The United States thrived as a young nation, and became one of the most popular places in the world to live, primarily because laws impacting individuals lives were ultimately locally controlled. While many state’s are leading in taking back power to govern medicine and use of natural botanicals locally from an over-reaching and too large federal US beauracracy today, local city and county governments will ultimately control marijuana use in those states.
This trend of state’s taking action even in light of federal legislation and regulations suggesting they should not, is the type of leadership desperately needed; many federal government agencies have grown far too large, and the country can no longer afford an inefficient over-reaching federal government. Large federal government departments did not exist for the 1st 150+ years of this nation’s history. That is why the USA grew so successfully for many generations.
An example of the benefits derived by state’s taking back control over areas the federal government should not have become so involved with (education seems another area), the rapidly growing cannabis industry is thriving because local control is being taken back from the federal government. In states like Colorado, Washington, Alaska, DC and Oregon, where voters through statewide referendum legalized recreational adult use of marijuana, it is the local cities and counties that retain ultimate control over whether and how you can grow and consume this botanical medicinal plant.
Many cities will restrict the growth and sale of marijuana locally, at least initially, as fears, ignorance and prejudice against this miraculous and beautiful plant remain widespread. There is also that small element of disrepsectful users of marijuana that will, once allowed, publicly consume marijuana in a manner intentionally offensive to some. This happened in Montana a few years ago, right after medicinal use was legalized. One person in particular in Montana smoked openly daily near the entry to the state capital buildings, being intentionally offensive in his exercise of his new found freedom. That immature advocacy caused the state to retrench on its position, change its legistaltion, and ultimately to this day cause restrictions on access and legal use all because of one stupid advocate.
Many cities rightly fear such potentially crazy and clearly immature individuals who lack common sense to respectfully exercise marijuana related freedoms in a manner not disrespectful of others in public areas. Hopefully lawmakers and police everywhere will undertstand the benefits of improving medical research with cannabis, and decriminalizing essentially victimless adult behavior similar to cigarette use and alcohol use, is in the country’s best interest, and avoid over-reacting to some immature marijuana enthusiasts more than ready to put pot in other’s faces exercising their perception of rights (whether in amanner worng or not on an interpersonal respect level), as so many demonstrators for so many causes tend to do, with more negative consequences often that the hoped for and targeted positive effects of their activism.
For more information on localized control over marijauana even in states legalizing aduly use even for recreqational purposes, read this article discussing trends in Oregon at the local level where some counties are banning growth and use altogether, and other cities are banning outdoor grows and plan not to license any non-medical retail sales.
Also this more recent article addressing complexities of implementing cultivation and sales complexities in the states taking the lead in decriminilazing marijuana use..
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