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Eagle Media

Eagle Media

Reporter’s sound-off brings pot debate close to home

Charlo Greene, a reporter for the CBS-affiliated news station in Anchorage, Alaska, KTVA, decided to go big —  and then go home as she quit her job during a live broadcast.
“And as for this job — well, not that I have a choice — but [expletive] it, I quit,” Greene said as she announced her explaining her role in the fight for marijuana legalization.
During the broadcast, Greene announced that she is the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, which is the only current dispensary in the state of Alaska
This is old news; however, it’s still relevant to Florida’s upcoming midterm election that will feature Amendment 2 on the ballot.
Greene has been viewed as a hero and a villain in recent weeks, since bolstering her image live on TV. I personally believe this was a 50/50 shot for Greene to either make her career skyrocket or tank like Titanic in a fortnight.
The whole idea behind Greene making this career move  was to help advocate for marijuana legalization in the state of Alaska. Greene wants to “draw attention to the issue,” but knew that it wasn’t going to be of great consequence for her image or her career, according to the VICE interview with Greene.
Although, Alaska is far away from our college campus, Southwest Florida has had its own run in with the legalities of medical marijuana recently.
According to The News-Press, Amendment 2 has fallen below the 60-percent threshold needed to pass the amendment to legalize medical marijuana in Florida. Support has been higher in the past, but it seems these days that Floridians are shying away from the idea of legalization as other parts of the country are moving toward it.
I myself believe that recreational use of marijuana in many way has its gray areas, but I do believe that society is ready for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The idea that the government will have the control to regulate the distribution of marijuana in the country and directly monitor the effects it is having on our nation seems much more fulfilling than getting arrested for walking down the street with a joint in your pocket.
Drug cartels and independent growers won’t be silenced until the government is able to take full control of distribution in and out of the state.
With legalization, I don’t believe the problem of crime and negative usage of the drug will disappear, but I feel that the overall encompassing aspect and lifestyle that people lead with the drug itself will change in a positive manner.
There are plenty of drugs that are legally prescribed to people and have easy accessibility to most people in the country. These drugs can have hallucinogenic effects and other brain-altering side effects, but with a doctor’s prescription and control, dispensaries can provide safe strains and desired effects that the drug will supply to its patients.
I don’t find myself wanting to move to states that are making decisions to legalize medicinal marijuana right now, but I hope that once the federal government makes a decision for the nation, officials will respond to the people with their best judgment.

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