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Tag: politics

Obama’s Medical Marijuana Memo Means Nothing

By October 19, 2009 1
Background

Today, President Obama released a memo in regards to states with medical marijuana laws. Basically, this memo is telling federal prosecutors along with the DEA and FBI not to waste their time and energy on [destroying the lives of] medical marijuana patients and their suppliers IF they conform to the state’s laws.

Feds Can’t Touch This
Justice shifts course on medical marijuana prosecutions
Feds: Medical marijuana prosecutions not a priority

Reality

This memo is nothing more than a piece of paper. It doesn’t change anything. Think of this policy change as a mother asking her child to do his chores five minutes earlier at 5:55 PM instead of 6 PM. Although, it would be nice if you did it five minutes earlier, it’s not anything you have to take into consideration. It just would be nice.

Think about it.

What laws were changed with this memo? Did marijuana, all of a sudden, become legal? Was marijuana removed from the Controlled Substances Act? Will the federal government begin recognizing marijuana’s medicinal utility?

NO!

This memo hasn’t changed anything. As long as prohibition remains the denominator in the nation’s marijuana equation, this memo is nothing more than words on paper. Without the protections and consequences that come with actual changes to the law, nothing has changed.

Problem

President Obama has failed to alleviate or even address the problems that millions of marijuana users, medicinal and recreational, face against violent law enforcement. Well over 800,000 people are arrested and incarcerated yearly. Billions of dollars are burned by law enforcement officials that are only interested in playing ‘Judge Dredd’ with the lives of nonviolent people. When President Obama has the courage to face these gun toting animals, that’s when the memos and speeches will stop. That’s when laws begin to change.

Until then, I’d rather President Obama just shut up and leave it alone if he doesn’t plan on truly changing anything or helping us. I’m used to the status quo and it’s how I operate. It’s how thousands of us operate on a daily basis. I won’t change how I do things because of some useless memo. I would hope that my grower friends, especially those in medical marijuana states, keep their heads low as well. I don’t want them falling for this nonsense.

Just know one thing. Marijuana is not going anywhere. No matter how hard the prohibitionists push against us, we’ll still be here – growing, smoking, and teaching!

Categories: Legacy, News

Why wait until you’re suffering to care?

By September 9, 2009 1
I just read a story over at 420 Magazine via Wacotrib News and it pissed me off so much that I had to say something. Enough with the formalities, let’s go.

Waco Man Teams With NORML in Push for Medical Marijuana

Alan Caruthers, of Waco, says he was 18 years old the first and last time he tried marijuana. It didn’t do much for him. Until this year, he saw no reason to try it again, and he dismissed arguments for decriminalizing it as pothead talk.

It took a four-year struggle with myelofibrosis to change his mind. His leukemialike bone marrow disease gives him constant bone pain. The chemotherapy gives him nausea that makes him vomit daily. The Vicodin, Ativan and other drugs he’s taking to relieve those symptoms are losing their effectiveness, and he’s afraid of getting addicted to them.

So now, at age 44, this Christian family man and lifelong Republican is considering medicating himself with marijuana. And he has become an unlikely advocate for the right to do so legally.
(click title for the rest of the article)

Here’s my response to the article:

This pisses me off.

“It took a four-year struggle with myelofibrosis to change his mind.”

Why in the hell do you wait until it’s YOUR problem before you actually give a damn about people suffering?? That, to me, is the most selfish reason for advocating for medical marijuana. You don’t need to be in the “crap” to give a damn about those already living in it. What’s next? His healthcare costs are going to bankrupt him so he’ll be advocating for the public option or even universal?

Or, worse. What’s going to happen when his issue is resolved? Will he go back to not giving a damn because he’s out of troubled waters, so to speak?

The most that medical marijuana advocates and legalization advocates would ask of people is that they listen and get all of the facts. But, he was not that kind of man. Many people in this nation aren’t willing to listen. I have absolutely NO respect for people like that.

I hope he gets his marijuana. I just want to see how he acts after he gets the treatment he requires.

That’s all I am going to say at this point. I am just severely disgusted.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

The Myth of Marijuana Potency

By May 19, 2009 4

Intro

I’ve been keeping up with marijuana news more and more and something has gotten to me. It seems that the government has decided to rehash another long dead lie about marijuana in an effort to scare people into their way of thinking. The big lie is that marijuana is now more potent than it was 40-50 years ago. This is an old lie, debunked time and time again. The people that fall for it, the citizen drug warrior whose too stupid to know any better, makes it worse by extrapolating various absurdities from government-sanctioned drug DEAlers.

One of the great liars is the former drug czar, John P. Walters. Here he is lying about marijuana’s potency via TheFreshScent.

