Section Five Introduction
Future Horizons
By Prof Tim
Much has changed since Colorado and Washington State legalized recreational cannabis in 2012. The Anslinger holdouts who predicted Armageddon have, alas, been disappointed. The sky has not fallen. Each year, more states legalize the devil’s weed and, at least so far, the world has not gone to hell in a handbasket. What does the future hold? Predicting the future is always a tricky business. Much change is unpredictable. How will artificial intelligence redesign the landscape of the information society? We can only guess.
Jon Walker is bolder than most prognosticators. Walker believes that the United States will legalize marijuana at the federal level in either 2021 or early 2022. Walker asserts that for federal cannabis law to change, a large number of anti-legalization incumbent senators will either need to be replaced, or face an electorate that is so pro-cannabis that it makes continued opposition to legalization a fatal political liability. Until recently, marijuana reform efforts have been heavily driven by ideologically committed groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Up till now, most advocates have focused political change at the state level. It is unlikely that the same strategies will work at the federal level. Walker is convinced that federal cannabis legalization will only come about when a strongly pro-cannabis president enters the White House. Will that be in 2020?
Stay tuned...
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