the court.
A New York district found a big dilemma when a lawsuit against the administration was made by relatives of two children who use marijuana with medical purposes, and a former National Football League player, Marvin Washington, who works with a company that develops marijuana-based products. Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan dismissed it because he “considers that plaintiffs had failed to use administrative procedures within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to challenge the ban”. Hellerstein answered to reporters that if he had the authority to decide the issue, he would have ruled against the plaintiffs because there was no “fundamental right” to use marijuana.
The huge stir has begun when current president Donald Trump opposed to ex-President Barack Obama’s release of the use of Marijuana and some regulations of the drug. In addition, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions supported the presidential stand about the legal use of Marijuana.
The plaintiff believes that longstanding prohibition of marijuana in US is on the grounds unconstitutional. Some lawyers as Michael Hiller consider to dismiss the petition is like a death sentence for patients who need cannabis in their daily treatment, in some cases, they lives depend on it. In some treatments of neurological diseases like Leigh’s Disease the use of cannabis is very common. The debate still continuous because according to 1970’s Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as a “‘Schedule I’ drug,” it means, a potential drug with no medical use.
There are several states like California, Colorado and Washington that legalized marijuana for recreational use, and 29 states for medical use. However, some politicians think it is important to leave the decisions to voters. Many states in US voted for cannabis recreational use but there is contradiction among the parties. Bill Cunningham, Democrat Chicago Senator, said lawmakers still most work to legalize recreational marijuana use in people over 21. In opposition, Republican Sen. Chris Nybo thinks that other important issues should be debated with citizens before any consent.
First of all, there are taxes. Supporters of marijuana legal use for recreation said that could generate millions in tax revenues, reduce prison’s populations and allow law enforcement agencies to focus on other crimes. Regardless, Governor Bruce Rauner doesn’t agree with legalizing the drug, saying it would be a mistake and police concern should rise.
In some US states where marijuana is already allowed is quite regulated and there are no troubles regarding its commercialization. Moreover, pharmaceutical businesses have had high economic profits which are good for taxes. Yet, in those states where Marijuana is not allowed at all, legal gaps are taking place to commercialize it. Massachusetts is an example of how local entrepreneurs like HighSpeed gave a cannabis bag as a gift to every customer that demanded their products. Marijuana is not legal in the state but a lawyer said it can be offered as a gift in small quantities for recreational uses.
Therefore, despite the New York’s court district failed in favor of US government, it´s possible that many suits filed against the states for considering Marijuana unconstitutional would be forbidden.