By Samantha Lewis

At last, the country seems to be recognizing the plant's multifaceted medicinal nature. In the highly competitive 2020 elections, when five states legalize marijuana for recreational and medical purposes, cannabis will be the clear winner. Unfortunately, the negative stigma associated with marijuana still exists, and let us be clear that we are still suffering the unjust consequences of marijuana use. We call cannabis what it is: medicine, but it is not medicine in the same sense as alcohol, tobacco, or even tobacco cigarettes.

The principal of Belleview High School was fired after he suffered an injury that tested positive for medical marijuana in a brawl at the school. Michael Hickman, a combat veteran, tested negative for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his report. His doctor had prescribed him medical cannabis to help with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Marion County School Board voted to fire Hickman because his medical marijuana use violated district policy and he did not inform his supervisors that he was using medical cannabis. He was given the option to stop the application if he promised to stop it, but he did not.

Hickman said it was unfair that he could continue to take the opioid painkillers he had been prescribed before, pointing out that he switched to marijuana because it was more effective and had fewer side effects. Hickman says it has helped with the pain he has endured for years from surgery wounds, and it's not just his observation.

Indeed, a growing list of studies has shown that cannabis can help reduce opioid dependence and combat the devastating opioid epidemic. He even told the Orlando Sentinel that he was not affected like someone who takes aspirin for headaches. Marion County board members were concerned that if they let Hickman return to violate their drug policies and free working conditions, they would set a dangerous example, and the board voted 5-0 to dismiss him.

An administrative judge ruled that Hickman had at some point informed his superiors after his positive drug test that he was using medical marijuana. But his attorney Mark Herdman objected to the ruling, telling the Ocala Star-Banner it was "the dismissal of a good employee.