Why Does Everyone Seems to Support Legalizing Cannabis Now?

Why Does Everyone Support Cannabis Legalization All of a Sudden? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

You’ve probably heard statistics about the approval rates of cannabis within the US reaching 68%. This compared to 25% in 1995 is quite a leap. However, irrespective of what the statistics say, how does that translate into everyday life?

Have you personally noticed a shift in the attitudes towards cannabis? I have! For about 20 years now I have been evangelizing about the benefits of cannabis and throughout this time I have met my fair share of resistence.

From the staunch legalization opponent to the doubting Thomas, I have seen them all. However, as of late, talking about cannabis has been much simpler.

The Youth is Sold on Cannabis

When it comes to younger people, between the ages of 20-30, there is no more resistance on the legality of cannabis. It’s become the accepted norm and if cannabis isn’t fully legalized this generation, it will definitely occur during the next.

The idea of cannabis as a mainstream substance is no longer alien for those within this demographic. The younger folk have grown up in a world where cannabis is legal in some form or another, whether for medical or recreational purposes.

For this group of people, cannabis is not a subject of taboo. Interestingly enough, for kids that grew up in states with a legal framework do accept the fact that cannabis and medical cannabis is part of mainstream living, it doesn’t necessarily affect consumption rates of teens.

The Thirty Rock

The average stoner is roughly 35 years old. These are the people who have been using cannabis for a long time now, they are also the very people who fought against the injustices of cannabis prohibition. You are smoking legal weed because people who are between the age of 35-45 fought for your right to smoke it.

Not only are these folks in favor of cannabis, they helped forged the systems we live in today. These are also the primary supporters of the cannabis industry. They are the ones that invest into expensive paraphernalia, buy premium strains and enjoy quality cannabis.

The Late Comers

People 60-years-old and up, were mainly responsible for the harsh cannabis laws we had on the books. It was their children who undid their wrong doing. And while they might have been staunchly opposed to cannabis, these days they are one of the fastest growing demographic within the cannabis industry.

As we get older, we’re conflicted with debilitating conditions and diseases. Cannabis helps alleviate a host of side-effects of common old-age conditions and diseases.

Have you ever opened up the medicine cabinet of someone in their 70s? There are more drugs in there than in a pharmacy!

Now, with the growing acceptance of cannabis, these people are reducing their medication with one simple substance…cannabis.

It helps with inflammation, pain, glaucoma, arthritis, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and the likes.

Often times, you’ll hear medical patients within this demographic talk about how marijuana makes them feel more “revitalized” and “feeling 10 years younger”. These older folks, while ignorantly opposed to the legalization of cannabis a few decades back, are finding that the “devil’s lettuce” actually is more of a medicine than it is a drug.

Random Street Conversations

As a final testament to the acceptance of cannabis, I challenge you to talk about cannabis at your next social gathering. You’ll be surprised to find that many of the people you thought would be against cannabis could have a much more open mind on the subject matter than you imagined.

The fact of the matter is that cannabis, within the medical realm, has more than a 90% approval rate in the United States. Similarly, around the world, the idea of cannabis as a medicine is largely embraced.

The next time you talk about cannabis at your social events, listen to the responses from the people. Odds are that they will have something positive to say about it.

In the case that they are staunchly opposed to the idea of cannabis, don’t cower in fear of being marginalized by your social group. In all likeliness, the staunch opponent of cannabis would be in the minority.

Rather, engage them in a healthy debate about the reasons why they are opposed to cannabis legalization. Probing a little bit usually reveals false beliefs about the plant and the impact of legalization.

When you engage in a civil debate with someone who disagrees with you on the subject matter, using statistics, facts and reason as your main tools of negotiation will in all likeliness result in the ‘naysayer’ to convert to a cannabis evangelist.

However, I can assure you that there will be less resistance to the idea of legalization that you might think. Even in so called “red states”, the idea of legalization is becoming a familiar topic.