mj public opinionMarijuana is becoming increasingly normalized in today’s society. Starting out as a drug only recreationally legal in Colorado and Washington, marijuana’s use and tolerability has skyrocketed over the past five years throughout the rest of America.

Here are five surprising drug facts you might not have known about marijuana:

The Facts

  1. Marijuana is now legal medically and otherwise in 23 states and in the District of Columbia. Nevada, California, Arizona, and Maine are also predicted to legalize recreational use of the substance in upcoming 2016. The trouble with further legalization is that lawmakers and enforcers aren’t able to easily manage marijuana’s usage.
  2. Those within the military, a federal institution, are forced to observe federal laws at all times no matter what state they are in. Although individual states might approve of cannabis usage, The Controlled Substances Act under Federal Law classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 Drug. Meaning, marijuana use for both medical and recreational purposes are illegal. Other Schedule 1 drugs considered to be within this same category as marijuana are heroin, cocaine, opium, morphine, and codeine.
  3. Marijuana is considered to be the largest cash crop in America today. Nurturing of the quasi-illegal substance has now outranked former cash crop’s production levels such as corn, wheat, and soy in profitability and popularity.
  4. Although marijuana was largely outlawed by the 1930s, two former US presidents have grown cannabis. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both owned hemp farms and were big advocates of the cash crop.
  5. Public support for legalizing marijuana today is largely divided between two groups of people –those who have and have not tried marijuana. About 65% of marijuana users support its legalization in comparison to the 35% who have not used it. Yet all past and present marijuana users do not support all support its legalization. 29% of the people who oppose legalization have used marijuana before.

While things have certainly changed in the last few decades, there is still a long way to go.

If you feel strongly about legalizing marijuana, let us know in the comments below!