Do the States have the authority to legalize marijuana?
This is very much a yes and no situation. It can be declared legal within the state, by the state government. However, federal law will still hold that it is illegal. The federal government will likely still be inclined to prosecute. In California, for example, marijuana is legal for medical reasons, but it’s still against federal law. And every now and then, the feds raid a clinic or a doctors records, just to show who’s boss. If more and more states legalize it, I’m sure the federal government would also try to find a way to coerce them. For example, technically any state can make the drinking age whatever they choose – but if they make it less than 21, the federal government will revoke all of their highway funding. I’m sure they’ll do the same thing with pot. And to answer your last question, yes, it is a personal liberty, regardless of what the government says. It doesn’t stop being a personal liberty because they say so. Government’s do not grant us our rights; government’s are (
