So many states have implemented medical cannabis programs that it is hard to believe the holdouts will continue holding out forever. It’s probably only a matter of time before medical cannabis is universal. But for how long? Is universal medical use just a precursor to full and complete decriminalization?
Medical cannabis seems to be a way of straddling the fence. A large segment of the population wants access to marijuana at will. In order to get what they want they start by pitching cannabis as a medicine. They convince the majority of the population to go along with it. They use modern medicine as a way to get the ball rolling. And once that ball is rolling, the momentum toward recreational use starts to build.
We have seen the same story unfold in state after state. Meanwhile, medical professionals and lawmakers are caught in the middle. They have to straddle the fence between what voters want and what the federal government says about marijuana. Some of them even feel compelled to promote medical cannabis despite their own personal convictions against it.
It is What the Voters Want
The cannabis lobby has been so effective that even highly conservative states have turned. Take Utah. Politically and ethically, Utah is one of the most conservative states in the union. Yet voters there passed a proposition to legalize medical cannabis back in 2019. Reluctant lawmakers began crafting a medical program the following year because the voters wanted it.
We have seen the same thing in Florida, Arkansas, and many other red states. Meanwhile, a number of blue states have long since abandoned medical-only programs to fully embrace recreational use by anyone age 21 or older. Their regulations, designed to look like they keep the marijuana industry under control, are a mirage.
The good folks behind Beehive Farmacy, a Utah medical marijuana dispensary, say that lawmakers are committed to restricting cannabis to medical use only. They may work extremely hard to do so. However, their efforts could be thwarted by a future voter proposition that puts recreational use on the table.
A Strange Relationship with THC
Taking a step back and looking at cannabis from an apolitical and amoral perspective reveals something fascinating: the greater cannabis community has a very strange relationship with THC. As a medical product, marijuana has a way of bringing people together for social interaction. For example, medical cannabis dispensaries in many states have become social hangouts.
You will never see people hanging out and sharing their experiences with penicillin. There is no antibiotic community. There are no social events where users of blood pressure medication get together to talk about how well their prescription drugs work. Yet all these things are a natural part of life for medical cannabis users.
The strange relationship with THC appears to be very similar to the relationship people have with alcohol. Getting together to share drinks is a social experience. The same goes for wine-tasting parties, home brewing, and even parties where participants play beer games.
A Magical Gray Area
What it all boils down to is the realization that medical cannabis offers a magical gray area. It gives people access to marijuana under the guise of modern medicine, even though the purpose might not really be medical at all. Medical cannabis also gives lawmakers cover to legalize marijuana to some degree without having to go full decriminalization.
To the trained observer, it all amounts to fence straddling. We want it both ways. Medical cannabis is one option for having it both ways, at least when it comes to the marijuana plant.
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