Animosity between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana proponents has of late been increasing, especially in Washington State where the legislature recently enacted laws that will eventually lead to the the shutting down of all medical cannabis dispensaries. For more on this, check out Washington State Overhauls Its Medical Marijuana System.
We are troubled by this in-fighting both because we greatly respect and value both sides in it and because we would so much prefer that we be united in the fight to legalize. We believe cannabis should be easily available to anyone over 21, no matter what their reason for wanting it. We believe this for the simple reason that the choice on whether (and of course whether or not) to consume belongs to individuals, not governments.
Russ Bellville put it perfectly the other day in a column he wrote for High Times on the medical/recreational fissure that he too sees developing out there:
For me, this isn’t a battle about getting high or feeling well. It’s a battle about cognitive liberty and bodily sovereignty. Smoking pot is a civil liberty along with free speech, free religion, free association, bearing arms, reproductive choice and so on. Whether you’re a stereotypical tie-dyed, wake’n’bake stoner or a patient with Lou Gehrig’s disease, your rights are equal.
Seriously people, why can’t we all just get along?
