My main problem with all this is that, while I respect a persons right to change their personal opinion on anything based on info or circumstance... we are not electing leaders so that they can make decisions for us. While someone is offered the right to feel a certain way on a topic, that is not grounds to force that ideal on the rest of the country. We elect leaders to represent the people. We need them to enact policies that will make our country better AS A WHOLE. Whether she believes in same sex marriage or abortion should not be involved in her decision making process. It is her responsibility to teach her children about EVERY negative aspect of life. Things like poor eating habits, stress management, substance abuse, non-violence... etc. People need to realize that YES, you can have your beliefs... but if you are in a position of power to make decisions that could ruin the lives of good people, that should not be a factor.

YES, she may have come to dislike the way Cannabis affected her and wants to set a good example for her children. FINE! She should spend quality time teaching her children that ANY substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, fatty food, diet pills, Cannabis, etc) will possibly play a negative role in their development. There is a major difference between teaching your children appropriate, healthy, productive behavior.... and supporting a Federal law that puts thousands of good people in jail for possession. We do not elect officials to make decisions FOR us. We elect them to support OUR decisions. An overwhelming majority of CITIZENS (not politicians) believe Cannabis should be Federally decriminalized. To ignore that because you fear that your child may make poor decisions in the future is despicable... no matter who you are.

To me, this IS a very serious issue. It's not only because I have found something that subsides symptoms I have been dealing with for over 10 years... saving me tens of thousands of dollars in future medical treatments or lost time at work, school, and my personal life. It is also because, at a young age, I was facing over 15 years in a State facility for possession of what I needed for personal use. Since there was obviously zero tolerance for anything, and I required a lot for personal use, I surpassed the limit for a felony. I was not able to receive financial aid for college until the age of 25 and was fully searched during even minor traffic stops by the State Police. I have never used Cannabis as a money making tool... I do not encourage young people to use it... I respect others privacy and do not smoke around anyone that feels uncomfortable with it... I do not operate a vehicle or heavy machinery while under the influence... and I do not use illegal activities to fund my supply of personal Cannabis. I also volunteer and hold a 4.0 GPA and love my mother.

The fact that a person wants to put me in prison for what I have listed above makes me sick. I don't care WHO the politician is. It is a basic argument. The primitive thinking that is involved in believing that Cannabis prohibition is a benefit to society makes me question ANYONE that chooses to support it. Not only does it show a complete lack of knowledge on substance abuse, medical studies and proven application, and the economic strain the "War on Cannabis" is putting on society... but it makes me question their ability to make other decisions that are supposed to make this world better for YOU and ME.