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New Approach Washington Ad Isn’t That Great

By August 7, 2012 0

I’ve been doing marketing, specifically advertising and branding, for longer than I’ve been smoking marijuana. And, I just was not persuaded by this New Approach Washington‘s ad for marijuana legalization. However, the composition of the piece was perfect. I love the idea of this young Barbra Bush crossed with a bit of Sarah Palin. She looks more like America’s typical soccer mom – somewhat conservative and harmless. But, she’s waiting at the coffee shop, not at home or a park bench with the kids.

Well, she’s White; you’ve just appealed to 65% of the US Population. She’s a mother; that scores well with a huge demographic of mothers, people who love their mothers, and women who want to be mothers. The iconic coffee shop; that’s for the hipsters. She’s talking about marijuana legalization; it’s picked up a lot of steam, become a hot topic.

It’s all of these little mirrors that reflect so many parts of America.

It’s the writing, acting, and direction that loses the most points. I believe it could have been done better. The writing was just talking points. The woman seemed to change facial expressions from goofy smile to stern disapproval with each point. Basically, the ad is cluttered. There’s no singular focus. After watching it a few times, I still can’t remember the talking points. I don’t want to remember them. It’s too much, too fast.

It’s like rolling a fat blunt and being forced to smoke it quickly when it’s better to spread it out over the day. That’s my point.

The ad should have been ads, one main commercial and the rest posted up at the main site and/or Youtube. The concept is to show a series of lifestyles around marijuana. There would be a group of women. I could imagine it as a group of friends or a family – young adult, mother, grandmother. They’d either be at the coffee shop, at home, or even in the car driving. The idea of a family is powerful because of the generational intersection and everyone is over 21 (young adult 22, mom is 40, grandma is 61). That’s the perfect “location” for the conversation.

They’re at a coffee shop. Ellen (mother) brings up her disapproval of her (young adult) daughter, Danni using marijuana. Danni dropped a sizable baggy of it when she went to hug her mother. Ellen looks to her mother (grandmother), Jody, to be on her side of things. Danni doesn’t have to defend herself to anyone; she’s the model marijuana user. She’s got a good job as a paralegal and lives on her own. They don’t drug test at the law firm so her job is safe. Who said she smokes marijuana? She cooks it.

While the series would start from the “Hug” scene, the main commercial ad would have been the final scene, the conclusion piece. Mother decides her daughter’s marijuana use isn’t so terrible. Grandma told a story about catching Mother smoking as a teen and confesses to being a beneficiary of Daughter’s cooking.

It needs to be formatted into script form. I’ll get to it later.

By the way, to all those in Washington, vote “Yes” on I-502.

This measure would license and regulate marijuana production, distribution, and possession for persons over twenty-one; remove state-law criminal and civil penalties for activities that it authorizes; tax marijuana sales; and earmark marijuana-related revenues.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Potheads or Police. Who’s the real threat to America?

By July 30, 2012 0

An often overlooked casualty in the War on Drugs is the American family. The US government promotes this heightened level of violence against American families with the false explanation that they’re trying to protect the American people. It’s nonsense. To this day, no one can justify the violence enacted when a man’s home is raided and the “authorities” find what turns out to be a few grams of marijuana or a few plants.

How many fathers have been senselessly murdered? How many mothers have been killed? How many children have had their lives shortened? Damn it, how many pets have been viciously put down? Over what – a few grams of marijuana, a couple of plants, a rumor from a neighbor? Then they claim they’re trying to protect the community. When you sit down and THINK about it all, WHAT DANGER IS THE COMMUNITY FACING? Did dad mow his lawn too early in the morning? Was mom taking her kids to the park too often? Did the children sell sour lemonade at the lemonade stand? What’s the justification for law enforcement to murder innocent people?

How exactly are Americans being protected here when we are all under threat from criminals and criminal police officers?

On one side, we have thugs with guns, selling drugs, and killing each other in the street with stray bullets finding bystanders. On the other side, we have thugs with badges, selling drugs, and killing us in our homes. I guess it’s better because the guns are aimed at innocent men, women, and children so no stray bullets. The sad part is that the only consolation we will ever get is that maybe the first set of thugs will be arrested, indicted, and convicted. When it comes to the badged thugs, there is no justice. So, they have MORE incentive to do it again and again and again. It’s not going to stop.

