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Posted by CN Staff on January 17, 2007 at 13:28:21 PT By E.R. Bills Source: Fort Worth Weekly Texas -- Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for emerald waves of cannabis . . . . OK, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. It’s just the first thing that came to mind when I heard “pot” had finally hit the big time in this country. According to public policy analyst Jon Gettman, marijuana is now America’s largest cash crop. In a report released in December, Gettman concluded that the United States produces 10,000 metric tons of wacky-tobacky annually. That’s an estimated $35 billion worth of “weed,” “reefer,” or “ganja.” And we thought the war in Iraq was going badly. We’ve been losing the war there for only a year or so. We’ve been losing the War on Drugs for 20 years. Legions of folks are going to fret and shake their heads in disbelief. But hey, it’s no big deal. So what if we produce five times as much weed as the wheat we harvest, three times as much reefer as the hay we make, and one and a half times as much as ganja as the corn we grow. We’re capitalists, baby. And pot is the current heavyweight of our “fruited” plains. It’s just the way of things. Our amber waves of grain simply got downsized. I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t acceptable. We’ve gotta put a stop to this. I commend your resolve, but it may be misplaced. I don’t smoke pot. It was never my thing. But I’ve known a few folks that were partial to it, and they weren’t bad people. They didn’t hurt anybody or push anybody around. And they weren’t belligerent or out of control or a danger to themselves. I can’t say that for many of the drinkers I know. If you overindulge in pot, you laugh too much and drive slow. If you overindulge in alcohol, you get loud and rambunctious and run people off the road. Ever hear of someone choking to death on their own vomit because of pot poisoning? Alcohol is a hundred times more dangerous than pot. And the nicotine in a cigarette is much more addictive. So why agonize over homegrown bud? It even has medicinal properties. Marijuana alleviates the nausea caused by chemotherapy and helps reduce weight loss caused by AIDS. It eases the chronic pain that’s associated with multiple sclerosis and cancer. It reduces the debilitating effects of glaucoma. Researchers are finding new productive uses for marijuana all the time. Of course it’s also been proven to impair memory, diminish attention span, and retard cognitive processes, but that doesn’t make it any more hazardous than television. According to recent Census Bureau data, the average American spends four hours in front of a tv per day. If you plop yourself down in front of the tube for four hours every day, you’re at least as unproductive as a pothead. And you probably get the munchies. And you probably have no particular urge to accomplish anything of consequence. So what’s the difference between a television addict and a pot smoker? At least potheads are paranoid. Television addicts nod along with everything they see on the tube. I’d rather hang out with a burned-out dope-smoker than a feeble-minded tube rube any day. Truth be told, every dime bag could have a silver lining. Fewer and fewer folks want American beef. And no one seems interested in buying our cars. If pot was legalized, regulated, and taxed, it could turn into a real cash cow. It could turn out to be something that people around the world are more interested in buying than our guns. And if fewer folks had our guns, we’d have less dictators to depose. In fact, if pot replaced weaponry as our most profitable export, the wars would probably be over. The world would be safer, and our economy could be based on something besides blood or oil. Dude. How excellent would that be? Note: If we dropped the drug fight, we’d only be losing one war at a time. E.R. Bills is a Fort Worth-based freelance writer. Source: Fort Worth Weekly (TX) Related Articles: Transcript: Why Not Cash in on Marijuana Crops? Group Calls Marijuana State's Top Cash Crop Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 17, 2007 at 19:35:06 PT |
City of West Hollywood Officials Decry DEA Raids on Five Marijuana Dispensaries January 17, 2007 09:52 PM Eastern Time WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--City of West Hollywood officials reacted swiftly today to news that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had raided and shut down five medicinal marijuana dispensaries located in West Hollywood. “The City of West Hollywood has had a long-standing commitment to the compassionate use of medical marijuana for those persons who are facing catastrophic illnesses,” said City Manager Paul Arevalo. The DEA’s enforcement of federal drug laws against the dispensaries conflicts with Proposition 215, a ballot measure approved by the California voters in 1996 decriminalizing the use of medical marijuana. The following five marijuana dispensaries located in West Hollywood were raided by the DEA today: 7828 Santa Monica - Alternative Herbal Health 7825 Santa Monica - Medical Marijuana Pharmacy 7901 Santa Monica - West Hollywood Caregivers 8464 Santa Monica - California Cannabis Pharmacy 8921 Sunset - West Hollywood Center for Compassionate Healing Just last night the