When the ruling class of a nation is so removed from the reality of its policies that its unable to change with the times, you can bet that a revolution is on its way. In this case, the non-violent revolution of cannabis legalization is working its way from the grass-roots up, but the federal government will be the last to acknowledge the common sense of legalization.
The U.S. government still shows no sign of ever-moving to reclassify the plant on the controlled substances schedule so that it no longer sits alongside of bath salts and heroin as a dangerous drug. Here’s what the DEA says about schedule I drugs:
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are:
heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote [Source]
Clearly cannabis does not belong here, just look at small handful of legitimate scientific studies on the matter: 10 STUDIES FROM 2016 FURTHER CONFIRMING THE BENEFITS OF CANNABIS – DEA IGNORES
While at the federal level lawmakers are slow to move towards progress on the issue of cannabis legalization, the benefits of having a society that doesn’t persecute its members for possession of a plant are clearly seen by those at ground level, namely community leaders in America’s towns and cities.
A recent survey of U.S. mayors supports legalization and regulation of the sale of cannabis, giving us a clue of just how popular the idea of total legalization has become. Conducted by Boston University, the poll asked mayors to indicate a favorable or unfavorable response to the statement, “marijuana should be legalized, regulated and legally sold in your city.”
Only 35 percent disagreed with the idea of allowing cannabis sales in the cities they govern.
“Many mayors suggested that their views on marijuana were less about philosophy or values and more about practical challenges related to policy implementation,” the survey’s organizers said in summary of the key findings.
That said, the results showed a stark partisan divide on marijuana among the municipal elected officials.
While 62 percent of Democratic mayors were on board with legalization, only 25 percent of Republicans agreed. Meanwhile, less than a quarter—22 percent— of Democrats holding mayoral offices oppose ending cannabis prohibition, while more than two-thirds—67 percent of GOP mayors say they are against it. [Source]
City mayors are in a much different position than congress people to see the real effects of the never-ending drug war. They are involved directly with both police and their community, both being groups who well know the costs for continuing cannabis prohibition, which is essentially more resources wasted on an activity that is obviously ant-human and anti-nature.
For several years now the U.S. Conference of Mayors has supported movements asking the federal government to declassify cannabis from the DEA’s list drugs, and in due time, this pressure will undoubtedly help to end federal prohibition of medicinal and recreational cannabis.
About the Author
Vic Bishop is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com. He is an observer of people, animals, nature, and he loves to ponder the connection and relationship between them all. A believer in always striving to becoming self-sufficient and free from the matrix, please track him down on Facebook.
This article (Most U.S. Mayors Support Legalizing Cannabis but Feds Still Say it’s as Dangerous as Bath Salts) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Vic Bishop and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio and internal links.
