Society has constantly been evolving as a human race. In the past, aspects of society have excluded such modern commonalities such as tango dancing, alcohol, and even the Harry Potter series. The general public thought that it was protecting the people but in retrospect, society has been disallowing them the opportunity to make their own decisions. It seems marijuana is just another said commonality, ready to be accepted into the modern world.

Weed, Marijuana, Mary Jane, or whatever it’s called, has been a hot topic in the most recent years. There are many strong opinions on the topic but just as many unopinionated ones. Katherine Riedstra ‘17 says, “In the future, it’ll definitely be legalized. I mean, it’s just like alcohol. I just don’t think it should be punished as severely as it is in the criminal justice system.” I’ve heard others say they don’t care for the smell but otherwise, that it’s none of their business. But some seem to be very adamant on the issue of legalization. Miley Cyrus was very straightforward in her opinion on marijuana when she stated, “Weed is the best drug on earth.” in a Rolling Stones interview. Hugh Hefner, the CEO of Playboy, said in a Fox News interview, “I don’t think there’s any question that marijuana should be legalized because to not legalize it, we’re paying the same price we paid for prohibition … In other words, it is a medical concern and it should be handled that way.”

Whether we like it or not, marijuana has become a popularized norm. The most prevalent icons have stated their opinions, and in more than one case they’re for the legalization. Some icons have taken it a step further with Whoopi Goldberg’s most recent medical marijuana company for women in which she said, “I want to go nice and slow with this. I don’t want this to be a joke to people. It’s not a joke to women,” in a USA Today interview. But there are many subtle ways we’ve been inching toward making weed more of a commonality that haven’t been acknowledged. Maddy Flisk ‘17 stated, “Yeah, I’ve definitely seen weed become more and more a common thing in our culture. Some of my favorite shows include Workaholics, which puts a high emphasis on weed, not to mention the effects of the term 420.” It seems that there is no way we can escape the influence weed has put on us as a culture. It’s sprinkled throughout social media and even print media. But we’re ready to accept it. Adelle Wade ‘17 even said, “It’s gonna happen either way. I don’t care who smokes it because it’s none of my business but whoever wants to should have liberty to do whatever they want.” In our opinion, we believe that everyone should have the free will to do whatever they want and that we shouldn’t have to be restricted from activities unless it affects the wellbeing of others. But down to the roots of it, marijuana is medicinal, it can boost our economy, and it can be completely safe if used appropriately. It might be seen as a drug for ‘potheads’ and ‘losers’ right now but maybe in the future it might be just as common as tango dancing.

Image obtained from Dr. Schar at doctorschar.com