If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Ride

My Grandmother made that statement to me as a child every time I said “I wish…” Those words are with me all these years later and probably the reason I decided to do something about the current cannabis laws in Wisconsin instead of just wishing they would change.

Cannabis has been a part of my life for a little over three decades. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. I understand and agree with it’s recreational value too. There are many people in my life that will either tell you cannabis saved their life or improved the quality of the life they had left. Denying someone quality of life and the ability to make their own choices, is against what America stands for.

In my lifetime I have also experienced the negative side of cannabis. The Law. No one knows better than I do how our current law affects ordinary, every day people. The process is traumatic. It is something I hope you never have to go through. Even so, millions of people have been subjected to it. Have you ever stepped on a soda can? Yeah, it’s kind of like that except you are the soda can. They will strip you of everything including your dignity if you let them. When they are done with you, you will only have half the rights and civil liberties that you once did and you’ll be labeled a criminal. As such society will discriminate against you in a variety of ways. You won’t be able to go on school trips with your child because people like you are prohibited by school policy. Jobs you normally would turn your nose up at won’t hire you. You won’t be able to run for public office and your second amendment rights will be taken from you. Doesn’t sound very wonderful does it? So why do we keep doing this to people who aren’t harming anyone or otherwise breaking any other laws? Our current law creates victims and protects no one. It needs to change.

For a very long time I wished things would change. I guess I was like a lot of folks in that respect. Nothing was changing. The problem was obvious. Someone has to change this! Who is that someone? If not me than whom? I guess it just became clear if I want things to change, I just need to start working for that change and hope I inspire others to do the same. This isn’t something I chose to do. It was something I was forced to do. I am a reluctant participant but I know it needs to be done.

Change happens through grass roots movements and grass roots movements are made up of people like you. We have more support for legalization than ever before. Now is our opportunity to make our voice heard. Please consider joining NORML and contributing to the cause. The more of us that stand up, the louder our voice will become. We can bring an end to cannabis prohibition in Wisconsin if we all work together.