Dear US Government,

Have you ever sat in a bathroom at 3 am in the morning, trying to make yourself throw up to relieve the pressure in your head so you can get some sleep because you know you have to be up with your newborn baby in 3 hours? Have you ever had to go to bed at 5 pm because the throbbing in your head was too much to bear? Have you ever had to suffer through work while you can barely stand or see straight? Have you ever taken a dozen pills at once hoping something would work? Have you tried prescription after prescription, nothing working, when a possible solution works but is illegal?

I am not a bad person. I am not a criminal. I am simply sick. I suffer from chronic migraines. I have been on multiple prescriptions and probably ruined my liver with the amount of Advil, Excedrin, Tylenol, etc. I've taken to try and ease the pressure. Nothing ever worked, so imagine how I feel when I find out that there is something out there that can help, doesn't have crazy side effects and is natural?! But sadly, we can't use this perfect solution because it's illegal.

When most people think of a millennial who supports marijuana, they think of an unemployed bum with dreads wearing a Rastafarian shirt and smoking a bowl while chowing down on Taco Bell. Don't get me wrong, I love Taco Bell just as much as the stereotypical stoner, but I'm not that person. I am a respected and active member of my community, a strong wonderful mother, and much more. I hope to pursue a job working for the government as a school teacher. Yet you continue to view me as harmful to society because I am working towards the legalization of medical marijuana?

Many argue that marijuana is a gateway drug, but if that's how we will view it, then I think that Advil should be prohibited because it is a mild painkiller that can lead to misuse of prescription painkillers. Sounds crazy, right? As crazy as it may sound, it could happen, just like marijuana supposedly could lead to harder drugs, but rarely does it happen without other, more influential factors.

The dictionary definition of a drug though is anything that has a physiological effect on a person. In that case, I have been on many drugs in my life, all of which a doctor has given me, most of which have had terrible side effects, all of which were made in a lab. So tell me why those can be legal and common but the natural and proven helpful solution is illegal? Why would you sentence me and 2-3 million others to a debilitating disease because you don't trust us when you don't even know us? I am sitting here begging you to not let a stereotype influence you when there are people like me who legitimately need this.

Sincerely,

The Millennial Who Doesn't Just Want To Get High