Drug War Creates Dangerous Situations for Women

How the prohibition of cannabis has put women directly in harms way

New York city, September 15th 2017 at 8pm

A group of teenagers sit parked on a side street on a Friday evening just hanging out and doing what teenagers do. They were NOT causing a disturbance, the were NOT selling drugs or committing crimes, they were just "hanging out". all of a sudden an unmarked van pulls up and 2 street clothed officers step out and approach the teens.

The officers questioned the teens and they cooperated with the line of questioning but because there was some weed in the cup holder, the officers took the opportunity to search the vehicle, they found NOTHING other than the small amount of cannabis the 17 year old's were using to unwind at the end of the day.

What happens next is a scene from a horror movie! The 17 year old girl was led to the back of an unmarked gray van where officers took turns raping her. They even pulled over to switch drivers so the other could have his way with her too. Sadly when this case got to court the officers were able to escape through a loop-hole that states "any person in custody has automatically granted consent" and the language stops there.

I'll be following how this unfolds; efforts are being made to change that language in 35 states across the US, you can find the full story below in the credits.

What's my point in all this? This little girl was raped and cannabis was the assailants means of taking her prisoner in order to rape her. This is a chilling example of a failed drug policy in america and how instead of protecting the population, it has led a large majority of it into harmful and sometimes life ending situations. It's time to end this now and protect the future of our children!

Since Nixon announced the war on drugs in 1971 taxpayers have spent over $1 trillion dollars on a failed effort that has only created a bigger crime industry and opened doors for scenes like the one described above to take place.

Domestic Violence

I wanted to take the time to open this discussion because I don't feel like it's being addressed at all on a national level. Rape, assault and domestic violence are a big problem in this country. Each year 10 million women (and men) are victim to domestic abuse in this country. That equates to 33% of all women in this country and 25% of all men. Guy's I'm not leaving you out of this struggle but for the sake of this article I'll be focusing on the ladies.

What if I told you that the leading cause of injury for women in this country is NOT car accidents, NOT robbery and NOT rape.... it's Domestic violence. Nationally, 40%-60% of phone calls to police are to report a domestic violence dispute. But how many women don't call because of the bong they keep in the living room? How much larger would those numbers be if we removed the fear of making the phone call and being arrested? After all, the police are supposed to be there to protect us right?

A lot of women who are involved in a violent relationship simply don't make the call out of fear of being arrested for cannabis. When you put a mother in a position where she has to choose between staying in an abusive relationship or being put in jail for weed, generally they decide to stay because a mother is of no use to her children behind bars. So now the fear of no one being there to help becomes a reality.

Statistically, a woman in an abusive relationship will make 7 attempts to escape before she is successful. Why? Well, for a few reasons according to The Office for Victims of Crime.

• Conflicting Emotions
  • Fear
  • Believing abuse is normal
  • Fear of being outed (LGBT community)
  • Embarassment
  • Low Self-Esteme from years of mental abuse
• Pressure
  • Social/Peer Pressure
  • Cultural/Religious pressure
  • Language barriers (immigration community)
• Distrust of Adults or Authority
  • Distrust of police
  • Language barriers (immigration community)
• Reliance on the Abusive Partner
  • Lack of Money
  • Nowhere to find shelter
  • Disabilities

Distrust of police, What about Fear of incarceration? They forgot to put that on the list when it likely could be the biggest reason out of them all. I highly doubt anyone could get reliable statistics on that fact because people are in fear. Maybe if women weren't afraid of having their freedom taken away over cannabis that statistic of leaving 7 times before success could drop down to maybe 4.

Custody Disputes

Even in terms of separation from a marriage that isn't abusive. Just because your ex wasn't physically abusive doesn't mean they won't be vindictive. I've heard countless stories of women fighting custody battles they otherwise wouldn't have to because the father of the child decides to point fingers for the mothers cannabis use.

Medical Marijuana INC reports that the over 58% of reported medical and recreational cannabis users are women. Is there a reason for this? Absolutely! A woman's body has a greater need for the compounds found in hemp in terms of her health. That means a good majority of mothers in custody disputes are faced with fear of loosing their children over their means of medicating.

Even women in states where cannabis is legal medicinally face this fear. It's not unlikely that the judge will use fear tactics and demand you divert to traditional medicine or loose your child. Women who have given into this demand and gone back to the world of Big Pharm have suffered devastating side effects to their health. What good is an unhealthy mother to her children? When it comes to this subject, OH do I have a story to tell, but we'll save that for a later day.

Exclusion and Descrimination

So you've been dating this guy for a few months and things are working out great! You're a smoker but he's not and that's OK! You still go out to the bars with him, only you choose to smoke a joint out back instead of doing shots all night. Then one day he asks you to dinner. You sit and watch him drink 3 beers in 2 hours time and at the end of the dinner he tells you "I don't think this is going to work out because you smoke too much weed. I don't want my parents finding out and I would be ousted from my social circle if anyone were to know"

WOW!

This doesn't just happen in dating situations. It happens at school functions where a mother is excluded from being a chaperone on her kids field trip because the PTA knows of her use. The other PTA mom's have no problem inviting the smoking mom over when they all get together on the weekends to drink bottle after bottle of wine but they still can't be attached to her "stigma" in the public eye.

This happens at the workplace. Medical patients are discriminated against when it's time to hand out promotions. "While you're well qualified and have the experience to climb to the next rung of the company ladder, the share holders think you're a liability because of your medical marijuana patient status." So they go ahead and promote the woman who takes Xanax all day and sips wine all night.

I am by no means demonizing anyone for their means of winding down or medicating..... But they all demonize us!

Ladies, it's up to US to come forward NOW

A lot of us have a lot of terrifying stores to tell that could have been avoided if not for prohibition. We need to tell these stories! Until the public is aware, policy will never change. It's time to be loud ladies! Respectfully loud. In the midst of the #metoo movement, now is the best time ever to capitalize on the opportunity to educate the world and end the harassment of women through means of cannabis laws.

The Earth gave us cannabis to heal and sustain, but society has turned it into a tool used to control and manipulate a population, which is also the exact definition of domestic abuse. It's time we stop letting the system abuse and manipulate us! Children are being put in foster care just because of their mothers use of cannabis!

This isn't about getting high, it's not just about cannabis. It's about our rights to choose in America, our right to feel safe in our own homes, our right to medicate through nature instead of science. This is my call to women everywhere to BE LOUD and UNAFRAID to mention their use of cannabis. If we continue to keep it in the closet it will never be accepted!

Your non smoking friends post on social media when a group of them is together drinking. Post when you and your friends are together smoking a joint! We've come so far in the fight to end prohibition, it's time to unveil the next phase, the phase of fearlessness!

Contact Charm City Cannabis Connoisseurs if you are interested in having your story featured, we now have a platform to educate the nation and it's our duty as women to utilize it. (email [email protected])

sources

• Medical Marijuana Inc stats: https://news.medicalmarijuanainc.com/women-men-now-consuming-cannabis/
• This Teenager Accused Two On-Duty Cops Of Rape. She Had No Idea The Law Might Protect Them. https://www.buzzfeed.com/albertsamaha/this-teenager-accused-two-on-duty-cops-of-rape-she-had-no?utm_term=.pw7rqVOQKk#.ieA4PqZnMj
• Domestic Violence Costs, Causes and Statistics https://www.thebalance.com/domestic-violence-statistics-3306207
• Why Do People Stay in Abusive Relationships? http://www.loveisrespect.org/is-this-abuse/why-do-people-stay/