The Great Marijuana Lie

One of the greatest lies, and my personal favorite, happens to be that marijuana growers are somehow genetically engineering some kind of super weed to explain why it’s more potent. First of all, genetic engineering as a science is still very much in its infancy. To apply it to marijuana cultivation would be very costly and I doubt your local grower has that kind of money and the Mexican drug cartels are far from interested in delivering more potent marijuana. If they cared at all, Mexican cultivated marijuana wouldn’t be some of the weakest marijuana available after hemp.

Do you really think “El Diablo” wants to drop his fortune trying to genetically modify marijuana when he could easily use it to buy another yacht, hotel, bank, federali, or military person? If you’re one of these citizen drug warriors, you’re probably stupid enough to believe that one. I wouldn’t be surprised.

The reason people come up with these outrageous lies is because:

  1. the naive don’t know who to get the truth from and
  2. they have to figure out some way to justify the lies.

Well, that’s what I am here for.. to tell the truth about marijuana potency. Marijuana is NOT any more potent today than it was back in the 1960’s. Allow me to repeat that…

MARIJUANA IS NOT ANY MORE POTENT TODAY THAN IT WAS BACK IN THE 1960’s.

Fish Analogy: Explaining different potencies

People have to first understand that there are different kinds of marijuana out there. It’s like the different types of fish. Fish have developed these traits over the last few million years long before genetic testing was so much as a glimmer in anyone’s eye due to their environment. Just as environment can produce all kinds of cool, weird, beautiful, big, and small fish species, the earth’s differing environments have produced different kinds of marijuana plants from small to tall to bushy to lanky with light green to purple colors. The potency ranges from less than 0.5% (hemp) to upwards of 20% (skunk). It’s simply been this way for thousands of years. No one has done anything different to marijuana other than search and grow the best kinds.

As a grower, of course, I am going to look for strains that have the highest potency. It’s no different than a home owner choosing which type of flowers, shrubs, and small trees he or she wants in their backyard. You want the best, so you look for the best. If you can have the most beautiful garden with a large variety of plants, what would you do?

Lacing the Truth

Although the government is blatantly lying about the potency of marijuana at every turn, there are some nefarious types out there. They do modify marijuana after it’s already grown and harvested. These people will spray marijuana with chemicals that are harmful, if not fatal.

However, this can be compared to the lack of regulation that existed in the meat packing industry. Unregulated, you’d find all kinds of substances in your canned food from metal shavings to rats. It took the creation of the Food & Drug Administration to clean up the meat packing industry.

So, what are we to expect when it comes to a wholly unregulated marijuana industry? In the UK, people are spraying marijuana with some kind of silica to increase weight. In the US, almost everything is used to lace marijuana from roach spray to formeldahyde. If we want to protect ourselves, we’re going to have regulate the marijuana industry to eliminate violent drug cartels as well as limit the danger that is inherent to a black market system.

Last Word

Unfortunately, the US government continues to leave the marijuana industry unregulated and dangerous. This is why I advocate growing your own marijuana. You can control the quality as well as keep money out of the hands of violent drug cartels. Unfortunately, growing your own marijuana, no matter how much it actually helps save lives, is a crime where men like Eddy Lepp and Charlie Lynch go to jail for providing good, clean, quality-controlled marijuana to various patients.

8 decades later and the best this government can do is continue lying about marijuana instead of controlling it.

Good job, America.

One More Thing

While the government is claiming that marijuana is reaching some kind of dangerous potency, pharmaceutical companies have created a synthetic (fake) 100% THC pill called marinol. And, it can’t get any more potent than 100% pure. As long as marijuana remains illegal, drugs like marinol can be created so that pharmaceutical companies can make as much money from prohibition as possible.

If marijuana doesn’t have any medical value then why would a pharmaceutical company develop synthetic marijuana in pill form? The sad and pitiful part is that it doesn’t even work because it’s too strong. Patients on marinol report of incapacitation for days at a time and terrible hallucinations. On top of that, marinol does not contain any of the helpful substances like Cannabinoids (CBDs) and Cannabinols (CBNs) which specifically help relieve nausea, alleviate pain, and relax you. Natural THC degrades into those CBDs and CBNs. How is unnatural, synthetic THC in pill form going to degrade into CBDs and CBNs? It won’t which is why it does not, will not, and can not work.

But, thanks to the US government, terminally ill patients who can actually use natural marijuana can’t get their hands on it. Their only option is a pill that doesn’t even work.

Once again, good job, America.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Reality Check: Marijuana won’t boost economy

By March 1, 2009 22
Intro

First and foremost, let me say that I would love to see marijuana legalized in the United States. As a user, with some growing experience, I believe it will be the best thing in the long run for this nation. Let’s continue…Now that I am down from the high – that is, the high I got from hearing that California may legalize marijuana outright and NJ’s attempt at medical marijuana – I realize or at least believe that marijuana will not be that great of a boost to the economy. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that it’s the worst idea yet regardless of what side your on – for the economy or for legalization. In fact, I believe, if anything, it may be a boost to anti-marijuana groups in the long term when it does NOT work to boost the economy as many expect.

