Weed. Mary Jane. Cannabis. The Devil’s Lettuce. Call it whatever you want, it’s all the same thing. But one thing is for sure, marijuana generally gets a bad rap. Despite the natural properties, the healing and medicinal advantages and the fact that there is a growing number of states legalizing cannabis for recreational use, it’s been a hot topic and stigma in America.

For the past sixty years, give or take, America has viewed cannabis through the lens of Reefer Madness; with ferocious judgement and negativity. I have vivid memories of being in elementary school in the mid-90’s and listening to police officers talk about how smoking cannabis would lead to doing other drugs. They were most certain it would ruin our lives. While I don’t discount the fact that teaching young children that doing drugs would be detrimental to their mental development and could lead to other serious, or even deadly, consequences, I do have a problem with how cannabis was and still is perceived. 

DARE Could Have Left Out Cannabis.

As a 10-year-old who was beginning to question authority, the DARE program that began in 1989, was just another forced assembly or excuse to not do schoolwork for an hour. Hearing a police officer talk about the “high” feeling from cannabis without skipping a beat to deter us from even entertaining the idea of smoking weed felt questionable. Wait, you just told us how “Jake”, a young teenager, smoked cannabis, wanted some junk food, walked into a store that happened to have a police officer present and now he’s in jail? Huh?! The highly sensationalized scenarios about “Jake” getting high and getting caught with a joint that he purchased from a gang made it all seem completely unrealistic and unfathomable. This was even a stretch while I was residing on Long Island, NY, an area known to have gangs.

In my 10-year-old brain, the takeaway I had was to just stay away from gangs and police officers. “Jake” sounded like the kind of person my older brother would have been friends with. Someone who wanted to have a little fun and go find some Taco Bell. DARE could have left out cannabis and instead focused their efforts on not becoming friends with gangs, and I probably would have believed them a little bit more. It’s no secret that DARE failed my generation; getting defunded in 1998. “After 10 years of the DARE program, the American Psychological Association ran a study of 1002 subjects who received DARE education in their 6th grade. This study assessed the efficacy of the program by tracking the subsequent drug use of the subjects when they hit their 20’s. The results of the study found that the program had no meaningful impact on rates of drug use, attitudes towards drugs, or self-esteem.” (Landmark Recovery, 2020).

What Is Wrong With Cannabis?

Instead, my young, impressionable brain was curious about drugs. I was never curious enough to try any of the harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, meth, etc. But those addictive substances were different from cannabis. Cannabis didn’t seem like a drug. Cannabis was not addictive, was grown naturally, was not cut with other ingredients, and most importantly, when I did decide to give it a try the worst cannabis side effect I had was a craving for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Cannabis should never have even been categorized as a drug by the DARE program. The negative connotation that cannabis carries has always baffled me.

Cannabis was a gateway for me though. It was a gateway for me to finally get relief from chronic tension migraines. It was a gateway for me to quiet my overactive, anxiety-filled thoughts. It was a gateway to allow me to get rest after years of battling insomnia. Cannabis didn’t leave me feeling hungover, or reckless like alcohol can sometimes do. Cannabis didn’t lead me down a rabbit hole of staying up for three days straight such as meth or cocaine does. The only challenge I’ve had with cannabis is being able to say that I smoke weed and I’m an overachiever. Most of the time society doesn’t view the two as things that go hand-in-hand. But for me, I carry that duality and feel their judgment.

Cannabis User and Over-Achiever

I was always a straight-A student; one who participated in several afterschool activities and volunteered in the community. But what very few people know is that I also was a cannabis user. It may be a bit controversial to admit that I started smoking cannabis when I was 14 years-old, but that is a risk I’m willing to take. Back then, I smoked cannabis because I liked the feeling it provided and in all honesty, I wanted to fit in with the “cool” kids. 

What I didn’t anticipate back then was that as time went on, I would still be an overachiever and cannabis user. I had stayed away from gangs and never got into trouble with the police. Cannabis would no longer become my recreational vice but an integral part of my medicinal needs as an adult. This cannabis user is a far cry from the picture the DARE officer painted over 27 years ago.

Despite what opinions people have about cannabis, I know why I choose to keep it as part of my daily routine. And I’m confident in saying that it has completely improved my quality of life. If only the rest of America could agree with me.

Resources:

Landmark Recovery. 18 May 2020. https://landmarkrecovery.com/why-the-dare-program-failed/