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Tag: politics

No Such Thing As A Good Cop

By May 15, 2015 0

When it comes to issues of law enforcement, the one thing that drives me absolutely insane is continually seeing this false narrative that there are good police. There are no good police officers. As long one officer can stand by while another commits crime after crime, that officer can not be considered good because he commits only one less crime than the corrupt, criminal officer.

For example, if an officer murders a man, woman, or child in cold blood, he is guilty of murder and all the other crimes that follow to cover up his illegal actions. But, that cover up can not take place without the actions of his partner who is witness to the criminal activities, a captain who chooses to “playvestigate” the crime, and a commissioner who lies to the media.

To make matters worse, this is compounded by union reps that guide lies and followed by a union boss who will “Pat Lynch” the dead victim. Then, the DA that hides behind a grand jury. And, politicians who enacted violent policy try to placate the hunted.

Where in all this corruption of justice does a “good cop” exist? Where are the police officers that will STOP a criminal cop BEFORE he commits a crime? Where are the police officers who will arrest the criminal cop when he brags about how he murdered a man? They get ostracized and fired meaning they’re no longer a good cop, just a decent human being without a job.

I support good police officers. It’s too bad there aren’t any to support.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion, Reality Check

Dispensaries And Growers Are Too Big To Win

By August 29, 2012 0

I consider this article to be an addendum to the previous article: Marijuana Legalization. You’re Failing At It. I want to be very clear from the start, this addendum is how marijuana can win.

Currently, marijuana is in a pseudo-legalization state. I consider it an entrapment scheme, ignorantly developed by local activists and purposely ignored at the federal level. Considering how difficult it was for the law enforcement, local and federal, to bust marijuana growers and distribution, it makes sense, to some degree, to allow these people this level of legalization. The reason is simple. Growers and distribution networks are basically snitching on themselves.

Think about it. Your state has legalized medical marijuana. States have set up registries for users, growers, and distributors. This directory of criminal activity never existed before. To make matters worse, these people are advertising their activities. “Come here, come now.. free joints.. discounts”. Now, federal law enforcement doesn’t have to do any work at all. They don’t even need to do investigations. The criminals are screaming, “HERE I AM! ARREST ME, PLEASE!! TAKE MY MILLIONS TOO!!” It’s never been so easy for the DEA.

As a citizen of these various states, you can easily alert the DEA to large operations which are sanctioned by the state. What are local law enforcement, from state attorneys to local cops to prohibitionist citizens, doing? They’re giving Uncle Sam a call, every single day. Dispensaries are getting shut down and growers are getting busted all the time. This is the current state of pseudo-legalization. Should we be mad at the federal government or ourselves? Well, I’m not mad at myself. I’m not the one with the imagination that it’s ok to set up large scale operations.

The question becomes, how do we continue on this path? In my opinion, this is the path to failure. Marijuana advocates are leading citizens to believe that it’s ok to set up these businesses and it’s ok to set up these large grow operations. The federal government is letting you know that it’s NOT ok to set up these businesses and grow operations in words and actions. Before, my answer was to simply “STOP IT!”

But, then I got to thinking. I looked back at previous articles and documents and did some more thinking. The facts are:
1) Marijuana activists are clearly too narrow-minded to see the big picture and
2) Federal government is content on letting the marijuana activists continue to snitch on themselves

I’ve come to the conclusion that, considering the path we’re on, the state by state strategy can win. However, we have to be mindful of being “too big to win”. What’s that even mean? Simply put, pay attention to who the federal government is going after: the big boys – dispensaries and large growers. The DEA doesn’t have the manpower to conduct low level arrests so they’re not going to conduct low level arrests. They admitted to that reality in 2009. But, they do have more than enough manpower to shut down large operations. And, they admitted to that reality as well.

How can this state by state strategy actually be a win for patients? The answer was always right in front of me: Stay small. It’s not a new concept. It’s something that I’ve been advocating for years along with many other people who talk about it and do it themselves. But, the great flaw of too many marijuana activists, whether it’s greed or righteousness, is that they want to be the end all. They want to be large scale providers. While it makes sense; what business doesn’t want to be large and successful? Unfortunately, this is exactly how you end up in a federal prison. So, perhaps the marijuana industry, as it is now, should want to be successful but not large – collectives and smaller grow operations. Basically, you don’t want to show your behind to the federal government. Clearly, they can shut you down and they will shut you down.