Problem One: Fallacy of Worth

Today, marijuana is the number one cash crop valued at about $40 Billion in the United States alone. No one argues that figure. California alone expects to reap in $1 Billion of that in tax revenues if they are successful at legalizing it. But, anyone with any business acumen, if they think about it carefully, knows that is not true. When gauging the worth of a product, we take in all factors – costs, supply vs demand, taxes, profit margin, etc.

Cost
If we discuss the costs, all one needs to remember is the very reason marijuana is such a high value cash crop is due to prohibition. The fact that it’s illegal drives up the price considerably. Take away the prohibition and the prices plummet from cultivation to trafficking to the final point of sale. No prohibition = no risk = lower operational costs.

Supply vs Demand
Also, it’s a given that growers will not only grow more marijuana but will be less likely to lose crops to DEA/police raids and theft. Factor in the long term potential that marijuana may have foreign suppliers from all over the world. All of this leads to a greater supply and much lower costs of cultivation along with the competition from many different suppliers from around world. Any kid, after a high school economics class, will tell you all about that supply vs demand chart. Granted, once prohibition is lifted, demand will increase but it will be wrong to imagine that competition alone won’t drive down the prices especially if US growers are competing with South Africa or Zimbabwe where you can get damn good landrace sativas for around $20 USD per pound.

Taxes
Califorina Assemblyman Tom Ammiano proposed a fixed tax of $50 per ounce of marijuana. How feasible is this when marijuana prices hit rock bottom? You get more than an ounce of tobacco in a carton of cigarettes which you can buy online for $10-$20. Imagine paying another $50 for marijuana that not only costs considerably less but probably isn’t even rolled for you.

When NY started to increase the taxes on a pack of cigarettes, it opened up a black market. I recently gassed my car at a Hess station off the University Heights bridge and there was a sign stating $7.56 for a pack of cigarettes, “lowest price allowed by law.” You can get the same pack on the street for $4. While I believe in taxation, we need to be equitable and reasonable in taxing policy, something the United States has not done very well intelligently.

All one needs to do is look up information on the 1920 and 1930’s era of alcohol prohibition to understand the TRUE value of marijuana as a cash crop [Wiki].

When [the] repeal of Prohibition occurred in 1933, organized crime lost nearly all of its black market alcohol profits in most states (states still had the right to enforce their own laws concerning alcohol consumption), because of competition with low-priced alcohol sales at legal liquor stores.

We’ve been here before. Let’s not act “new to the game”.

Problem Two: Smoker Beware

As a person with growing experience, I know what it takes to plant, care for, and process marijuana properly. One thing we don’t do as growers is use chemicals in the drying and curing process of marijuana. While I expect that to continue in the short term, in the long term, we WILL have companies like Altria (Phililp Morris/Marlboro) who infest their tobacco products with all kinds of manmade chemicals. This is to be expected if marijuana is actually legalized.

Also, let’s mention the idea that when the regulations hit, the potency will be controlled. As a user and grower, I will NOT be purchasing marijuana when they begin this practice especially when I can grow my own more potent marjuana and it should be legal for me to do so if they’re legalizing marijuana. Or, maybe I’d just get my product direct from the grower. That’s how everyone does it now, technically.

Problem Three: What about hemp?

We’re talking about legalizing marijuana but where’s the conversation about hemp and all of its benefits. It seems as though these politicians are counting on the potheads to rescue the economy without making any mention of the use of hemp as a cash crop. I’d like to assume that if the consumption of marijuana is made legal then also hemp itself, a very low-thc version of marijuana which can be used to produce food, clothing, and a million other things. I just hope my assumption isn’t far from reality.

Problem Four: Greed is always a bad idea

Legalizing marijuana because you think it will be a boost to the economy isn’t a smart reason; it’s a greedy reason. People who are greedy don’t think carefully about the actions they take. While I do believe it will be a boost in the short term as demand will increase faster than supply, in the long term, legalized marijuana will be a huge disappointment.

Legalize marijuana because it’s the right thing to do to repair the backward drug policy that does more harm to the United States than good. Even if people believe marijuana is dangerous, prohibition is a great deal more harmful to society than the substance itself. And I think with the fact that no one has ever died from marijuana use, we can safely assume that it just might be safer than drinking too much water [Water Poisoning].

Anti-marijuana ammo
In forgetting about the safety and benefits of marijuana and ignoring anti-marijuana groups’ concern for the love of money, we may give these fringe groups all the ammo they need to recriminalize marijuana in the future. Why should it be legal if it doesn’t boost the economy? It’s a pitiful backdoor attempt at legalizing marijuana, much like the people who have the audacity to piggy back onto medical marijuana efforts. I am NOT for it. NOT THIS WAY!

