cannabisnews.com: Comics Serious About Benefits of Marijuana





Comics Serious About Benefits of Marijuana
Posted by FoM on August 30, 2001 at 08:51:34 PT
By Antero Garcia, Daily Bruin Senior Staff 
Source: Daily Bruin 
Many comedians like Giulian Jones, are quick to point out the positive effects legalizing marijuana would have on society. "How many times have you heard about a guy who got drunk and killed someone?" Jones asked in a phone interview from his home in Hollywood. "Often. How many times have you heard about a guy who smoked a joint and went out and killed somebody? "Maybe he got high, thought about killing somebody, ate a bag of Cheetos and forgot about it." 
Jones and a huge lineup of famous entertainers, including Bill Maher, Woody Harrelson and Dennis Miller, will be performing in "High Hopes" Sept. 2 at the Improv Comedy Club in Hollywood. The show is being produced to raise money as well as awareness for the legalization of medicinal marijuana. According to Howard Dover, the show's creator and one of its performers, 75 percent of the show's proceeds will be given to Californians for Compassionate Use, an organization that advocates the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The other 25 percent will be given to an organization called Compassionate Moms, which helps coordinate visits between prisoners and their families and also takes home-ridden patients on outside excursions. Noting the multitude of comedic benefit shows, Dover explained that he created "High Hopes" because marijuana helped his cousin through his pain while living with AIDS. Since this realization nearly three years ago, Dover has produced nine similar benefits in the past three years in Montreal. "Marijuana stimulated his appetite, it helped him keep down the drugs he was taking, it reduced nausea, and helped him get back to as good a health as possible," Dover said. "It really helped save him. It just got me thinking, 'Why isn't that more readily available?'" Other performers on the show's lineup also question why marijuana is not legal. "I'm thoroughly convinced over the last decade that we have legalized the wrong drugs," comedian Mike McDonald said from his home in Glendale. Besides alleviating the pain that patients suffer, some activists point out that marijuana is more naturally produced than drugs that are already legal. "Marijuana is grown free," Jones said. "You don't grow beer, you don't grow Pepsi Cola, and you don't grow cigarettes. So it's odd that this is illegal." While these activists question why marijuana continues to be illegal, many share McDonald's frustration over the harsh laws regarding sale of the drug. "It kills me how there's some kid in Michigan who's doing 18 years for buying a joint off of an undercover cop at a Kiss concert, and I can go up there and kill somebody in my car and get out in three years," McDonald said. "It should be a no brainer, but here we are having to have a benefit for this." With the benefit show created to help raise awareness about medicinal marijuana, one performer, Cecily Knobler, feels that the college audience is exactly the type of crowd that should attend the show. "I think college, not that it's the first time that you explore new ideas, is a time when you can go against things you were taught," Knobler said, "I can't think of a better audience than the college crowd." Not only are college students exploring new ideas. In a recent poll by USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup, 34 percent of adults favored legalizing marijuana – the highest amount in more than 30 years. Though not everyone's opinion of marijuana will change after seeing "High Hopes," Jones will still try to change the minds of his opponents. "You will never hold up a liquor store after smoking two joints," Jones said. "You will never beat up your girlfriend after a bowl of some chronic. I guaran-damn-tee it. You might think about it, but then you're going to take another hit and fall asleep in a puddle of your own piss." FUNDRAISER: Event to raise awareness about medicinal use of drug.COMEDY: "High Hopes" will be held at the Improv, at 8162 Melrose Ave. in Hollywood. The cover charge is $15 plus a two drink minimum. For reservations, contact the Improv at (323) 651-2583. Howard Dover, the creator of "High Hopes," will be performing at the benefit as well.  Source: Source: Daily Bruin (CA)Author: Antero Garcia, Daily Bruin Senior Staff Published: August 27, 2001Copyright: 2001 ASUCLA Student MediaContact: viewpoint media.ucla.eduWebsite: http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/Improv Clubshttp://www.improvclubs.com/Voice Yourselfhttp://www.voiceyourself.com/Compassionate Momshttp://www.compassionatemoms.org/Marijuana Support at 30-Year Highhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10705.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on August 30, 2001 at 17:18:26 PT
ABC Poll Results!