West Hollywood City Council introduced an ordinance establishing permanent regulations to mitigate the impacts of medical marijuana dispensaries, following a two-year moratorium. “The DEA raids came as a complete surprise to the City,” said Arevalo. “It is regrettable that the federal, state and local governments cannot work together on this issue.” The City of West Hollywood has been a long-standing supporter of the use of marijuana that is prescribed, dispensed and used for medicinal purposes. West Hollywood is home to a disproportionately large percentage of seniors afflicted with a variety of chronic illnesses, and people with HIV and AIDS, for which medicinal marijuana diminishes suffering. Here are comments regarding today's DEA action from two West Hollywood City Councilmembers: "The state of California voted to allow marijuana for medical purposes," says West Hollywood City Councilmember Abbe Land. "The City of West Hollywood along with other cities across the state have established regulations to govern the dispensing of medical marijuana, so that people whose lives depend on this drug can be assured of safe access to their medicine. The DEA should spend their time going after dispensaries that are not operating in accordance with local ordinances, as well as unscrupulous doctors who write illegitimate prescriptions," she continued. "Today's actions again demonstrate the skewed priorities of the Bush administration and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration," says West Hollywood City Councilmember Jeffrey Prang. "Providing safe access to medical marijuana for those living with serious and often painful illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and other terminal diseases is something this City supports. We have worked closely with our community to insure these establishments operate safely and comply with the spirit of Proposition 215 adopted by the voters of California," he continued. Contacts City of West Hollywood 323-848-6431 Fax: 323-848 6561 Tamara White Public Information Officer twhite@weho.org or Helen J. Goss, Esq. Director, Public Information and Prosecution Services hgoss@weho.org
Copyright: Business Wire 2007 URL: http://tinyurl.com/36fmke [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #5 posted by FoM on January 17, 2007 at 18:47:37 PT |
I believe that day will come. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #4 posted by Wayne on January 17, 2007 at 18:25:35 PT |
"Fewer and fewer folks want American beef. And no one seems interested in buying our cars. If pot was legalized, regulated, and taxed, it could turn into a real cash cow." Mr. Bills may have just struck a chord with me. He's absolutely right... we Americans don't manufacture the best quality ANYTHING in the world anymore. We don't make appliances or clothes anymore. Our cars are shit. But we HAVE always grown the best crops. We've got some of the best citrus fruit in the world. We could run our industries and infrastructure just on the amount of corn and soybeans we produce. Beer brewers will tell you that American barley and wheat is by far superior to any other. We should emphasize this point more often. If we were allowed to grow cannabis on a national scale, we would undoubtedly be the best at it. And granted, some right-wingers out there might cringe at the idea of growing the best pot...but at least it's more constructive than producing the best weapons. At least you don't have to destroy something by using cannabis (except the product itself, of course!). [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #3 posted by mayan on January 17, 2007 at 18:11:46 PT |
In fact, if pot replaced weaponry as our most profitable export, the wars would probably be over. The world would be safer, and our economy could be based on something besides blood or oil. That's likely the main reason cannabis remains illegal. The military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned Americans about has control now and they aren't about to relinquish it. Perpetual war is their cash cow. In unrelated news, Ron Paul continues to risk his life for America... Aaron Russo Announces Full Support Of Ron Paul: http://rense.com/general75/arrp.htm I have to agree with Aaron Russo. We should all unite behind Rep. Paul and put aside our partisan differences. He is the only hope we have to save Our Constitution. More on our only hope... Rep. Ron Paul - America's Braveheart: http://rense.com/general75/paul.htm The Irrelevance of Military Victory - by Rep. Ron Paul: http://www.antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=10330 This must be a bad joke... Congress to Send Critics to Jail, Says Richard Viguerie: http://tinyurl.com/2h3ljz [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 17, 2007 at 16:30:37 PT |
We just talked to the DEA and they confirmed that 11 raids are being conducted in the L.A. area. They will be issuing a press release later today. Look out for further updates. - Rebecca -- Rebecca Saltzman Field Coordinator Americans for Safe Access p (510) 251-1856 x 308 f (510) 251-2036 www.safeaccessnow.org [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #1 posted by Toker00 on January 17, 2007 at 14:18:09 PT |
like, Totally Excellent! Toke. [ Post Comment ] |
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