I Don’t Smoke Marijuana

It’s true I don’t. When I first started writing my blog and telling my friends about it I got the same response from them every time “But you don’t smoke weed why do you want it legal?”. They say this like the only motivation I have for all of my writing and hard work is so that I’ll be able to smoke a joint on a Friday night without legal repercussions. But I see beyond that. I see that cannabis can actually have a positive impact on the country as a whole as it relates to crime, the economy, and personal freedom. Should I be angry at my friends for assuming that I have such a short sighted and self centered goal about this plant? The answer is unequivocally no! The response that I am given does not reflect on my friends’ inability to see the bigger picture, but rather it shows the effects of years of conditioning from society’s stereotypes. The specific stereotype that we must address is that of the traditional marijuana supporter. You all know the type, the twenty to thirty something loser that lives in his parents’ basement baked out of his skull lecturing to his friend who is passed out on the floor about how marijuana should be legal all while he is eating five pizzas at once and surfing through a porn site on his laptop. Yeah that guy! It doesn’t matter if you hold a good job, own a house, or earned a PHD you are automatically grouped into the same category as this individual. It’s not only insulting it is incredibly ignorant but worry not ignorance can be remedied with knowledge.

                More people need to address this stereotype as a falsehood. It is a large part of the reason why debates about marijuana do not take place in the larger public eye. We are discredited as knuckle dragging Neanderthals before we have a chance to present our opinions. As poised and articulate as an activist may be these attributes do him no good if he is labeled as a degenerate before he has been given a chance to speak. How are we to rise above these commonly held misconceptions about us? The good news is that we are starting to. Polls now show that about fifty percent of Americans believe that marijuana should be a legal substance and America wouldn’t be the great country that it is if this was the number of losers that inhabited our nation. Furthermore organizations such as L.E.A.P. and NORML help our cause by presenting intelligent arguments to the general public. It cannot stop here however. More people need to take a stand and share their stories and experiences with marijuana. I truly believe that people are going to be surprised when they discover that individuals they admire use marijuana, support its legalization, or both.

                The more we gravitate away from the common stereotypical myths about ourselves the more we will start to gain credibility among our peers, and the respect we earn from them will grow exponentially. Don’t be afraid to share your stories and opinions with the people around you for fear you’ll be labeled a fool. I can assure most of you reading this are far from one.  The only way to eradicate ignorance is to share your knowledge. For knowledge is power and it is the key that unlocks the shackles of ignorance that bind us.