Hi J.R.,You can check out the results of the ABC Poll and I made it so you don't need java or cookies somehow. It is over 29,000 votes now and still over 79% in favor! YES!http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10754.shtml#11http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Downtown/popoff/DailyNews/Marijuana_poll_popoff/index.html
What's New in Drug Policy Reform
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Comment #6 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on August 30, 2001 at 17:08:20 PT
Legalize it
>>Not only are college students exploring new ideas. In a recent poll by USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup, 34 percent of adults favored legalizing marijuana – the highest amount in more than 30 years.  See the online poll done by abcnews.go.com just the other day - 79.6% in favor of legalization!!
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Comment #5 posted by MDG on August 30, 2001 at 11:05:10 PT
Piss yourself? What?!
I wondered about that one, too. Who's ever done that? The only person I knew who did anything like that was really drunk, and ended up pissing into his clothes-hamper. 
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Comment #4 posted by TroutMask on August 30, 2001 at 10:19:21 PT
With friends like these...
"you're going to take another hit and fall asleep in a puddle of your own piss"I thought this comment was counter-productive at best.-TM
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Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on August 30, 2001 at 09:58:20 PT:
Irony
"The cover charge is $15 plus a two drink minimum."Someday, if things go well, this event may be staged with a two reefer minimum.
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Comment #2 posted by Patrick on August 30, 2001 at 09:37:19 PT
auto
A while ago I started posting here and was encourged, not coerced, to register my name so the others would know it was me with every post. After reading your story, I am inclined, feel compelled to make the same offer to you. Nothing that will identify you, no email address required. It's easy and we all will know you as "auto" when you post here. PEACE.
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Comment #1 posted by auto on August 30, 2001 at 09:22:35 PT
Thank you celebrities...Thank you GOD!
This is what will have to happen and continue to happen...More and more celebrities will need to stand up and educate more Americans to the realites not the falicies of Marijuana. Hip..hip..hooray. Keep doing what your doing...Force the feds to change a bad law and a bad policy. I am a medical marijuana patient. I am successful, highly educated, well dressed, well spoken, I am a technical officer of a large $2 billion financial corporation. I use medicinal marijuana to ease chronic pain and neuro-muscular spasms, I have used the so-called "legal" prescriptions. I was not able to get out of bed with these medications, I lost weight, lost my ability to function in a normal capacity and almost was forced to retire...I am only 31yrs old. I give credit to Marijauna for saving my life. Using Medicinal Marijuana allows me to not only function in a normal capacity, but I am able to control the pain and dis-comfort I face on a daily basis. I had a tragic accident 10 years ago. I nearly lost my right hand and lower arm. I underwent dozens of operations and a couple of years of rehab. I still do not have full function of my hand, but I have been able to retrain myself to function in a almost normal capacity. Marijuana is the only medication that relieves my symtoms without all of the other undesired negative side-effects of so-called legal drugs. I can drive, program in several computer languages, run business and marketing meetings and guess what...my other collegaues have no idea. In fact they would never imagine that I use Marijuana as medicine. After all this plant is Gods gift to you and I. There moral folks somehow forget about this. Dont you think it is immoral to NOT let me have the medication that works best for me?Who are these politicians kidding? I would suspect if one of them (or their family) were faced with this type of disability they might just open their eyes to a new way of thinking. Only when it hits home will they open their eyes and attempt to make a difference.Do I still get high on marijuana? Not typically...I do not use marijuana to get high...I use it to allow me to get up to go to work and be a funtioning, tax-paying american citizen. I do not take Tylenol to get high. Do I take other drugs...NO. Do I think marijuana should be Legal..YES. Do I think children under 18 should have access to marijuana...NO. Do I think that legalization is the answer...YES. Do I think politicians are misguided and misinformed...YES. 
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