When I was 15 years old, I got depressed after I lost my mom and 2 brothers in a car accident. They were killed by a drunk driver on the road. When that happened, I made a pledge to myself that I would never touch a drop of alcohol. Ever. It was just me and my dad left. Funny how a happy family of 5 turned into a ‘family’ of 2 in a day. I went to psychologists, who prescribed me anti depressants. I was given 7 different anti depressants. One after the other, as none of them worked. One of them actually made me want to end my life. When I first got depressed, I started acting out, and felt like everyone was out to get me. So all my friends ditched me as they couldn’t handle me. So I was that boy in class, who would sit in the back, with his head down. I stopped seeing my psychologists at the age of 17, as for 2 years, nothing they did helped me. If anything, it made me feel worse. I always felt broken when I had to go there. So now I was a 17 year old boy, no friends, no family (except for my dad..) and no future (well, that is what I thought of it as). Then I found cannabis. When I had my first joint, I was sitting in my chair, thinking. Deep thoughts. But this time, for once in my life, it wasn’t negative thoughts. Thoughts rushed my head. Inspiration. I realized that I can change my future, and that I have to move on, and that is life. I ended up writing most of the stuff I was thinking down, so I could remember it for when I felt down again. For the next few months, I was actually making friends online. I always enjoyed gaming as I had nothing else to do. So I made friends online, from gaming, and that was a start for me. To reach to the outside world again. Then after another few months, I started to make friends in real life. Keep in mind, that at this time, I was smoking cannabis every 2 days. I am now 23 years old, and I am happy. I have a job in software development, a girlfriend, and a life.. And I am actually happy. Cannabis freed me from the prison that was my mind. To this day, I never touched alcohol. Instead I smoke cannabis every 2-3 days. No. I am not dependent on it. I can take tolerance breaks for up to months. I hope that The Dagga Couple can legalize cannabis. Because this plant saved my life. No other drugs did the trick (by other drugs, I mean anti depressants). I am sure that there ARE people out there like me, who can benefit by this plant. ALCOHOL is bad. Cannabis ISN’T. I feel like the world should replace alcohol with cannabis. The only thing that really brings me down now a days is me just thinking that the substance that helped me, is illegal. The government is meant to keep people safe, and to make communities work. They are not doing their job with keeping prohibition.. Legalize cannabis, then some people will switch from alcohol to cannabis (like in California and Colorado and other states that have legalized). THAT is a public health win. Anyway, I wish that you guys can help legalize my medicine! <3