President Barack Obama has stated that he feels that marijuana should be regulated just like alcohol and cigarettes although he believes that legalizing pot is not the solution to America’s drug problem.
According to Rolling Stone, Obama said that marijuana should no longer be treated as a Schedule I drug; instead, it is much smarter to regulate the substance.
Medical marijuana has been legalized in the District of Columbia and in 26 states, with three more states expected to do the same. Recreational marijuana is permitted in the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Washington, Maine, Alaska, Colorado, California, Nevada and Oregon.
Additionally, individuals are allowed to acquire small amounts of cannabis; only being slapped with tickets for possession in some cities like New York and Chicago.
Since 2013, the amount of marijuana that one is allowed to posses has been on the increase with at least15 states amending their marijuana penalties.
States like Virginia, Tennessee, Texas and Ohio have been working on changing the law since the Nov. 8 election.
According to Obama, it is unsound to think that an individual can get a 20-year prison sentence for something that is legal in another state. He adds that the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) or the Justice Department should enforce uniform laws over the long term.
Obama stated that the best way to weigh public sentiments was through allowing the changes to be made on the state level to begin with. He says that the solution is to take a systematic approach to this issue because it could play out in a similar manner to the same-sex marriage issue.
With millennials driving the legalization effort, 57 percent of U.S. adults support legalization compared to just 32 percent a decade ago according to a Pew Research Center poll released last month.
Although public sentiment seems to be biased towards marijuana legalization, the issue is still contentious among many politicians.