The simple answer to the question is: We aren’t safe. We aren’t protected. In fact, because of law enforcement we’re in more danger than ever before.

Consider this hypothetical: I’m a marijuana grower. I grow for my own personal use. I use products from American and Canadian companies. I’ve earned a BBA in Marketing Management. I develop marketing plans and do design work. I go out once in a while but I mostly prefer to stay home. I don’t drink alcohol nor do I smoke tobacco. I like to relax with joint of marijuana.

What threat do I pose to you? How much safer are you if I am shot dead in cold blood? Who’s more of a threat to you/your family – a hungry pothead that’s half asleep or a SWAT team that doesn’t have a problem blowing an 11yo child’s heart out of his chest with a shotgun to the back and will get away with it? If you think I exaggerate, look up “Alberto Sepulveda” and welcome to America.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Thank You DEA: Marijuana and Economics

By July 27, 2012 0

You know, I went to college for business administration.
One of the first courses you take to earn such a degree is economics, more specifically, Intro to Economics. In this class they show you this graph. One axis has the supply of some imaginary product. The other axis shows the demand for this imaginary product. Some lines are drawn to show supply intersecting with demand to determine price. For example, if a company produces too much product, they may want to lower the price of the product so that they can sell the product faster. It makes sense.

Now, let’s apply this simple principle to the marijuana market. When dispensaries were going up in California, prices for marijuana around the nation went up. Why? Simple. California is one of the major producers of marijuana in the United States. You could get high quality marijuana ANYWHERE in the United States. But, when the dispensaries went up, marijuana distribution stayed local, for the most part. Lots of growers took a pay cut because it was safer to deal locally to the dispensaries. They were out of the “criminal” side of the business. In other words, the nationwide supply went down causing prices to go up.

Fifty dollars could get you an 1/8th of an ounce of marijuana; that’s 3.5g.
Usually the bags were between 3.2g and 3.5g. It was acceptable. Meet up with the dealer, ask for a “50” and you knew what we were getting. When dispensaries blew up, the “50” was not comfortably nestled between 3.2g and 3.5g anymore. The weight DROPPED. The “50” came in at 2.8 and dropping. The quantity dropped to about 2g, that’s TWO grams. To add insult to injury, the quality of the marijuana wasn’t always great (always better than schwag, of course). See, the dispensaries would turn away marijuana that wasn’t up to their standards. So, what’s a grower to do with marijuana that may have had a spider mite infestation? Answer: Off to NYC. Of course, someone else would buy it. So, we went from paying about $14.29 per gram to $25 per gram of LOWER quality marijuana. *DOUBLE SLAP*

However, a few weeks ago, I picked up a half-ounce of marijuana for $170 [Reddit]. If you’re from NYC, you know $170 for a half-ounce is wonderful. IN most parts of the US, $170 for a half-ounce is great. Typically prices for a half-ounce is in the range of $200-$250. As I pay attention to the marijuana market, we can see why prices are dropping and dropping quickly. I’ll get into that in a second. Today,  I get a call from my dealer telling me that he’s moving ounces for $300 for me, $350 for friends. I’m special. He always has the high quality stuff. I’ve picked up Jack Herer, Blackberry, Strawberry Cough, Grape Ape, OG Kush, Hindu Kush, Pink Kush, Kush Kush (just kidding), Top 44, C88, C99, Hempstar/Brainstorm, Sour Diesel (Rezdog), NYC Diesel (Soma) and the list goes on and on. I’ve never gotten an ounce from him for less than $375 to about $410 at the extreme. But, here I am getting an offer for $300/ounce.

THANK YOU DEA!!

As the DEA shuts down dispensary after dispensary in California, the growers are stuck with an ever growing supply of marijuana along with an ever growing supply of bills to pay. So, what’s a grower going to do with his huge supply of medical marijuana? Remember, supply and demand; where they meet is the price. Demand is steady but the supply is high. This means that prices are going to DROP. This is all directly the fault of the DEA. They pushed the dispensary out of business and put the grower between a rock and a mouth to feed. That’s not smart on the part of law enforcement but they were never exactly the smartest group.

Consider this: A few weeks ago, I got an ounce for $170. Today, I can pick up an ounce for $300. What happened between NOW and a few weeks ago? What event could have caused the price of marijuana to drop so quickly, AGAIN; from $375-$400 to $300-$350?

