Marijuana use in the U.S. is at an all-time high, with 46.9% of Americans aged 12 or older reporting having tried marijuana at least once, and 15% reporting having used it in the past 30 days. Various factors contribute to this rise in use, including:
- Greater availability.
- Declines in perceived harm.
- Desires for alternatives to alcohol and pharmaceutical drug therapies.
However, while cannabis use is increasingly normalized, the legal landscape surrounding the popular plant is more complicated than ever. Discrepancies in federal and state laws are one source of tension, as marijuana is now legal in some form in 38 states but remains illegal at the federal level. In 2018, Congress added another twist by legalizing hemp. Hemp, known for its industrial applications, is very similar to marijuana except for one key difference: It has lower concentrations of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a substance with psychoactive properties.
Most elected officials likely did not anticipate that …