I was discussing the new prospects of the medical marijuana landscape with a good friend and longtime activist and was enlightened. The clear and decisive argument he made was too incredibly logical to ignore. He stated,”Medical marijuana should be a given. What kind of asshole would let someone suffer. What we are talking about is ADULT USE.” His argument was this. Opponents of cannabis always want to use “the kids” as an excuse to demonize a plant and criminalize society. He pointed out that if you go to any 7-11 there is gas that kids cannot use to drive, cigarettes they are not allowed to smoke, beer they are not allowed to drink, and porn they are not allowed to read, yet we do not tell kids to stay away from 7-11s. The kid argument falls on the lap of the parents and that just like all of the other ADULT USE items that we entrust our parents to steer their children clear of, cannabis is no different. DUH!!
A light bulb went on in my head and I wondered if I had been fighting the medical marijuana battle for so long that I had lost sight of the bigger picture. That, yes I am a patient, but first and foremost I was a grown ass man. Why should I have to settle for a doctor to sign off on my cannabis use. Cannabis is safe and I, as an adult, should be able to make that decision without having to make an appointment with my physician. I am tired of being treated like a criminal or lesser part of society because I choose cannabis over booze and porn. It is retarded and non-sensical and we must begin to expose this for what it is, a fraud. Cannabis prohibition is wrong, period. It is hypocritical and the law does more harm than the plant ever could. The “illegal ” aspect of cannabis makes it dangerous, as it invites in the dregs of society to capitalize off of the “illegality” of it all. What a joke.
I am a grown man and should be able to make that decision and the cops should not be telling me I can’t. Who are they to tell me that I cannot have some herb while they suck down a six-pack of Pabst and abuse their family or beat their dog. All I want to do is enjoy a joint in peace for a fucking minute without the worries of some law enforcement officer asserting himself into my life. Is that too much to ask? Granted it will be a minute before I smoke anything, medical or not, as my commitment to the US Probation department does not allow for that, but such is life. Hopefully by the time I am done with this the term “ADULT USE CANNABIS” will be household terminology. We need to begin the bigger picture battle and begin addressing the hypocrisy of the current situation. “Recreational Use” is an adolescent term and does not describe the true intentions of what reformists believe. Adults should be able to use cannabis if they choose. No one is saying fourteen year olds should have access to cannabis, but an ID saying you are an adult should be enough to use cannabis safely without fear of being an outlaw. Hell. If an eighteen year old kid can pack up and fly to the middle east to shoot people for freedom then he should be able to fire up a joint at the end of his long day if he chooses. I am on the ADULT USE bandwagon. Thank you for the wake-up call.
This piece was first published in march 2009 before the 19 debate ever began, but i think it is quite relevant to the discussion.