With elections coming up Tuesday, Nov. 4, it seems as though the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative has landed a spot on the ballot.
So what does this mean to us students? Absolutely nothing. Let me repeat that again, absolutely nothing.
The medical use of marijuana will only be attainable by qualifying patients and will allow doctors to legally prescribe this drug to those who suffer debilitating diseases.
It is true there will be some people who will line up Tuesday and vote yes to medical marijuana simply because they believe that it is the first step to decriminalizing the drug.
Though this is not the case, I still urge students to do their research and to make an educated decision of their own Tuesday.
Of course there are pros and cons to both sides, but the importance is not in the decision, it is in the knowledge behind one’s decision.
Today, young adults tend to base their political opinions off their parents or fad articles they’ve found on Facebook or Buzzfeed instead of doing their own research. As the future leaders of our generation, it is important that we start to formulate our own judgments and vote on issues we believe to benefit our community and ourselves.
I know I don’t only speak for myself when I say that watching the news and keeping current on political issues is never my first priority; however, I think it is important that we pause Netflix once in a while and tune into the world around us.
It is simply not enough to repeat what we hear from our parents or teachers and call that our political stance. It is extremely important for students to know the different arguments taking place in our local government, even if you believe that it does not directly apply to you.
When talking to most students on campus about the upcoming elections, it was shocking to find out that most people were all together completely unaware of what I was talking about.
A common response was typically “isn’t that about medical marijuana?” Well yes, it is; however, many people could not tell me the provisions that went along with the new law that’s being voted on.
This is both worrisome and disappointing. Whether we would like to admit it or not, the future is vastly approaching, and soon we will be in charge of making electoral decisions.
I am not comfortable with putting governmental choices in the hands of my peers, and you shouldn’t be either.
By no means am I saying that every young adult is incapable of making important decisions or that every student knows little to nothing about politics because lots of students are very knowledgeable.