Every major presidential candidate in both the Republican and Democratic parties supports letting states legalize marijuana for the first time in American history. With Sen. Marco Rubio’s dropping out, there are no contenders left in the race who have pledged to enforce federal marijuana laws in states that opt to end prohibition. Clinton, Sanders, Trump, Cruz and Kasich all say they will support state legalization of Marijuana.

Looks like the politicians have seen the polls showing that people overwhelmingly support legalization and now are using it to get votes. Whatever has made them change their mind doesn’t matter though, as long as they follow through!

"Know your enemy," wrote the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu in The Art of War: while it might be infuriating to listen to virulent, ill-informed anti-drug lobby rhetoric, it's still important to be aware of the most vocal opponents of legalization. Here are five of America's most outspoken prohibitionists. 

1. Calvina L. Fay

wsuf.edu

Children afflicted with Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy, have been effectively treated with a cannabis-based drug, Epidiolex, containing cannabinoids, the GW Pharmaceuticals announced Monday. Investors snapped up shares of the little-known firm, effectively doubling the company’s market value overnight. 

GW Pharmaceuticals are seeking approval for Epidiolex from U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Analysts expect GW Pharmaceuticals Epidiolex to cost $2,500 to $5,000 a month, which would be more expensive than some of the medical marijuana products, which cost from about $100 to more than $1,000 per month. However, Epidiolex might be covered by insurance, unlike the other products.

Speaking at a drug abuse summit in Atlanta, the US president committed to tackling heroin and prescription opioid epidemic with prevention and treatment.

Obama speaking at a National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, Georgia on 29 March 2016. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Barack Obama committed Tuesday to take on America’s growing heroin and prescription opioid epidemic by devoting resources to prevention and treatment, rather than to the “war on drugs” policies of the last few decades.

Those behind the THC-limiting proposals say they're smart, cautious moves; Opponents say they'll hurt the pot industry.

A proposed ballot initiative and an amendment to a bill in the state House would cap the THC potency of recreational cannabis and marijuana products at a percentage below most of those products’ current averages.

The initiative would limit the potency of “marijuana and marijuana products” to 15 percent or 16 percent THC.

The average potency of Colorado pot products is already higher — 17.1 percent for cannabis flower and 62.1 percent for marijuana extracts, according to a state study.

California's multibillion-dollar medical cannabis industry is largely a white man's game. It's rare to see a person of color owning a marijuana dispensary or running a major cannabis business; most black and brown people you see in the industry are working security or maybe behind the budtenders' counter. 

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday signed legislation that allows dispensaries to sell marijuana-infused edibles and extracts to people 21 and older. The Oregon Health Authority must first draft rules for the new products before shops can begin selling them.

Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday signed a bill that allows anyone 21 and older to purchase marijuana extracts and pot-infused edibles from Oregon dispensaries.

The provision is part of Senate Bill 1511, which also allows recreational pot shops to sell tax-free medical marijuana to patients.

Right now it’s not hard to buy pot legally in California: $40 and a trip to the doctor, and you have yourself a prescription for medical marijuana, which you can use to treat things like back pain and anxiety.

But a campaign is underway to make pot legal for recreational use. Supporters are gathering signatures now to put an initiative on the November ballot, asking California voters if pot should be fully legal, like it is in Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

“There’s a freight train coming,” Equities CEO Enzo Villani tells BE Senior Personal Finance Editor Stacey Tisdale, in reference to the emerging cannabis industry in the United States.

Like it or not, the legalized marijuana industry is spreading like wildfire in America, as 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the plant in some form.

The vast healing properties of the cannabis plant are becoming more and more widely known. The actual scientific knowledge behind why and how cannabinoids are an invaluable treatment and medication is sadly not widespread. Often misunderstood and misinterpreted, some studies involving the treatment and effects of cannabis on medical patients have sometimes been taken into the realm of pseudoscience by otherwise well-meaning cannabis activists and advocates. As with anything else in life, it’s imperative we have all the facts down before we attempt to explain them to others.