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Federalism is a political system of state establishment, which allows separate states within an entity to function under a common set of rules while maintaining their own autonomy and integrity (Adler, 2020). It is a mix between the unitary and the confederal systems, sought to eliminate the negative sides of both while maintaining the advantages of either. In a federal government, all subjects share the same basic policies, which are agreed upon through the process of political bargaining and negotiation. At the same time, the dispersal of power between different power centers serves as a guarantee of protection for individual and local liberties. Under the US federal model, there are national governing powers (Federal), state governing powers, and concurrent powers, where the responsibilities of both branches co-align (Adler, 2020).
The US federal model had been created to solve the issues the state had with the Articles of Confederation, which resulted in numerous conflicts between state subjects while the federal government was unable to react (Adler, 2020). The stages of evolution of the model included early federalism, dual federalism, and new federalism. The early form of federalism existed soon after the Great Compromise. Dual federalism became prominent during the late 19th century, when the emergence of 10th, 16th, and 17th amendments divided state and federal powers (Adler, 2020). Finally, a new model of federalism, which gradually returned power to the states after the New Deal policies, happened in the late 20th century, under Reagan administration (Adler, 2020).
Some of the weaknesses of the federalist government is demonstrated by marijuana legalization efforts. On a federal level, marijuana is considered to be a controlled substance, under the 1970 federal law (Adler, 2020). Its production and distribution is prohibited. At the same time, over a half of American states have legalized it on a state level. Federal government cannot prohibit the states from doing so, and the states cannot protect their citizens from being persecuted on a federal level (Adler, 2020). The two remain at an impasse, as enforcing a nation-wide marijuana crackdown is something the federal government does not have the resources or the political will to do.
References
Adler, J. H. (Ed.). (2020). Marijuana federalism: Uncle Sam and Mary Jane.
Brookings Institution Press.
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