A love letter to Massachusetts

Dear Massachusetts,

I love you so much. Last week you chose a better life for us. You put emotions and hearsay aside, looked at the facts, and made a decision that will improve your residents' lives in many ways, both tangible and intangible. You voted "yes" on ballot question 4 (well, the majority of the Commonwealth's voters did).

You chose progress. You chose to start putting an end to the stigma against all responsible adult marijuana users -- which most of the 20 million of us are. You chose to make marijuana more easily and safely available to our veterans. You chose to stop arresting people in communities of color for marijuana possession. You chose to stop punishing parents who choose a safer substance over alcohol but have their marijuana use held against them in child custody disputes.

You chose innovation. You opened the doors to a new world of inventions and ideas for new technologies, new methods of ingestion, and new products and devices that can be developed right here in Massachusetts. You chose jobs for the people who will create, manufacture, market, regulate, sell, transport, secure, insure, and manage marijuana-related products and services.

I also love how you chose the side of a campaign that was initiated by the people and communicated with class, professionalism and truth. You told Kevin's mom to wake up and do her own research into the facts on why cannabis was ever outlawed and why its prohibition was maintained over the decades.

You stood up for us. You knew that, even if you never touched or planned to touch it, marijuana use doesn't make someone a bad person. You recognized that people can use marijuana responsibly, just like they consume alcohol responsibly. You gave credibility and confidence to the activists who have for decades fought for legalization of a nontoxic plant. You united a big part of our divided country over a love and respect for a plant.

I love you, Massachusetts. Thank you for being a beacon of sanity on an otherwise deranged Election Day.

Love,

Beth

P.S. I love you, too, California, Maine, Florida, Arkansas, Montana, Nevada and North Dakota. Arizona, we're in a fight.