As I have progressed into my thirties, I have noticed that more and more of my friends and acquaintances have really developed their opinions about important and serious matters, while I have mostly sat on the sidelines, feeding into my non-confrontational nature by avoiding posting anything on social media that would render any backlash. Also, it's like people-watching on the internet level: I just want to see what others have to say about whatever it is and read the debates that stem from it. I consider myself to be somewhat politically apathetic, despite others having stressed the importance of keeping up with what is going on around me and knowing where I stand. It's like people who are smokers, and they know how terrible it is for them, but they continue anyway. Or people who make unhealthy food choices to where it significantly affects their weight and overall well being, but continue to make the same life choices. We all know it's bad, and sometimes what other people say to change it serves as an extra push to change, but sometimes we really couldn't give less of a fuck what everyone else says. It's a fine line... depending on who the "advice" is coming from and how it's presented.
Luckily, my fiance enjoys constantly educating himself on local, national, and world news and so if there is something I need to know, he will gladly present it to me. I think he tries to keep it objective when relaying the information and gives me his opinion on it afterwards... but being the more naive one on this matter, I don't really know if it's making me more liberal than I would be if he hadn't told me. (Side note: Facebook has a setting on your political affiliation based on your activity. Mine is moderate. His is apparently very liberal, lol.) He says that his reason behind constantly reading his CNN & NPR news apps is that he wants to remember all the big events that go on in his lifetime and generation; to know that he was a part of it. He wants to remember not only the importance of very notable events (e.g. 9/11, when Obama was elected as our first black president, when gay marriage became legal, etc.), but also the small events that had led up to these momentous points in history. Although we have addressed our differences, he has never pushed me to agree and take action on the same level as he does.
But I guess he doesn't really have to. He does have a point, and I already look up to him, so his actions alone are enough to shake my normal thought processes and take at least a small step to relieve some of my ignorance.
The main reason for my post is to reflect on my own perspectives up to this point in my life as a 34 year old American female with Filipino roots. Throughout the years, people are constantly picking up new information on the same overarching topics. So something I could have believed in college could have now changed after being exposed to different scenarios or any new information that has refined that viewpoint into what it is now. Maybe 10 years from now, my perspective on this same topic could change again. This is kind of a benchmark post to see what any differences are whenever I come back to it. Also, writing has always been a solace for me; a place I can organize all my thoughts into coherent paragraphs rather than just speaking nonsense or in circles. Yeah, it's public, but seriously, ain't nobody gonna read my shit anyways, lol.
Legalization of Marijuana
This is a topic I have struggled with over the last maybe 5 years or so. Growing up with a strict Catholic mother, "drugs" were always "bad." In elementary school, D.A.R.E. taught us "drugs are bad." Generally speaking, yes, I still agree. Heroin, cocaine, meth... that shit will fuck you up and is completely unnecessary. For most of my adult life, I have put weed into that same category, and it was the thing sucked out all the ambition from those potheads in high school who just grew up to be deadbeats. At least, that is what was in my head. Don't smoke weed. Drugs are bad, mmkay.
My last ex-boyfriend smoked pot pretty regularly... maybe 2-3 times per week. He didn't tell me until a few months into the relationship because he "didn't know how I would react." I was not okay with it. It's illegal here, for crying out loud. It was almost a deal breaker. He compromised and just said he would never do it around me. I wasn't really okay with that either, but I couldn't force him to do something he didn't want to, so we just didn't talk about it much from there on out. His close friend smoked, too and was 100% for the legalization of it. Anyway, we broke up.
It was that relationship though that really opened my eyes as to how common it was. But no one I knew had ever openly admitted to me that they smoked probably because either (1) I didn't hang out with many people who did, or (2) they could just tell I was pretty much a goody-goody and decided it was better to leave that little detail out.
Since then, I have revisited the topic of marijuana multiple times, and turns out that it is a very unique substance. The chemicals contained in the cannabis plant do not necessarily need to be modified in a lab to provide the desired effect, but the "desired effect" can be either straight euphoria, or a treatment for insomnia, anxiety, PTSD, epilepsy... among other things. As a pharmacist, I took a few CE credits on new information about cannabis and found it interesting that pharmacists in Colorado have consulted colleagues and patients on various dosages and dosage forms to treat specific medical ailments. On the contrary, the CEs also talked about what dosage forms may NOT be appropriate for treating certain conditions.
Another thing that I find interesting is that there are no reported deaths due to cannabis alone. That is not to say you will never go to the ER for supportive treatment, but so far, reports from the DEA and drugabuse.gov show that there are no confirmed reports to date.
With alcohol being legal -- despite numerous deaths from alcohol alone, and long-term consequences such as liver failure -- it made me think about why cannabis was ever made illegal in the first place. Apparently it was just a part of a political agenda and lumped in with all the other drugs.
With all this being said, all reasoning would point to me turning a complete 180 and say yes, I accept that marijuana should be legalized, and I accept that it is okay for people I know and love to use it recreationally because I don't need to worry about it killing them. However, when it comes down to actually seeing someone I really care about smoking a joint, I can't accept it at all. The mentality that this is still an illegal substance where I live and that it should not be used is so deeply ingrained in me that I have not been able to overcome it. I want my emotions to be consistent with my reasoning, but no matter how many times I have been exposed to a situation where I come close to seeing someone I love in the act of smoking weed, I immediately break down and become angry, betrayed, and alone in how I feel.
To be continued...
Abortion
Education
Guns
