BACKGROUND
Washington state and Colorado have become the first U.S. states to legalize recreational marijuana use following voter referendums in 2012, capitalizing on rapidly-changing public opinion about the drug, which remains illegal under federal law. Read more >>
THE CARTOON
The cartoon by Steve Breen from the San Diego Union-Tribune shows a boy sitting at the kitchen table. The table is covered with documents and he is writing on one of them. His mother comments to his father, "Have you noticed the only colleges he's applying to are in Washington and Colorado?"
COMMENTARY
The couple's son is applying to colleges in Washington and Colorado because those are the only two states where recreational marijuana use is now legal. The fact that he's wearing a Bob Marley T-shirt gives us a clue. Bob Marley was known for his habitual usage of marijuana (aka cannabis, weed, pot, herb, ganja, etc.) and claimed that it helped him perform his music better and write his lyrics.
VOCABULARY
If you apply to a college, school or university, you to make a formal request, usually in writing, for a place as a student.