HARBORSIDE HEALTH CENTER WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE DEA

Harborside happens to be one of the largest, in fact, THE largest marijuana dispensary in California.. no, the US.. no, the world.. no, the known universe (it’s true). If growers aren’t selling their marijuana through Harborside, where else can they sell it? Answer: Try the rest of the nation. And, we’re all too happy to purchase it. So once again, THANK YOU DEA!! You’ve made it easier on my pockets to buy marijuana in New York City.

Categories: Legacy, Prohibitionist Idiots

Ogden Police Messed Up, Nothing New

By January 11, 2012 0

I’ve been loosely keeping track of the home invasion by the Ogden, Utah police which resulted in the death of one of their own officers, Jared Francom, as well as 5 more officers wounded. The victim of this home invasion was Matthew Stewart, a veteran of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also injured in the home invasion.And now, the DA is seeking the death penalty for a man who was simply protecting his home.

My big problem with this whole issue is that the police aren’t taking any responsibility for their actions. The prosecutors and judges are ensuring that the police aren’t held responsible for their actions either by charging the victim with murder. They’re hiding behind the rule of law and procedure instead of admitting they messed up by purposely creating a “war zone” situation where none existed.

First of all, let’s take a step back. Why did the Ogden police invade this man’s home? There was suspicion that he was growing marijuana. The police got a search warrant. They went to conduct a search.

So, why did this turn into a war zone? How did a simple search warrant turn into a veteran of two wars firing on police officers?

It’s because the Ogden police, like many other police departments, decided to raid this man’s home. But, they didn’t want to raid his home while he was at work. They didn’t want to raid his home while he was out shopping for groceries. They wanted to raid his home while he was IN his home. They wanted to make sure this guy was at home.

Unfortunately for the overzealous wannabe-military Ogden police, Stewart was a real military person with post traumatic stress disorder. You don’t get PTSD from sitting behind a desk for a few years. You get it from being involved in some things, like war. You get it from being traumatized and stressed so hard that it becomes a mental disorder.

So, how did the Ogden police mess up?

They forgot that they’re a pansy civilian police department. In doing so, they made of the fatal mistake of deciding to bring the drug war to a man who’s not mentally out of a war zone yet and they got their behinds handed to them. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. As more of our troops come home, they’ve seen and done things that aren’t easily forgotten. Many of them will have PTSD; many of them will be medicating with marijuana; and many of them will be growing at home.

How could the Ogden police have carried out this search warrant in a smarter way?

  • One, they could have tried to NOT bring a war zone to a man who’s not quite out of the war yet. You do that by conducting your search warrant while he’s NOT at home. That, alone, just might have avoided any and all confrontation.
  • Two, they could have lied to him to get him to come back home if they needed him there. That’s been done before.
  • Three, they could have maintained a perimeter (in case of escape), and just waited for him to answer the door and spoke to him.
  • Four, they could have asked his parents for help.

But see, none of these things are on the menu for most police departments. Some alternative ideas to raiding a man’s home while he’s home might not be the smartest or the best. It’s definitely not as much fun as creating a faux war zone. But then, Jared Francom might be alive today.

Hindsight is 20/20. But, with as many botched raids as have been conducted by various police departments over the years, I have to seriously wonder why law enforcement doesn’t have any kind of foresight, whatsoever. How stupid are you to create a war zone for no apparent reason especially when there are other options available?

And because of typical police stupidity, one man is dead, others are injured, and now the state of Utah wants to murder an innocent man – a man who has fought for this nation and its people – for protecting himself against a home invasion. Or do they? Let’s see what jury of his peers has to say. If I was on that jury, I’d vote “not guilty”. If Utah wanted to bring suit against the Ogden police for reckless endangerment and negligent homicide, that’s an easy “guilty” for me.

It’s so sad that any of this has to happen over a marijuana plant. It’s clear that this ramping up of state sanctioned violence against peaceful citizens is a sign that this war on drugs is coming to a close. It’s that final ditch effort by law enforcement to maintain a strangle hold of control. What they don’t understand is that it’s acts like these that help people make the decision to legalize, outright or for medical purposes.

I wish Matthew Stewart the best of luck.

Update

Help Matthew Stewart Org.

