The issue of medical marijuana for health treatment has always been a topic of intense debate. Now that legalization has a foothold in fifteen states, one can expect it to expand. Until the federal government decriminalizes it, however, the legal field will remain hazy at best.
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The last few years has seen a revolution in the views of many on drug topics. The billions taken in by the pharmaceutical companies that charge exorbitant prices have made more than a few recognize there may be better alternatives. With this in mind, let us look what 2011 holds for medical marijuana in the United States.
The marijuana debate has historically been oriented in terms of morality. Now the nature of the debate has changed radically through 2010 and will continue in 2011.
What exactly changed? The answer is simple – economics, not health. Look at California. It is the eighth biggest economy in the world, but is still tens of billions in debt. Marijuana is conceived the biggest cash crop in the United States. The crucial point is states need money and badly so. The 15 states and even the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana in what is a naked effort to raise tax funds.
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We would expect to see successful attempts to legalize the drug entirely to reap the massive revenues that taxing it would produce. Considering the continuing economic malaise, anticipate seeing more states legalize marijuana for medical use in 2011. Fifteen states have done so now and another fifteen easily could join the group if not more.
On the other hand, medical marijuana are seeing a backlash, with public anger rising and politicians passing laws to slow the proliferation of pot shops and bring order to what has become a wide-open, wild west sort of industry. They are looking to avoid what happened in California, which allowed the pot industry to grow so out of control that at one point Los Angeles had more medical marijuana shops than Starbucks.
Many of these states passed their laws without working out the details. Moreover, they were not ready for the boom in pot shops that occurred this past year after the Obama administration announced it would not prosecute medical marijuana users.
With this in mind, let us look what 2011 holds for medical marijuana in the United States.
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