The road to cannabis legalization
Really it’s the long, babysteps version of just legalizing marijuana. How it happened in the U.S. is some states decriminalized cannabis in the 1970’s, so the Federal government listed it as a Schedule I drug. List of Schedule 1 Drugs
Groups like NORML National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws were founded around this time.
With the drug THC being scheduled, activists focused on CBD and hemp as a product, which is basically cannabis without THC (or trace amounts anyway).
CBD-infused and hemp products aren’t illegal in the U.S., but cultivating the plant still is. Though the U.S. is now becoming lenient on marijuana, it’s only because so many states continued to vote to legalize industrial hemp.
Similar to this generation’s Occupy movement, the cannabis movement split into many factions. NORML was supplemented by the Marijuana Policy Project (an offshoot lobbying group) in the 90’s.
MPP was pivotal in many of the medical marijuana state laws passed. In Arizona, where I live, we’ve voted to pass medical marijuana in nearly every election since 1996. MPP now is competing against a state-run group coalition including the group Safer Arizona with two separate marijuana initiatives. Because of this recreational cannabis is unlikely to be legal here anytime soon, despite being less than 5 hours from the nearest dispensary in Colorado.
The 90’s and early 2000’s saw more and more states legalize hemp and medical marijuana. In 2012, two states approved recreational marijuana, and in 2014, two more (and the District of Columbia) approved measures.
Now all forms of cannabis have active industries behind them, and there’s even a rush to create high CBD/THC breeds that provide a full balance of highs.
The only problem is it’s still federally illegal, so most crops are indoor grown, which wastes resources, and most supplies are indica-heavy since they have better yields indoors.
The only procedure was to focus on the benefits of hemp and CBD while the debate raged over THC.