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I think back to that evening in NYC. Had I never spoke to those people, how long would it have been before they would have taken the initiative to learn more about cannabis? Would they ever have met a student pursuing a career in a field that is still illegal in half of the country? Would that be the rest of the population? I think this is where the problem lies. I want to educate and share this conversation with as many people as possible. If I could have the impact of changing one person's mind about this misunderstood plant, I could start a ripple effect. We can share the revenue cannabis generates to support the local community. We can undo all of the unfair convictions against those nonviolent drug arrests. Maybe eventually, we can even use cannabis to fight against the largest, most deadly heroin epidemic our country is currently in. If our country could work to have this educated, unbiased, open conversation with the public, many people's lives would change and a true understanding could be accomplished.
I can knowledgeably argue my case as to why I believe cannabis is not a Schedule 1 substance, but why are there still people who believe it is useless/harmful? Do they have a firm understanding of the subject or is it just an effect of the environment? People realize cannabis is a drug but they do not understand what kind of drug it is (and what kind of drugs methamphetamine, opiates, cocaine, etc. are). I believe if we can share current information with more open and understanding audiences, minds can be provoked and true opinions can be formed. This ideally would drive the change that is slowly happening in our country. California is considerably late to this change but progress is still in the right direction. I think everyone should educate themselves about cannabis because it is going to be in the news for a long time. This will be the future for many people.
Crystal and Wade, I truly enjoyed your time that evening as it stimulated many thoughts of my own. I looked back into a stage in my life where I once also shared a similar belief and thought process. I reflected a lot from those moments and I couldn't have asked for a more interesting conversation to start 2018. I will work hard to meet more people like you two, with similar hopes of sharing some fun facts. I wish you two the best and I hope cannabis one day has a beneficial impact on your lives and family one day.
Academics Journey & Influences
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