Cannabis Column: The Top Ten Obstacles to Marijuana Law Reform
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- copperdragon
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A lot of people think that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most powerful opponents to marijuana’s legalization. They don’t realize that these companies stand to make billions of dollars off of the chemical compounds contained in marijuana in a legal regulatory climate. The reality is that the current restrictions on marijuana make scientific research on marijuana-related pharmaceuticals too expensive to pursue, and the restrictive regulatory climate concerning anything related to marijuana creates too much uncertainty about future sales and profits to justify developing marijuana related drugs. Even if marijuana were legal and widely available, there would still be a valuable market for a marijuana-based painkiller that was 50 to 100 times more powerful than the herb itself.
Many others think the alcohol industry is another potential opponent to marijuana’s legalization. However, they realize that the popularity of alcohol has withstood the test of time, not to mention marijuana’s immense popularity over the last several decades. Legal marijuana is not a threat to their profits, and if it were, they would just enter the business themselves.
But if not the pharmaceutical and alcohol industries, what are the greatest obstacles to marijuana’s legalization? Here’s a list of the top ten obstacles. They can all be overcome, but they all represent formidable opponents to marijuana reform.
#10 - Conservative opposition to the Obama Administration. A cautionary note – there are many conservatives in favor of legalizing marijuana, and not just dedicated libertarians. For example, Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review, wrote a superb article in favor of marijuana reform in 2001. But there aren’t many conservatives who support the Obama Administration. For example, also turn to the National Review, particularly their popular blog, The Corner, for a good sampling of conservative criticism of the President, his agenda and his policies.
Many others think the alcohol industry is another potential opponent to marijuana’s legalization. However, they realize that the popularity of alcohol has withstood the test of time, not to mention marijuana’s immense popularity over the last several decades. Legal marijuana is not a threat to their profits, and if it were, they would just enter the business themselves.
But if not the pharmaceutical and alcohol industries, what are the greatest obstacles to marijuana’s legalization? Here’s a list of the top ten obstacles. They can all be overcome, but they all represent formidable opponents to marijuana reform.
#10 - Conservative opposition to the Obama Administration. A cautionary note – there are many conservatives in favor of legalizing marijuana, and not just dedicated libertarians. For example, Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review, wrote a superb article in favor of marijuana reform in 2001. But there aren’t many conservatives who support the Obama Administration. For example, also turn to the National Review, particularly their popular blog, The Corner, for a good sampling of conservative criticism of the President, his agenda and his policies.
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- groups:
- Culture, CANNABINOIDS
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- tags:
- Culture, US, Marijuana, Government, 7 more
