cannabisnews.com: Alaska Reporter Quits on Live TV
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Alaska Reporter Quits on Live TV
Posted by CN Staff on September 22, 2014 at 11:44:53 PT
By Abby Ohlheiser
Source: Washington Post
Alaska -- Viewers of KTVA's Sunday night newscast learned all about the Alaska Cannabis Club, a medical marijuana group. And then, they learned something else: The reporter who presented the story to the station's viewers is also the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club.Charlo Greene then quit her TV job on live television after promising to dedicate "all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska." She added: "And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice, but, [expletive] it, I quit."
You can watch the full video, which contains Greene's explicit sign-off, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYcSqIuqkz4Although Greene told Alaska Dispatch News that her (former) employers had no idea she was going to quit on air, or that she ran the club she reported on, the Alaska Cannibis Club's Facebook page encouraged its followers to tune in for the Sunday broadcast."I wanted to draw attention to this issue. And the issue is medical marijuana," Greene told the Dispatch News after the broadcast. "If I offended anyone, I apologize. But I’m not sorry for the choice that I made."Although it seems a bit redundant to fire an employee who already quit, KTVA, a CBS affiliate, wanted to make it crystal clear that it did not condone Greene's unexpected remarks on Sunday. Especially the swearing.As NBC-affilaited KTUU noted, Sunday's broadcast wasn't the first time Greene had reported on cannabis for the station, apparently even after the Alaska Cannibis Club's founding earlier this year.In at least one earlier segment, Greene did not disclose her connection to the group:KTUU reported that Greene's legal name is Charlene Egbe, which is listed as the name of the Alaska Cannabis Club's owner in the state's corporation records database. The group was founded on April 20.Although search results point to a five-part KTVA series on cannabis that aired on the station starting on April 29, those pages are no longer available on the station's Web site. A cached, text-only version of the URLs still show the pieces, authored by Charlo Greene; some of the segments, like the one above, are still available on YouTube.Alaska allows for legal, medical marijuana use, thanks to a 1998 ballot measure. Under the measure, patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, MS and other ailments are able to obtain approval to possess, use and grow small amounts of the substance as part of their treatment, with a doctor's certification.But cannabis advocates in the state -- including Greene's club -- argue that the laws are too vague to safely and legally allow patients to access the substance, even with that approval. Under the current law, cardholders may possess a small amount of marijuana and grow a small number of plants for personal use or for other cardholders in the state.That's where it gets trickier, advocates argue, because the law is quiet on how cardholders can actually buy what they need to grow the plant or otherwise obtain marijuana for medical use if they're unable to grow it themselves. In other words, a cardholder can grow marijuana for his or her own use (and give away the plant to other approved cardholders), but it's still not really legal to sell marijuana in Alaska.Greene's club was the subject of an August Alaska Dispatch News story, which noted that the club's founder spoke to the paper "on the condition of anonymity, citing concern over potential repercussions from her employer." In the story, the founder (presumably Greene) explained how her club has set up something of a stop-gap, work-around to help get patients access to cannabis.Instead of buying marijuana from a grower, club members agree to give "donations" covering the cost of growing the substance to the person growing the plants. Patient and supplier are then paired up, and the club steps out of the picture. Understandably, the Dispatch referred to this system as operating within a "legal gray area" in the state. Which is why Greene's club is trying to change Alaska's laws.The state will vote on another marijuana measure in November: Ballot Measure 2 asks voters to approve a proposal that would "allow a person to possess, use, show, buy, transport, or grow set amounts of marijuana, with the growing subject to certain restrictions." If approved, the measure would implement a similar regulation process for marijuana to the one currently in place for the use and sale of alcohol.Greene has set up an IndieGoGo page to collect donations for her group's marijuana advocacy work. Although she is clearly hoping that her high-profile resignation will draw positive attention to her campaign to support a measure that she believes will clarify and improve state laws on cannabis use, the measure's opponents see something else in the broadcast:Washington and Colorado both have recreational marijuana laws on the books; in addition to Alaska, voters in the District of Columbia and Oregon will consider a recreational marijuana proposal in November.Source: Washington Post (DC)Author: Abby Ohlheiser Published: September 22, 2014Copyright: 2014 Washington Post CompanyContact: letters washpost.com Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ URL: http://drugsense.org/url/6P9nx2GQCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on September 24, 2014 at 15:51:46 PT
Lol!
Yes, it would probably be a popular name for a strain. "I'll have ten grams of F... It, please.I was affected by watching it. I've said it several, two, maybe three times, today! (Like an evil spirit jumped from her mouth to mine... right across the cyber waves.) :) Embarrassing myself as I blurted it, too. It's not common language for me and it wasn't common for the people I blurted it out around. I tried to blame a video I watched... but I think, I hope, I'm under control again.Yes, it would be an interesting strain name. It should have a nice... or maybe not so nice, assertive buzz that's stimulating as well as emboldening, inclining to get you moving. 
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Comment #4 posted by observer on September 24, 2014 at 12:22:06 PT
New Strain Name?
re: "And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice, but, [expletive] it, I quit." Maybe that suggests the name of a new strain? Just a thought. 
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on September 23, 2014 at 08:55:06 PT
I'm very happy to have someone else on our side...
and I know this is the era of the pop off expletive if there ever was one... but I wish she'd been more gracious in keeping her expletives on leash.We're not in a pissing match with this. So much is lost when we are reduced to pettiness.At least she's pretty. None of that ugly old jowl shaking that went along with Nixon's expletives. You'd almost expect to see little flecks of spit when you read his... or his redacted expletives.Sadly, she lost votes ... maybe only a few hundred, with the foul mouth outburst. It's just a fact. It's meant to offend and it actually does in the right circumstances. Here let me deliver my message... then forget that, or at least some of it... I want to show off my skill with an expletive.Some of her message was lost with the, "Well now I'm just going to lose control and throw out an expletive". Arrgh.Other than that... You go girl!
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Comment #2 posted by Universer on September 22, 2014 at 19:09:22 PT
Public Relations
I admire the balls.But sometimes outlets ask those who use it to "[Please refrain from using profanity in your message]" for a reason.Certainly didn't do our image any favors.But like I said, you gotta respect the sack that took.
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Comment #1 posted by observer on September 22, 2014 at 13:57:59 PT
First Things First: Freedom
I remember in Tidewater Virginia circa 1979 a local TV reporter was popped with like a pound of pot, and fired from his TV reporter job (local ABC affiliate I think). He (probably with his own money) then ran a single TV ad, with him in it, arguing for marijuana legalization right before Saturday Night Live aired. Then he was never mentioned again as far as I can tell (because he was locked up for decades in Virginia?). I think his name was something like "Tony Burton" but I could have that completely off as I was in high school at the time and mention of his name was verboten (apparently) after his bust. I always appreciated his spirit of pushing back against prohibition by making (and paying for) and airing a pro-legalization PSA, himself. I still can't believe that the local NBC affiliate was allowed to air his 30-second spot. I seriously doubt any NBC affiliate has enough spine to do the same today. 
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