RE:RE:RE:A Tale of Two Countries Yup, the U.S., at the Federal level, has been unusually slow on legalizing MJ given the uptake by individual states. A lot of dinosaurs in the old guard of the Republican party? I'm not sure what they're afraid of. They can pull lots of data from Canada's experience to see it didn't result in a 'Refer Madness' type scenario for Canadians. I wouldn't be surprised if U.S. big pharma believes it might reduce anxiety or depression, or provide relief like CBD oils have for many with numerous ailments; and because they have no way to patent either substance, they stand to lose a lot of money. I see some of them have products where they've combined CBD oil with other substances. What a feeble attempt to gain market share in the CBD space.
If I was to try and side with the dinosaurs, I'd point to the existence of a few studies that indicate a correlation between MJ and self harm. On the flip side of that coin however, the Mayo Clinic says that there is no clear evidence that MJ causes thoughts of self harm. https://tinyurl.com/ted74kkw They need to actually do some research into the subject instead of rushing out to their next shuffleboard game.
On a side note, during my 20 mins of research into the pros/cons of legalization, from a health perspective, I came across what's called a 'black box warning' that big pharma has to include on their products that carry a high risk of serious illness or death. How can the Feds opposed MJ while their FDA endorses such high risk products? Maybe the FDA should be making the call on legalization, not a group of ill informed geriatrics.
Last but not least, as everyone has said, the increasing level of violent robberies at dispensaries, with several deaths having occurred, is the result of dispensaries having to deal strictly in cash with their customers. Hey Mitch, that's not serving your constituents very well. It's also leaving a lot of money in the black market, and, leaving people to their own devices when it comes to self medication using MJ. Time to get off the pot, no pun intended, and do something useful (e.g. pass the SAFE Banking Act.
SteveIncoherent wrote: You can legally marry a child in more states of America than purchase legal cannabis.
In Texas, like most states, I don't even think there's a minimum age with parental permission.
So, in Texas, you can legally marry a 13 year old, open carry a firearm without a license, but you you can't even buy legal rec cannabis.