Now it's Personal

Okay, so now it's personal. Isn't it past time we take the stigma of Cannabis use away? Isn't it time we legalize the recreational use of Marijuana for adults?

A friend of mine, who is a responsible working adult, got random drug tested yesterday. He never has gone to work high, but he does use Cannabis to relieve some of the stress that his job entails. Now the question is, will he keep his job?

One thing that bugs me is that if he were dying of liver disease because he drank a bottle of whiskey each night, that would be totally fine.

The fact that some of the folks above him in the corporate structure most likely use other drugs that don't stay in the bloodstream as long as THC will never be discovered. How many of them abuse pain killers or maybe do a line of cocaine, just for fun.

The fact that substances that are MUCH more harmful (as if Marijuana has many harmful effects) are either legal or less detectable seems to slide right by most people. Why is there no outcry about the terrible toll alcohol brings? Why is there little concern about those who calm their nerves with tobacco?

This young man is in a very high stress position. If he keeps his job, I am sure they will test him more often. That means he can no longer use Marijuana as a stress reducer. In the past, he used alcohol. He is not a nice drunk and that's what led him back to using Marijuana now that he is an adult. He can smoke and relieve stress and then go to work the next day. He isn't hung over and he didn't make an ass of himself or piss anyone off. He just got high, mellowed, ate some ice cream, and forgot about his day.

If he returns to using alcohol is will not be good.

Now some might say that he needs to buck up and not let things get to him. Many that might say that will say it after their third drink, or after finishing their cigarette. We all have some stress and not all of us are the Dali Lama and can just chant OM an few hundreds times and come away floating on a cloud.

It is time to legalize. It is time to take away the stigma. Now it's personal!

Stoney

Cannabis and Our Views

I read and article this morning from the New York Times. It got me going on a couple of things. Mostly about Cannabis and our views.

The article is about a medical marijuana grow going in near a town called Walkill, NY. What was interesting to me about this is that the neighboring farmer, the town council, and, generally, the people of the town being all for it. They don't seem to have much of a problem with its use and they certainly like the idea of more jobs in the area.

The article talks about a few other places that the same thing is happening in the state of New York. I wrote a post on one that is going in near me. The local sentiment was the same here. Who cares that it's Cannabis? We want the jobs and the revenue! There is a place mentioned in the article called Newark New York. Again, the same story. They want to jobs and the revenue.

I know several people who smoke Marijuana recreationally. They are responsible citizens. If I found out the mayor of my town consumed Cannabis, would I be upset? Hell no! As long as he/she does their job, I don't care.

Do I care that Obama smoked weed in college? Hell No! I think he's done some good things as President and some crappy things. However, the fact that he smoked Marijuana has nothing to do with those things. If he smokes it now I still don't think it has much do to with his job. I do like the mental picture I have of him and Michele sitting around the White House sharing a bong!

A couple of things that bothered me in the article.

One, it talked about how Governor Cuomo has kept the medical Marijuana law very narrow. There are only a few diseases that he will allow to be treated. I was unaware that the Governor was a medical Doctor and could diagnose treatment! The thing is, either he is stupid and still believes all that horseshit the federal government has been spewing about Cannabis for the last fifty years or so, or he has his hands in the pockets of the big pharma companies and doesn't want them to have the competition Marijuana might bring them. I would bet on the latter!

Another point in the article quoted the only negative voice. It was from a man who is a commercial developer. Those in favor of the new grow facility like the idea because it keeps some land from being developed. The nay sayer doesn't like it. Why? Because he wants to develop the land and make money. He doesn't give a shit about what's going in there. He cares that the land is being used by someone who isn't going to give him a dime! He makes it sound like he is being moral about it. He says that keeping open space is a good thing, but what you use to save it is a different story.

When I read that I think this guy isn't moral. He's fucking greedy! If he had thought to put that grow facility in and make millions, he'd be all for it!

Lastly, There is a gentleman quoted in the story who is in charge of security. He is an ex-cop. He says that the only reason he can be associated with this is that it is for medical purposes. Now wait a minute.

I happen to know that the numbers for drug and alcohol abuse among police officers is one of the highest in the nation. Why? Because they have a stressful job. It doesn't matter what you think of the police, their job is a tough one. They don't know if they will come home at the end of their shift or not.

The guy quoted in the article has come home on more than one occasion and drank a few beers or tossed down a couple of shots. I would bet on it. I don't think badly of him for that. What gets me is the hypocrisy.

It's okay for him to do that because alcohol is legal, but for someone to de-stress by smoking a joint or hitting a bong, or vape, or eat a brownie is wrong? Let's get real! The idea is that the person wants to mellow out or whatever you want to call it. They want to consume some substance that will help them forget, or deal, or whatever. Alcohol is 114 times more deadly than weed, according to one study.

My first thought was,"Fuck you! Who are you to tell me how I can de-stress. I didn't condemn you when you had a shot of whiskey!"

I think we need to own up to our beliefs and views.