One Benefit: Lower Law Enforcement Costs

The greatest benefit of legalizing marijuana is the cost savings associated with the paring down of law enforcement expenditures. I’ve written about this recently [Budget cuts? Police first!]. I’d rather the United States, or California, make the smart decision to legalize marijuana instead of thinking it will be a major boon to the economy.

Perhaps, the short term boost is all this economy requires. But, then what?

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

DEA thinks cocaine is safer than marijuana!

By February 26, 2009 0
Intro

I received an update from @NatlNORML on Twitter regarding Attorney General Eric Holder’s statements during a press conference today. The press conference was meant to give America an update on the progress of Operation Accelerator which targeted the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, the US, and Canada [link]. Afterward, Eric Holder answered any questions. I wanted to share some of the responses I had to the post on NORML’s Daily Audio Stash.

My first response

Did anyone notice he didn’t mention how much marijuana was retrieved? Listen to how he lays out the numbers in the first 2 min of the conference.

  • 50 members of sinaloa cartel
  • 21 months
  • US, Mexico, Canada
  • 750 ppl
  • $59,000,000
  • 12,000 kilos of cocaine
  • 1200 pounds of meth
  • 1,300,000 extasy pills
  • 160 weapons

But, there was no mention of marijuana. Maybe it was a slip? But, these guys are smart. This is not the Bush administration. I think he may have left out that figure on purpose. Maybe an early attempt to disconnect marijuana from big drug cartels in a way to eliminate ammo of anti-marijuana groups.

I think too much. What do you guys think?

“Radical” Russ responded to my comment

No, I think you’re on to something – the lack of a marijuana mention was notable. I think it may be more that it isn’t positive PR to note that you’re spending money eradicating weed.

Cocaine is less harmful than marijuana!

Later I came back to read any new comments and one stood out to me from Robert Petricci (NIMO):

I hope it is true but It seems to me Carl makes a lot of sense. The scheduling law doesn’t pass the smell test. It is obvious that marijuana has had and does have medical use in the United States. That being the case legally it can not be a schedule one drug by the governments own definition. That brings us to how do you trust a government that harshly enforces laws that are not legitimate? Courts continue to find excuses to send people to prison in obvious violation of the law. Obama and Holder simply need to enforce the law not pretend to do us a favor wink wink. The entire justice system in the U.S. operates in an unjust manner, it appears to me to be broken. This just shows one example of that.

It made me think about how the DEA’s posturing on marijuana may be more harmful than they realize. So, I responded:

I think this brings up deeper issues as it pertains to drug use in general. If the government is absolutely lying about marijuana and blatantly so, what’s one to think about other substances, especially those that are schedule 2. This goes directly to individuals who don’t know any better.

It’s only in practice a person NOT in the know would ever find out that marijuana is not the demon weed the DEA makes it out to be. If marijuana isn’t that dangerous yet is considered dangerous, it’s not exactly far fetched for one to extrapolate that cocaine or even heroin is not only not dangerous but most likely safer than marijuana.

It’s my opinion that the DEA’s erroneous prohibition classifications do absolutely more harm to the American public than any drug pusher ever could. If I was a drug dealer wanting to move cocaine and heroin, I’d use the DEA’s own argument to push that drug harder.

“Hey no one’s ever died from marijuana use and millions of people are saying that marijuana isn’t addictive, look at your friends. Come over here and try this cocaine. I’ve got some heroin for you as well. Remember, even the DEA thinks cocaine and heroin is safer than marijuana. Try it out!”

Of course I caught my mistake:

I goofed, heroin is schedule 1.

US Citizens need some perspective

Outside of the heroin flub, I believe my point is still valid. Does the DEA believe that cocaine is safer than marijuana or less harmful? If so, isn’t it a logical conclusion to believe that, if anything, that cocaine should probably be legal before marijuana?

Let’s stretch this even further. In the United States and rest of the world, tobacco and alcohol are legal. Both are addictive, both are carcinogenic (cancer causing), and both are responsible for millions of deaths around the world every year.

AND THEY ARE LEGAL KILLERS.

Yet, no one – no agency, no doctor/scientist/researcher, no police officer, no FBI/DEA/CIA agent, no community leader, no anti-drug organization, AND no government official – can point to, in the history of human marijuana usage since before and INCLUDING the times of Jesus Christ, ONE death attributed to marijuana use. NOT ONE!

One has to ask if there’s something very wrong with this picture. How is it that marijuana is considered a dangerous substance, Schedule I, according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 [DEA | Wiki], yet all of these other substances enjoy not only lower classifications as in the case of cocaine (Schedule II) but complete legalization and regulation as is the case with alcohol and tobacco?

Am I wrong to ask such a question? Is it even more wrong for the DEA to let American citizens believe that cocaine, a chemical concoction that I have personally seen destroy entire communities, is safer than marijuana?