Matthew Stewart @ Facebook

Categories: Legacy, Prohibitionist Idiots

Opinion: Marijuana Use is Not on the Rise

By September 8, 2011 0

I just peeped a little tidbit about marijuana use on the rise…

“Overall, 8.9 percent of the U.S. population or 22.6 million Americans aged 12 and older used illicit drugs in 2010, up from 8.7 percent in 2009 and 8 percent in 2008, according to the survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration…. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the United States, said increases are especially prominent in states in which medical marijuana use is legal. [LINK]“

Well, it would seem that marijuana use is on the rise acoording to statistics. But, is it the rise in use or the rise in people willing to admit that they’re users? See, my thinking is, because the rise is mainly in medical marijuana states, these people are people who feel comfortable admitting to using marijuana as some states’ laws provide a safety net against the detrimental effects of marijuana – arrest records and employment termination.

So, is it that marijuana use is up or the amount of people willing to admit they use is on the rise?

On another note, I’d like to point out an important fact. According to Harry Anslinger, in 1936, “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S….” I won’t bother you with the rest of that quote. Look it up for yourself to see the true reason why marijuana was criminalized in the Untied States. The US population in 1936 was about 128,000,000 people; that’s 0.08% of the population. In 2010, 22,600,000 marijuana smokers have revealed themselves; that’s 7.5% of the US population, up 22,600% since 1936. And, these are just the people that admit to using marijuana.

So, yes, marijuana use is definitely up, on the rise, skyrocketing, if you will. But, there are still so many people who have not admitted to using marijuana, understandably. Personally, I think at least 25% of this nation smokes marijuana regularly whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly.

So, prepare for that explosion in marijuana use when it’s legalized. Most “new” users will be full of longtime tokers and ex-smokers. Then, you’ll have a bunch of truly new users finally jumping on board to try it out. I would love to see the numbers then.

Categories: Legacy, News

The War on Drugs is Very Winnable

By June 15, 2011 0

Why do people suggest the War on Drugs is unwinnable?

Law enforcement, in a good year, may seize 5% of the total marijuana this nation imports. Hundreds of thousands of people are arrested each year for minor possession of marijuana. Homes are invaded on a regular basis. Families are torn apart. People have lost their lives. Billions in taxpayer funds are slotted for this campaign against marijuana use

Yet, finding marijuana is actually a rare concern for many people in the US. Billions are spent yearly for a paltry 5%. People arrested have become nothing more than mild-mannered, non-threatening, financial burdens on society. How many innocent people have been harmed by raids on the wrong home or just misinformation.

If someone is to win this War on Drugs, then who would be winning if it’s pretty obvious that law enforcement has been losing?

Sounds like WE are winning the War on Drugs and we haven’t used fear or murder as a tactic to do it. We use our brains. They shut down airports, we drive it in. They shut down roadways, we burrow it in. They collapse tunnels, we swim it in. They catch our boats on the water, we go under water. All the while they’re losing the border war, we’re growing it on window sills, in pc cases, mobile closets, basements, attics, whole homes, freight bins, underground bunkers, etc etc etc.

The war on drugs is very winnable. We just don’t see that we – growers, tokers, and advocates – are the ones winning it.

Let’s stop looking at it from the point of view of law enforcement. That’s been the problem with this nation so far. We’re too individually annoyed at law enforcement’s ankle biting to recognize how far marijuana has come. We are way bigger than them. That’s why they’ve been losing.

You can’t beat a plant that can grow anywhere!!

Imagine that in 1937, marijuana was essentially criminalized. It was near impossible to get and not widely spread. They’ve set up laws, set up agencies, institutionalized and terrorized generations of Americans for some 75 years. And 75 years later, you’d be hard pressed to find a person who hasn’t come into contact with marijuana or someone who uses it.

Is the War on Drugs winnable? Absolutely. Just look at the record!!

They may never cave in or give up. Marijuana might not be legalized for a long time. But, this war will end some day. It will not end with the eradication of marijuana. Marijuana will be legalized. History is on our side.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

I love when Above the Influence people say “Studies show…”

By March 24, 2011 2

I was recently looking at abovetheinfluence.com just for giggles sake because I was really looking for those hilarious “truth” ads. I like the one where there’s 4 young black men in a car, 3 of them are wasted and the driver is ragging on them while talking about how many great things he’s going to do because he’s not using marijuana. It’s my favorite because I find the driver to be quite pathetic in the sense that he can’t find better friends to hang out with. They went to a party, had a great time, and he’s sitting there bored like a jackass.

