Marijuana advocates of America has a lot to celebrate this holiday 420: thirty States have legalized some form of medical marijuana, according to a national advocacy group. Nine of these States and Washington, D.C., also have broad legalization, where adults 21 years and older can use the pot for any reason. Michigan could become the 10th state, with its ballot initiative this year.
But hemp remains illegal under Federal law, and it still has many opponents.
Here’s a look at what some advocates and critics say about the state of marijuana in the United States today:
JOY HOLLINGSWORTH, SHELTON, WASHINGTON
Family owned marijuana farm South of Seattle, where they grow about 9000 factories and employ 30 people at the peak of the harvest.
WHERE ARE YOU MARK 420?
“I’ll be in Los Angeles, California, hanging out with friends, and some people who are interested in cannabis, and to learn a little about the market and what is happening in California. And to celebrate this opportunity — their first 420 of the legal market”.
WHAT DOES 420 MEAN TO YOU?
“The celebration of cannabis, not only for entertainment but also for medicinal purposes — in fact the plant that has helped so many people and just the day when people can come to celebrate and learn a little about the plant. This is the day when we all gather and the mood for the holiday is the medicine”.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN THE US?
“I feel that the industry is moving toward a good balance of small farmers and commercialization and better, the wide distribution of the plant for people to be able to have access to it”.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GO?
“I would like to see in the cannabis industry to keep people with greater access to the plant so that we will be able to see the medical benefits for cannabis — not only to inhale it or eat it, but also used as a topical, as an ointment, to have access to the cbd because of all the wonderful things that this plant can offer medical.”
DO YOU USE MARIJUANA? HOW DO YOU CONSUME IT?
“I use marijuana and hashish every day in the form of ointments of the CBD and relevant form.”
LINCOLN FISH, SAN DIEGO
CEO of results Inc. the cultivator of marijuana and wholesaler near El Cayon, California.
WHAT DOES 420 MEAN TO YOU?
“I often tell people that it’s great fun. Seriously, can you name another industry that owns the day and minute? I mean, really — nobody has anything like this, so it’s pretty special. And I think that it means all that we all that difficult … just the freedom and the awareness more than anything else.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN THE US?
“It’s three steps forward, two steps back. We recently were enough good news from the feds, and trump says he supports medical, and as far as he’s concerned, the capacity of the state. That being said, you know, he might change his mind tomorrow in the tweet. So we need more protection than this, but I think that is the right way. And I think that people should be happy.”
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GO?
“Where I would like to see it go in order to take their rightful place — certainly on the medical side, replacing some of these terrible, terrible drugs that people use. It can replace opioids in many, many situations, but we have a number of medical studies to do this, that could never be completed because of the stupidity around him. In the recreational area, I want to see how it will take its rightful place in the order of. alcohol and tobacco and so on that people use on a regular basis.”
DO YOU USE MARIJUANA? HOW DO YOU CONSUME IT?
“Before I got involved in the industry, I don’t. In fact, I consider myself more part of the problem. I don’t quite understand. I don’t know about the hypocrisy, and I was a nerd in College. Now I use plants. I’m not a good smoker. Even cigarettes, I take one puff, and I fall to the floor, coughing. And I don’t like edibles because of the delayed effect and the uncertainty. But, of course, tinctures, and plants, I really like it.”
MIKE GRIFFIN, DULUTH, GEORGIA
Director of public relations at Georgia Baptist mission Board
WHAT DOES 420 MEAN TO YOU?
“It just means that potential if they’re not careful, communicating some things about marijuana, ignoring some of the negative things and trying to influence … causing the industry to expand.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN THE US?
“In Georgia, the Baptist, we represent about 1.4 million Georgians, and about 3600 of the Church. We are interested in the end that all the incremental steps that you see throughout the United States, whether dealing with medical marijuana or growing — those kinds of things, it seems, ultimately leads to recreational use, which we consider very dangerous for the society and that there needs to be a balance between public health and security against personal responsibility. …
“We are concerned that we are moving in the direction that will have very negative impact on society, on the houses, for the youth, driving, crime — all those types of things have a normal influence of alcohol or drugs will be accelerated with the legalization of marijuana.”
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GO?
“Georgia Baptist mission Board, mainly from the point of view of lobbying, took a neutral position on medical marijuana. … We recognize the right of these families to seek what they feel is an essential tool for some diseases, especially children are facing. So, do we draw the line in the place of cultivation. And why are we doing this because we have been a couple of years ago in resolution as the state concerned, of the Convention, the cultivation will eventually lead to the organization of leisure”.
HAVE YOU EVER USED MARIJUANA?
“No, I never have. I grew up as a young man, came to know Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 14, only on the basis of this principle of service to the Lord. I tried alcohol, but I never had anything to do with marijuana because (a) believing that Christians should not participate in some type of mind-altering drugs for recreational purposes.”
KELLY PEREZ, DENVER
CEO and founder kindColorado, which provides the possibility of attracting people to the industry of cannabis assets in the communities.
WHAT DOES 420 MEAN TO YOU?
“It is a holiday, and we still have work to do. The drug war has not ended; the negative impact on communities of color has not ended. So we still have a job even though we’re legal in Colorado. There are States around us that are not. And while one of the black or brown youth are arrested for possession, we’ve still got work to do. So how would you call it? Measured holiday”.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN THE US?
“It’s an incredibly exciting time. There are so many possibilities, but we do want to keep our roots in change and liberation of the people and criminal justice reform and the legalization of moving the conversation forward, but not forget about the issues of social justice.”
