I realize we can’t all get a bong, but at least we can agree to disagree without name calling. Not everyone feels the way I do about I-502 here at The Weed Blog (in fact I’m the only one), but the guys here are still my friends and the next opportunity I have to smoke with them again, I will. Instead of the olive branch I offer you the pot leaf.
Election time is nearing and people are starting to believe the bullshit thrown their way via the political machine, yours truly included as I will cast my vote for Gary Johnson but the bigger picture are the local ones.
Several states have some form of marijuana legalization on their ballots and I wonder if there’s as much debate in each one like there is in mine, the State of Washington. I can only imagine this is the same thing that brought down Prop. 19 in California which seemed like a no brainer for that state from someone living out of state. Since I-502 has been making headlines I’m realizing more and more that Prop.19 didn’t fail because people don’t believe in weed but because they didn’t believe the law is right.
There are many red flags as why I oppose this law, the biggest that big money is involved in the funding for the law. This might sound petty but I’m taught to question everything that involves big money. There are bigger special interest involved here and special interest work out so well for the everyday common people (sarcasm intended). I know a lot of you are going to spit bile and vinegar at me but honestly I can’t side with anything that could potentially diminish the quality of herb I get.
Cannabis, marijuana, herb is religion to me and one wouldn’t spit in the eye of God. Instead we should cater and love it, embracing it to greatness. There is more positive science behind marijuana than there is not, you can’t hide truth which is why the good fight must always go on. Putting this thing that I and so many have respect for in control of the state sits wrong with me, if you’ve lived in Washington and have ever tried to get a bottle of (state your liquor) know what I mean.
First you have to find a state run store; these stores aren’t as predominant as you think they are or should be. The business is isolated to numbers of licenses in the given area. One can’t just walk into any grocery and pick up a six pack at the same location. They will be isolated stores control and licensed by only the state. The product will no longer matter, it’s simply a matter or licensing any a-hole will run a store. As I write this I guess I realize I’m being sort of a weed elitist but that’s my right as a cannabis connoisseur. The government does so well with all their other regulation why not put marijuana in the mix (sarcasm intended).
I think one thing as a consumer we can ask ourselves is “what’s this all about?” It’s about a plant, the natural and organic before profits and controls. It’s about a beautiful plant called many things but all meaning the same thing, a beautiful green plant that produces a wonderful fruit known as buds.
Did you know TLC was originally owned by NASA and United States Department of Health and Human Services? Now we get Honey Boo Boo. Or why do I look for labels that say organic as often as I can and or afford, healthy living is not cheap now we live a by-product red dot number five world and wonder why unhealthy health rates increase. I don’t ever want to think “Remember when weed was organic?
Many activist and dispensary owners here in Washington State are against I-502 for the 5 n/g clause. Granted it is a bad clause but simply put “don’t get in trouble”. Even though I don’t understand why there does have to be some sort of course of punishment for cannabis users. The plant really isn’t free or legal if there needs to be a punishment for anything quantity found on a person.
The state will be able to place regulation on cannabis using local law enforcement as its arms. Now it’s not just the feds you have to worry but your neighbor to, anything involving regulation and tax dollars for enforcement on a medicinal sacrament is wrong.
Monsanto started off as a good idea and now future children will have to. We all stand for cannabis and for different reason; some of us are converts that have found cannabis to be a better medicine than 20 pills a day, others are long time smokers that know the truth and want only common sense to prevail in our world, the truth being cannabis is safer than booze, cigarettes, and all Monsanto grown products.
Advocates for I-502 contend that we’ll be allowed to transport “x” amount of cannabis which granted is a huge leap and bound but what good is the amount if the quality is not there? Anything involving profits for the state in an ingenious form of legalization is still illegalization. Why settle for the milk when you can have the cow? Washigton State is a medicinal state and a quite successful one at that – that has to tell you something from the activist legalization perspective.
If revenue is the issue I suggest this for Washington. Lower the price. Lower the price of the yearly evaluations and more people will sign up, increasing your populace revenue. The more licenses required the more dispensaries are required than the more business license are required, these types of scenarios are win win.
I write this not to try and sway opinions but to plead to all smokers to try and keep it civil. Since the beginning of this political process any smoker against I-502 has been labeled a prohibitionist by local indie rag editor Domonic Holden and a pro-marijuana site know as www.nwbud.com.
A recent article on www.nwbud.com shows pictures plastered around Washington with well known marijuana activist Vivian McPeak, Steve Elliot and others stating they’re against legalization. In reaction to the article Vivian McPeak posted this response recently on his Facebook page “”In a childish and pathetic attempt to publicly intimidate and humiliate myself and others intro voting a certain way these faceless cowards are advancing a humiliation campaign in support of I-502. Well, first off, nobody knows how I am going to vote in the sacred privacy of a polling booth. I reserve to change my opinion either way at the last minute. There is NOTHING more patently un-American than publicly harassing someone based upon their (perceived) vote! These people are doing a great dis-service to the good folks at New Approach Washington, and they are actually hurting the initiative effort by publicly announcing opposition, and by resorting to such clear gutter tactics. I challenge them to reveal their cowardly selves. I dare them to man up and put their faces and names behind their statements, but I doubt they will because only cowards act like that. I have no made a public statement about I-502 for many months. How dare they attempt to speak for me now! Everyone deserves the right to vote unfettered by public intimidation and humiliation tactics. I was born in the United States of America, and she ain’t perfect but I love her and I know unAmericanism when I sees it. These people don’t know jack about democracy.”
Whether I-502 passes or not: it will not affect my smoking habits unless quality really does go down the drain but I will not consider it real legalization when one can still get fired or when it can and will affect a custody battle between bitter parents. Despite what you think the weed still will not be free.
When it’s time to vote I will be voting for Gary Johnson for President and no on I-502. Both sides of I-502 are very passionate but the name calling is really tearing at the thread of who we are and that’s pro-marijuana. We just don’t see eye to eye on how to get there or what version of legalization we are willing to accept. Think of it this way, if you rescued a bird with a broken wing would you release it back into the wild or to an aviary once its healed. Just because the cage is bigger doesn’t mean its free.
Remember when The Learning Channel was about learning or when food was organic? I can and would hate to say the same about my weed. In the end I hope we can all just get a bong.
