Villens United by Chris Haskell

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Reefer. Ganga. Sticky icky bud. Marijuana went legal in Massachusetts on December 15, 2016.

While there has been a lot of controversy over its proposed legalization, the people voted to legalize the drug that Feds still classify in the same category as heroin. The government spent year’s demonizing marijuana and misinforming the public as to its effects; but the younger generation, many of whom had personally experienced the effects of smoking marijuana, are no longer buying the propaganda. I’m one of them.

For me, marijuana is medicine. When I was 19 years old I was hit by a car while I was riding my bike. I suffered a severe concussion and to this day I live with terrible joint and muscle pain from the collision.

That concussion was one of several suffered over my lifetime and because of this I suffer from excruciating migraines occasionally. I had seen family members ruin their lives over painkiller addiction and early on I made an unwavering decision not to go down that road. Thanks to marijuana, migraines that I used to get once every few weeks are something that may only happen a few times a year.

There are many others with much more convincing medical testimonials as to the medical benefits of marijuana. Parents with children suffering from debilitating seizures have found marijuana with THC extracted has been a miracle cure for their kids. Recent scientific research even strongly suggests that chemicals found in marijuana help kill and prevent cancer cells. With all these potential medical benefits it makes you wonder why weed has been illegal all of these years while many Americans freely drink their brain cells away in bars and homes across America? Has beer ever cured epilepsy or cancer?

Many MA residents opposed to marijuana have no problem with alcohol being sold and consumed, but misinformation about marijuana has them overly cautious. Beer and cigarettes are much more harmful for you than smoking marijuana. That’s a scientific fact.

Like alcohol, marijuana should be regulated and enjoyed responsibly; and kept out of the hands of children. Parents and schools should make it a point to educate children with the correct information about marijuana. There are scientific and medical concerns over brain development in children that start smoking in their teens. Some parents are worried about the children becoming “addicts.”

As far as marijuana being a gateway drug, I can tell you from personal experience that’s simply not the case. It never made me want to try heroin or meth. As a matter a fact, it actually made me less interested in alcohol. Marijuana isn’t really addictive. Sure, anyone can get addicted to anything they put into their bodies on a regular basis, but many times drug addiction is just covering up a more serious mental health issue. Have you ever seen a marijuana junkie? No because they don’t exist. The worst thing that normally happens is you might eat an entire bag of Doritos and take a nice nap.

Alongside worries of underage marijuana use, there is also a public concern of drivers operating under the influence of marijuana. Regulations should be put into place to curb “toking and driving” and will likely be enforced same as an alcohol violation.

The mixing of weed and alcohol and getting behind the wheel is also a new concern for skeptics of legalization. Smokers should be cautious over the next few years as traffic police should be keeping an eye out for stoners behind the wheel.

Despite the many concerns of the public, marijuana legalization looks to bring in millions of dollars in state revenue once dispensaries are up and running. If the wild financial success of Colorado is any indication, MA is about to experience a green rush that will far exceed other states.

Massachusetts is known for its colleges and prestigious universities. People from all over the nation and the world come to Boston for an education and many stay here after graduation.

Tourism is one of our greatest sources of income, which will only fuel this impending green rush coming to the Bay State. All that money can be put towards improving infrastructure and constructing more buildings, which also brings more jobs to our communities.

Somerville will be a great city to welcome and foster this future green rush the state is about to experience. Somerville’s hip young artistic scene and fun festivals that bind our community together will be the perfect environment to lead the way for MA marijuana marketing.

I personally believe that some cities should be granted dispensaries, while others shouldn’t. Cities with high crime rates and drug epidemics should not host these dispensaries in my opinion. While implementing marijuana retail shops in this state we must take the proper precautions and protect the integrity of our state marijuana industry if we want to reap the future financial rewards.

Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, marijuana is going to play a large part in our state income over the next five years and our lives in general. Enjoy the wonderful aromas wafting through the air and embrace the green rush.

Know the law, ‘Villens:

• You are allowed to grow up to 6 adult marijuana plants for personal use and gifts, not for sale
• You must be 21+ to enjoy marijuana, same as alcohol
• You can possess up to one ounce of marijuana, not for distribution
• Dispensaries will not starting legally selling to the public until early 2018

Later ‘Villens … Invest in Green Gold!