cannabisnews.com: The Deceit Of Marijuana 





The Deceit Of Marijuana 
Posted by CN Staff on May 01, 2008 at 10:11:42 PT
By Jacqueline Patterson
Source: Coastal Post
California -- There is nothing more revolting to me than 420 in California; it's like wearing the shirt to the show. Back on the frontlines, when I was still smoking ditch-weed that probably created more problems than it solved, 420 was a real celebration. We'd splurge on good pot and good food and be grateful for one another. It's so commercial here. Still, I had a producer to go investigate and a documentary I wanted to go see so I was actually looking forward the festivities. Marijuana meets reality TV: the word "TV friendly" sent shivers down my spine but I'm curious as to the potential for education.
So I woke up this morning and immediately checked out what the local newspaper (the Marin IJ had to say about 420. Not surprisingly, a local drug treatment provider had taken it upon himself to warn local parents that cannabis is a gateway drug to the pharmaceutical drugs that kids are stealing from their parents or obtaining legitimate prescriptions for. The Chicago Tribune had a very well written article about the holiday and a few facts about pot that even I didn't know. As for the negative press here, it's simply a reflection of the spotlight conservatism of Marin. I have a friend who I will call Joe; he refers to himself as a stoner though he is launching a successful new business and competently grows some of the best cannabis in Northern California, which is quite a challenge. If you'd asked Joe 25 years ago if he wanted to grow up and grow pot, he and his military family would have laughed in your face. That was before Joe and another soldier held a bridge just long enough to seriously and lastingly injure themselves. Joe tried everything- surgery, pain killers, muscle relaxers, massage therapy but all to no avail. Finally Joe's girlfriend gave him a paper that she'd written in high school on the efficacy of marijuana when used a medicine; reluctantly Joe smoked his first joint and as the pain faded the anger set in. Why had no one told in that this amazing plant was not the devil's weed but a gift of medicine, of food and shelter? Why all the manipulation and deceit? Teenagers have these same questions; they know that marijuana is not as harmful as officer friendly wants them to believe and here is where we are botching an incredibly important lesson: we should not be utilizing scare tactics but teaching children to value hard work and creativity over apathy and boredom, instilling in them the concept that abuse of any kind is a bad thing. In many cases teenage drug use occurs out of either the need to escape a problematic situation or a desire to experiment for lack of something better to do. Giving legitimate patient access to medical marijuana is not going to change that simple truth. But it may encourage a more open dialogue and it will hopefully change the way that Americans deal with the tumor of problems we call addiction. Apathy is caused by demoralization- finding out that someone you trusted has been lying to you, that moment when you realize that your parents are fallible, the emotional distance in many modern families- these are all examples of demoralization. In the instance of cannabis, politics have superseded medicine for merely a half-century and although science is making a comeback, we still have propaganda and scare tactics to contend with. There is no rational dispute to the statement that cannabis was the first medicine known to man and the herb has actually evolved with man. Children see the disparity and they wonder what else we lie about so maybe if we tell the truth, they will too. If we remain silent while patients suffer or risk their lives for medicine, we teach children to look the other way while injustice occurs and I have never been able to do that. The rights of one American belong to all. Source: Coastal Post, The (CA)Author: Jacqueline Patterson Published: May 1, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Coastal PostContact: editor coastalpost.comWebsite: http://www.coastalpost.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by rchandar on May 03, 2008 at 12:33:58 PT:
Officer Friendly
Guys, I don't know if I'd put the blame on the cops. True, it is they who perform this ritual of useless injustice. But they aren't well-educated people; usually, they honestly think they are "doing their job." A cop can be fired, he can lose everything. The cop is a "symptom"--an effect, a PRODUCT of a ruined system. The REAL culprit are the politicians--as I always say, gutless bastards who can't give any of their moral monopoly to the people who elect them.Now, I know why people are so happy when senators, governors, representatives are brought up on corruption or otherwise charges. It refreshes the "natural order": it reminds us that we were right all along.rchandar
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on May 02, 2008 at 07:35:53 PT
Officer Friendly wears a mask 
and does Dynamic Entry if he suspects you might have the wrong sort of plant growing.We all got the "Message". Officer Friendly? I don't think so.Officer Mean, Officer Dangerous, Officer Hateful, Officer Arrogant, Officer Scared with an itchy trigger finger, Officer Tricky? So many officers have stepped in and taken Officer Friendly's place. He may be in the Army Tank or Armored Vehicle rolling on to your lawn. Maybe he's the one with the door ram? 
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on May 02, 2008 at 05:20:49 PT
"officer friendly" 
Cannabis lies make "officer friendly" a discredited untrustworthy individual.The cop is simply a uniformed deceiver.Police unions are playing games with the lives of children for their own gain.The day America Re-legalizes cannabis could be thought of a -back to work day for cops.
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