First Ever U.S. senate hearing on marijuana legalisation

On September 10th, the first ever U.S. Senate Hearing on marijuana legalization was held to review the growing tensions between state and federal law on marijuana. In the light of U.S. Attorney General Eric Hold’s directives to state prosecutors to them not to interfere with state marijuana laws – as long as a number of situations are adhered to. As the U.S. based Drug Policy Alliance notes, More than 750,000 people were arrested for marijuana in the U.S. in 2011, the last year for which data is available.

Of those arrests, 87% were for mere possession. Polls show that a majority of Americans support legalizing and regulating marijuana like alcohol, and support is rising across the political spectrum. It is likely that more states will legalize marijuana between now and November 2016.

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