If we take a second to actually think about it, shed those wild egos and silly righteousness and actually consider this state of pseudo-legalization for what it is and not what activists imagine, it all makes perfect sense. Local authorities won’t arrest us because what we’re doing is legal at the state level. At the same time, federal authorities won’t touch us because we’re not worth the expense. The patients win because they can still be provided quality medicine from reputable people. At the end of the day, it’s all about the money. If you’re a DEA agent, are you going to push on small low-level operations or are you going to expand your federal wallet by following the big money?

While maintaining an off-the-federal-radar state by state strategy, the federal strategy to legalize should get the most focus.. and funding. That federal strategy has multiple approaches – voting for the right people in the US Congress (something we all can do) and bringing the DEA to the US Supreme Court (something Americans for Safe Access is doing).

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Marijuana Legalization. You’re Failing At It.

By August 18, 2012 0

As I read article after article regarding marijuana legalization, general and medical, I’ve come to the conclusion that it simply is NOT going to happen. Don’t get me wrong. It can happen. But, with the current mindset of marijuana legalization advocates, I have to admit, failure is inevitable.

First of all, who am I to say anything? Well, I’m a user (10 years). I’m also a grower (7 years). I’m a US citizen. I’m someone who doesn’t care to go to jail over a plant. And, I’m all for legalization. But, my question is not whether or not it should be legalized. And, some people have actually accused me of being for the criminalization of marijuana because I admit to being a grower. They make themselves believe that I want to keep prices arbitrarily inflated. I can only guess they imagine my three to five plants in the closet somehow supplies the entire Eastern US, go figure.

What I have a problem with is the WAY in which the legalization fight is being carried out. Basically, there’s a state to state effort to push medical marijuana. On its face, it’s good. It’s good for the terminally ill to be able to secure some pain relief. But, let’s be honest. A lot of people aren’t using medical marijuana for medical purposes. In fact, I don’t even use marijuana for medical purposes. Medical marijuana has become a pathetic toy tossed between advocates, who act like people aren’t going to abuse the system, and opponents, who think everyone is going to abuse the system. The truth is definitely somewhere in the middle.

Unfortunately, as any honest lawyer will tell you, even medical marijuana is still illegal under federal law. If it’s illegal under federal law, it’s illegal under state law. But, you have “activist judges” going against the grain with nonsensical opinions that amount to nothing more than an affront to the US Constitution. It’s pathetic. At the end of the day, people are still being imprisoned and/or outright murdered for a plant by people sworn to protect them.

The medical marijuana agenda has done more harm than good. It gives individuals the feeling that they’re protected. No one’s protected; they’re just ignored locally. It gives potential businesses the idea that they can operate with impunity. They’re being shutdown as I write this. Finally, it gives growers the idea that what they’re doing can’t be stopped. Plants are getting yanked daily. This is happening because this pseudo-legalization atmosphere has created the perfect climate for law enforcement to act.

In other words, medical marijuana has become nothing more than a scheme for entrapment at the national level. Sad to say, many of you have fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker. Law enforcement doesn’t have to spend time in a helicopter searching for farms. They don’t have to build relationships with growers on grow forums like ICMag or 420Magazine. They don’t have to catch distributors in large scale deals. All they have to do is sit back and wait as user, grower, and dealer all out themselves in news articles, documentaries, and Youtube videos.

But, I’m not writing this to be against medical marijuana. I’m condemning some marijuana advocates who don’t tell the truth to the users, growers, and dealers. The very reason many of us think medical marijuana is ok is because of the constant misinformation these people pass around. They talk about the 10th Amendment or State’s Rights to justify pseudo-legalization. They tell you to sign up to these registries. They tell you it’s ok to set up these businesses. They tell you it’s ok to grow within state law. None of it is true or honest. In fact, medical marijuana movement has done nothing more than help the DEA develop an environment of entrapment. I question some advocates’ motives, in whole. Seriously, since when do people need to sign up for registries to use medication? I can get a prescription for dilaudid (painkiller) just as easy as albuterol (asthma) but the government needs to know who I am and where I live if I want to use marijuana?

But, don’t assume that I think this is some grand conspiracy. My belief is, and I truly think this, these marijuana advocates, who have been leading the way, are stupid and short-sighted!! They’re so blinded by their own agenda that they don’t even realize they created a system of pure entrapment. If you’re law enforcement, it’s the best time to take advantage of the situation. This is why I refuse to listen to these advocates anymore. They’re not intelligent people. We can all sit here and talk about what we want to see happen. It’ll be a fun exercise in imagination. But, I prefer to see what’s happening not what I want to happen. People are dying over a plant. That’s what I see.

