Consider this premise: For good or ill, the full legalization of marijuana in the United States for recreational purposes is inevitable.
How did we reach the point of inevitability? Gradually then suddenly. Colorado was the first state to allow recreational marijuana sales, beginning on Jan. 1, 2014. Officials anticipated annual sales of $200 million and tax revenue of $70 million. By 2017, sales had reached $1.5 billion and Colorado’s Department of Revenue reported tax income of $250 million from pot sales.
Other states took note of the revenue, as well as the public will, and began to get on board. At present 18 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational weed. In 2020 national sales reached $20 billion.
And last week Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined Sens. Cory Booker and Ron Wyden in proposing legislation – the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act – that will decriminalize marijuana at the federal level.
So the current trend is clear, and the outlook suggests inevitability, as well. According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly 70% of all Americans support legalization. In the 18-29 age group, the level of support reaches nearly 80%.