When President Biden announced he was pardoning those charged under federal law with possession of marijuana, he added that he’s looking into “how marijuana is scheduled under federal law,” which to many meant he’s moving toward decriminalizing. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.”
Biden is right about lives being upended because of the federal government’s current approach to pot, and that putting marijuana in the same category as heroin makes little sense. But anyone pushing for legalized marijuana should look at what’s going on in California before cheering this on.
That state, as have several others, legalized marijuana on the promise that it would reduce crime, improve public health, increase traffic safety, and stimulate the economy. Instead of wasting time prosecuting people for possession or for selling pot, states could capture a new revenue source by taxing it. Legalization would also mean that states could regulate it, presumably making the marijuana safer and free of adulterants.
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