Let's be honest. Let's say, "I don't want this facility going in because it cuts into my profits." Let's confess, "I don't want Marijuana to come in because I'm being paid by the big pharmaceuticals to keep it out." What if we just said," I don't want people consuming Cannabis because I'm prejudiced toward the ways I like to get high and against yours."

At least them we'd be honest.

Stoney

Why Won't People Who Need It Do Cannabis?

I just found out the last couple of days that my Brother-In-Law (hereafter known as BIL) has multiple Myeloma. It is a form of cancer similar to leukemia, as far as I understand it. I tried to get my wife to tell him to get on CBD as soon as possible, but the suggestion fell flat. Why won't people who need it do Cannabis?

I haven't talked to him, so I don't know for sure. I don't know if it is because he is a very conservative Christian and Republican that he feels it is a sin or illegal. He lives in a state where they have medical Marijuana. Is it because he has come to believe all the bullshit propaganda the government has been handing out for decades? It just makes me want to scream!

My BIL and I don't get along that well. I'm not a Christian, Republican or Conservative. I'm none of those things and so we butt heads on occasion. Still, I don't want to see him suffer and die from something where Cannabis might help him.

Now I highlighted "might" because there isn't much research out there. I found a few articles on how CBD helped patients with Multiple Myeloma (here's one). There are those who say that using CBD will kill the cancer and turn you into a super hero, but I don't put much stock in those. I found several that said that using CBD will retard the growth of the cancer cells giving the patient more years of life. The paper I linked, from the International Journal of Cancer did indicate that cancer cells did indeed die.

My point is that those suffering from this disease may slow or even reverse their condition with the use of Medical Marijuana. If all it does is retard cell growth, then you've added a few years of life. If it does nothing, then at least you live your remaining years in a better frame of mind. I'm not saying you're stoned. Remember that CBD is non-psychoactive. It will just relax you.

My BIL may only live another five years. If he starts using Cannabis now, he may live much longer. Is it worth worrying about what others will think or if you are committing a sin? I don't think so. If I were him, I would have been waiting for my Doctor when he got to the office this morning. I just don't understand the reasoning. Why won't people who need it do Cannabis?

Stoney

Weed Kills

There is little doubt that major news medias are more about sensationalism than they are about giving viewers real news. They love coming up with headlines that basically say, "Weed Kills!"

The stories reported in this Colorado News cast, are about people who died and part of the reason attributed was Marijuana overdose. I want to address two things about these stories and others like them.

The first thing I want to say is that in each of these stories, the person who died had huge amounts of THC in their system. I don't know of anyone who wants to see Marijuana legalized advocating this sort of abuse. Getting so shit faced you do stupid things is not a good idea. It isn't a good idea with pot, it isn't a good idea with any substance.

Abuse is just that, abuse.

It's not good with Marijuana, it's not good with alcohol, it's not good with aspirin, it's not good with cheeseburgers. You get the picture.

It isn't using the substance responsibly, it's not using good common sense. I believe that Marijuana has some wonderful attributes, but they come with using it in the right way. Getting so blazed that you can't carry on a conversation or get out of your chair is stupid.

One of the biggest concerns with edible Marijuana is that people can easily get too much. They take a bite of brownie or a piece of chocolate and nothing happens. They wait a half hour or forty-five minutes and they feel nothing. What do they do? They eat the whole damned brownie or candy bar. Just about the time the finish it, they realize that they are getting buzz. The problem is, unless you want to stick your finger down your throat and puke up what you just ingested, you are in for a very strange time.

Smoking can certainly be abused, I used to do it all the time, but I think it is much less the case for most people. The effects of smoking are pretty much immediate. You can tell that you are getting too high and stop.

The second thing I want to say might piss some people, especially the relatives of those that died, off.

I think there was a problem there before they smoked or ingested Marijuana. I worked for several years in the mental health system. Most people who abuse substances do so because of some other reason. A couple of the people who died were teenagers. Being a teenager is enough of a problem all by itself, but I bet there was something else going on. I doubt seriously if their lives were as perfect as their relatives are saying.

I'm not trying to say that they were bad people. What I am saying is that they abused pot for a reason. The reason might have been as simple as peer pressure and they were not strong enough to resist it. Had they thought of suicide before? Suicide rates among teens is high already. Adding substance abuse to that fire is not a good thing.

The guy that fell is another story.

It may well be that the extremely high levels of THC in his system made him do something he might not have normally done. However, most substance abuse does not lead people to do things they normally would not do or have never thought of. It may block their inhibitions so that they do something stupid, but it is often something they have thought about or might even have done before. Was this guy a risk taker? Might he have done this while straight and his being high exacerbated the fall?

The point to this is not to say that Marijuana is a perfect substance with no risks involved. The point is that these unfortunate people may not have done what they did if not high, but maybe they would have.

Abuse is abuse. People are people. We need to not over react when we hear stories like the one above, but keep a clear head and regulate the use of Marijuana so everyone can be as safe as possible.

