Eric Johnson , Minot

With the upcoming election less than two weeks away, I would like to talk politics. Before opening a local brewery, I was a teacher. I want to share an experience I had, that I believe is relevant to current politics. 

Back in the 2016 legislative season, one of the topics at the time was medical cannabis. I ended up traveling to Bismarck to testify to the state legislation in favor of the bill. I have many reasons for doing this. One reason is growing up with a father who was fighting cancer multiple times, and I know it would have helped him. There are many other reasons.

That day I testified in Bismarck, I must’ve made some impact. Because I ended up being quoted in both the Fargo Forum and Bismarck Tribune. It was now very public knowledge that I had taken a personal day off from teaching. And had testified in favor of cannabis. 

The next day at school things really got interesting. It became apparent that SOMEONE had taken notice of my political activism. Of the very few times I had drug sniffing dogs come into the school when I was teaching, this day was one of those days. However, it didn’t end with the dogs entering the school and sniffing the halls like they did EVERY time before. NO! For the FIRST and ONLY time of my entire career. The dog not only investigated the hallways. But this day, they also came inside my classroom. It was insulting, humiliating, and degrading.

It was a blatant, targeted attack. It was a flagrant abuse of power. It was an obnoxious waste of taxpayer money. To this day I wonder what they hoped to discover? Did they really think I would testify in favor of cannabis and then bring some with me the next day into the school? Was it simply intimidation? All I know is this. It should NOT have happened that way. And no similar situations should ever take place again.

If that story wasn’t enough to convince you our stance on cannabis must change, let me make a final argument. As a person who makes their living from the production and consumption of alcohol. I can tell you I absolutely believe cannabis is the safer of the two. If you’re conservative, look at the taxes from the states that have legalized already and the good they do with the money. If you’re libertarian this is definitely something the government need not be involved in. If you’re liberal look at all the help this plant can provide for people. 

Please, vote yes on Measure 2.