The citizens of the United States needs some perspective and common sense on this issue.

Categories: Legacy, Prohibitionist Idiots

Politicians Guide to Marijuana Policy

By January 27, 2009 0

Introduction

Recently, I read a post on theFreshScent in regards to medical marijuana in New Jersey: MMJ Called into Question by N.J. Rep. This particular NJ Rep is Mary Pat Angelini. I was disturbed by the amount of misinformation that she spreads about marijuana and its usage. NJ Rep. Angelini really doesn’t know much about marijuana. I find that her situation is not something new or isolated. Most politicians do not know much about marijuana. This rampant ignorance comes from decades, nearing a century, of misinformation starting with Henry Anslinger’s racist remarks back in 1937:

There are 100,000 marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.

– Henry Anslinger, U. S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner, 1937

I won’t say this was enough for Congress to pass the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act in 1937 but I’d say this is where the banning of marijuana started. For more on the criminalization of marijuana, feel free to read: Marijuana Mondays: Ep. 5: Why is marijuana illegal?

Before I get started, I wanted to address the problems that many politicians and people in general have with being educated about marijuana. The number one problem that I find with misinformation is not so much the source but the actual respect given to the source. Usually, the most vocal sources of misinformation come from police officers, DEA agents, and others like anti-drug organizations who pass themselves off as experts.

But, do we ever hear from a doctor, scientist, or a researcher? It amazes me that people who don’t have any direct experience or information with marijuana somehow know so much about it. However, if you LISTEN to most true authorities, they’ll tell you that marijuana is far from dangerous. Also, we need to study marijuana more because there is still so much we don’t know. Most importantly, we don’t listen to the people who actually use marijuana on a daily basis. However, I think that voice is getting louder and louder.

Politicians Guide to Marijuana Policy

So, before I start, I need one thing from the reader: a clean slate. If you’re big on prohibition, anti-prohibition, or just in the middle not know who to believe

Note About Smoking
Anything burned and inhaled is bad for you. I don’t think this is up for argument. As people have died from smoke inhalation in a burning home so it should be extrapolated that introducing any smoked material, including marijuana and tobacco, will be harmful to a person’s body. However, marijuana does not have to be smoked to be consumed. It can be made into a tincture which can be used in drinks. It can also be used in foods. There exists safer options for consumption of marijuana.

In Favor of Common Sense Marijuana Policy

La Guardia Committee Report, 1944 [Drug Library | Wikipedia]
The Marihuana Problem in the City of New York
“The report was prepared by the New York Academy of Medicine, on behalf of a commission appointed in 1939 by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia”

  • The practice of smoking marijuana does not lead to addiction in the medical sense of the word.
  • The use of marijuana does not lead to morphine or heroin or cocaine addiction and no effort is made to create a market for these narcotics by stimulating the practice of marijuana smoking.
  • Marijuana is not the determining factor in the commission of major crimes.
  • Juvenile delinquency is not associated with the practice of smoking marijuana.
  • The publicity concerning the catastrophic effects of marijuana smoking in New York City is unfounded.

National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, 1972 [Drug Library | Wikipedia]
Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding
“The National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse was created by Public Law 91-513 to study marijuana abuse in the United States.” President Nixon completely disregarded the findings of his own commission.

  • The criminal law is too harsh a tool to apply to personal possession even in the effort to discourage use. It implies an overwhelming indictment of the behavior which we believe is not appropriate. The actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior, a step which our society takes only ‘with the greatest reluctance.

Marijuana Rescheduling Petition Docket No. 86-22, 1988 [Drug Library]
DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young in support of rescheduling marijuana said, “In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death.” (page 58). The DEA completely disregarded the findings of their own judge.

Other Sources
Myths and Facts About Marijuana, 1997 [Drug Policy Alliance Network]
“This collection of myths and facts is based on the book Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence . A decade after the book was published, the latest scientific evidence continues to support the original findings.”

  • Myth: Marijuana is Highly Addictive.
  • Fact: Most people who smoke marijuana smoke it only occasionally. A small minority of Americans – less than 1 percent – smoke marijuana on a daily basis. An even smaller minority develop a dependence on marijuana. Some people who smoke marijuana heavily and frequently stop without difficulty. Others seek help from drug treatment professionals. Marijuana does not cause physical dependence. If people experience withdrawal symptoms at all, they are remarkably mild.

NORML’s Marijuana Health Mythology, 1994 [NORML]

  • Myth: Pot Kills Brain Cells
  • Government experts now admit that pot doesn’t kill brain cells… It is worth noting that other drugs, including alcohol, are known to cause brain damage.

These are only a few resources that can be used in your effort to come up with a common sense marijuana policy that can work. Listen to the advocates for marijuana reform and listen to the advocates for prohibition. But, when you do listen, be sure to ask for references of the information. You’ll know who’s telling the truth when that information is backed up by science and not hearsay.

