All Bill Maher Wants for Valentine's Day Is Legal Weed

He doesn't understand why it's not legal.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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When it comes to marijuana legalization, the United States is making progress. Weed is legal in Colorado, and as a result the state has seen a record number of tourists. Sales of legal weed are expected to top $20 billion by 2020, some companies allow their employees to smoke at work, and there's even a market for kosher weed because Jews smoke too. However, as Bill Maher points out, we still have a long way to go before we're living in legalization bliss. Some states are notoriously harsh when it comes to anti-weed laws, and very few politicians have spoken out in favor of lifting the federal ban on the drug.

Unfortunately, "progress doesn't automatically snowball," Maher said on yesterday's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. "In 2013, LA had nearly 700 dispensaries, but since then over 500 have been shut down." He goes on, "Somehow this is the year when everything from socialism to mass deportation is on the table, but when it comes time for Congress to consider common-sense pot legislation, it's like smoking a joint with Woody Harrelson—they just won't pass it."

Maher goes on to call out twisted agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration, the police force, and prisons, saying the main reason legalization legislation doesn't pass is because lawmakers are tied up in the cash that flows into these organizations thanks to illegal weed. "I can't think of another example of a drug that's legal in one state but not in another—it's not a tenable situation," he said, before pulling out a joint and lighting up right there on set like the national hero he is.

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