A 2013 Gallup poll revealed 58% of Americans are now in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational use.  Currently, the legal cannabis market is valued at $1.53 billion in 2013, with a projected 68% increase for 2014.  Our future is definitely one where more people will be on weed.  But what does that mean, when according to many, we are also facing our own extinction?

The benefits of having a stoner nation are that people will be much more likely to stay at home and watch documentaries on Netflix.  Although there is the danger that in the middle they will go to the kitchen, get something to eat, forget what they were watching, and pick their toenails instead.  Yet even though potheads may be forgetful, they are also introspective.   They have grand epiphanies about the ways of the world, and think intensely about existentialism.  I think everyone on pot has at one point wondered if “the red I see is the same color as what you call red… man…” I mean, come on… weed makes you deep.

When I was smoking the most amount of pot, I was also obsessing the most about how to change the world.  I was deeply disturbed and emotionally connected to the information I sought out.  The higher I got, the more focused my research… on YouTube. Okay fine, I was a little lazy about it, but I was still committed to understanding the systems of society and questioning their validity.  It was while high I learned about the dishonsty of the government, it was while baked I discovered GMO’s and the importance of organic farming, it was while stoned that I spent hours and hours contemplating climate change.  Being a pothead also inspired me to contemplate the world around me and question everything.

I could see a great benefit in a generation that intentionally wanted to open their minds to pontificate, ponder, and plan.  There is beauty in the potential of a citizenship that honored daydreaming and imagining how life could be better.  With advancements in technology, chances for revolution are drastically increased.  For example, Facebook and Twitter played major rolls in the blossoming of the Arab spring.  We can globally disseminate information instantaneously! The potential to share content and organize is unprecedented.  If the people wanted to take over, now is the time to obliterate the very systems that oppress us.

But… ummm… there is just one glitch.  Stoners are not exactly the most proactive people.  It is a lot easier to be like “hey man, this shit is fucked up” then to actually get up at 7am and spend 10 hours each day trying to do something about it.  Part of me feels like the current lenience on weed in the US is not because the government is finally getting hip. Nor exclusively because they want to be part of the billion-dollar market – although I am sure that doesn’t hurt.  Our economy is dependent on drugs and war. But what if the tolerance of reefer is more about making those that are most likely to rebel against the criminal acts of those in power, complacent instead?

If you think about the young people today, the personality type that would be most prone to notice the vast corruption of culture, are often likely to experiment with drugs.  If it is easier to get our hands on it, isn’t there a chance that those who would have been most outraged and active will end up on their couch complaining?  Although I think the Rockefeller drug laws are absurd and actively support the decriminalization of pot, I also believe that now more than ever we need to be alert and proactive.

So here is my suggestion… lets legalize cocaine along with weed. That way people can get all stoned and contemplative, and then do a few lines to get some shit done.