Who wants to keep marijuana illegal?

I do believe there are some people out there with honest concern about marijuana use, albeit very few. However, I believe that it comes from misinformation. I do respect their concerns which is why I try to educate and inform people about the truth of marijuana. When you realize the truth about marijuana, you get organizations like NORML, MPP, SSDP, ASA, and many more.

So, who wants to keep marijuana illegal and WHY?

Law Enforcement
They are charged with protecting us, right? Well guess how much money it costs to “protect” us from drugs. Try $70,000,000,000. Yes, that’s BILLION. But, wait a min. Marijuana is the most prevalent drug as well as the easiest to “sniff” out. If marijuana, at some point in the future, becomes legal, how much funding would law enforcement need to cover helicopters to spot marijuana farms, infrared devices to spot “hot” homes, the massive amount of man hours spent arresting millions of users, and the prison costs incurred by jailing over 800,000 people per year for things as small as a marijuana joint. Now, take that all away and how much money does law enforcement get to play with? Definitely not that much.

Alcohol & Tobacco
We all know these are the legal drugs allowed by the law. Alcohol has the job of inebriating people. Tobacco has the pseudo ability to calm people down. Introduce marijuana. A substance that can be smoked, mixed in a drink, or made into food. It not only inebriates but it also has the ability to relax you. If marijuana were legal, there would really be no reason to smoke tobacco nor drink alcohol. You better believe they do NOT want legal competition. Imagine corner stores selling packs of marijuana cigarettes, marijuana shops, and marijuana bars. Legal marijuana is a real threat.

Pharamceuticals
A lot of people try to dispute the medicinal value of marijuana. It’s funny because marijuana was used medicinally in the United States before it was used recreationally (or industrially, I think). At any rate, the medicinal value of marijuana is immense. While the United States continues to pretend that marijuana isn’t medically useful, the rest of the world is studying marijuana intensely. They’re doing so for a reason. There is a lot of scientific evidence the proves marijuana does relieve pain which is bad for drugs like tylenol, ibuprofen and harder drugs like hydrocodone and oxycontin. But, nations such as Spain and Israel has done studies that show marijuana is helpful in reducing cancer as well as other ailments.

In fact, I’ve writtin a post hoping that Senator Ted Kennedy would use marijuana for his glioma, brain cancer (see: Post #41). Science has already proven that marijuana can do a lot of what pharmaceutical companies chemical concoctions do WITHOUT the detrimental side effects (unless you consider sleepiness and hunger detrimental).

Criminals
Think about this one hard. If you were a criminal, it would be obvious that marijuana prohibition actually does you a favor in allowing you control the pricing of your own product. You don’t have to pay taxes because it’s illegal. Where’s the line on the tax form where you can state how much illegal profit you’ve made in the previous year? It doesn’t exist. Do you think Al Capone would advocate for legal alcohol, especially when it was the backbone of his fortune? Do you think drug cartels would want to give up the massive profits and control by legalizing marijuana? Absolutely not.

The Point

The problem with marijuana prohibition is that people continue to believe that marijuana is a dangerous substance. Yet, the only proof that marijuana is dangerous comes, not from science or any empirical evidence but, from people who want to keep marijuana illegal for financial reasons. It’s a gold mine. To legalize marijuana is to send a lot of people scrambling for new revenue streams including drug cartels.

These people don’t care about the citizens. Law enforcement didn’t care about Rachel Hoffman when they got her killed trying target a small time dealer. Alcohol and tobacco are directly responsible for the deaths of millions. Pharmaceutical companies have proven they don’t care by consistently pushing through medication that does more harm than healing. And the real criminals couldn’t care any less as long as the profits keep coming in. The only people that care about THE PEOPLE are the advocates and users of marijuana.

We want it legal because…

  • we don’t want to get arrested by overzealous agents and police who lie to obtain search warrants.
  • we don’t want to use alcohol or tobacco (I get violently ill around tobacco smoke and I don’t like the effects of alcohol)
  • we don’t want to continue placing our lives in the hands of man made chemical sludges
  • we don’t want to have to keep dealing with shady characters with fake names and throw away cell phones
  • the high from marijuana is enjoyable
Categories: Guide, Legacy

Police Corruption: Victims R Us

By January 23, 2009 3

Are Black and Hispanic folks safe?


White folks have it easy?


What about news reporters, women, children???


Things are much easier around the world, I bet.


The Cost of Bad Police Policy

This just really shows that it’s never going to matter how much money is involved or the training given, police are bad for one reason: they’re allowed to get away with it. And, even if they don’t fully get away with it, very few actually will do any time in jail for the crimes they commit against innocent people. As long as they’re protected, the people remain unprotected and we all deserve equal protection under the law.

