The Florida Politics Behind Recreational Marijuana

By Amanda Thompson

While 11 states across the country have legalized recreational marijuana for ages 21 and older, Florida is still at least two years behind. Cannabis, ganja, Mary Jane, kush, and reefer, are all slang terms used to refer to the same drug: marijuana. Marijuana is federally known by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin, ecstasy, LSD and peyote. 

According to http://www.dea.gov, these drugs “have been determined to have a high potential for abuse/addiction and have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, with the exception of marijuana for medical use.” With many nationwide efforts pushing for the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana usage, many wonder: why is marijuana still federally illegal?

“For our generation, I think smoking is equally if not more popular than drinking,” said Katelyn Gfroerer, senior sport management major at The University of Tampa. “It’s such a…