Source:
Drug Policy Alliance
We strongly believe that the misrepresentation of marijuana and its effects have created a suite of truly absurd injustices in the United States. These injustices should stand out even if marijuana is not your cup of tea. The reason is that the misrepresentation of marijuana has had a host of consequences that have absolutely nothing to do with getting high.
There have been some great improvements with respect to marijuana laws in the past several years, but the majority of the work is still ahead.
Think about just this one stat for a second:
• 200,000+ low-income students were disqualified from financial aid due to incarceration for simple marijuana possession.
While there are plenty of other shocking statistics surrounding marijuana, this one is definitely worth looking into.
Imagine you are 19 years old and your parents are not millionaires. You just graduated from high school, where you worked your butt off for grades good enough to earn you a solid financial aid package for college. This financial aid package, that you earned with pure hard work, is literally the only reason you can afford to attend college in the first place. During your first week in college, you are leaving a party and happen to have a joint in your pocket because the upperclassmen hosting the party were passing them out. You’re not a drug dealer, this might even be the first time you’ve had a joint in your pocket. Then the nightmare strikes – when pulling your dorms keycard, the joint falls out and a cop sees it.
Should you have known better? Possibly.
Should you now have your well-earned shot at a college education stripped away? Fuck no.
If lawmakers were honest about marijuana and its effects, 200,000+ more low-income students would be graduating from college this year. Let that sink in.
Call your representatives.