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GO?
“I want legalization to continue to be self-aware and continue to move forward, so that no one has been arrested for possession of cannabis. But the fact that we have opportunities for people to enter into this legal industry, especially people that were affected by the war on drugs. … We have not done what we need to do for an industry built on the backs of black and brown and sick people. We must continue to elevate the message and be activists around this space.”
DO YOU USE MARIJUANA? HOW DO YOU CONSUME IT?
“There is a brand that has infusion, very high CBD, low THC. … It’s a dropper that I put a little in my glass. And not being driven is very important. It’s actually not very strong, but you have to be very careful about how you consume.”
BILL DOWNING, A READING, MASSACHUSETTS
The owner of the CBD request, which offers food of cannabis; co-founder and former President of the Massachusetts cannabis reform coalition.
WHERE ARE YOU MARK 420?
“I’ll probably smoke some marijuana at some point during the day. … It would be nice if I could take the day off, but I can smoke marijuana at any time. The thrill of being in a large crowd of people Smoking marijuana has kind of faded for me a little.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN THE US?
“This is rapidly improving, and that’s kind of been building for decades. If you look at the results of a national survey of public opinion on the question as to whether hemp is legalized for use by adults?’ you will realize that it is growing in popularity and now more than 50 percent in most surveys. This is a very long-term trend, and it is connected with people understanding cannabis, knowing how safe or unsafe it is relatively soft drugs, and people who understand that it is a relatively very, very safe compared to other drugs.”
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GO?
“I’d like to see the Federal government become less obstinate in many ways. I’d like to see them out of the way of progress for the legalization of marijuana and for the development of industry for the production of cannabis”.
DO YOU USE MARIJUANA? HOW DO YOU CONSUME IT?
“I use it for medical and recreational purposes. I find it to be very, very effective. I have some medical problems I’m dealing with and, boy, without cannabis, I would probably be taking some very dangerous Pharmaceutical drugs.
“For recreational purposes, I did. For my medical needs, I use creams and tinctures, and oils, and things that go under your tongue.”
JIM HARTMAN, GENOA, NEVADA
Former San Francisco lawyer, who now lives in Nevada and is Chairman of Nevadans for responsible policy drug; helped write the opposition argument to legalize marijuana on the state ballot two years ago.
WHAT DOES 420 MEAN TO YOU?
“I respect people’s ability and right to celebrate the fact of legalizing marijuana and marijuana in various areas. But (I) not a particular fan of”.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN THE US?
“I think Americans are pretty divided on the subject of marijuana in terms of what it all means. I think people would like to see it decriminalized. They would like to regulate. They would like to see it taxed. But all the initiatives that were on the ballot do not do those things.
“What we have in the United States in the commercialization of marijuana, which I think is very, very dangerous. The profit motive will drive it, and the first experience in States such as Colorado, you have the involvement of young people in the use of marijuana, drunk driving, homelessness, crime, a long list of … problems with the commercialization.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GO?
“We are at a prestigious, or up, there will be an increasing number of States likely to legalize it. Over time, I think people will start to get the picture that this is not a progressive, positive thing, but it has many harmful effects that will be seen in later years. … Growing up, I remember on the airplanes, where there was a Smoking area. We came in 30 – or 40-year period, recognizing that ‘boy, that is not where we should be going.’ I think the same thing will happen with marijuana”.
HAVE YOU EVER USED MARIJUANA?
“Not in any significant amount. I wanted to say, my first experience with marijuana in high school, I went to Berkeley high school at a time when marijuana was just kind of coming of age in the 60-ies, and in fact saw the harmful effects among classmates, my very good friend who was very fascinated by everything. It has become an obsession with him where to buy it, where to grow, and he took his life. I think it’s sad when children are not fully achieved not fully succeed where they might have been if they did not get into the whole movement of marijuana.”
STEPHANIE HORINE, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
Grew up around marijuana as the daughter of Steve Miller band administrator; now works for a small non-profit and helps with elementa, women’s group, health promotion and hemp.
WHERE ARE YOU MARK 420?
“I have to work, obviously, on Friday, so I’ll probably just be home. Maybe I’ll swing by the newly opened dispensary and pick up something for yourself. However, on Saturday we will conduct a culinary master class with hemp … that’s really where we’re really going to celebrate, on 4/21”.
WHAT DOES 420 MEAN TO YOU?
“420 was an unspoken taboo for many years, but it’s always code that, ‘after work. It’s 420? Time for your medicine’. So this is what 420 means to me”.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN THE US?
“I believe it is long overdue that the state is not able to legalize a natural plant that was put here for our use. I think it’s going to take some time, but the wave is. And, I mean, there are so many black market that they could also be cashing in and helping the society with it.”
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GO?
“I feel that cannabis should be the main theme, and we should all know about it. I wish the stigma would go away. I think over time, again, as we educate people, and people are becoming more interested in it, I think it will only grow, and I want to be a part of it.”
DO YOU USE MARIJUANA? HOW DO YOU CONSUME IT?
“Yes, I have at the moment. I have a chronic illness, and I also learned about the powers of the CBI as well. And so I use it in different forms, depending on what I need and all I can think of.”
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This report was prepared by associated Press writers Kathleen Foody in Denver; krysta Fauria, Los Angeles; R. H. Rico in Duluth, Georgia; Manuel Valdes in Shelton, Washington; Bob Salsberg in Boston, Scott Sonner in Carson city, Nevada; and mark Thiessen in anchorage, Alaska.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
