public announcement: i am finally legal

So... because I'm "friends" with so many work acquaintances on FB, I kept my legal status silent when I finally decided to get my green card two weeks ago.

But, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. It's just crazy that I can go to a dispensary and be escorted into a back room by a security guard (although I still feel very wary about dudes in uniforms) to peruse all different grades of medicinal herbs under glass, choose whatever kind I want, and walk out not having to look over my shoulder.

I am finally taking advantage of living in this great state. California has many great things to offer. We have some of the most diverse geographic features that no other state can provide. So I've climbed some mountains and dipped my feet in the ocean, and hiked a bunch of trails. I've driven up and down the state, alone and with company- for the sheer enjoyment of seeing the different climate that California encompasses. But there's something else that's pretty cool, and I've been missing out.

We are known for having quality product here. And I am finally legal and I can get it without having to wait around at someone's house for a delivery and then be worried about driving home with something illegal in my car. Now I don't have to feel guilty for using something that I can get legally and am using for good reason.

Now, I don't think that this is for everyone. If you're the type of person who uses it just to be stoned all day and doodle in some corner, you need to recognize that you have a problem, that goes beyond drug use. But for someone like me, who is physically active and healthy, and is motivated and busy with work, school, and have really ambitious goals, and have tried just about everything to keep my migraines and back/upper shoulder/ neck pain in check, and nothing else works- getting a green card to legally purchase some medicinal herbs to help me relax my muscles is the best gift I've gotten for myself, ever.

And it may or may not be no coincidence that I decided to get legal after starting law school.

For some of you haters who will judge me, you will have your opinions about medicinal herb regardless of what I say, so judge all you want to. But I'm legal, and alcohol is a drug. So is caffeine.

So let he without sin, cast the first stone.

This entry is dedicated to Sara Rodrigues.