————–Take a break. Rest your eyes.————–

So, if the states’ rights strategy is an inevitable failure, how do we go about legalization, medical or recreational? What are the obstacles? And, how can we overcome those obstacles? First, we have to understand how we came to this point? Where does it really start?

It starts with a very mind-blowing realization about our US Constitution. For a long time, I thought, to alter the Constitution, you needed an amendment. Federal government doesn’t have any rights to do anything that’s not provided for by the US Constitution. For example, want to prohibit alcohol, you needed the 18th Amendment. Wanted to legalized alcohol after the fact, you needed the 23rd Amendment. So, how can the US government prohibit various forms of drugs without and amendment? Easy. It’s in the US Constitution, Article IV, Section 2, the Supremacy Clause. Let’s just take a look at it.

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, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.

Yes, the US Constitution, the laws that US Congress makes based on the Constitution (including amendments), AND ALL TREATIES shall be the supreme law of the land. That doesn’t sound right. I don’t remember Mr. Roberts mentioning anything about treaty agreements becoming the supreme law of the land in Government class. They definitely don’t teach you that in college if you’re not in law school. But, this is important because it’s that tidbit that completely changes the game. A treaty has the power of an amendment. That means when the treaty is agreed upon, US Congress has to create legislation/laws to that effect. So, just like the 18th Amendment brought about the Volstead Act, the Single Narcotics Convention brought about the Controlled Substances.

WAIT WAIT WAIT.. I went too far ahead. Single Narcotics Convention? That’s the treaty that the US government agreed to with the United Nations in 1961 which brought about the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. I know, it doesn’t sound like a treaty. Usually, a treaty has the word treaty in it. But yes, that’s a treaty. You’d be smart to ask if there were any other treaties in which the US Congress is in agreement. Yes, there are countless treaties in force.

Quickly, why would it be more beneficial to agree to a treaty as opposed to pushing for an amendment? It’s the requirements. A treaty only requires 2/3 of the Senate to be in agreement. However, to ratify an Amendment to the US Constitution, you’ll need 3/4 of all individual state legislatures to agree to the Amendment, a much hard task to accomplish. With that, our Social Studies lesson is over.

Now, we have a better understanding of the obstacles that we face. We see, it’s much deeper than some states’ rights fight that some advocates ignorantly talk about. It’s why I think most marijuana advocates are stupid. It’s why I think state judges don’t do their job when they come up with pathetic opinions that clearly ignore the US Constitution. If this is how advocates think marijuana is going to be legalized, with the knowledge that it’s against federal law, they’re not just failing us all but they’re setting up others for failure unwittingly.

What are our REAL options for legalization? Like I’ve said, if marijuana is going to be legalized, it’s going to take place at the federal level. Either, US Congress opts out of the treaty agreement or we can find a way to work within the agreement, meaning a push for rescheduling of marijuana. This is why I am following four developments.

First, Americans for Safe Access vs DEA. This is another important case to watch because it directly targets the obstruction to re-scheduling of marijuana by the DEA. It could lead to a forced rescheduling of marijuana especially considering all of the medical evidence that proves marijuana is not only safe but effective as a treatment for various ailments. Once marijuana gets pushed into a lower schedule, it can be prescribed in all 50 states. See why I don’t care about state-level strategies. With one stroke of a pen, all 50 states can have medical marijuana programs instead of the ugly state by state nonsense through marginally corrupt judiciaries.

Second, USA vs Steele Smith. This is an important case to watch because it’s essentially the first time the courts will allow a medical marijuana defense. See, since Congress has taken the stance that marijuana is a Schedule I substance (no “accepted” medical value), the courts have generally been unable or unwilling to allow a medical defense. It’s moot. It’s a banned substance, can’t talk about. So, I am eager to see what happens when the court “unmoots” the medical defense. Unfortunately, the US government is dragging their feet as this case has been going on for years now.

Third, alter the original treaty. See, the Single Narcotics Convention and Controlled Substances Act might as well be copies of each other. The US, being the main proponent of the convention, is following it word for word. If marijuana is banned in the treaty, it’s going to be banned in the CSA. But, this method is probably more of a longshot than amending the US Constitution. There are powerful forces behind this treaty

Fourth, general international pressure. South America is turning the tide, nation by nation. As these nations push out their old Friedmanite regimes and consolidate their power, they’re becoming just as influential as the US, Russia, or China. That kind of power doesn’t simply get ignored. Crime and violence are major problems in the US-led international war on drugs. Trying to fight a major war, US-style, has always been a dumb idea. Uruguay is leading the way by offering to sell marijuana directly from the government. With this kind of pressure mounting in South America, the world is going to have to make some serious adjustments to their policies.

