Multiple U.S. state officials and marijuana advocates have been making huge strides toward legalization and the movement to end marijuana prohibition. But all the progress could easily disappear depending on the next president to take office in 2017.

Like Us on Facebook

There are currently 23 states in the U.S. that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, and now a total of four states have approved marijuana legalization for recreational use with the additions of Oregon and Alaska in the midterm elections. 

Marijuana advocates have been hard at work in efforts to educate more people about the facts on the medicinal drug rather than bias anti-cannabis propaganda. Their dedication has been making significant progress, as evident with more states continuing to pass legalization laws.

Furthermore, there could be as much as another dozen more states looking to pass some type of marijuana legalization law during the election in 2016 as well, according to a report by the Huffington Post. But that doesn't mean all the progress to end marijuana prohibition couldn't immediately vanish with a new president.

"Despite the compelling case for legalization, and progress toward legalization at the state level, ultimate success is not assured," Harvard economist Jeff Miron said.

Obama and his administration has been taking a more hands-off approach to state-level marijuana laws and has been doing a relatively decent job at not interfering with marijuana medical dispensaries and recreational retail stores as of late.

"But in January 2017, the country will have a new president. That person could order the attorney general to enforce federal prohibition regardless of state law," Miron added.

Although American voters approved marijuana and is now legal on a state-level in certain states, marijuana is still classified as a schedule 1 drug and illegal on a federal-level under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.

So while the current administration has taken a more hands-off approach to marijuana operations that follow state laws, the new administration in 2017 could legally reverse that approach and increase marijuana prohibition efforts. Whether or not that will happen though still remains to be seen. 

Tagsmarijuana legalization, marijuana prohibition, presidency, Barack Obama, Obama administration, Controlled substances act, cannabis, medical marijuana