Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

5 reasons the cannabis community can be thankful this Thanksgiving:

1. Marijuana is legal in 4 states and our nation’s capital: While there is much more work to be done, cannabis wasn’t legal in any state just over three years ago. Bonus thanks: cannabis is likely to become legal in a few more states in 2016.
2. More than half the United States’ population lives under a state with a medicinal cannabis law: Too many patients are still denied access to a safe medicine, but 20 years ago, there were absolutely zero medical cannabis states. Medical marijuana laws are now on the books in 23 states and Washington, D.C., and more states will be passing medicinal laws in the coming years. Bonus thanks: Sanjay Gupta “evolving” on medical cannabis brought the medicine to the mainstream masses.
3. Canada: The Liberal Party’s victory is truly an historic moment for the international cannabis community. Canadian voters decision to elect a Prime Minister that admitted to cannabis use as an elected official and a ruling party with marijuana legalization as part of the party platform, will likely have massive positive implications that will resonate across the globe. Bonus thanks: Portugal. Portugal has treated drug use as a health issue, instead of a criminal justice issue for over a decade, with many beneficial results.
4. Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson is universally loved by just about everyone, from your hipster cousin to your conservative grandfather and he is still tokin’ strong at 82 years young. Who doesn’t like “Whiskey River” or his version of “Always on My Mind“? Willie is a national treasure and a proud member of the cannabis community. Bonus thanks: Bernie Sanders. Okay, the Vermont Senator isn’t really a member of the cannabis community, but he has drastically changed the political debate regarding marijuana legalization and broader Drug War reforms.   Whether you agree with him on any other policies, Sanders has done more to move the mainstream political debate than arguably anyone, all in a very short time.
5. Jeff Mizanskey is celebrating Thanksgiving with his family. The plight of Mizanskey, the nonviolent Missouri man sentenced to life in prison for marijuana, resonated with concerned citizens across the nation. I have friends and family members that aren’t cannabis activists by any means who signed the online petition for his freedom. I had the honor of meeting Jeff and his son Chris earlier this month and was impressed with their kindness and genuine desire to work on the behalf of freedom and liberty. Bonus thanks: Cannabis law reformers across the globe, past and present. So many people have sacrificed so much to fight for freedom and equality for the cannabis community and so many people are still sacrificing and suffering today. Thanks to reformers, we are all a little more free, day by day, year by year.

I am so thankful that I get to work on behalf of a cause that I believe so strongly in, a cause whose time has come. It isn’t always easy to stay positive in the political realm, but it has helped me to celebrate our victories and think about the big picture of how far we have come.