Marijuana is already a political hotspot and a hotly debated talking point. In 2020, it could be a deciding political factor in terms of the presidency and other political seats. In terms of the support base most of the population is pro medical marijuana and split down the middle in terms of recreational marijuana. It is surprising that 50% of US citizens are actually against recreational marijuana. If the polls from the previousPresidential election are anything to go by, they could be simply inaccurate, but then again certain states have voted against recreational weed legalization. Typically, those who are against marijuana are conservative, from older generations and can be religious. Newer and more liberal generations tend to be pro marijuana.
Marijuana Flashpoint
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker recently introduced a far reaching legislative proposal designed to legalize marijuana at the Federal level as well as address a number of other prominent social issues. The proposal is getting a considerable amount of press, due to the popularity of weed decriminalization among the public at large. This is bound to set off a chain effect, as other political candidates take note and voice their own positive stance on weed. The legislation is known as the weed Justice Act and also addresses withholding federal funds for the construction of jails and prisons from states whose pot laws are shown to disproportionately incarcerate minorities; expunging federal convictions for cannabis use; and mandating sentencing hearings for prisoners now serving time for pot offenses. It is quite comprehensive and is gaining a considerable amount of traction at present.
It is a sad truth that most of those incarcerated for marijuana possession or distribution are from lower socio-economic backgrounds and predominantly African American. Brookers bill will appeal to people from a variety of different backgrounds and demographics, as pot legalization is something that poorer and richer, white and black want to see legalized. It is really only super rich industrialists who want to keep it illegal. Any candidate with an anti-marijuana stance at this stage is losing support and voters. Rand Paul on the Republican side has also repetitively called for a ban on the prohibition of marijuana, as have a number of other Republican representatives.
The Brooker Bill has received widespread applause from many marijuana groups and cannabis corporations. A recent CNN poll has put favor of decriminalization of marijuana at 61%, up nearly 10% from the majority of last year’s polls. As people get more familiar with cannabis and the social stigma surrounding it dies off, the statistic will eventually reach something in the range of 90%+. It is similar to polling as to whether alcohol should be illegal or not. The difference is that the public have withstood decades of programming to the effect that marijuanais associated with criminals. But if weed was decriminalized there would be no crime, yet statistics in many “studies” do not reflect these facts.
Opposition
In the 2016 election of Donald Trump v Hillary Clinton weed legalization was a minor talking point. But this will not be the case in 2020 as it will doubtless take center stage. Potential presidents may have to balance the interests of their corporate backers against votes of the majority of people who want to see recreational weed legal at the federal level. Many industrial interests, including the immensely powerful pharmaceutical industry, do not want to see weed legalized. Widespread consumption of weed will lead to vast numbers of individuals leaving the pharmaceutical industry and away from drugs which are designed to keep patients sick so they keep coming back.
While Donald Trump has always been vague about his weed stance, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has gotten a reputation as being dogmatic in his approach to cannabis prohibition. He has made numerous headlines with statement to the effect that cannabis increases crime and that a crackdown is going to soon be implemented. This bodes ill for many growers and citizens, as Sessions seems to be a fundamentalist whose arguments are largely without logic or reason.
Marijuana in 2020
It goes without saying that the voters want marijuana legalized. Most political candidates are leaning this way knowing it will earn them further support. It is almost definitely going to be decriminalized as an anti-marijuana candidate will lose quite a lot of votes. However, this is not to say that the Federal government cannot issue a draconian piece of legislation forcing individual states to conform to strict laws. Even states can issue laws which legalize marijuana yet make it more expensive and centralized. Pennsylvania is one such example, with limited numbers of permits which only allows a few mega corporations to bid and apply for them. If the pharmaceutical industry wants to keep its profits and move with the times, its simply has to get state restrictions and bid for exclusive and expensive weed permits. The citizens cannot buy from anywhere else so the monopoly will still be there in a different format. While marijuana is going to be a talking point in 2020 and the candidate will most likely be for Federal declassification, look out for the finer details of marijuana legalization.
