Moms For Marijuana Push For Legal Cannabis, For the Children
Getting mainstream
It's a far cry from MADD. Valley News Live, the NBC/CBS affiliate in North Dakota spotlights a local mom that's part of Moms for Marijuana, a grassroots legalization group:
"It's the old reefer madness, you know, doing what you've been told for years, it's bad it's bad so therefore it is bad, do your research, ask somebody about it." [local mom] Patty [Mary] urges.
Fargo Police say all drugs have negative affects to the community, but Patty says she focuses on the positives of the plant she believes in.
"You'd be amazed, there are little kids that are being saved from seizures." She says.
While Patty seems to focus on the medicinal benefits of marijuana, the group's website spells out that the mothers' position on cannabis is:
*-That the Cannabis plant is a renewable, sustainable, and versatile resource that has been overlooked and distorted for too long. All around the world, the truth about Cannabis is being realized and it is time for our governments to start discussing and changing all Cannabis laws to reflect the will of the people.
-That our governments should research and utilize all the potential benefits of this plant, and encourage locally grown Cannabis products be made available to the public through a taxed and regulated market.
-That as with all drugs, Marijuana should not be used by developing minds under the age of legal consent, without parental guidance, as well as the recommendation and continous [sic] evaluation by a licensed medical physician.
-That the access our children have to the drug, Marijuana, can be drastically reduced through legalization and regulation. In order to keep this drug out of the hands of our kids, Marijuana needs to be taken off of streets and away from the black market.
The "for the children" argument for marijuana legalization is not new. The participation of mothers in the debate over marijuana legalization is certainly an indicator that the issue is firmly in the mainstream political discourse.
More about Moms for Marijuana here. More Reason on marijuana here.