Rebecca Schroeder spoke to students and community members at NIC about the legalization of marijuana in Idaho and the benefits it could bring to the notoriously conservative state.
Schroeder, who is running for a seat in the Idaho House of Representatives Distict 4A, said that Idahoans value their freedom and the individual alone should hold the right to legally seek alternative healthcare. As the mother of a child with Cystic Fibrosis, Schroeder says she understands the frustration first hand of not being able to get the medicine that would help her child.
Schroeder showed two video examples of how medical marijuana can help those suffering from Parkinson’s disease as well as people experiencing PTSD manage their symptoms and be more engaged in their lives again. She believes cannabis to be a much safer alternative to the cocktail of addictive opiates and other pharmaceuticals typically prescribed for these conditions.
“Idahoans deserve the freedom to choose a molecule with virtually zero risk of fatal overdose,” Schroeder says.
According to Schroeder, the Kootenai County chief of police stated opiates, meth and heroin to be the main drug problems in the area, not marijuana. Schroeder believes that by legalizing cannabis, police would have more time to focus on “real criminals,” as well as reduce over-incarceration.
Calling Idaho an “island of prohibition,” Schroeder said that neighboring counties in Washington are taking in substantial extra tax revenue after legalization and that Idaho could be doing the same thing, using this money to fund public services and education.
Schroeder makes the point that “legal does not mean safe,” citing alcohol and tobacco as examples.
“When you look at the risks of legal molecules, safe molecules and if we could examine THC and CBD through that same lens as we’re looking at these other culturally acceptable molecules, I believe that the choice is clear; that there is evidence to support legalization,” Schroeder said.
Of those in the audience who voiced their opinions afterward, many seemed to respond positively, or at least with open minds, coming to learn more information on the subject.
One student said he came for the extra credit opportunity.
“Now that I’m here, it’s very interesting,” NIC student Nick Maniscalco said. “I’m not for it, but at the same time, I’m not against it. I’m not really sure where I stand but just finding out more about where I can stand I guess,”
“Today I was really trying to speak to everyone that I think agrees, across the spectrum regardless of where your politics lie, about the personal freedom to choose this molecule if that’s the right thing for you. I think that Idahoans believe really firmly in personal freedom,” Schroeder said.
