This year could be big one for marijuana legalization, with states like Arizona, Maine and Vermont likely to jump on the bandwagon, which is already led by Alaska, Colorado and Washington. As of June, marijuana was legalized in some way in 23 states and Washington D.C, proving that a revolution is already underway.
But federally, marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug — along with heroin and LSD — meaning that it has a high potential for abuse. That’s left both the industry and consumers in a confusing gray area, since in states like Washington, people over the age of of 21 can walk into a commercial dispensary to buy an ounce of marijuana.
President Barack Obama has said on record that he supports “carefully prescribed medical use” of marijuana, and reducing incarceration rates from marijuana possession and crime, according to the Huffington Post. Marijuana crimes account for about 30% of drug arrests, advocacy group Norml found. “At a certain point, if enough states end up decriminalizing, Congress may then reschedule marijuana,” he told Vice’s Shane Smith in March.