Name: We should legalize pot to fight the coronavirus
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We should legalize pot to fight the coronavirus

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The US is mired in catastrophe. A pandemic, an economic meltdown, and a vacuum of competent governance are all conspiring to make the moment exceptionally miserable.One positive (if still tenuous) development has been the national fervor in support of criminal-justice reform. Part and parcel with that is drug-policy reform. And the simplest drug-policy reform is legalizing marijuana.Americans can barely reach a consensus on anything, but from November found a full two-thirds supporting full legalization.There are plenty of reasons the moment is ripe to finally make the move toward legalization and no reason this couldn't be done if politicians could just get out of their own way.This is the right moment to crush the illegitimate market and avoid another "." It would mean arresting fewer young people and . It would give the public a legal alternative to alcohol, .At a time when the pandemic-driven economic recession has obliterated jobs and decimated state budgets, legalized cannabis opens up new avenues for tax revenue and creates worlds of economic opportunity.Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey that legalizing marijuana would be "an incredibly smart thing to do," particularly given the state Senate's proposal . Given the prospect of such an enormous amount of debt, it makes little sense to leave from legalized cannabis is just sitting there.Given these benefits, it's a wonder that states — even those that have had trouble with legalization before — aren't hurrying to move new legislation forward.Gov. Andrew Cuomo long opposed legalization in New York until he saw it as an opportunity to the long-stagnant economies in many formerly industrial upstate towns. But even with a fully Democratic legislature in a deep-blue state, he couldn't get it passed two years in a row.This was in part because over concerns that it wouldn't do enough to ensure nonwhite communities could reap some of the financial benefits, particularly since these communities have disproportionately borne the brunt of its criminalization in the form of drug-related crime and arrests.Knowing this is a sticking point for a group of legislatures with the power to stop the legislation, why not work this out ahead of time?The coronavirus might be keeping lawmakers from doing their business in Albany, but couldn't they negotiate over Zoom and bring a piece of emergency legislation to the table?Governments have already demonstrated they're willing to rewrite the rules as we go during the pandemic, which includes doing away with some archaic, puritanical bits of red tape — and producing modern miracles like "."State legislatures should do the same for marijuana, especially in states where public opinion is so overwhelming that legalization is all but inevitable anyway.While states can expedite the legalization process, the federal government also needs to take some steps to make this a reality.The president cannot legalize marijuana, but he can remove its absurd classification as a Schedule I narcotic of the Controlled Substance Act, which are reserved for "drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."Eighteen members of Congress implored President Barack Obama to . Obama demurred, insisting it was Congress' job, which was ironic given the president's affinity for issuing executive orders with his "."His vice president, Joe Biden, now the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, has historically been anti-pot. In fact, he's been , writing with the .Biden "full legalization," but he has pot from Schedule I. That's huge.Marijuana's Schedule I designation is the biggest reason banks are skittish about working with legal cannabis businesses.Despite , legal businesses face disadvantages that the fully legalized alcohol and tobacco industries don't have to contend with.Gov. Gavin Newsom in his most recent California budget:"Cannabis businesses have less access to banking services that could provide liquidity, have a younger consumer base likely to be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 recession, and still must contend with competition from the black market."Put simply, the Drug Enforcement Administration's absurd and outdated definition of cannabis is bad for business. And we can't afford "bad for business" for no good reason.States need to do their part, but the biggest obstacle remains the federal government.So for the people, for the economy, for justice: Legalize it.{{}}Email addressEnter captchaBy clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our and Copyright © 2022. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Times Syndication Service.

The US is mired in catastrophe. A pandemic, an economic meltdown, and a vacuum of competent governance are all conspiring to make the moment exceptionally miserable.One positive (if still tenuous) development has been the national fervor in support of criminal-justice reform. Part and parcel with that is drug-policy reform. And the simplest drug-policy reform is legalizing marijuana.Americans can barely reach a consensus on anything, but from November found a full two-thirds supporting full legalization.There are plenty of reasons the moment is ripe to finally make the move toward...

We should legalize pot to fight the coronavirus

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