Why Montana Should Change Its Stance On Medical Marijuana
I feel the need to preface this by stating a few things:
- I don't smoke marijuana
- I have smoked marijuana before (quite a bit actually)
- I am a parent and don't want my kid to start smoking pot, drinking, or any other thing that is harmful or inappropriate for her
- I am convinced that marijuana is beneficial and effective in treating certain conditions and should NOT be prohibited to those people
For those opposed to medical marijuana, I assume it is simply based on the fact that pot is lumped into the same category as any other drug and therefore, more drugs equals bad for society. I understand that way of thinking because I was brought up that way. My dad was a career Marine and is as straight laced as they come. To him, Marijuana is no different than heroin. It's a drug and drugs are bad; end of story.
Since I have a tiny human that I'm responsible for guiding into a responsible, good adult, it's pretty easy for me to get into that same line of thinking...or at the very least, be ambivalent about it since I don't smoke it. Two things happened in my life that changed my attitude about medical marijuana in a big way. The first was my brother being diagnosed with Parkinson's which lead to the second thing: Watching the video I have posted above. I wasn't looking to justify marijuana use; I was looking to see what was in store for him and what the curent limits of science are pertaining to his treatment. If you think that medical marijuana is an excuse for people to get around the law and get high, you're right...sometimes. But, you should do a little research and you'll see that for the times you're wrong, it's a cruel set of outmoded rules.