And, who gets the bill when police officers get a slap on the wrist? Do you think police departments have “Oops We Hurt/Killed Another Citizen” insurance plan? Yes they do actually. That’s what the tax payers are for, you and me. Every time you hear about a court case against a police officer, think about the funds it takes to prosecute/defend that criminal cop. That’s some number of potholes the streets could fill. Think about all of the cases settled for five- and six-figures. That money represents the teachers we could hire, in quality and quantity, books for school, and music and arts programs. Now think about all of the seven- and eight-figure settlements. Cities could easily support new infrastructure programs, create more jobs, help strengthen the economy. Think about the toll on society as even decent law abiding citizens are more frightened of police than the criminals they’re supposed to catch because they’re one and the same.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

It’s Not Drug Dealing When The CIA Does It

By December 26, 2008 4
Incredible Washington Post article I just read. Check it out: Little Blue Pills Among the Ways CIA Wins Friends in Afghanistan. What’s going on here? The CIA seems to be dealing Viagra to the elderly Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. Let’s check out some excerpts from this article:

His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

“Take one of these. You’ll love it,” the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception.

Wow! That sounds like some hardcore drug pushing to me.

“Hey kid! You feeling a little sad? Try one of these pills. It’ll make you feel all better.”

And sure enough it did. Jack knew what he was doing when he gave little Tommy that methamphetamine. Tommy told his friends and then they were hooked, stealing from their parents to support their drug habit.

Now replace Jack with the CIA and Tommy and his friends with the Taliban. Sounds like drug pushing to me. Here’s some more from the article.

For U.S. intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won. While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country’s roughest neighborhoods, according to officials directly involved in such operations.

Oooh. Is that what it’s called now? It’s not drug pushing anymore folks. It’s “novel incentives and creative bargaining”. Well I wonder if Jack could use that in the court of law.

“Your honor, I wasn’t pushing drugs. I was using novel incentives and creative bargaining.”

OK OK OK. Enough. Let’s be real.

The truth of the matter is that the CIA is over there pushing Viagra, and who knows what else, to a bunch of old men who are probably married to 10yo girls. And, the Taliban is no damn better. They’re busy chopping off hands and torturing people to get them to stop growing heroin, yet they’re excited over some pills. These people are very conservative… wait.. abusing drugs, easily bribed, and overly conservative while at the same time condemning others for lesser activities.. THAT’S A DAMN REPUBLICAN.

All this nation wants is legal marijuana. Maybe I should control some supply/trade routes in New York City and marry a 10yo girl. Maybe the US Government will approach me with drugs too.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Wakeup: Back to Reagan’s Drug War

By October 18, 2008 6
In this war on drugs, there is one question that every poor Black and Hispanic person in the inner city – the dealers, the users, and the innocent bystanders – wants answered, “How do these substances get into our neighborhood?”
This question comes about because there is a disconnect in the flow of drugs. For example, if you wanted to track how a car got into your neighborhood, you can track it from the manufacturer through the distribution system – trucks, trains, planes, and car salesmen – into the hands of the owner. However, when it comes to drugs we don’t know the distribution system. The one question that always comes up is, “if the US government wants to stop the flow of drugs, why don’t they go after the manufacturers instead of the low-level dealers?”

The answer: The US government IS the distribution system that facilitates the flow of crack, cocaine, and heroin into the nation and the inner city.

I know it all sounds like a conspiracy theory – “Oh, the big dangerous government is out to get us!” Sure, it sounds crazy. Unfortunately, it’s so crazy that it’s true. Listen to former DEA agent Celerino Castillo tell you about his experiences in Central and South America. It’s a two part video, about an hour long total.

Folks, it’s important to understand that this is NOT coming from the mouth of some paranoid crackhead. This is from the mouth of a man who was IN it all. Here are the video interview of former DEA agent Celerino Castillo:

The one thing that stood out to me before the end of the second video is that Mr. Castillo confirmed the fears that I had about heroin production in Afghanistan. I watched news reports that the US military wouldn’t destroy poppy fields as they showed clips of US soldiers walking through. The one thing I knew about the Taliban in Afghanistan, they are staunch Muslims. They fought drug dealers in Afghanistan and punished them harshly with death. All of a sudden, the US comes starts the War on Terror and Afghanistan is now producing 90% of the world’s heroin.

Folks, this is NOT Usher and Tameka getting a divorce. This is NOT some celebrity sex tape. This is NOT the latest Hip Hop beef. This is the Reagan era revisited. This is the crack/cocaine/heroin epidemic. This is high levels of unemployment and depressed individuals looking for an escape. This is blood-stained sidewalks and kids dying over cheap gold chains and nice sneakers. This is what I remember from the 80s under two terms of Ronald Reagan and one term of George HW Bush. We’re going back to these times thanks to two terms of George W. Bush.

