What is cannabis “legalization” if parents still have to worry about losing their kids, their
jobs, their housing or their freedom? The biggest tragedy of the war on weed has been
the devastating affect it has on families. Parents are on the frontlines of this battle and
face extraordinary threats because cannabis is illegal. The threat of losing one’s
children for weed should not even be an option. Any good legalization initiative should
say in bold letters right across the top; “THIS LEGISLATION ENSURES THAT WE
QUIT TAKING PEOPLE TO JAIL, QUIT TAKING PEOPLE’S CHILDREN, QUIT FIRING
PEOPLE FROM THEIR JOBS AND QUIT KICKING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR
HOUSING FOR WEED.” Otherwise what is the point? This is the real battle for
cannabis freedom: the rights of everyday folks, including parents, to enjoy cannabis
without the fear.
As election season heats up and we see new laws for 2016, we must ask ourselves,
“Does this do enough to protect families from prohibition?” Many cannabis reform
advocates would have us believe that any progress is good. The fact is that poorly
written laws are likely to be on the books for decades. It takes a lot of time and energy
to change a law once it is on the books. It is imperative that the new laws clearly state
their intentions to end the madness of it all. Parents who enjoy cannabis deserve our
respect. The time to change this is now. We must demand the upcoming laws ensure
that families are safe from attack by those who hate weed. Anything less is simply
unacceptable.