Discussion Topic: Federalism & Recreational Marijuana
Several states, including Colorado and Washington, legalized marijuana for recreational use (see complete, current map here). The federal government still considers marijuana an illegal substance. The battle between the federal government and state governments over marijuana has been going on for some time especially in regard to the issue of medical marijuana.
This issue, which is a concern of federalism, has once again turned heads because the federal government recently stated that they would not go after the states that legalized marijuana for recreational use. Read No federal challenge to pot legalization in two states at
The judge's decision was critical in this debate, as many states have acted (or not acted) since. After reading the article answer the following two questions in your discussion:
Question 1) What is an opinion of the attorney general's decision?
Question 2) Peters (the textbook) states that, one can still argue that centralization of control in the federal system has increased. Do one believe this statement applies to the recreational marijuana scenario? Explain your response.