Let's Talk About Weed

There was a series over on Yahoo that addressed "Weed & the American Family". There were stances for, and against. Naturally. And it covered a various group of people with different backgrounds. With more and more people pushing for legalization (some states have passed it) it's not surprising that a once taboo subject has been thrown into such a bright spotlight. So, it piqued my interest. Now before we get into this some of you may already know, and some may not, that I am "Pro-Legalization". I even did a short essay my first year of college that highlighted some of the reasons why I felt this way. Mind you I was 22, so don't judge me too harshly on it. I've always believed that marijuana should be legalized based on my own experience, and even with some of the negative stuff that's happened I still feel the same way. And here's why.

This may get long, just a heads up. 

Happy 420!

Happy 420 to all of the pot heads, and former pot heads out there! As many already know, I'm a supporter for pro-legalization of marijuana in the United States.  :) Although I don't currently smoke anymore, because it's illegal in the state of Texas and I don't believe it's worth losing my daughter over, I did in fact smoke before becoming pregnant. Not on a daily basis, but enough. People who didn't know that I smoked, never knew that I did because I didn't look like your typical "stoner". So, I'm pleased to say that I broke that stereotype. :) But, as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I quit. The consequences of "getting busted", or losing my job just weren't worth it to me anymore.

Do I miss it? Not really. Will I ever smoke again? Maybe. Do I think it's dangerous? No more than alcohol or cigarettes. It's just gotten a bad rap. And just like with anything else, there are people who would/ do abuse it. That's just life though. So in honor of April 20th, I recently integrated my marijuana page with an essay that I had to write at the beginning of the spring semester for my English class. It's updated, with more current facts and statistics. Enjoy. ♥

::::Edit::::

I've taken the page down, and have instead posted the essay below. 

I Thought About It...

First, let me just say that I absolutely hate algebra. I don’t know why I have to know it because my major only requires basic math. Last week in my algebra class was pretty insane and I have no idea how I’m going to pass my exams. BUT hopefully, I will. With that said, I’ve been getting migraines lately. The kind that cause me physical pain all down my neck and shoulders. The kind that make me want to curl up in a ball, with all of the lights turned off, and just sleep. But being a mom, as all of you may know first hand, means that I can’t do that. And being a full-time college student kind of adds to the stress and pressure. So, last week during my classes I literally felt like every inch of my body hurt. Light hurt, sound hurt, and just trying to make myself retain the information I was given HURT. 

I don’t think it’s algebra or history's fault, LOL! How could knowledge (the school kind) possibly cause you pain? It can’t. I think it was just my body’s way of telling me to stop for a minute. I’ve been stressed out a lot over some stuff here at home. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to go about putting money aside for our vacation. I’ve been loaded with Midterm Exams and quizzes. And finally, I’ve been trying to put in more hours at work. We need the money. I feel like I’m being overloaded and stretched pretty thin. These migraines seem to pop up on days when I feel like I have too many things to do and not enough hours. 

So, do you know what I thought about last Thursday as I got out of class?? Loading myself a bowl. Ha! Yea, I’m not too proud of that, but at the same time I’m not ashamed. If you've read my Mary Jane page, you know I’m Pro-Marijuana Legalization. Of all the drugs out there I believe that weed should be just as legal as cigarettes and alcohol. If you’ve read my page you also probably know that I used to be a pot smoker. I wasn’t a hardcore “user”. You can even ask people that knew me then and they’ll tell you the same thing. But I did indulge every now and then. And one of the greatest benefits for me was: no headaches! EVER. Ahh, those were the days. But, unless it’s legalized in Texas or I move to a state that does have it legalized I won’t be touching it any time soon. Even then, I probably wouldn’t until after Emery left the nest. This is just how I feel about it. I can’t risk doing anything “illegal” because I have my daughter now. I wouldn’t ever do anything to jeopardize having her taken away or going to jail. 

So, if I’m not ashamed what’s with the “not too proud” feelings you ask? Well, I felt like a damn failure that’s why! After thinking about it and playing it over in my head (yea, I went as far as to day dream about it) I felt like I was weak. Not because I wanted to smoke to get rid of the damn migraine, but because THOUSANDS of women do what I’m doing right now without lighting up and much less with a spouse to help them! And here I was whining and complaining over a damn migraine. Here I was thinking how if I just had myself a mini bowl the pain would go away and I could get on with my evening. An evening that I had more than enough help to get through. THOUSANDS of women (and men) out there are doing this and more as single parents every day. 

So yea, I felt really, really small. I put on my favorite Kottonmouth Kings tunes, popped three Tylenol, and sucked it up.