A tidal wave of marijuana legalization washed over the country on Nov. 8.
When all the votes were counted, four states approved new or expanded medical marijuana laws, while another four went further, approving initiatives for recreational use of marijuana.
Medical marijuana is now legal in 28 states and Washington, D.C. — including Maryland — and nine of those have now legalized recreational possession, sale and use as well.
But all of these state law developments obscure a deeper problem: marijuana remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance under federal law. And serious federal penalties can still be imposed for its possession, sale or use.