The only thing that’s truly going to save our communities is the will to resist. We’ve got to be reminded of the harm done to us by this fake war on drugs. We have to be stronger than our parents were during the 80s. We have to make sure to NOT succumb to the ease of drug money and NOT look for escape in substances. This shit is coming to our doorsteps. The best thing we can do is be prepared.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Marijuana Mondays: Ep. 5: Why is marijuana illegal?

By September 22, 2008 8
And here we go with the fifth episode of Marijuana Mondays. If you don’t know what I am talking about it, read this: Marijuana Mondays. Some folks want to know, rightfully so, how and when did Marijuana become illegal in the United States? Of course, I’ve got the answer to that question. Email me your questions, issues, or concerns at anthonytaurus(at)hotmail.com.
Check the last episode: Marijuana Mondays: Ep. 4: LEGALIZE IT

Marijuana Mumblings

Pot rally has cops fuming
The Freedom Rally in Boston is “the largest marijuana reform gathering on the East Coast.” Fortunately, all these guys do is come together to talk marijuana reform. However, some people decide to light up their joints. This makes any police group angry for two reasons: 1) it shows the overaggressive tactics of local police which makes them looks useless and pitiful and 2) shows that marijuana smokers are peaceful and nonviolent which goes against every lie authorities try to tell the media. It’s funny.

Area law enforcement say ‘no’ to marijuana decriminalization
We’re still in Boston here. It seems the good folks in Massachusetts get to vote on “Question 2” which will seek a smarter common sense policy in regards to small quantities of marijuana. Instead of arresting people and giving them records for life, Question 2 would require police officers to give tickets instead. It’s a common sense policy. The only reason police don’t like Question 2 is because they wouldn’t be able to arrest individuals anymore. It’s as if Boston police live to do as much harm as possible to the people of their own community. It’s sadistic.

Drug Task Force Aims To Spoil Marijuana Harvest
This gem comes from Minnesota. Marijuana harvest season is here. It occurs around this time every year for outdoor crops. Seeds are planted in the Spring around April and they grow through the summer maturing some time in the fall. There will be more stories like that as local police departments and the DEA look for patches of marijuana crops everywhere there’s arable land. Unfortunately, all of their efforts won’t really do much to hurt the marijuana market just as marijuana eradication efforts didn’t do much all the years before. Prices will be the same. Quality will be the same. Availability will be the same.

The only thing I can tell folks is to not go near a marijuana patch around this time. The police are getting smarter (that was a joke). If they haven’t already pulled up the plants, they’ll be waiting for any farmers to show up for harvest time. At any rater, it’s another $70+ billion of taxpayer money down the drain to catch maybe 1-5% of marijuana production. The funny thing is that real marijuana growers and dealers expect more of a dent from theft than they do from police.

Questions & Answers

When and why was marijuana made criminal?
Marijuana was first made illegal, at least in opinion, in 1937 under the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act. The act itself did not criminalize marijuana but instead placed heavy taxes on it.The reasoning marijuana was made criminal back then, which continues today, is racism. A lot of people say that it was because of the paper industry. Supposedly, logging companies which provide much of the material for paper production didn’t like the competition from hemp. It was known at the time that a field of hemp would produce more paper that what could be obtained from the logging industry, which is true. But, this is a bullshit reason for criminalizing marijuana.

Henry Anslinger, a racist bastard as too many whites were in that time period, appealed to Congress to make marijuana illegal by claiming: “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.”

However, in 1967, the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act was repealed because marijuana production was so low that the act was seen as criminalizing marijuana due to the high taxes attached. Unfortunately, in 1970, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) came about which would organize specific drugs into 5 “schedules” with Schedule 1 being the worst. The CSA was an effort of the United States to comply with the United Nations’ policy against narcotics. Unfortunately, many people believe that the CSA is unconstitutional and should be repealed. However, politicians continue to weaken the US Constitution by ignoring it.

Currently, the only way to go about getting marijuana legal is to remove it from the CSA like alcohol and tobacco aren’t in the CSA.

Marijuana Tip of the Week

Store your marijuana in airtight glass bottles instead of the little plastic bags or cases you may receive when buying it. The bottle will serve two purposes.

First, it will help contain the smell a lot better than plastic by not allowing air to escape as plastic would. The best bottles to use are baby food bottles because they have a soft gum-like seal on the underside of the cap. Most other bottles have a flimsy paper seal that eventually wears out and allows the smell to come out.

Second, containing the marijuana in such a way will increase its cure. Most times commercial growers will give marijuana a short cure because it’s just a waste of time for them since it can be smoked once it’s dried. However, a proper cure will bring out the natural flavors of marijuana giving it a better taste and smell as well as equalize the moisture levels which can produce a smoother smoke.

The next time you get marijuana, keep some of it in a small baby food bottle in a dark place (light degrades THC in marijuana) for two weeks. If it’s good marijuana that’s grown well, the taste and smell will pop out at you even more.

Categories: Legacy, Marijuana Mondays
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