"How can you ban something which is distributed?" McAfee said. It is impossible. "In the 1930s they once tried to ban alcohol in America but we consumed more alcohol. This ban is simply not going to work." That's just awesome, I like this guy!
In America, the government has had the history of accepting something if it will not really go away even spending so much effort and money. The one mentioned here is the alcohol ban but the latest for this is the recent legalization of marijuana even for entertainment purposes and not anymore limited to the medical side.
Heck, there are even many marijuana-related projects supporting and using the blockchain technology. Rather than spending money to put up a hopeless fight, the government decided to open the floodgate and make big tax revenues instead. This can a win-win situation for both those who insist to use the marijuana and the government who can be cash-strapped.
It would be the same with Bitcoin though in USA Bitcoin is not actually banned and people are given enough leeway to buy and sell Bitcoin. The big issue is with ICOs which can be considered as issuing securities based on the Howey Test.