Bless my ears! Have I heard correctly? Apparently, there’s a legislation in the works to marilize legajuana…I mean…legalize marijuana in California. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s bill points out all the shit I’ve been soap-boxing about for years: By making the sale of pot legal to those 21 and up and taxing each ounce sold with a $50 fee, California could rake in an estimated $1.3 billion dollars a year, easily accomplishing what the Governator has failed to do: soothe the Golden State’s budget blues.
For those of you who don’t live in Cali and/or heard that medical marijuana was already legal there…well…the state legalized it, but the federal government didn’t, meaning the DEA could still raid a business-licensed weed shop and seize EVERYTHING. Supposedly, the hearing on March 31st will turn things around, not to mention, the Obama administration has made it “American policy” to end these raids. Cool.
The naysayers have their panties in a bunch, of course, barking out “gateway drug” and “substance abuse” to anyone who will listen. Comedian Doug Benson filmed a documentary called “Super High Me”, which is about the effects pot had on his body and mind versus being totally clean. The results were actually surprising and did, indeed, counteract most of the negative stigmas attached to the drug. (Rent it from your local video store, regardless of whether or not you smoke herb.)
I’m not a stoner – never have been. I smoked pot for the first time on grad night and didn’t like it very much. Eventually, I learned that I enjoyed it in small doses and only around people I trusted. I’m pretty laidback as it is; a lot of my friends said they smoked because pot balanced them out, took the edge off. I found that it had the effect of taking my quiet tendencies down to mute and made me want nothing more than to go to sleep. Sounds pretty wild and crazy, huh?
(The Streets’ Mike Skinner drives this point home in “The Irony Of It All”)
So why would someone who doesn’t even enjoy getting high advocate marijuana? For starters, stoners give the best hugs. It’s true. Aside from that, though, countless deaths, injuries and altercations are alcohol-related and yet, drinking is seen as being totally acceptable. If Michael Phelps had been photographed with a Bud Light in his hand instead of a bong, his multi-million dollar endorsements would still be intact. Alcoholism has torn apart families and destroyed lives and yet, count how many booze-related ads you see today alone. Much like taking mushrooms, alcohol is a POISON that alters your state of mind when you consume it. I enjoy getting a good buzz once in a while, but how is that superior to ingesting a natural plant with zero known fatalities?
And then there are the pharmaceutical companies. Half of the shit prescribed for pain or illness hasn’t even been around long enough to be dubbed “safe”. Many of those pills cause uncomfortable side effects that far outweigh their benefits. Marijuana, meanwhile, has been around for a gazillion years and grows out of the ground. It doesn’t have to be smoked to provide comfort to those suffering from cancer, arthritis, headaches, et cetera; for those who enjoy having clean lungs, there are swallowable capsules, baked goods, hard candies, and the like.
For most of you readers, I’m not saying anything you haven’t heard before or haven’t perhaps concluded yourselves. If you don’t smoke pot, this might not even be an issue that you care about…yet. There’s a very good chance that someday, you or someone you love will be in pain or discomfort and will need to medicate. The pharmaceutical companies have shitloads of money and have used that money to control what our lawmakers say and do for many years now. (Marijuana was criminalized less than a century ago largely in part to wipe out Big Pharma’s competition, the history of which you can and should read about here.) I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeing ads for influenza shots that I don’t need. Do your research. You don’t need them either. (Read my friend Megan’s article here.)
Legalizing marijuana isn’t going to cause someone like me to suddenly run out and buy it just because I can, and the people who smoke for non-medicinal reasons are going to track down an eighth whether it’s legal or not. Self-destructive humans will abuse substances and themselves if that’s their aim. For the rest of us, we learn moderation, self-control, and hopefully, were born with just a little common sense.
Supposedly, we live in a democracy. Make your government cater to YOU instead of allowing it to be the other way around.
Author: Britt Warner
