These are the countries where marihuana has become legalized and is no longer decriminalized: Perú, Uruguay, Colombia, India, Ecuador, the United States of America (USA), Spain, and the Netherlands. The rules are not the same from place to place and there are many grey areas as well. For example, smoking in grey areas in Spain is forbidden while it is totally legal in countries like Uruguay. In Spain, there are private places for that purpose.
States of the USA Where Cannabis is Legal
On the other side, in other countries cannabis possession is illegal, having at least a little of this plant can result in a fine although in some places the authorities just turn a blind eye on it. In the USA, however, cannabis is used for medical purpose but it is illegal at a federal level. It is important to add that in some states of this North American country, cannabis is allowed for personal use also. These are the states where people can carry cannabis in their pockets without a problem: Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington DC. Canada has become the latest country to accept marijuana for recreational use.
A “Soft” Drug
Some experts believe this is a shift away from criminalization, however, others think there are strong reasons to make marijuana legal once and for all. One of those reasons is that cannabis seems to be a “soft” drug that causes almost no harm to the human body. For this reason, it has been decriminalized in some states while in others it has become another remedy or medicine to treat diseases.
A Low Blow to Criminals?
Other experts believe that it is easier to combat organized criminals by decriminalizing drugs like cannabis. Yet, drug-traffickers do not only deal cannabis but also heroin, crack and many other drugs. Some medical drug industries use cannabis to produce medicine and products. This law then, benefits them somehow, allowing them to increase their profits since then.
Laws Vary from Country to Country
Since 2012, marijuana has been accepted for at least medical use in the USA. Washington and Colorado became the 1st states in the country to make cannabis legal for personal use. After that, other states decided to create a law to decriminalize cannabis possession in all senses. These laws, however, vary from state to state having parameters regarding the amount and other factors. In other words, a person can have cannabis on hand but cannot exceed the amount while in others that factor is not important at all. The same happens with countries like Colombia and Uruguay. In some places, people also grow cannabis at home or in small closed places.
Why People are “Loving” it
Apart from this idea, technology has also played an important role in this. Many companies have even created LED for cannabis cultivation. It is believed that cannabis will still continue becoming legal in many other countries of the world allowing for the fact that this plant has been used in many ways and its popularity in social networks is increasingly remarkable.
If you log in and surf some Facebook pages, it is easy to see posts related to marijuana, people smoking marijuana or “weed”, its effects “(people post the way they feel when smoking it) and so on. Besides that, people are starting to think that beer, and alcohol in general, causes more deaths in the world than weed (cannabis). They state that smoking marijuana is not addictive at all and that “they have never heard a case of somebody dying from marijuana consumption”.
They say that cannabis does not cause any health problems, hallucinations and that the feeling of smoking it is just fantastic; “it is like you were in another world where everything seems to be flying around you”, they affirm.
The Marijuana Impact on Underage People
In these countries, where cannabis is currently legal, there is an age restriction for personal use, yet, there are lots of consumers who are not even 18 or 21 years old. It is very common to see Youtubers, Twitter, and Facebook users making videos showing how they enjoy marijuana. So, this plant has been the love of many for decades to the extent that some governments are considering making it legal very soon.
How Harmful Could It Be
On the other hand, some countries are reluctant to take this step yet. Other experts believe that although cannabis appears to be less harmful than alcohol, it leads people to commit suicide or crime in some cases. In lawman’s terms, many felonies are attributed to marijuana consumption. Also, lots of healthcare professionals state that cannabis can eventually cause health problems. Consumers have taken a stand and said that small quantities of cannabis do not lead to any health or behavior problems. So, who do you think is right at the end?