Food and Drug Law Commons^™

Pacta Sunt Servanda State Legalization Of Marijuana And Subnational Violations Of International Treaties: A Historical Perspective, Brian M. Blumenfeld

Pepperdine Law Review

In November 2012, voters in the states of Colorado and Washington passed ballot initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana industries. Since then, eight additional states and the District of Columbia have followed suit, and many more have seen legalization debates in their legislative halls and among their electorates. Over twenty bills recently introduced in Congress have sought to break federal marijuana laws away from prohibition. Although the national debate is indeed a vibrant one, it has neglected to address how legalization may be jeopardizing the compliance status of the United States under international drug treaties, and what the consequences may be …