The Constitution and Federalism

Introduction

Federalism is one of the most essential and innovative concepts in the United States. It is the distribution of power between state and national governments.  In America, the states existed first, and they struggled to make a national government.  The U.S. Constitution is hardwired with the tensions of that struggle, and Americans still argue the proper responsibility of the national government versus the states. One of the possible explanations for federalism's rarity is that it is somehow intrinsically not stable.

Discussion

The medical use of marijuana is indeed a hot topic. Scientists indicate the potential use of cannabinoid drug to treat the symptoms of several painful and life-threatening illnesses like glaucoma, and a few types of cancers. Smoked marijuana, however, is a crude THC delivery system that provides harmful substances (Hoffmann and Weber, 1453-1457). The related psychological effects of such drugs such as sedation and anxiety reduction can influence their therapeutic value. These effects are undesirable for some patients, and beneficial for others depending on the situation. It has further been studied that the use of marijuana could be effective in relieving few symptoms of HIV/AIDS and cancer (Hall and Degenhardt, 689-697). Patients whose doctors suggest medical marijuana for specific illnesses and chronic conditions are not liable for criminal prosecution in states that have passed medical marijuana laws. Over the past years, several states have passed medical marijuana laws, even though federal law makes no such exemptions from the drug prohibition policy. Several states only permit incurably ill patients to use marijuana, for instance, while others are much less restrictive.

Of the states that have medical marijuana programs, the ones that were passed by the state's legislature and signed into law by the governor were as follows:

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Hawaii

Illinois

Maryland

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

Rhode Island

On the other hand, the programs that were passed by the voters were in:

Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Maine

Massachusetts

Michigan

Montana

Nevada

Oregon

Washington

This type of law should not only be decided by the voters as it is indeed a legislative issue. If only the programs are based and decided upon voting, it might not bring efficient results to the society, and there are high chances of misuse and corruption. Whereas, if the legislation is involved, the social and economical issues will also be taken into consideration, and the laws passed would be more strict and considerate. Relying completely on the voters would definitely not be an ideal situation for the state, as well as, the aim ...