On May 17, Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Act (Act 16) went into effect, bringing me one step closer to the realization of a dream. I don't have a personal medical need for marijuana, nor am I looking forward to being able to legally smoke it; I've never been interested. No, as a "certifiable plant geek" my dream is to be able to try my hand at growing this intriguing, illicit plant with the distinctive leaves.

To me, it's paradoxical that marijuana is off-limits. Poison ivy is a threat to many people, responsible for countless collective hours of itching, oozing, blistered misery, trips to the doctor, steroid use, and days missed from work. Despite all this, it grows freely almost everywhere. You can have it on your property and no one will come arrest you.

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