Five years after cannabis was first legalized for recreational use in Colorado and Washington in late 2012, over three years after full implementation of such legalization in 2014, and several more states since then, what can we conclude from the data so far? The best evidence shows that such legalization was NOT a disaster after all, the fears were ridiculously overblown, and if anything legalization turned out to be a win-win-win situation for everyone but the crooks, creeps, cops, and cronies. It saved a ton of money on law enforcement and related costs, brought in major tax revenue, and the supposedly large social costs of legalization that the naysayers feared still have not panned out even several years later. And thus, no good reason for cannabis to remain illegal anywhere else at this point.
And now that California Dreaming has finally become a reality in a critical number of states, Twenty-One Debunked will become that much more aggressive in advocating that the age limits for cannabis in legaliztion jurisdictions be lowered to 18 going forward. While we very grudgingly supported legalization initiatives with an age limit of 21 while they were being debated and voted on in the name of pragmatism, now that the proverbial dam has broke it is time to take on the age limit issue with at least the same tenacity that we have shown with alcohol.
To all of those who still support cannabis prohibition: how does it feel to be on the wrong side of history? Because we wouldn't know anything about that.
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Just as problematic as the people who oppose Cannabis legalization are the people are adamant in justifying a minimum age of 21 for smoking Cannabis. The minimum age for smoking Cannabis should be 18-19. Unfortunately, the pro-Cannabis movement mostly consists of ageists who would oppose a minimum age of 18-19. Those people are hypocrites by definition.
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