Two-dozen states have legalized the adult possession of marijuana under state law. Many more have legalized the possession and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Yet marijuana distribution and possession remain illegal under federal law.
The federal government may not devote significant resources toward enforcing federal marijuana prohibition, but the fact that marijuana is illegal under federal law can still have meaningful consequences (though fewer for gun owners than before, thanks to the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Hemani).
A case in point that federal marijuana prohibition can have legal significance is today's decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Hello Farms Marketing MI v. GR Vending MI, holding that a marijuana contract is unenforceable in federal court given the illegal subject matter and throwing out a contrary district court ruling.
