Hells of a Non-Medical State

#3: FEAR

They say Marijuana makes you paranoid. Ironically, what people are paranoid of is being arrested... being charged.... being ripped off... being without...


All things that we risk by using Marijuana as medicine in a non-medical state.


The worst being the fear of being persecuted and having your family torn apart for merely trying to survive...

I really understand the hesitation to stand up and speak out... despite one's own beliefs.

Fear is definitely an issue that keeps many from speaking out against Cannabis Prohibition...    especially for doctors, judges, lawyers, law enforcement, teachers, pastors and of course, parents.

Activism is definitely a decision not to be made lightly. Quite a few people use pseudonyms or nicknames because of the fear of our uneducated society, or because they are asked by loved ones not to use the family name due to the same fear.

What has really helped me over the years in finding the ability to face the risks and feelings that come with Cannabis activism is weighing the pros and cons. 

On one hand, there is the risk of the "all seeing eye" we call our government turning it's attention on MY family, and having MY family torn apart. There is the risk of being thrust into the criminal justice system; who will either put me in jail with absolutely no access to my choice of medication, or threaten incarceration should I use my medicine... and will regularly violate my person to make certain that I am not. Included in this is the risk of having to jump through regulatory hoops and pay outrageous amounts of fines and fees, which take away from my family's survival.

Then on the other hand, there is the risk that someday my children are going to become ill, just as I did, or worse...

And without me standing up today, 20 years from now they could be just as I was... a doped up zombie, high out of my mind on narcotics. Not functional. Not productive. Not even living... 

Then there is the question of how is it possible to teach my children to stand up for what they know to be right if I don't lead by example. These laws are wrong, and they need to be changed. We shouldn't be afraid to use an effective medicine, or make the decision to consume a safer drug. 

After learning all the things that Cannabis can do besides get you high, I realized that this is bigger than my fears. This is bigger than my family. This is bigger than all of us.

The industrial and environmental impact that this plant could have on our world is monumental. The medical impact is unfathomable. What kind of future are we leaving for our children, if RIGHT NOW we do not stand up and fight for the things that can make this world a better place?