possession under federal law since it became a crime in the 70s. while no one is currently serving time in federal prison for simply possessing weed, this does clear a big hurdle for people trying to get a job, housing, apply to college, or get federal benefits. right now recreational marijuana is on legal on the state level, and five more will vote on legalizing cannabis in november. 38 u.s. states have legalized it for medicinal use. for more perspective let s bring in robert solomon, a clinical professor of law and co-chair of the university of california, irvine center for the study of cannabis. he joins me from irvine, california. thank you so much for being with us. let s start with the biggest upside from the announcement as you see it. the headlines are all about the pardons which is terrific but affects very few people and doesn t get anyone out of prison. so the big news is in the second
and that s put us in this awkward position today with state legislators and elections, you know, voters are voting on referenda to make this legal. and we re doing without the knowledge that we should have. all right. we ll have to leave it there. thank you very much for your insights, robert solomon. appreciate it. thank you very much. still ahead this hour [ chants ] an uprising in iran is met with a brutal crackdown. activists say protesters are paying a deadly price. how authorities are responding to the allegations. and hurricane ian left a trail of destruction across florida, and more than a week later many are still trying to pick up the pieces. we ll have their stories next. please stay with us. my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multltitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain h health. to help keepep me sharp.
Years after California legalized cannabis with Proposition 64, some supporters say it has not met expectations, while those who opposed the initiative say it has proved worse than they feared.