As many of you have probably already noticed, an article about Weed is the #2 top trending article today. There's also a noticeable increase in weed posts overall.
I think not downvoting this might be shortsighted, here's why:
My initial reaction was to downvote and I did. My rationale was that as a Steem Power holder, it is my responsibility to do what I can to help Steemit grow to reach a mainstream audience. Marijuana use in my opinion is still a niche and controversial topic and would inhibit mainstream adoption of the site. This is similar to what happened with Bitcoin when it was characterized by the media as a currency for drug dealers, which scared off mainstream entities such as major banks. Given Steemit is uncensorable, there is potential Steemit will become the "Silkroad of Social Media".
On the other hand, this might be a stroke of genius, here's why:
Again using the Bitcoin analogy. The use of Bitcoin for drug transactions on the dark web is what gave Bitcoin it's initial use case. This effectively allowed Bitcoin to have value and bootstrap it's way to the potential mainstream applications we see today (see Abra Global and 21, Inc). In addition, public opinion on Marijuana use is softening and is increasingly being decriminalized and legalized in many states. Assuming this trend continues, Steemit could be on the cutting edge and ride the wave of increasing acceptance of Marijuana from the mainstream. Which will allow Steemit to leapfrog incumbent social media platforms like Facebook.
That's my 2 Steems on the subject. Let me know what you think is in the best interest of Steemit in the comment section below.