Not true at all. Out side of progressive areas like major coastal cities posession of marijuana can in some cases be a felony offense. Contrary to what you have stated, people ARE arrested regularly for simple possession of the drug, almost always meaning very limited life prospects in the future.
9 mil is nothing to scoff at. Sell it and start a new company, or work out deal where you continue to work on the product if you simply cannot part with it.
The saying "Everyone should learn how to write" is the same sort of thing. It would be great if more people were able to write well, but the reality is one must put in some effort to be effective at any skill.
Should everyone learn how to code? It would be nice/cool if everyone did, but it is probably not plausible.