(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Widescale legalization of both recreational and medical marijuana is just around the corner for the United States, and with it, an abundance of opportunities. These opportunities include broadened research, the ability to expand the hemp industry and nationwide access to its medical benefits.

We hear every day about the positive health benefits of marijuana, and the more accessible marijuana is to researchers and the public, the more information we can obtain on the substance.

Medical marijuana is legal in 33 states including West Virginia, and for many the debate has already shifted to recreational use.

Recreational use is legal in 11 states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Illinois, and Washington, D.C.

While the state laws and public’s perception around marijuana have evolved over the years, much of the federal framework that regulates it has stayed the same.

On a federal level, even possession and use of medical marijuana is still considered illegal; it is time for a change.

Being federally illegal hinders the ability to research the medical benefits as well as how recreational use affects the average person, because there is no federal funding.

It also hinders the take off of the hemp industry, due to the inability for law enforcement to tell the difference in the two substances quickly while still on the scene.

Hemp, especially in West Virginia, has the ability to take off and thrive. It would create a new resource for the area, which as the world goes “greener” can be used to create biodegradable products such as plastics, clothing and paper.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee passed a bill, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, in November 2019 that would legalize marijuana on the federal level, removing it from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.

The legislation would allow states to enact their own policies and gives them incentives to clear criminal records of people with low-level marijuana offenses. It also includes a 5 percent tax on cannabis products that would provide job training and legal assistance to those regions hit hardest by the substance abuse epidemic.

If marijuana is moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, it would open the option for federal funding to be procured by researchers, and in return enable more research to be completed on the effects of marijuana and its potential impacts, which, with the growing rate of statewide legalization, is extremely important.

It is expected to pass in the full House where Democrats control the chamber. It is not however expected to be backed by the Senate, which has a Republican majority.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing Jan. 15, on six bills that deal with legalization, two of which would legalize marijuana on a federal level, one of which was the MORE Act.

No votes were cast, nor policy decisions made during the hearing.

It is important for the federal government to make a decision sooner rather than later, because several states are expected to vote on recreational marijuana use measures in 2020.

Even West Virginia is talking about the benefits legalizing recreational usage could bring to the state.

Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, said Wednesday that recreational marijuana would make the state more appealing, when referring to efforts by Republican lawmakers and Gov. Jim Justice to invite Virginia counties and cities to vote to join West Virginia.

Fluharty also talked about the major economic benefits West Virginia would see by legalizing marijuana.

One bill being considered is House Bill 2321, of which, Del. Mick Bates, D-Raleigh, is the lead sponsor.

It would legalize the sale, production and adult consumption of cannabis, and was introduced Jan. 8, the first day of the 2020 legislative session. It has been sent to the House Health and Human Resources Committee, but not taken up yet.

This bill would give counties the option to allow marijuana sales or production by a vote of the people, and allow for excise and local sales taxes on the legalized product. The Department of Health and Human Resource’s Bureau of Health would regulate recreational marijuana.

During a Jan. 23 floor session in the House, Democratic lawmakers attempted to discharge the bill from the committee so House members could vote on it, but the motion was tabled in a 54-41 vote.

State laws and public perception are and will continue to evolve — 33 states have said yes to medical use; 11 states and Washington D.C. have said yes to recreational use; others, including West Virginia are debating it.

The nation is speaking and it’s time that the federal government listened.