U.S federal laws on Marijuana

Although marijuana may be legal in some states (for both recreation and medical use), there are laws that govern its usage. These are referred to as federal laws. The federal government work is to regulate drugs. This is in accordance with the controlled substances act. In this case, there is no distinction between marijuana that is used for recreational use and one used for medical use. The laws are applied to those who possess, cultivate or distribute huge amounts of marijuana. Marijuana is treated as any other controlled substances such as cocaine and heroin under the federal laws. We will look at some of the laws and how the environment is generally with the enforcement of these laws.

Classification

Under the federal laws, marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug. This means that it is highly addictive. It also means that it does not contain any medical value. In this case, medics are not allowed to prescribe cannabis under federal laws. However, under the first amendment, they can “recommend” its use. We, therefore, see that these laws are harsh, biased and out of place. Research has shown that marijuana compounds contain a lot of benefits to patients. It even may be the long-awaited cure for cancer.

Federal laws

The federal laws are dire, with individuals caught with marijuana facing harsh prosecutions. This is facilitated by the fact that under these laws, marijuana is an illegal drug. For instance, when taken to a court law after being found with marijuana, you cannot defend yourself by saying that it was for medical purposes.

Luckily, by 2016, guidelines were laid on the use of medical marijuana. These include

• Preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors. These are people below the age of 21.
• Preventing the diversion of cannabis from the states that have legalized weed to those that have not.
• Preventing the use of armed tools such as guns during the cultivation and distribution of marijuana

• Preventing the use/possession of marijuana on federal property
• Preventing driving under the influence of marijuana
• Preventing state-authorized marijuana states from being used as a cover in dealing with other illegal substances.
• Preventing the revenue that is got from marijuana from reaching into the hands of cartels or criminals.
• Preventing the cultivation of weed on public land. The environmental hazards that may be caused by marijuana are also covered in this guideline.

Types of federal laws

There are two types of federal sentencing laws. These are the guidelines under the United States Sentencing Commission and the mandatory sentencing guidelines which are enacted by the Congress. The federal sentencing guidelines take into consideration the amount of weed involved in the arrest as well as the history of the convicted. All convictions under the federal law are eligible for imprisonment. However, not all will require jail terms under the guidelines.

When convicted and sentenced to a jail term, one must serve a minimum of 85%. The amount of weed you are caught with will greatly determine the sentence.

Clash between state and federal laws

The state laws are more lenient as we see a lot of states legalizing weed both for recreation and medical uses. However, the federal laws consider weed illegal. Hence, under the latter, a patient may be prosecuted if found in possession of marijuana, even if they reside in a state where weed is legalized. This is conflicting as under one side you may not be convicted while on this other side you find you are a criminal. That is ironical.

Efforts should be made to synchronize both state and federal laws. This is to ensure that there does not exist grey areas in matters to do with marijuana. Another thing would be to lobby for the loosening of the federal laws. Marijuana has lots of benefits to its users.