California Pushing for Broader Legalization of Marijuana

As the federal government's War on Drugs continues to fail and cost taxpayers billions of dollars every year, some in government and at the grass roots level have taken it upon themselves to try to change things in California. Although marijuana is considered an illegal drug by the federal government - without exception - California was able to successfully legalize the drug for medical purposes in 1996. In addition to that ground-breaking legislation, California also has some of the more relaxed marijuana possession laws and penalties in the country.

Basically, if you're a recreational marijuana smoker, you're probably safer in California than in any other state in the country. But marijuana advocates want to keep that momentum moving forward and there are petitions circulating, looking for signatures to support one of three new initiatives. Each of the initiatives addresses a different aspect of legalization, but all would fly directly in the face of federal law and the enforcement of those laws.

The Obama administration has stated that it would defer to state law with regards to marijuana legislation and enforcement. And, quite frankly, the Obama administration has far too much on its plate at the moment to address something as trivial as marijuana legalization. Medical marijuana facilities are already operating with near impunity in California and the society hasn't crumbled just yet. Ultimately, broader based legalization seems an inevitability, although it may take another administration or two before there is enough "political capital" in Washington to make that happen.