Cannabis Advocacy Matters Now More Than Ever

In 1976, Robert Randall, a college professor in Washington, D.C., became the first legal pot smoker in the U.S. 

Four years earlier, in 1972, he had been diagnosed with glaucoma, an irreversible eye disease that would eventually leave him blind. Through experimentation, he discovered that smoking cannabis relieves some of the blindness-inducing pressure in his eyes, far more than any of the prescription medications doctors have prescribed to him.

So, Randall and his wife, Alice O’Leeary Randall, began growing their own cannabis plants to ensure he’d have access to a steady supply of quality marijuana. This worked for a time, until the District of Columbia Vice Squad arrested Randall for cultivating the illegal plant.

Almost one year—and after a massive legal battle watched the world over—the court granted Randall legal access to government-grown, high-quality cannabis. He could have taken that access and ridden off into the sunset, content with his ability to receive the care he needed to keep his sight. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t. 

Instead, Randall became one of the first and most platformed advocates for medicinal cannabis. He spent the rest of his life, up until his death in 2001, campaigning for open access to marijuana for those who need it. He and his wife started the Alliance for Marijuana Therapeutics and the Marijuana AIDS Research Service; they wrote several books about the value of cannabis together, and took every opportunity they were offered to appear on talk shows and in print, arguing for why cannabis should be available to all who wanted or needed it.

The State of Advocacy Today

Fast forward 50 years, and many people will argue that advocacy like Randall’s is no longer necessary. Sure, they say, his work mattered at the time, but now, with medical cannabis legalized in 40 states and the federal government indicating that they’ll likely legalize cannabis full stop in the near future, the fight is over. 

We don’t agree.

We still need cannabis advocacy more than ever because lawmakers haven’t legalized it federally, the harmful legacy of the “war on drugs” persists, research barriers block scientific progress, companies often prioritize profits over safety, and bias remains deeply ingrained.

The Federal Legalization of Cannabis

Until the federal government legalizes cannabis, its status will remain in question. This impacts everything from individual use to research potential and industry growth.

As it stands right now, the 10th Amendment preempts federal law when it comes to personal cannabis use in states where it has been legalized. Federal law does not obligate state agents to enforce it. For example, the Department of Justice cannot require a state trooper to arrest someone in New York, where recreational and medicinal cannabis use is legalized, for federal offenses like possession. 

The Cole Memorandum, which was issued in 2013, protected businesses in a very similar way, advising federal prosecutors to refrain from marijuana prosecutions in states where it has been legalized with a few key exceptions. This has allowed some semblance of a cannabis industry to form in the U.S., even if it lacks coherence and formal regulation and often prioritizes profits over the safety of its consumers.

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However, without federal legalization, both personal use and the industry’s existence are at risk. The Cole Memorandum was formally revoked in 2018, and President Trump has recently indicated that he would like to use Department of Justice funds to interfere with the implementation of state-level cannabis laws. New leadership or a shift in public opinion could quickly renege on existing precedents and legalizations.

Additionally, without federal legalization, the amount of research that can be done on cannabis is severely limited. The federal government does not recognize cannabis as a suitable treatment for any medical condition, which means scientists face huge bureaucratic hurdles in obtaining it for study. When they are able to obtain permission, they still struggle to find funding, willing participants, and marijuana that meets the FDA’s standards. The lack of research may deny millions of Americans access to life-altering treatment options because we haven’t yet determined all the conditions cannabis can treat.

The ‘War on Drugs’ Legacy

Cannabis advocacy is also necessary to rectify the ongoing legacy of America’s “War on Drugs.” 

Since the 1970s, more Black Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges than their white counterparts. In a 2020 report, the ACLU found that racial disparities had remained unchanged since 2010, even as more states legalized cannabis. At this point, law enforcement arrests Black Americans for cannabis possession at a rate 3.64 times higher than it arrests white Americans.

This is not accidental. One of President Nixon’s aids said in an interview that the entire point of the ‘War on Drugs’ was to disrupt Black and hippie communities by making activities they were likely to engage in criminal. Whether or not lawmakers understood how detrimental this policy would be, no one can deny that it has created vast, widespread, and generational impacts on minority communities.

Giving up on cannabis advocacy now is akin to leaving those communities behind. Lawmakers must decriminalize cannabis to ensure no one faces jail time for smoking a joint. We must actively challenge cannabis-related bias so that already marginalized communities aren’t burdened further. We need to ensure that society doesn’t see prior cannabis charges as a reason to keep families apart or competent people from well-paying jobs.

Cannabis advocacy today isn’t just about ensuring free and easy access in the future, but righting past wrongs caused by inaccurate or weaponized perceptions of the plant.

READ: Mom With A Mission: How An Epilepsy Battle Inspired Advocacy

An Ongoing Fight

Robert Randall’s pioneering efforts paved the way for cannabis advocacy. He understood that true progress required systemic change. Today, his spirit of advocacy is more crucial than ever.

While the cannabis landscape has undoubtedly shifted over the last 50 years, the fight is far from over. Federal legalization remains elusive, perhaps more uncertain now than it was a decade ago, leaving the industry and individual users in limbo. Without that federal stamp of approval, weed’s legal status is patchwork, hindering essential scientific research and leaving businesses vulnerable to shifting political tides.

Even more critically, the lingering effects of the “War on Drugs” continue to disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Despite widespread legalization efforts, racial disparities in cannabis-related arrests and outcomes persist. This stark reality underscores the urgent need for continued advocacy, not just for decriminalization, but for comprehensive social justice initiatives that address the generational harm inflicted by discriminatory policies.

Ultimately, cannabis advocacy in 2025 and beyond is about so much more than just legal access; We aim to rectify historical injustices, promote equitable opportunities, and ensure that scientific and medical potentials are fully realized. By continuing to champion this cause, we honor the legacy of pioneers like Randall and help create a world where cannabis is regulated, understood, and accessible to all.