So we’ve almost made it, the end of a decade that began with a movie about blue aliens blowing up the box office, while LMFAO trekked the country to spread “party rock”. It ended with a reality TV star as president, phone addiction being a legitimate problem and endless political flame fights over social media platforms. The United States becoming a strange Black Mirror-The Apprentice hybrid episode probably wasn’t the ending we’ve expected, but here we are.
Yet even with our country so divided, the Snapchat and smartphone decade has been nothing short of historic for cannabis reform. On December 31st, 2009, a fully recreational cannabis industry seemed more of a pipe dream than Miley Cyrus becoming a huge pothead. As we approach December 31st, 2019 however, recreational cannabis is a reality in 11 states, soon to be 12 with the addition of our cannabis-loving friends in Illinois. Encroaching from both coasts and now The Midwest, recreational legalization is a very stark reality for the future.
While a recreationally legal market in the state of Willie Nelson and Kacey Musgraves unfortunately won’t be a reality for quite some time, recreational legalization or decriminalization measures are strong possibilities in neighboring states and many other states across America.
From an economic and tax revenue perspective, the cannabis industry is by all means a booster. As of 2019, Leafly reports in their “Special Report: Cannabis Jobs Count” that a total of 211,000 Americans are employed in the legal cannabis industry, with a total of 296,000 when ancillary businesses are considered as well. The dollar amount of total retail sales was about $10.8 billion in 2018 and within 2018 alone, a total of 64,389 jobs were created from legalized cannabis.
Over the past year, our adobe-clad neighbors to the Northwest decriminalized the possession of up to a half ounce of cannabis. Although with the very pro-cannabis stance of new Democratic governor Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham, criminal cannabis reform wasn’t as surprising as other states that decriminalized cannabis in one form or another within the past year alone. A state as tropical and beach-heavy as Hawaii decriminalizing also wasn’t shocking, a state as rural and old school conservative as North Dakota was shocking.
As for reforms that don’t involve decriminalization yet offer expungement, many states that span the country implemented policies. Delaware, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah and Washington all enacted policies that allow for those convicted to apply for expungement. Pennsylvania has an incredibly comprehensive cannabis legalization bill currently being discussed and New Jersey has the “Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act” which offers many of the benefits that the bill in Pennsylvania does, from retail sales to criminal justice reform.
And if you were to label this decade as inconsequential for criminal justice and cannabis reform on many local levels, I’d wonder what deluision-causing strain you were smoking. The amount of cities and counties that passed low-level decriminalization measures and/or county prosecutors that have implemented prosecutorial reforms over the past ten years is endless, Austin and Houston within Texas and municipalities throughout America have enacted such procedures, hopefully leading to an overall decrease of the continued casualties and years of freedom lost due to the damaging drug war.
Well now you might ask something. Now that we’ve seen the full history of the 2010’s cannabis reforms, what surprises does the Roaring ‘20s hold?
To be honest, I have no fucking clue.
While it’s refreshing to see the majority of Democratic candidates support fully federal legalization, America’s hair-sniffing uncle and Delaware’s savior from Corn Pop, former Vice President Joe Biden, is still very much against it. He’s warmed up to decriminalization, but Reefer Madness still runs deep in the aging example of why a younger president is necessary. And while his campaign will be ultimately as irrelevant and forgotten as Tom Steyer or Marianne Williamson, billionaire hobbit Michael Bloomberg has referred to cannabis reform as “stupidest thing anybody has ever done.”
I’m not too worried about Bloomberg, but Biden has enough clout within old school Democrats and Obama superfans that the former VP being the Democratic candidate for the 2020 election, and subsequently causing the average age between the Presidential candidates to be 75 years old, isn’t a reality I’ve ruled out.
And while I have my personal disagreements with some of his actions, I hope that President Trump can channel the seasoned businessman that still exists within him and see the economic benefits of legalized cannabis. WIth Illinois and Michigan legalizing, those 296,000 jobs will exponentially increase and a Domino effect of job creation will follow. As Trump ran on a campaign that focused heavily on domestic job creation, supporting a fully federally legal cannabis industry seems up his alley on paper.
A possible inclusion of federal cannabis reform for his 2020 “Keep America Great” re-election could score major points among either Libertarians or political independents who don’t identify with a party yet support cannabis reform.
And yet, we must remember the values of the very socially conservative voting block that helped elect Trump, and the physical embodiment of their values that he assigned as his Vice President. Most deeply Christian conservatives on par with Vice President Pence and other Evangelicals influential in Trump’s election, generally don’t favor cannabis.
While I believe that some part of Donald Trump’s psyche sees the economic benefits of recreational cannabis, the undying support he receives from social conservatives and a re-election coming up may hinder any plans on federal cannabis reform. And if 45 is somehow impeached and removed from office, we should kiss any attempt at federal reform goodbye while we still can, because the Vice President will be about as supportive of a friend for legalized cannabis as he has been for the LGBT community.
On the state level, reforms will continue to happen regardless of federal status. Given that the Sunshine State has decriminalization measures in place in most of the big cities and an existing medical program, Florida may be a state to watch for recreational legalization. Pennsylvania, New Mexico and New Jersey could also be the next states, thanks to the governors holding stances of pro-cannabis legalization.
As hopeful as Texans may be for 2021, the chances of recreational legalization are slim to none, mainly because of the lieutenant governor’s inability to listen to the viewpoints of both his constituents and the Texas Republican Party mixed with an almost psycho-sexual love of killing cannabis legislation. Decriminalization in the cities is a good start, but full-scale legalization won’t be a reality as long as Dan Patrick holds the second most powerful office in Texas.
And while I never wish any harm to any elected officials I disagree with politically, I do wish for their immediate retirement. And over the 2020’s, we’ll undoubtedly see the retirement of several long-standing anti-cannabis officials and their replacements would ideally be more open to reforms. Even if their replacements are still Republican/conservative, we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing a couple different young conservative groups, Houston Young Republicans most notably, and they’ve easily shown a complete 180 on the stance of cannabis among Republicans.
But one thing will be for certain. No matter how important towards cannabis history that the 2010’s were, the 2020’s will be even more prosperous. With 70 percent of the country supporting legalization and younger conservatives definitely holding a more pro-cannabis stance, more action on nationwide cannabis reform will be an inevitable reality.
I take nearly $2,000 worth of anti-seizure meds every month. Thanks to insurance I don’t pay that much but the big pharmaceutical companies are making a killing off of patients like me.
THAT IS WHY THEY’RE SO AGAINST LEGALIZATION OF MEDICAL CANNABIS. THEY WILL NO LONGER GET THE MONEY THEY GET FROM THESE PILLS.
It’s rediculous. Cannabis used to prevent my seizures in a much better way and it costs so much less. I could even grow my own and I wouldn’t be dependent on pills for the rest of my life.
The laws in Texas against medical cannabis have to change now. This change is inevitable and there is no reason why this change needs to be delayed. It’s so stupid to prevent patients like me from using this GOD-given plant that could SAVE MY LIFE!
We just wrote an article about this. Check our recent posts about the FDA’s recent admission.