Then the other commercial that gets me is the one where the girl is sitting on the couch, literally deflated. Somehow, marijuana did that to her. Her friend is ragging on her as well. We go back to the same issue… WHY ARE YOU SO FUCKING LAME THAT YOU CAN’T FIND BETTER FRIENDS?

I think, the people behind those ads are a bunch of dumb asses. That I could easily develop better anti-drug PSAs while high really shows the level of their stupidity. Perhaps, what it really shows is just how much they’re lying about marijuana use.

What makes matters worse is that they’re not only dumb asses but they’re damned liars as well.

Just looking over the website, I get to the Q&A and it’s filled with falsehoods and general misinformation. But, the kicker for me has to be the claims they make regarding these scientific studies. And, I am the kind of guy who respects a good scientific study, of course. There are thousands of studies on marijuana and its individual compounds all around the world. The problem that I find is that the folks behind Above the Influence have yet to produce a study that backs up any of their claims.

Now, you can go through my blog and see me make tons of claims. The difference between the claims that we make is that, I can actually back up the shit that I speak on. For example, folks at Above the Influence say that marijuana causes learning disabilities and a number of other issues. They always say “studies show….”

Well, you’re the government sponsored website.. where are the studies that prove what you say?

They don’t exist. I’ll tell you specifically why they don’t exist. That claim is backed up by a study. And, that study, the Tulane/Heath study specifically, has been debunked and rebuked. The goal of the GOVERNMENT sponsored study was to show marijuana killed brain cells. And, they sure as hell proved that marijuana killed brain cells.

But, and here’s the kicker, they did NOT release the actual study for review by other scientists and researchers for, what I believe was 3 years. In that time period, the government ran with that information. They told the world that marijuana killed brain cells, causes learning problems, etc etc etc. However, when the methodology was released……….. STOP THE PRESSES.. THEY DID WHAT TO THOSE MONKEYS?

The study was supposed to last approximately one year. Monkeys were to smoke marijuana joints daily. They’d get tested before and after the trial was over to see differences in learning.

Mind you, they were SUPPOSED to do all that. What did they really do?

These lying bastards hooked the monkeys up to gas masks and basically smoked the monkeys out in 3 months with the amount of marijuana that was supposed to be used in one year. In doing so, they suffocated the monkeys, depriving their brains of oxygen. The marijuana didn’t kill brain cells. Asphyxiation through smoke inhalation killed brain cells.

So, I wonder, when the folks at Above the Influence say, “studies show…”, is this the study that they’re saying shows whatever it is they’re trying to get you to believe? Who knows? The bastards NEVER point to any studies. Where are the independent doctors, scientists, and researchers who actually conduct the studies that prove the bullshit? Dr. Fog? Is that all you have over there at the ONDCP?? A fucking mascot in a white coat?

Remember, there are thousands of studies around the world. But, do yourself a favor and look that shit up for YOURSELF. These “above the influence” websites are run by undereducated mothers who are scared to let their children eat candy more than once a week. They don’t do the research and they come up with these incredibly DUMB ASS ads that are, at best, ineffective and laughable.

The ONDCP should give me the money to come up with those ads. Sure, I’ll lie for you, for the money. But, I’ll want twice what you’re paying the idiots who run the current ads right now. It’s not because I’m lying or going against some moral obligation… BAHUMBUG. It’s because I am that damn good. Of course, I’ll smoke a blunt before I get to work. But, you’ll definitely get some quality advertising with some intelligent thought behind it AND it will actually be effective and not the joke of America.

Categories: Legacy, Prohibitionist Idiots

I don’t want to smoke anymore…

By March 13, 2011 0

Mind you, I type this with a half-burnt, unlit joint between my lips which I will relight as soon as I find my lighter….

I have just had the most smoked out weekend I’ve ever had in my life, absolutely, the most smoked out weekend.

So, I went down south with some friends. And, we’re keeping actual identifying details to a minimum here, of course. Anyway, it was two days of good friends and good bud. There was some other kinds of bud there but nothing was better than what I ‘had brung’ from up north, that OG Kush to be exact.

I know most of my readers are bong smokers but we roll blunts around here. So, get your cringing out now if you’re inclined to do so. I do understand but it’s a way of life up here.

We smoked all the time. The only time we weren’t smoking is when we were asleep. There was always a blunt in rotation.

I actually got tired of smoking marijuana. So, I need to take a break… 30 days! My tolerance was already way too high and I definitely need to give my lungs a rest anyway. And, they say marijuana is addictive.. what a joke!

