“We recognize that anyone who is currently purchasing marijuana is participating in illegal activity that is funding criminal organizations and street gangs,” he said in January. National legalization of cannabis north of the Canada–United States border is expected to create a competitive pressure for the United States to legalize at the federal level, lest consumers divert billions of dollars of revenue outside of the country. America’s patchwork system of cannabis oversight is restricted to individual state markets, which has created a variety of problems for both businesses and consumers. southern ontario cannabis stores Technically, cannabis is still federally illegal, and transportation between states is prohibited. This creates a large barrier to entry for companies that wish to expand to new markets, as well as confusion among patients and consumers who are traveling between states with legal cannabis but cannot bring cannabis from one state to another.