Home is where the cannabis conversation starts

The word home makes me think of a few different things. Home is your community, where you build relationships; home is your family and friends, with whom you make a life; and home is the heart, where you hold your beliefs near. Certain topics can transcend those boundaries and touch each of those iterations of home. Cannabis is one of those topics.

For a majority of Californians, loving cannabis is easy. But there is still a vocal minority who loathe the plant, who see it as a bad influence on society. I would encourage everyone to recognize and honor each other’s positions, but also to engage in meaningful dialogue with someone with a different perspective than your own. And that all happens at the different iterations of home.

Let’s start with the heart, your personal home. Do you love cannabis? Do you love industrial hemp? The myriad uses of this one plant are incredible. Just imagining the tens of thousands of industrial uses, the medical relief for cancer and glaucoma patients, and permission for adults to responsible experience cannabis warms the home of my heart.

Then there’s the home of your family and friends. While your values may not align perfectly with your close circle, there are facts that no one can deny. It’s as easy as pointing to the multitude of proven benefits of cannabis, as well as the injustice of the continued incarceration of those who were in possession of cannabis in the wrong state. With a little bit of perspective and an open mind, those in your family home unit can see where you’re coming from.

The home of your community, though, can be tricky. Despite the move toward legalization in more states than ever, there is still so much negative rhetoric surrounding cannabis. On an aesthetic level, people are concerned about odor, safety, and the inevitable question: what about the children? There are enough issues that people in your community could say that it may feel impossible to find common ground.

But home, no matter which iteration, is about meeting one another in the middle and, above all, listening. So, hearing the concerns, you could contemplate yourself or suggest how regulating the cannabis industry could make consumption of cannabis safer for everyone involved. Sound regulations prohibit those under 21 years old from access, further with limits on where facilities can open and operate. And with more regulation and destigmatization, that can lead to more honest conversations with our youth about substance abuse and how to be safe and healthy. It can be a win-win, if we let it.

Home, in essence, is a lot of different things, but in the end, it’s where you build your life and foster relationships from your heart. And that means having hard conversations in order to find a silver lining. For cannabis, home is where the conversation starts.

Craig Litwin was a top signature gatherer for Prop 215, served as mayor of Sebastopol where he co-authored one of the nation’s first dispensary ordinances. He is the CEO of 421 Group, a California cannabis consultancy with a HQ in Sebastopol, and a co-creator of Resourcery, a Sebastopol permitted and state licensed cannabis oil extractor, tincture and salve maker, and distributor.