End the stigma
There was a recent segment on the Today Show regarding "Marijuana Moms", and I felt a sense of relief.
For decades adults who have used cannabis have been stigmatized as drug addicts and losers, with some families losing everything over a harmless plant. The "Just say no" policy that most of us had in school taught our generation that marijuana would lead to crack or heroin. They showed images of cartoon
homeless people smoking a joint, or a burn out kid failing school. Now we are older, raising kids, working, volunteering, but most importantly, contributing to society. The false propaganda we were given of the "loser burn out" smoking weed and doing nothing is now becoming ancient history.
Outdated politicians like Jeff Sessions, are shocked that Americans are no longer caving to the false information we were all given before. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker recently submitted a bill to decriminalize marijuana as a Schedule I drug and retroactively remove the charges of those who’ve been convicted of marijuana possession or use. While the probability of this bill passing is a long shot, its a huge step forward. “Our country’s drug laws are badly broken and need to be fixed,” Booker said in a statement viewed by BuzzFeed News. “They don’t make our communities any safer—instead they divert critical resources from fighting violent crimes, tear families apart, unfairly impact low-income communities and communities of color, and waste billions in taxpayer dollars each year.”
With more main stream news outlets, and young politicians now crying foul, is the stigma that once criminalized parents now coming to an end? I believe its a matter of location. Parents in states like California, Washington, and Colorado where weed has been legalized, are no longer facing the same criticism as pot smoking adults in areas like Alabama or Kansas. The cannabis community has a way to go, but with responsible use we may be able to prove to the country that misinformation is the only threat associated with marijuana.