I did like that the reporters mentioned that many more people die due to alcohol than to Cannabis.

Stoney

Marijuana Creates Jobs

Marijuana creates jobs. Yes, you heard me. Marijuana creates jobs. Now, how can I say this? It's easy.

My state just recently passed a medical Marijuana law. It is so new that, in my neck of the woods, there aren't any grow farms or dispensaries. In the local paper this last week there was a story about a grow/dispensary going up in a small town near me. At first I was really surprised. After reading the article, I understood a lot better.

The article quoted one of the town supervisors as saying he was pleased that this facility was going up because the jobs were desperately needed.

What?

That's right. This little conservative town doesn't give a shit about devil weed coming into their little slice of heaven. They want the jobs!

This is why it is so hard to fight against fracking. Fracking, IMHO, destroys the environment, but when you have an area that is depressed by lack of jobs, working a drill site looks pretty good. Hell, raping and stealing from old ladies looks good when your kids are going hungry.

Now I do not want to imply that the Marijuana industry is the same as fracking. 

It isn't. 

Not by a long shot!

What I am saying is that our country, on the whole, needs jobs. With an industry waiting in the wings to put billions of tax dollars into the system and create thousands of jobs, why would the political/corporate machine be against it?

Well, it cuts into their greed.

It's either that or they're just fucking stupid!

I have been listening to the Cannainsider podcasts. Listen to just a few of those and you will begin to see the amazing opportunity the burgeoning Cannabis industry brings to the table. It seems the only barrier is your own imagination.

Yes, boys and girls, Marijuana creates jobs. Let's take it away from the drug lords and cartels and make it legal. Then we can all benefit!

Stoney

We Aren't All Stupid Stoners

Something that bothers me is a lot of the social media that has to do with consuming Cannabis is that it doesn't always shed the best light on who we really are. We aren't all stupid stoners.

What do I mean by that?

I follow a lot of folks on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and others who are consumers of the devil weed. Many of the posts in these forums are thoughtful and intelligent. Many of them are not. The ones I object to go something like this.

"Yea, I smoke weed. So what? Let's get high and fuck!"

Now I don't have anything against either of those activities. I have to say that I enjoy them both. The problem with these sorts of posts is that it sheds a negative light on folks who like to imbibe in Marijuana. Now don't go all hate on me. I like to joke around too. It's just that I see way more of those sorts of things than I do positive ones.

"Took a couple hits this morning then wrote on my book a while and laid down a new track to a song I'm recording."

That's a much more positive tweet or post and if a non-smoker sees it will be much more inclined to think that perhaps those who consume Cannabis aren't all depraved drug fiends.

By the way, that's what I really did this morning.

If we want the country and even the rest of the world to see us as functioning intelligent members of society, then we have to look like it, act like it, and sound like it.

It is just a guess, but I would think that that vast majority of us enjoy taking a hit now and then, but then continue on with our normal lives. Using Marijuana isn't a way to dodge life, but to help cope with it and enhance it.

Let's take the tone up a notch and help the outside world see that we are productive useful citizens.

Then we can get high and fuck!

Stoney

I Hate Smoking Dope

Okay, now I know you're thinking, "Hey, can't this idiot make up his mind?" Don't worry, I'll still blaze with you. It's the term dope I hate. I hate smoking dope.

Now this might just be me, but the term dope, either conjures up the specter of some sticky substance made to glue two pieces of something together, or a substance that will turn me into a dope if I smoke it.

Neither is true.

I object to the fact that many people would put me, as a Cannabis consumer, in the same category as someone who sniffs glue. Glue will kill you. Pot won't. I am not in favor of people doing many of the other drugs available. I am not for something that harms you. Well, hell, life harms you, but you know what I mean.

Marijuana, although a schedule 1 drug, is not addictive, does not rot your brain, and you cannot overdose on it. You might overdose on oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but not on the Pot.

I also don't think it makes me stupid.

"Oh sure," you say. "You're stoned out of your fricken gourd. How would you know if you were stupid?"

Well, I guess you might have a point there on the rare evening that I smoke heavier than normal. However, that's even more true on the nights that I drink more whiskey than I normally do. In fact, when I drink, which I try not to do often, I have a hard time knowing when to stop. I can get so wrapped up in conversation that I don't realize how drunk I'm getting. That doesn't happen when I smoke.

What I found since I started getting high again is that I read the same books, understand the same sort of concepts, and can still carry on as intelligent a conversation as I could do before. It might even be better.

I find that cannabis use tends to make me more productive and curious. I read more, look things up more, want to find things out more. I have no proof that this is true other than my perception. However, being as subjective as I am able, I find that I am indeed a better person because I light up the occasional bowl.

I hate smoking dope. I hate the term. If we are going to win over those small minded people who are against the legalization of this plant, then we need to project it with a better light. Using the term smoking dope does nothing to further this goal; in my humble-assed opinion.

Stoney