Legal Guide to THC in 2023
In 2012, Colorado and Washington voters said “yes” to measures that made these states the first to let adults enjoy and sell cannabis for pleasure. This happened even though federal rules still say no to marijuana.
Since then, 22 more states, including Washington, D.C., and Guam, let people use it. They did this because more people started to be okay with it. THC is a special part of the cannabis plant. This is what many people call marijuana or weed. There are multiple products like THC gummies, weed pen and more which are available in the market. When someone takes it in, they feel “high.” However, this guide will discuss the legal rules on THC in 2023.
Possession of THC
In October 2022, President Joe Biden announced that he would commute the sentence of anyone convicted of the federal crime of simple possession of marijuana.
- He further asked governors to take similar action for convictions resulting from charges at the state level. This move marked a significant shift in the direction of reducing the penalties associated with marijuana use.
- While a senior White House official told reporters nobody was serving time at the moment for mere possession of THC, the proclamation will apply to about 6,500 Americans, he said.
- Some people are ethically against marijuana legalization, while others like to talk about the risk to public health and safety given by marijuana use as a cause of their disapproval. Proponents on the other side of the scale argue it is not nearly as harmful as alcohol and testify to research indicating that it could deliver pain relief and alleviate stress.
- Proponents also regard it as a social justice endeavor of paramount importance and means for states to raise money. Marijuana legislation has adversely affected people from minority groups, with the effect of general imprisonment.
- States that have authorized the use of marijuana have gone ahead to correct previous adverse effects caused by its prohibition. These states frequently have laws that permit low-level marijuana convictions to be expunged or vacated.
Even in states where the drug has long been decriminalized – that is, where possession of less than a certain amount is not by means long condemned by law – such a law reduces marijuana-related arrests, according to a study released on December 28, 2022, by the American Medical Association.
Legalization Status of THC
Many more regions have decriminalized medical cannabis, including almost all continents of North and South America, Canada, most of Europe, and Australia. Medical writers have made it very clear that these two aspects, legalization and the accurate allowing use of medicinal marijuana, are two entirely dissimilar things. Everyone will need education, including lawmakers and medical practitioners, to get access to cannabis.
- Over the past year, there have been cautious legal developments in the medical field throughout Europe.
- Poland, for example, has relaxed its regulations permitting medical marijuana cultivation as of May 2022; Germany’s medicines regulator has reported positive study data as of July 2022.
- Switzerland has relaxed its regulations allowing any doctor to prescribe as of August 2022.
- Following this, the UK announced in January 2023 that it would add its fourth reimbursable (state-funded) indication to the list.
- Additionally, France announced in March 2023 that it would be extending its national medical cannabis assessment for another year to collect more data before making decisions on legalization. In contrast, medicinal cannabis use is still forbidden in Japan and Asia.
Conclusion
It looks like a significant initial move toward full legalization. This trend is seen in countries where rules for using cannabis for fun and health reasons are now in place simultaneously. The mind-altering part of cannabis, THC, has quite a few legal limits worldwide, the USA included.