Personally, I believe marijuana will be legalized in the near future, probably within the next 5  years. Pressure is building within nations and between nations. The fact remains, you can not outlaw nature. Until legalization happens, my advice to all in the marijuana community, recreational or medical, go back underground. Don’t sign up to any registries. If you own a dispensary, shut it down. If you’re a patient, grow your own or find reputable dealers (they exist).

If you’re a grower, you need to think outside of the box and completely change the game. The future of marijuana growing (if we remain on this current course of self entrapment) is small indoor grow operations. That means, no more large grow facilities that can be targeted by a DEA shutdown, harming hundreds or thousands of other patients. It means, setting up grow operations in people’s homes. If the patient is not physically able, manage the grow op for them.

Lastly, if you’re a marijuana advocate pushing a states’s rights agenda, STOP IT! The states do not have any rights where the federal government already has laws. You are helping to create an environment where American citizens are getting hurt, en masse. Your focus should be ON getting marijuana out of the CSA so that it can be treated like alcohol and tobacco, not making others believe the nonsense you’ve come to make yourselves believe. It’s a delicate situation and you’re messing it up for all of us. People are getting hurt because of YOUR entrapment scheme. STOP IT!!

If you truly believe that, let US Supreme Court rule on it and stop hiding behind activist state judges that have sympathy for the cause and choose to ignore the US Constitution in their decisions.

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

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

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

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

Never Tax MEDICAL Marijuana

By February 27, 2010 1

How do you go about telling a terminally ill person that they’ll have to pay more for their medicine? Do you just pass the tax without so much as speaking with them? Do you ignore their hardships and pain? Have they ever even bothered to visit someone in true pain?

With that said, what kind of no-soul-having-black-hearted-son-of-a-bitch would seek to tax the medicine of someone suffering from AIDS, cancer, or a multitude of other terminal diseases?
In passing medical marijuana legislation, politicians admit the medical utility of marijuana while rejecting recreational use. They may not understand how marijuana helps but they only need to know that it does help. This is why they gave marijuana the respect of “medicine” as it deserves. If you respect medicine, especially the kind that truly helps the worst of the worst, then you shouldn’t seek to worsen a terminally ill patient’s overall condition by increasing the cost of their medicine even further.

In taxing marijuana, politicians show it disrespect as a medicine. If they don’t respect marijuana as medicine then why pass the medical marijuana legislation?

What’s happening here is that politicians are playing a game. Unfortunately, this little game they’re playing is on the backs of dying people. I’d rather see marijuana re-criminalized than to see greedy politicians seeking to tax terminally ill patients’ medicine.

It’s just not right.
If politicians want to tax marijuana, then legalize it completely. You can’t have it both ways. Unfortunately, that’s coming from a person with a heart. It might not be a heart of gold but it isn’t blackened and hardened to the world around me.

Unfortunately, this is coming from some very cowardly politicians who want to try to juggle the lives of the constituency between rabid law enforcement, a not-much-better criminal element, and budget deficits. This is totally NOT the right or honest way to go about it.

You do NOT close your budget gaps on the backs of the sick.
That is just filthy.
At least if you legalize marijuana you could affect a lot of positive change in the US. For starters, we could free up law enforcement funding to fight true crime – rape, murder, battery, robbery, and so on. Instead, police officers are busying themselves with petty marijuana arrests simply because it’s easier and safer to do. At the same time, it makes them look like they’re doing their jobs which they rarely do.

You can allow an entire industry (that already exists) to be legitimate. Businesses can open up, employees can be hired. You can also protect the citizens by regulating for quality control. And, you can collect taxes on it all – newly developed businesses, purchases, imports/exports, and so on.

I am not saying that legalization will save the economy. But, it can not hurt us more than the mess we’re in now. And, you won’t have to do it on the backs of sick and dying people.

Either, respect the medicine or legalize the “drug”!!
Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Thoughts on Medical Marijuana in NY

By February 25, 2010 0
Yeah. You read the title. On Feb. 23rd, the NY State Senate Health Committee passed medical marijuana legislation. I’ll admit, I don’t fully understand all of these political procedures that NY State government must go through before a bill becomes a law. It seems a bit more complicated than the cartoon of the bill on the steps of Capitol Hill (ha, I’m a rapper now) in DC.

