Pot, cannabis, ganja, grass, the greenest of green — this “drug” is here for the future.

We as the next generation of North Dakotans have a decision to make in the future. Should marijuana legalization happen in our state?

Marijuana, as it is, is an illegal substance here in North Dakota. If you know someone who has spent a night in jail for possession, the reality of this herb becomes very real.

Marijuana is not only illegal here, but it is heavily smoked here. Every day, people risk arrest by inhaling marijuana.

Are we tired of sending people to jail over a joint?  Have we as a generation realized that marijuana isn’t the dangerous drug that it once was preached to be to us?

Are we tired of letting people sit in jail over $40 worth of pot? Selling any amount of marijuana at the moment and getting caught can get a person three to ten years in prison here in North Dakota.

The simple answer is no. Sure you might not want to smoke marijuana, but realize that this isn’t meth.

If you don’t like marijuana, that is fine, being for legalization has nothing to do with whether or not you “partake.”

Rather legalization is an acceptance.

Acceptance that for too long our nation has been sending “stoners” to prison.

I have never once met a “stoner” who I believed to belong in jail. Most stoners don’t do much. Maybe they eat a little bit too much macaroni and cheese, and maybe they giggle a little bit too much, but nothing criminal.

If your personal belief is that marijuana is a dangerous gateway drug, then you are probably not going to be swung by this.

No matter where your beliefs lie though, the tax revenue can’t be ignored.

Again whether you smoke it or not, marijuana is for now a cash crop. Colorado made $44 million dollars in taxes from recreational cannabis for 2014.

David Zuckerman, a Vermont state senator had this to say on the legalization of recreational cannabis in Colorado and Washington. “Nobody’s counting on the revenue from cannabis sales to save us, but it has an impact. The more important thing is that the sky didn’t fall in Colorado. The tidal wave hasn’t hit Seattle.”

Legalization isn’t going to kill our morals. The world isn’t going to come to an end if we give people the legal right to smoke marijuana.

North Dakota is probably one of the more conservative states out there. The possibility of North Dakota actually legalizing is probably pretty slim in the short run.

But we can dream, right? What if we focused more of our time on other endeavors, rather than busting college houses for marijuana? What if our tax dollars weren’t going to make sure that people get court dates over small marijuana offenses?

Right now our reality is simple. Marijuana is illegal. Possessing, smoking, eating, whatever marijuana related is highly illegal. Not only can it get you put into jail, but it can also severally derail your life and future plans.

Be smart of course. Smoke responsibly, but realize that there is a chance. A chance that you can be kicked out of school over a drug charge. A chance that you can get fired over a failed drug test. A chance that you can miss out on an internship for smoking marijuana. No matter how crazy you might see the current laws around marijuana, it is not worth throwing your life away.

Stay informed though. Marijuana is about 100 times safer than alcohol, yet you can go get a beer almost anywhere here in Fargo. Maybe North Dakota would be better off with marijuana legalized. We will never know until we take the leap of faith and follow other states examples.