We all know that Washington and Colorado have legalized it, that more than 11 other states have decriminalized it, we watch in movies and TV shows as people partake in it and the President has even admitted to using it.
The problem is that Marijuana prohibition has been raging for the better part of the last century and on into this one. As this era in our history may be coming to an end, is society ready for this change?
Used in earlier centuries as a pharmaceutical; this gregarious plant has managed to push through the cracks in the system and take root in the counter culture. With the stigma of users surrounded by the black cloud of illicit activities, is there a place for this herb in today's society?
Thousands of people every year are incarcerated for non-violent crimes involving marijuana. In most of these cases, small doses carry large sentences. If legalization happens on the national level, what will happen to all of those “criminals”? Will sentences be repealed, will fines be waved, and will restitutions be paid to those prosecuted under these draconian laws? How will society make these people whole again or will they be left to recoup their losses on their own?
The time has come for each to choose a side. Whether you are a doubter, user, or supporter, the Reefer Revolution affects us all.
For decades, our society has been told that this small plant is deadly. It is responsible for countless hours wasted in front of the TV and millions of calories in junk food are consumed regularly due to the use of this potent herb.
I am not a user of alcohol but I would not want to take away my neighbors right to consume it, if they so choose. The same goes for the pot. If you choose to puff, what is it of my business? Cigarettes kill more and more people every year. Why tobacco is legal but Mary is an outlaw is beyond me. “Here, have a Pack of Death, but don’t you dare look at that plant over there!”
I am not saying we need a nation of Stoners, but it should be our choice just like it is our choice to eat a Super-Size Heart attack, drink a shot of Liver-Killer, and have Diabetes in a cone for desert. Nothing that grows out of the ground can be as bad as the Yoga mat I ate the other day in my sub sandwich and the pink slime they put in my kid’s “chicken” nuggets.
Just some food for thought.
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