MMDs and the Family

It's a beautiful Sunday and my dear sweet hubby is even off from work! Well off from the Coloradoan, but not Kind Care. My husband's "day" job is actually at night and he layout designer and copy editor for the Fort Collins Coloradoan. His "other", much more lucrative job is master grower for a medical marijuana dispensary. MMDs are legal here in Fort Collins and people with a precription can go to a retail shop to buy medical marijuana. 

How do I feel about this as a Mama of 4? I'm still torn. There is just still a stigma attached to it. Here's an example. At Back to School Night I was filling out an "About my Kindergartener" sheet and I got to the question of what does Dad do and his work phone number. I had to stop, think and ended up leaving it blank. i could've put the Coloradoan on it, but he works there at night and why would Madi's kindergarten teacher want to call her Dad at night.  

I fully believe that medical marijuana should be legal and the current system in Fort Collins is great. The town makes a lot of money on taxes, it is regulated, 200+ well-paying jobs have been created, and people are getting the medication they need in a safe environment and do not have to resort to the black market.

There is a group of people trying to ban these dispensaries in Fort Collins and there is a vote coming up to ban them. It was already passed, but thses people got a petition going and now it's on the next mail-in ballot. Tomorrow is the last day to register for this mail-in ballot.

So instead of having the picture-perfect day of decorating for Halloween and watching movies and doing things around the house on my hubby's day off, we all, as a family spent the day working for Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods canvassing a neighborhood and getting people registered to vote. I thought I was pretty non-threatening as I was going door-to-door with a baby on my back and another in the stroller. This has to do with my husband's job. It's how he puts food on the table, pay for our motgage, sports for the kids and everything else it takes to provide for a large family.

I do not use marijuana but honestly, as a regular Fort Collins surburbia mini-van driving mama, it is safer for our kids to have it highly regulated. As it is now, there is no black market, so it's harder for kids to get their hands on. If they ban dispensaries, people will actually be able to legally grow pot in their houses; in our neighborhoods and anyone can get it. I'm thinking the people who are proposing this ban just don't like all the marijuana storefronts. It's the "image" they are worried about. But the reality is that retail dispensaries are the safest way to regulate marijuana use and keep it out of homes and off the playground.