On Oct. 7, the former Attorney General under Barack Obama, Eric Holder, recently reported that the U.S. is on the path to federal marijuana decriminalization. To use his exact words, he stated that “we are on a glide path now,” meaning a straight, smooth, and direct path towards federal marijuana decriminalization. He was talking at a drug policy panel at Ohio State University when he was discussing it.

Current Beliefs

Holder does not only believe the U.S. is on the path to decriminalization. He also agrees that the lawmakers should reexamine the whole legislation surrounding the path to decriminalization. This is specifically focusing on the racial disparity in the sentencing. However, he is still conflicted about the idea of lawmakers decriminalizing other illicit drugs, like heroin and cocaine. He backs this up, stating, “given the fact that you see the negative impact that the use of these drugs has on people individually and then, individuals banding together, a negative impact on
 society at large”. This means they cause more harm than good to both individuals and society. That said, he stated that lawmakers should “substantially lower” drug charges and should prosecute them on an individual basis.

Past Attempts

His support of the decriminalization of marijuana is just starting here. In 2015, he stated that lawmakers should take marijuana off of the Schedule 1 list. With marijuana on this list, it stands on the same ground as heroin. He also stated in 2018 that he’s never seen “any evidence” that points towards marijuana addiction. He also supported the issuing of the “Cole memo,” which discouraged federal prosecutors from going after people complying with the state-legal cannabis laws. However, some activists have pointed out that he didn’t make any movements towards making these changes when he had the chance, beyond the aforementioned memo.

Disclaimer

People should note that even if Holder is correct and the U.S. is on the “glide path” towards decriminalization, that will not be the same as legalization. This means that lawmakers will lessen the consequences of marijuana use at the most. However, they will still technically be illegal.

Hope

Regardless of whether or not this decriminalization does occur, it does offer some hope for the future. Even if lawmakers only decriminalize it at this time, it would still be a step in the direction towards federal legalization. As such, activists are hopeful that this will occur if not complete legalization.

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