A: Cannabis has been used around the world for religious and spiritual purposes dating back to approximately 3,000 BC. The possession, use and sale of Cannabis are illegal in most countries. In the United States, Cannabis possession, use and sale have been illegal under federal law since the early 1900s. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which classifies cannabis as having high potential for abuse, no medical use, and not safe to use without medical supervision. Multiple efforts to reschedule cannabis under the Act have failed, and the United States Supreme Court has ruled in United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative and Gonzales v. Raich that the federal government has a right to regulate and criminalize cannabis, even for medical purposes.
Despite the federal legislation, the U.S. government has recently been more accepting and forgiving of drug charges involving Cannabis, especially since recreational Cannabis use is now legal under state laws in Colorado and several other states, and medical Cannabis use is legal in many additional states. Colorado voters passed Colorado Amendment 64 on November 6, 2012, which allows for the cultivation, manufacture, sale, possession and consumption of Cannabis for personal use for adults ages 21 and older to be enforced and regulated like alcohol. The first adult-use Cannabis stores officially opened in Colorado on January 1, 2014.