The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to decriminalize marijuana on a federal scale. The bill must also win passage in the Senate before it can be sent to the President’s desk, but the legal marijuana industry is happy. Louisiana Cannabis Association founder Matt Moreau says this is “real progress” for his industry,
“It was a long time coming. The industry as a whole and the population as a whole has accepted that marijuana is not something that is as dangerous as alcohol, and likely should have been decriminalized years ago.”
The bill passed Friday by the House – if passed into law – would eliminate the federal ban on marijuana which is seen as a major roadblock for the burgeoning legal cannabis industry, as more states legalize medical or even recreational weed. Moreau says it’s about time.
“I believe everybody now has accepted that this is a reality. It’s just really everyone coming together and saying ‘alright, let’s open it up and allow our entrepreneurs to grow.”
The House bill also allows the VA to prescribe medical marijuana and authorizes a sales tax on the substance. The bill goes to the U.S. Senate, where its passage is far from assured. Moreau says – even if it fails this year – this was still an important first step in normalizing marijuana laws.
“Whether or not it makes it all the way through right now … that remains to be seen, but this is definitely a sign that perspectives are changing dramatically.”
Moreau says marijuana is a highly misunderstood substance but feels that legal recreational marijuana in Louisiana is inevitable.
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