If you deal with legitimate US companies like Coinbase, then yes, it does. Bitcoin is now seen with some degree of legitimacy by the US government and the parts of the US public that are aware of it.
Bitcoin, like anything else built on strong cryptography and/or decentralization (Tor, BitTorrent), is of course still used for nefarious purposes including money laundering and funding of criminal enterprises. But the legitimate use likely outweighs the illicit use. And the bulk of the illicit use is primarily for what I would consider very minor crimes (like buying drugs for recreational use in one's own home).
US dollars are used for illicit purposes, in much greater volume than Bitcoin in its entire history. I don't see how this change anything with bitcoin.
Cash can be easily used to launder, but it has to be done physically and generally requires in-person interaction. Cryptocurrencies can be used to launder but can be done remotely and through various forms of proxied mediums.
But that difference is one caused by all sorts of technological advancements, including completely unrelated advancements, and in my opinion is not a great excuse to preemptively treat the currencies differently. By your same reasoning, the advent of air travel made laundering cash easier.
>By your same reasoning, the advent of air travel made laundering cash easier.
That's true, though. Law enforcement agencies around the world had to account for plane flights as a potential way to trade illicit substances and gains from those substances. They had to hire experts in satellites and radar systems to track air vehicles carrying contraband when necessary.
And the same is true of cryptocurrencies. Law enforcement has to quickly adapt to the new medium and overcome extra hurdles.
I'm not discounting cryptocurrencies or air travel at all, I'm just saying that technological inventions often create many new intended and unintended externalities for all sorts of entities.
Bitcoin, like anything else built on strong cryptography and/or decentralization (Tor, BitTorrent), is of course still used for nefarious purposes including money laundering and funding of criminal enterprises. But the legitimate use likely outweighs the illicit use. And the bulk of the illicit use is primarily for what I would consider very minor crimes (like buying drugs for recreational use in one's own home).