Wait.. it was Capitol Hill right?

Anyway, on the surface, I am happy that NY is finally coming to its sense on medical marijuana. Honestly, it should have happened at least at the same time as California who passed their medical marijuana legislation in 1996.

However, as I read the bill, I am quite upset with the language.

Read for yourself: S4041B: Provides for medical use of marihuana

Low Limits

It would seem NY politicians want to be super strict and allow for tiny amounts of marijuana for seriously ill patients. While they get the gist of medical marijuana, they need to fully understand that they are NOT patients or doctors. Even most doctors don’t understand how to prescribe marijuana. The amounts allowed under this bill – 2.5oz – don’t factor in the need of the patient or the tolerance of the individual.

Some patients are known to use up to an ounce of marijuana a day. I am not talking about the typical recreational user. As a recreational user myself, I don’t think I could do more than a gram a day which amounts to an ounce per month. But, I am talking about seriously ill patients for which this bill is intended. On top of that, the “caregiver” is not allowed to care for more than 5 patients. (Sections 3362 and 3363)

It’s like saying you’re only allowed 10 regular strength Tylenol pills per month for serious migraines. Of course, you can buy a box of Tylenol, thousands of pills, and no one will think twice about it. Unfortunately, you can’t have enough marijuana for terminal illness.

I don’t need ID for Tylenol

The other thing that bugs me is the registration for ID cards. Basically, you’re getting a driver’s license for medical marijuana – name, address, picture, etc etc etc. It says that the Dept of Health will keep the information confidential, that is, until they have a reason to snitch on you which could be as simple as a DEA or FBI or even some local cop requests it.

If marijuana is to be considered medical, why do you need to alert a government agency that you’re using it? It’s medicine, right? I am sure we all, at some point in time, visited a pharmacy to fill a prescription for various medications from asthma pumps to antidepressants to oxycontin and percocet. Did any of us have to register with the government to use these medications? Did you have to stand in line at the DMV to get your picture taken?

I can understand the caregiver, much like a pharmacist, needing registration as a business. But, I don’t see why patients need to be registered with the government to take medicine. It’s an unnecessary invasion of privacy.

No Plant Limits?

The other problem that I have with it so far is that I don’t see any specific information as it pertains to cultivation. For example, how many plants would someone – patient or caregiver – be allowed to grow?

Section 3364 defines “registered organization” as a pharmacy, a licensed facility, a non profit corporation, the department, a local health department, or a registered producer. However, the registered producer, which seems to be the grower/cultivator/manufacturer, can not provide directly to the patients. Such a designation completely separates the grower from the potential role as a caregiver.

Edit
After re-reading this section, it looks like I want plant limits. As far as I am concerned, the more the better. No plant limits is great. However, I am afraid that it will be addressed and severely limited by politicians. If they think that 2.5oz is good for a seriously ill person, I can’t imagine what they would believe is acceptable in a grow operation.

At any rate, there is a lot missing from this bill and far too many limits. I have to question politicians that wrote this bill. I wonder if they had any input from the patients that use marijuana. Did they even bother to look into the other 14 medical marijuana states and their provisions. This bill is so very incomplete. If it passed, as is, it would cause more trouble than it’s worth.

If Senator Tom Duane ever reads this or any senator that has to vote on this bill, I’d beg him and them to please talk to patients from other states. Do not ask police or the DEA for their input as they are not doctors nor are they patients. They aren’t even growers/botanists. Speak with the people who need the medicine, not the people who benefit from its control. It would not be unreasonable to allow for more marijuana per patient and to allow patients to grow their own. It would be sensible to allow caregivers to also be “registered producers.”

As a marijuana grower and user, myself, politicians have a lot to learn about the use of marijuana. If they are willing to admit to its medical utility, at some point, they will have to be willing to learn and comprehend why different strains exist outside of the cute names.

I think I need to make some phone calls.

Just as a reminder.. marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed. Medical marijuana is nice but it still leaves the door open to the black market and violence against citizens from gangs and police.

Legalize it.
(It’s been 70+ years. It’s obvious you can’t stop it.)

Categories: Legacy, Opinion

Haaa, can’t tax my marijuana!

By October 28, 2009 0
Legalization/Taxation

The fight to legalize marijuana seems to be making major inroads as politicians, greedy for funds of any kind, find ways to get those tax revenues without a direct increase to the taxpayer. While there are some politicians have a more honorable reason for promoting the legalization of marijuana, there are many others who have no interest in the welfare of their own friends, family, and community; they’re in it for the money.

