April 2021 :: From the Editor

What makes something “essential?”

There can be a bunch of different definitions of the word, from the food, water, and shelter needed to keep us alive, to the mental health and healthcare services we know today to be so important. Last year, cannabis businesses were deemed essential during COVID, and many people scoffed, But the same argument gets used against the queer community. 

For trans people, being able to express themselves as they are is essential for physical and mental wellbeing, but they still get told by health providers and the military that gender-affirmation surgeries are just cosmetic. And being with the love of your life is essential to happiness and well-being, but until recently, same-gender marriage was considered a privilege rather than a necessity. 

Cannabis is essential not just because people want to get high and unwind when life gets tough, or because it’s a recreational alternative to alcohol, although those are still important reasons. It is essential because many use it for medicine, to overcome anxiety and depression, to deal with pain and discomfort, and to help with gender dysphoria. Cannabis is an essential coping tool for the modern world. 

Now that life is finally starting to settle into this “new normal,” the “essential” designation is not one that we can roll back, not when it comes to cannabis access or LGBTQ rights. All we can do is move forward and increase access and support for marginalized communities until everyone really does have access to the rights, and the medicine, that they deserve.