--- title: John Oliver Says It's High Time to Update Marijuana Laws description: As states legalize weed, John Oliver thinks its time to re-think federal law on marijuana canonical: https://time.com/4722445/john-oliver-marijuana-laws-last-week-tonight/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-03T09:37:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T10:51:22.843Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: John Oliver Blazed On the War On Weed On 'Last Week Tonight' og:description: “Marijuana is something we’ve just all gradually decided is okay,” said Oliver og:url: https://time.com/4722445/john-oliver-marijuana-laws-last-week-tonight/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bfc54d7108f3439/6988c0f4cd1bbaf6807048c5/gettyimages-659618566.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 2017 Garden Of Laughs og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Oliver Blazed On the War On Weed On 'Last Week Tonight' twitter:description: “Marijuana is something we’ve just all gradually decided is okay,” said Oliver twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bfc54d7108f3439/6988c0f4cd1bbaf6807048c5/gettyimages-659618566.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # John Oliver Says It's High Time to Update Federal Marijuana Laws > Sponsored content. 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Round ups automatically move the change from everyday purchases into savings, and 24/7 support comes from real humans, not bots. #### What bank is built for life today? Ally is the bank built for life today, a digital-first, people-first bank. Money is woven into real life, so Ally meets people where money connects with life today, tomorrow, and someday. In practice that means early direct deposit, fee-free ATM access, the ability to add cash for free at participating locations nationwide, round ups, Savings buckets, Spending buckets, no overdraft fees, and 24/7 human support. #### What bank is best for everyday spending and saving? Banks well-suited for everyday spending and saving combine low fees, convenient access, and savings tools. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Apr 3, 2017 9:37 AM UTC  John Oliver attends the 2017 Garden of Laughs at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 2017 in New York City. John Oliver attends the 2017 Garden of Laughs at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 2017 in New York City.Andrew Toth—FilmMagic/Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Apr 3, 2017 9:37 AM UTC Marijuana, or as [John Oliver](http://time.com/3763091/april-fools-day-john-oliver/?iid=sr-link3) calls it, “catnip for people,” has been legalized for recreational use in [eight states](http://time.com/4559278/marijuana-election-results-2016/?iid=sr-link3), while 44 states now have some form of medical marijuana law. However, those state laws are at odds with federal government regulations, potentially setting them on a collision with the Trump administration in a [crackdown](http://time.com/4713229/donald-trump-california-marijuana/?iid=sr-link8) spearheaded by [Attorney General Jeff Sessions.](http://time.com/4685414/jeff-sessions-recreational-marijuana-legal-crackdown/?iid=sr-link1) That potential conflict earned the attention of _Last Week Tonight_ on Sunday. A recent study shows that 60% of Americans now favor legalization of the drug. “Marijuana is something we’ve just all gradually decided is okay, like Mark Wahlberg as a serious actor,” said Oliver. However, thanks to Richard Nixon — or as Oliver calls him, “the Mozart of racially motivated law making” — marijuana is classified as a [Schedule 1 drug](http://time.com/4448757/7-scientific-effects-of-marijuana-that-experts-want-to-study/?iid=sr-link2) alongside methamphetamines and cocaine. It’s a classification that Oliver seems to believe is ridiculous, saying that weed is a Schedule 1 drug the same way “hedgehogs are apex predators.” There are a few bills making their way through the House of Representatives that could re-classify the drug, but until that happens, federal law still considers marijuana to be illegal, which can cause trouble for medical and recreational [marijuana](http://time.com/4565438/california-marijuana-faq-rules-prop-64/?iid=sr-link10) users even in states where weed has been legalized. According to Oliver, it’s high time for the federal laws to be updated. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4722445/john-oliver-marijuana-laws-last-week-tonight/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4722445/john-oliver-marijuana-laws-last-week-tonight/"},"headline":"John Oliver Says It's High Time to Update Federal Marijuana Laws","datePublished":"2017-04-03T09:37:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T10:51:22.843Z","description":"“Marijuana is something we’ve just all gradually decided is okay, like Mark Wahlberg as a serious actor,” said Oliver","url":"https://time.com/4722445/john-oliver-marijuana-laws-last-week-tonight/","keywords":["Marijuana","Television","politics","John Oliver","Last Week Tonight","Late Night Comedy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bfc54d7108f3439/6988c0f4cd1bbaf6807048c5/gettyimages-659618566.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bfc54d7108f3439/6988c0f4cd1bbaf6807048c5/gettyimages-659618566.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2017 Garden Of Laughs","caption":"2017 Garden Of Laughs","creditText":"Andrew Toth—FilmMagic/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4722445/john-oliver-marijuana-laws-last-week-tonight/","name":"John Oliver Says It's High Time to Update Federal Marijuana Laws"}}]}] ```