They built a cannabis dispensary on our block.

Once they passed the law that legalized medical marijuana, we knew that recreational marijuana legalization wasn’t very far away.

I lived in a community that grumbled at the words marijuana, cannabis, pot, or joint.

They thought it was a sin to even admit you knew what it was. After medical marijuana was legalized, I knew the next step was going to be marijuana dispensaries. I never expected to have a medical cannabis dispensary in our community. When I found out they were putting a cannabis dispensary on our block, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that our ultra-conservative community would allow a cannabis dispensary to be built in our area; even if it was medical marijuana. I could see the cannabis dispensary from my apartment. The ability to see the cannabis dispensary meant that I could also see the people coming and going. Every time I saw one of our sanctimonious community dwellers enter the dispensary, I would chuckle. These were some of the same people who preached that marijuana was a sin and that it was a downfall of civilization. One afternoon, I was looking out the window while studying and I knew I knew the man walking into the dispensary, but I couldn’t quite make out his face. He had his hat down over his face. When the wind hit him just right, I began to laugh uproariously. My roommate came into the room and looked outside. He picked up the phone and called his mom. He told her she was never going to believe who he saw going into the marijuana dispensary. He nudged me as he told her it was the town’s mayor. I could hear her squeal, and knew the entire town was going to know about this.

recreational pot