Special thanks to…

  • …my friends
  • …my connect here in NYC
  • …the smoking suites at Comfort Inn and Econolodge in NC
  • …the cop who smelled the car, knew what we were doing, and let us go free in… VIRGINIA.
  • …Republicans for defunding government services such that there aren’t any police on the street and they aren’t educated enough to know where to look even if they were on the street
Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Boondocks: Mr. Medicinal..

By July 19, 2010 4
Y’all know I love marijuana right?Yeah, y’all know that.

Y’all know I am not just some pothead either, right?

Yup, I’m sure y’all know that.

I went from schwag smoke to growin some fine ass Princess Diesel . When it comes to marijuana, I could probably run Oaksterdam. They should make me the dean or something.

Anyway, enough self-aggrandizing. I wanted to pay homage to this last Boondocks episode, Mr. Medicinal.

Let me get my beef out of the way first.

They should have put me in it. Instead, they put some ol’ regular stuck up dude in there. They could have had the super laid back, chubby Black Buddha type such as myself. With my mellow flow and superior knowledge, I would have made the perfect Boondocks character to cultivate and distribute high quality marijuana in Woodcrest.

Anyway, without spoiling it too much for others who haven’t seen it, I loved the way the episode went down. It pretty much covered all the bases – first time introduction to weed from Thugnificent, the rabid anti-marijuana knucklehead in Tom, the first smoke, being high, driving while high, trouble with the law, and so on.

But, most importantly, I think it caught a bit of that enchantment that people have with marijuana. We all know Granddad is an uptight ornery ol sumbitch that gets angry at the drop of a hat. But, when Granddad is high on marijuana, he’s a completely laid back and relaxed individual. As he mentions, he isn’t going to let the small things bother him. When you feel like that, you’re not going to want to go back. You gain better perspective because when you can treat the small things like small things, you can concentrate on the bigger picture being your life, friends, and family.

Yes, everything looks better, tastes better, and feels better, especially sex!

Anyway, I tend to get long winded and I wanted to try to keep this short and sweet. But, I can’t just leave it without spreading some knowledge.

“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 usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”


– Harry J. Anslinger, testimony to Congress, 1937

 

After Anslinger’s racist comments to the US Congress, which they ate up, marijuana became illegal through the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937. Basically, this act dictated that you have to pay taxes on marijuana. The catch-22 is that you had to bring the marijuana to get the stamp. However, you couldn’t have marijuana without the stamp. The act was repealed in 1967 because a judge caught the catch-22 which was conveniently overlooked for three decades.

Everything was good until the US Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. What a lot of people don’t know is that the CSA is a response to the United Nation’s Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs Treaty in 1961. This is important because to ban drugs in the United States, there needs to be a Constitutional amendment. The best and only example of this is the 18th Amendment which prohibited alcohol in 1917 and was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.

Now, let’s tie this all together. How is it that the US needs a Constitutional amendment to prohibit alcohol but doesn’t need one to prohibit marijuana use?

Article VI of the US Constitution answers that question.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

In other words, if the US signs a treaty, whatever is in that treaty supersedes any and all laws in the United States including the US Constitution itself. So, there will be no legalization efforts at the federal level because of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as well as some other treaties that were signed afterward.

What it all amounts to is someone using Article VI of the US Constitution to tell American citizens what they can and can’t do with their lives.

If you think for a second that there isn’t a racial motivation for this effort, at least in part, just look at marijuana statistics today. 70% of marijuana users are White compared to 15% of those users being African American. However, 60% of those incarcerated are African American compared to 20% White. Yes, there are people who would go through all of that just to get us!!

Check me on it. I always feel good about what I write, when I decide to write, for a reason.

Categories: Legacy, LOL

Marijuana Growers, Don’t Fear Legalization

By June 28, 2010 1
Hey folks, here I am back with another post. I know I am usually far and in between with my posts but you must know I don’t blog just anything. I blog when the passion hits me. That means, it has to be important enough for me to address.


19.0 wet grams of Princess Diesel

Well, here we are in the United States, not quite on the advent of legalization but the movement is steady in that direction. We’ll truly be on the advent of legalization when the US Congress starts having the guts to challenge the status quo. But, I doubt that will happen until this treaty business with the UN is addressed. But, I will address that at another time when all my information is gathered.

