Numerous New Laws Went into Effect On January 1

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Many legislatures around the country establish January 1st as the day that laws go into effect, and 2017 has been no different. Across the country, laws on subjects ranging from guns to soda taxes to using phones in cars went into effect.

California, for example, has made it illegal to sell most versions of the AR-15 assault rifle, while Missouri has made it legal for anyone 19 or older to carry a concealed weapon without any licensing or training. Boston reduced speed limits from 30 to 25, and California has banned drivers from holding cell phones behind the wheel.

In Maine, doctors can now only prescribe a seven-day supply of painkillers such as Vicodin or Percocet, unless the patient has chronic pain, in which case they can get a maximum 30-day supply. This law is meant to help combat the epidemic of opioid abuse in that state.

While some of these laws may seem like they’ve been a long time coming, or speak deeply to the zeitgeist of the time, especially the very different gun laws mentioned above, some of the laws are less obviously needed.

Colorado for example made it illegal to misrepresent a pet as a service animal. Apparently people in that state have been procuring service vests for their pets so that they can take them into stores or other places that don’t normally allow dogs. While that may sound silly, such animals can be disruptive and pose a threat to actual service animals.

Laws are generally set to go into effect on a certain date in order to give citizens and law enforcement agencies the opportunity to prepare for them, especially those that make a previously legal activity illegal. For those who study legislation or its effects, it can be easy to point out exactly how long a law has been in effect in real, clearly understandable terms. Laws almost never go into effect immediately, largely because there is a significant amount of work that needs to be done in order to put a law into effect.