Joe Kennedy III Gets on the Bandwagon of Cannabis Legalization

November 23, 2018

Recreational marijuana sales have officially started in Massachusetts and a Democrat Representative from the state is calling on the federal government to change its policy towards cannabis. Joe Kennedy III is a federal representative from Massachusetts’s 4th congressional district. He has recently written an article in an online health and life magazine where he has urged the government to mend its unconditional anti-cannabis policy. Kennedy has categorically demanded the federal government to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act and pave way for its legalization.

He has also criticized the federal government for not realizing its responsibility to regulate cannabis. It is an unfortunate state of affairs that amid the mass cannabis reform movement across the country, the federal government is not paying any heed to this issue. In the recent midterm elections, three more states entered the realm of legal cannabis. It is an unprecedented legislative development for cannabis in the US. However, the federal response or the lack of it shows that as if they are completely oblivious to these developments.

A Learned New Stance from Kennedy

A Learned New Stance from Kennedy - Image powered by Marijuanamoment.net

Rep. Kennedy acknowledges that he doesn’t always have the same opinion about the legalization of cannabis. His main concern regarding the wide-scale legal access to marijuana is the aggravating problem of addiction that has already affected the society. He has closely worked with groups working for mental health and addiction issues. He has seen families devastated and torn apart from the consequences of substance abuse.

On the other hand, Kennedy also got to know the other side of the story in recent times. He now fully acknowledges and endorses the use of cannabis from parents to mitigate the condition of their epileptic children. He is now aware that marijuana can help the veterans suffering from PTSD to lead a normal life.

After having extensive debates on the legalization of cannabis and digging on-the-ground facts, Kennedy has come to the conclusion that the federal policy governing cannabis is just a poor and an ineffective piece of work.

Marijuana can help the veterans suffering from PTSD - Image powered by Change.org

According to him, the federal cannabis policy misses from all angles. Neither the policy is catering to the hundreds and thousands of patients needing medical cannabis nor is it protecting the young impressionable lot from the horror of substance abuse. He has also talked about how federal laws collaterally affect the cannabis operations of legal states.

Nevertheless, Kennedy has also made it clear that he doesn’t consider legalization of cannabis a cure for all problems. For instance, it will not result in the abolition of racial disproportions overnight. Moreover, robust regulatory vigilance will be required to rule out the possibility of substance-abuse epidemic post-legalization.

Kennedy’s change of heart has occurred in the last couple of months. In a late night show interview in April, he reiterated his anti-legalization approach. Nevertheless, it’s a good omen for the cannabis movement that federal lawmakers are changing their opinion regarding the legality of the strain.

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