Pot Luck: Mapping America’s聽Marijuana聽Muddle
The Economist illustrates how the 50聽states handle pakalolo use in very different ways.
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SMOKING, growing, buying, selling or merely possessing cannabis is a聽criminal offence, according to America’s federal government.
Ask the聽states, however, and you will get almost 50 different answers. In 13 of them possession of the drug has been decriminalised, meaning that聽tokers face only minor penalties if caught. In 23 it has been聽legalised for medical use.
And in four鈥攊ncluding, following ballot聽initiatives earlier this month, Alaska and Oregon鈥攃annabis has been聽legalised outright.
In all only 22 states, fewer than half the total,聽continue to treat the drug as criminal contraband under all聽circumstances.
It may be only a matter of time before the unenforced聽federal ban goes up in smoke.
As shown in the map, Hawaii allows medical marijuana use. Just this year lawmakers authorized switching control over the program from the Department of Public Safety to the Health Department.
The Hawaii Legislature has considered decriminalizing pakalolo, but law enforcement has thus far successfully fought the idea.
The Economist
