These State Laws Don’t Care What The Federal Government Decides

While the federal government has wide-reaching authority, its power isn’t without boundaries. In fact, if a state law gives people more rights than a federal law, the state law is legally supposed to triumph the federal one. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, and we often find the federal law overruling the states in positions of conflict. But as of early 2018, there have been numerous laws passed in various states that oppose the federal law. From marijuana legalization to increased wages, some states are making their own decisions, and not caring what the federal government has to say about it.

California Residents Get More Flexible Marijuana Laws

According to federal law, marijuana is classified as a controlled substance, but that isn’t stopping a number of states from making it legal for recreational purposes. The latest state to hop on the pot bandwagon is California. For years marijuana has been legal in the state for medicinal purposes. In 2016 California passed a law that made it legal for adults 21 and older to grow, possess and use limited quantities of marijuana, but it was illegal to sell, which was frustrating to residents. But as of January 1, 2018, it is legal to sell cannabis for recreational purposes through licensed shops, making residents’ wildest dreams a reality.