Become a Leader of the Cannabis Legalization Movement

Leadership is defined by dictionary.com as “the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group,” “ability to lead [defined as “to conduct or bring in a particular course].” With such narrow definitions, it’s no wonder most of you probably do not consider yourself leaders of the legalization movement. But today, I’m here to help redefine your understanding of leadership so that you can see the critical role that each of us play in leading this movement.

But before we can go there, I need you to checkout one of my favorite TEDx videos:

Ending prohibition is not going to happen with big marches, mass petitions or celebrity endorsements of the idea. These things will surely help the cause, but Americans have to change their views on legalization before those can be effective. There are some really big industries that stand to lose a lot with the end of prohibition: logging, cotton, oil, federal agencies, big pharma, rehabbers and the prison industrial complex, just to name a few. As long as our governmental regulations allow for corporate interests to influence elections, cannabis is not going to be legalized without we, the people, demanding it.

But if people don’t care, politicians aren’t going to join in the movement demanding it. And this, my friends, is where ‘lollipop leadership’ comes into play. Political campaigns, awareness groups and the like are very powerful persuaders, but strictly limited in their energies and scope. One-on-one interactions, on the other hand, occur every single day, all day long. The best fact yet is that opportunities for leadership lollipop style are built into each one of them.

I believe the battle for legalization will be won in the supermarket aisles, the waiting room at the doctors’ office, and in conversations with your loved ones (you can find specific advice on speaking with older Americans about Cannabis here). This makes each of us a leader in our own right, it’s just a question of if we are living up to our potential. The topic is difficult to broach, but the price of silence far higher. I hope you’ll join me in keeping up on some of the pertinent facts and making all those lollipop moments count.