At any rate, I could care less about their reasons for legalization. All I care about is that it get legalized.

However, what I do care about is how legalization takes place, particularly in the way of taxation, for now. I assume that quality control will be an issue in the future as I am sure companies like Altria, makers of smokable poison like Marlboro cigarettes, would find ways to weaponize marijuana as they did with tobacco.

But, I have a solution for all of that.

The problem with taxation are the high expectations for tax revenues. These politicians believe that the current pricing for marijuana will be stable. For them, that high cost equals high tax revenues. But, they don’t recognize that these high costs are in part due to prohibition. Once prohibition is repealed, marijuana prices will drop considerably and those major tax revenues will drop with it.

This is why legalization is not a particularly great solution for the economy. And, here I am making that prospect even worse.

The reason I intend to make it worse is because there’s a segment within the marijuana community that believe in absolutely no taxes for marijuana use. This is because they consider marijuana a medicine and you simply don’t tax medicine. However, it stands in the way of legalization because it if we’re to get it legalized for everybody, taxation has to be a reality.

Besides, medicinal users are already being taxed by having to pay upfront fees for licenses, doctors prescriptions, and the ability to grow if they are providers.

Side Note
I call that the Republican way to tax. See, Democrats tax you from the front so you see it coming – income tax, sales tax, etc. Republicans reduce face-front taxes. They just wait for you to turn around and bend over so they “tax” you up the behind with increased fees for anything you want to do. Democrats will rather tax your income to pay for roads. Republicans rather put tolls at every street intersection they can find. For example, in NYC, Mayor Bloomberg has sought to lower “face-front” taxes, yet proposed fees for entering the Manhattan below a certain street. Hey, you’ll pay either way so just laugh about this now, think about it later.

The real issue is that medicinal marijuana users don’t like the idea of being taxed at the rates proposed under complete legalization. It truly is their medicine and they shouldn’t be taxed for it. And, let’s be honest, those rates are incredibly ridiculous no matter who’s paying. Not even alcohol or tobacco are taxed as heavily as what’s proposed for marijuana. So, I don’t blame people for getting upset.

Proposal

As a consumer, I propose that, under legalized and severely overtaxed marijuana, users, for whatever purpose, do not buy any marijuana until competition increases supply causing prices to come down and the tax rates are reasonable, at least within comparable levels with alcohol and tobacco.

The question at this point is how can this be done.

First of all, the politicians will do most of the work for this effort to be a success. By promoting prohibition level pricing, even after the repeal of prohibition, it wouldn’t make sense for a marijuana grower to sell his product at wholesale prices when he can still operate and compete as though prohibition still exists. In fact, it can be considered as prohibition-plus since taxes are going to be a major factor. As a consumer, it would make sense to simply go directly to the grower and avoid any taxation whatsoever.

Side Note
While this may not be desirable, the politicians will have to learn a hard lesson here. It’s not a lesson that wasn’t already anticipated in history. During the repeal of alcohol prohibition, politicians, then, knew that the legal market would have to price-compete with the illegal market. Otherwise, it would be impossible to regulate and collect taxes. If today’s politicians are too stupid to anticipate such competition and too arrogant to listen to the people, then they deserve to look like fools when their ridiculous taxation scheme doesn’t produce the kind of tax revenues expected.

The second and most favorable method is self-reliance – grow your own marijuana. I am always promoting growing your own marijuana for personal use, so nothing new here. If marijuana is legal, who’s going to come looking for you if you’re growing a few ounces. Even though that marijuana is illegal, it’s still safer because you completely remove yourself from law enforcement radar. You’re not a Mexican drug cartel. You’re not out trafficking bricks of marijuana. And, you’re not out dealing on the streets. The only problems you may have is if smell gives you away or someone you tell decides to snitch on you. So, limit your exposure by investing in heavy odor control and not telling anyone.

Final Side Note
Personally, the only reason I would ever get caught is because of this blog or perhaps the few people that know about me. And, I know what I am doing by exposing myself. But, if I can motivate more people to grow their own, I can help limit the violence injected into the lives of peaceful people by careless drug dealers and aggressive law enforcement as well as reduce the profits of violent drug cartels that most law enforcement protect with their support of prohibition. It’s worth it if I can save another life.

Categories: Legacy, Prohibitionist Idiots
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