Marijuana Monday Ep 13: Education is Legalization

Marijuana Mondays

Education is proving to be legalization in the United States. For far too long, Americans have been lied to about marijuana by various entities feeding off of other entities. The DEA has led the charge in misinforming the American people about marijuana. This campaign of misinformation is like the misinformation that put American voters behind Bush when he decided to go to war in Iraq. Usually people are afraid of what they don't know. But, the DEA uses misinformation to promote and grow that fear of marijuana. Just as we, as a people, were educated that the War in Iraq was based on a lie, we are also realizing the War on Drugs is based on numerous lies. There is nothing wrong with questioning our government. Doing the right thing is the obligation of any citizen but we must know the full truth to do THAT right thing.
Check the last episode: Marijuana Monday Ep 12: Oh, Happy Days!

Pot Mumblings

Medical marijuana could ease economic pains

"There is a great opportunity here for the government to collect significant tax revenue currently being lost to the street market," Nash, one of the best-known legal cannabis producers, enthused.

Although this article is from Canada, they have some of the same problems that we have here in the US in regards to marijuana. That is, rampant ignorance of marijuana leading to irrational policy making by an out of touch government controlled primarily by corporate/business interests that are frightened of the competition from marijuana (alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, lumber, and so on). The point of the article is to alleviate the economic burden of marijuana prohibition on a society that is suffering financially.

The problem around the world is the lack of education which needs to be addressed first. People still believe that marijuana is some evil substance. It's interesting when hundreds of thousands of people die each year from consumption of alcohol and cigarettes while they decide the fate of a plant that is about as toxic as a cold glass of water. Something to think about here in the USA.

Marijuana Advocates Look to National Agenda

A bill introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) that would decriminalize possession of up to 3.5 ounces of marijuana in the U.S. is cited as a starting point for hearings and discussion of the issue on a national level.

Those crazy folks in Massachusetts are trying to go national with their successful campaign. Although the effort is already nationalized, there's something to be said about whatever they did in Mass. because all 83 counties voted for marijuana decriminalization by a margin of 2 to 1. That's resounding success. I don't know exactly what they did but the only way I could see it working is if they were out there educating people on marijuana. We have to undo the fear factor taught by the DEA and other groups and agencies that ignorantly peg marijuana as a bad substance.

Carl Olsen v. Drug Enforcement Administration - 2008
Here is an individual trying to get marijuana reclassified in the schedules of the Controlled Substances Act. Marijuana exists in Schedule 1 (or section 1) of the CSA.

Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act
(A) The drug or other substance has high potential for abuse
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

It has this distinction because the DEA (no one else makes these decisions) decided that marijuana fits it. But, anyone who knows anything about marijuana knows that it doesn't fit at least one of those requirements. But, here's the truth about it:

• (A) Marijuana is not addictive and can't be abused. (Then again, anyone can abuse anything. Fat folks abuse Big Macs. This doesn't mean that Big Macs should be a Schedule 1 narcotic.)
• (B) 13 states along with many medical associations agree that marijuana has incredible medical value.
• (C) Marijuana is nontoxic and can not kill therefore there is NO safety issue

The DEA knows that if people are educated on the truth, they're job gets harder. It gets harder because marijuana is too easy to get. You can see plants growing if they're outside. Dogs can smell marijuana through anything. It's the most widely used "illegal" substance in the US so there's no shortage of "criminals" to catch. Marijuana makes the DEA look like a capable and functioning agency when you hear they've pulled up millions of plants per year and arrested hundreds of thousands of people. It looks good on paper because of the high numbers.

You take marijuana away, they'll HAVE to concentrate on fighting REAL drug crime - cocaine, heroin, meth, extasy, and so on. These chemicals cost much much more than marijuana so they come in smaller quantities and they don't stink like marijuana. Dealing with addicts are much more violent and likely to end in violence. Let's be honest, what kind of danger can someone high on marijuana pose when they show smokers "deflated" on a couch because marijuana makes you "boring and lazy". Do you really need no-knock raids and assault weapons for a marijuana smoker?

Green Tip of the Week: Anthony's Reminders

Reminder: Roll tighter to decrease air flow so that the blunt or joint doesn't burn faster.
November 1st is the official day that I started back smoking marijuana. I'd chosen June 1st as my official stop smoking day although I had stopped somewhere in mid-May after a food poisoning. After 5 months of not smoking, I lost a bit of my skill in rolling. I found myself rolling blunts too tight. Anyone who knows me knows that I roll just a little tight to control air flow. The more air flowing, the faster a blunt burns down.

Reminder: If you're going to roll a blunt, use enough marijuana to get a good roll
Although on Nov. 1, I rolled perfectly the first time back, I had some trouble over the weekend. Serious medical aid was needed. I rolled it way too tight. But, it didn't dawn on me why I rolled so tight until I got home. I forgot something important. My boy is very cheap when it comes to weed. I remembered that unless I put in more of my own, we're gonna end up on some little skinny shit. The problem is that my natural rolling style is to feel for a proper roll with my fingers; I stopped looking a long time ago. If there's too little marijuana, the roll is going to be too tight.

Reminder: Use a tip or "filter" for your blunt
Finally, the one thing that I do which I forgot is to use a tip. Most people use rolled up pieces of paper which they'll call a "filter". I use quotes around the word because it doesn't filter out anything but marijuana that might fall out or be pulled out when you inhale. However, the tip I use is actually from the stem of a plant. And, I forgot to use it until I saw it in my kit and remembered why I use it. See, plant stems are hollow to help aid in water transport within the plant. On top of that, it keeps the back from collapsing which is helpful. It definitely helps.

Marijuana Media: Medical Marijuana Testimonies via MPP [site]