Anyway, there seems to be a major problem within the marijuana growing community in regards to legalization.

What?

Some folks simply don’t want it legalized. We’re not talking about the maniacs who’ve drinking that DEA juice. We’re talking about the growers who are persecuted AND prosecuted by the very laws they want to protect.

Why?

Well, what really happens if marijuana is legalized? It means that the local and illegal market will have to contend with the world market as well as large money interests who can eye a new major industry.

In other words, COMPETITION.

It’s easy when there isn’t much marijuana to go around and millions of users. You can pretty much charge what you like. If you’re a student of business, as I was (BBA in Marketing), you understand that price can dictate demand if there isn’t enough product to go around. However, demand will dictate price if there is too much product on the market. When marijuana is legalized in the US, you’re going to have entire nations clamoring to supply this hungry market. The situation reverses.

The idea of paying $50 to $65 for an 1/8th (3.5 grams) of marijuana is out of the window.

But, is it?

Absolutely not. I want to let my marijuana growing friends know that it isn’t out of the window at all. The game just changes. And, you will have to learn to adapt with those changes. Let’s look at the tobacco market which, I believe, is identical to what a marijuana market will look like if and when legalized.

Sure, you have companies like Marlboro who sell cigarettes by the ton. But, what do they do to that tobacco? That’s right. We all know that story. The tobacco industry tuns tobacco into smokable bullets. Take enough hits and you will die. It’s as simple as that. However, who says you have to buy tobacco from Marlboro?

I always remember going to Nat Sherman in NYC on 42nd Street. It’s an amazing tobacco shop. They don’t sell crap either. I don’t smoke tobacco at all. However, if I did, Nat Sherman would be the only place I would visit. You go inside and you see jars of loose tobacco on the counter. It looks like a dispensary would look like today. As old as Nat Sherman is, I’d bet they were the model for many of these marijuana dispensaries today. But, they sell tobacco.

Simply put, there are pockets of tobacco aficionados out there. And, I know this doesn’t alleviate your fears but let me show you why you shouldn’t be fearful of a legal marijuana market. Keep reading…

Ounce of Mexibrick schwag.

At the same time, you have Mexican drug cartels who sell marijuana by the ton. We all should be familiar with Mexican grown marijuana (see pic). It’s basically the same as corporate tobacco – mistreated and trashed. And, who exists among those large corporations to bring customer high quality marijuana??

YOU EXIST!!!

Just as folks at spots like Nat Sherman don’t care for the low-cost poison that companies like Marlboro deliver to communities around the US, we don’t care for the low-cost poison that Mexican drug cartels deliver around the US. Just like Nat Sherman, you will and have always targeted folks who could afford, and would pay for, a high quality product.

Will things change? Absolutely. But, the change simply means you’ll be able to come out from hiding. You will find it easier to attract better clientele. It’s like the wine industry, the cheese industry, the beef industry and so on. They all have low quality producers and high quality producers. Someone looking forward to a nice wine isn’t going to the corner liquor store for some Yellow Tail.

If you want to stay competitive in the future, worry about the quality of your own product. Don’t worry about the large corporations, the Mexican drug cartels, or nations in Asia, Africa, and so on. They’ll all be thinking about high profits by increasing production and cutting costs. That means, just as they do with tobacco now, they’ll gladly shred up seeds and stems in your future marijuana cigarettes as well as poison them.

They won’t be able to produce a high quality product like you and therefore won’t be able to compete at your level nor for the same customer base. It’ll be the right of the people to choose their poison. And the same market that goes after high quality marijuana right now will be looking for you tomorrow. This is why I say worry about the quality of your product.

Do you think the likes of Marlboro can compete with this when marijuana is legalized?
They can’t even compete with other quality tobacco today!!

Also, differentiation and specialization will become important. Since we may be a few years away from legalization, it’s not a bad idea to shed the European breeders and start some breeding programs of your own right here in the US if you haven’t already. For example, I grew out some Princess Diesel. But, who can’t get Princess Diesel through a quick visit to the Reservoir Seeds or some other seed site. Imagine if I had a strain of my own. Sure I could grow out other stuff. But, this strain would be mine and no one would be able to grow it but me.

So, stand out even more by creating your own strain and stabilize the phenotype (grower talk). We have a few years before marijuana is legalized. It won’t hurt to start now. Just make sure that when you’re finished, you keep seeds in a safe location for the future.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion
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