If there's one thing that's been ruining the Kingdom of God,
it's apostates who tell people lies in order to gain political power. There's a lot
of them around, especially these days.
I'm pretty sure I've only recommended using marijuana to one person in my
lifetime: my mother. She had high blood pressure, suffered a great deal of anxiety, and
the part I didn't know until her death was that she had cervical cancer for years.
Here's the kicker though: if she had smoked it, it may have saved her
life. Or prolonged it. Because when Richard Nixon did HIS presidential study, one of the
facts that was suppressed was the fact that marijuana was proven to halt the growth or
kill altogether cancerous tumors. Got that? God's little intoxicant cures cancer. Don't
tell me marijuana's a bad thing.
I believe it was in 2006 that a report came out showing that marijuana was
effective in treating alzheimer's patients suffering from memory loss, given that it
causes the creation of more neurons and causes the number of neural pathways to open up as
the capacity of the mind expands, providing new ways for memories to be retrieved.
Think about that. And I thought marijuana supposedly negatively affected
the memory. That's what I've always heard, anyway.
So, I want to make it really clear: this is really not to recommend to
people that they use marijuana. That's a personal choice. I don't really like alcohol,
particularly, for a lot of reasons, including seeing all sorts of harm done by people who
drink alcohol, and alcoholism.
Here in Mason County, on Harstine Island, the people are literally insane
with ignorance and their love for proving to the police they'll be good little neighbors
in their Weed & Seed work, harassing and shunning peopel who aren't supposed to be
good people. They've trained these sheeple well. And they've caused these people to
believe that what they do is legal... until someone like me catches them, in which case,
they hide. People are doing this all over the country, apparently.
That's the whole point of this chapter, really. The lies that are told -
perpetrated by authorites and passed on through supposedly moral people who don't bother
to research anything, but in their quest to be popular, be of service or fit in, will do
anything, even if it makes them apostates and violators of other peoples rights.
Whether they know it or not. And I don't blame the residents here. I blame
the Federal, State and Local authorities who convinced them that this sort of actual
fascism is appropriate. They knew better.
That's why the conversation of matijuana is such a perfect example of the
way lies are used to cause people to go along with laws, policies and wars that are either
illegal, inhumane or which covertly benefit only lawmakers, cover crimes and profit the
wealthy who pay for their elected offices.
I never would have imagined that I would be standing up as a proponent of
the legalization of marijuana like this. But let me put it this way...
If I told you that I could give you seeds for one plant that is more
nutritious than soy beans, replaces an include array of expensive pharmaceuticals from
anti-depressants to allergy medications and anti-cancer benefits, as well as providing you
with paper, housing materials, clothing and could even be used to replace fossil fuels,
even to the extent of making grease so heavy duty it could be used as bearing grease on
big rigs... and more.. and that it would flourish nearly anyhere... would you want seeds
of that plant?
I was looking for the facts about marijuana and hemp when I accidentally
found out the many uses it has, and the lies used to scare people into thinking it was the
scourge of the earth. I was amazed. And, it's why I decided it was the best example
of lies I could find.
Personally, I use marijuana priamrily recreationally, but, over the years,
noticed and took advantage of its medicinal effects. I'll also add that I have no
apologies for my recreational use, and intend to continue.
I also have to laugh a little, too, after reading my Bible not long ago
when I came across this verse... part of the reason I laugh is because a few years back, I
wrote to Paul Begala that I'd be elected President the year that marijuana became a huge
issue amongst young people. It is that. And here's the verse I get a kick out of:
Ezekiel 34:29 And I will raise up for them a bud of renown: and
they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither shall they bear any more
the reproach of the Gentiles.
In a way, it should come as no surprise. God said the grasses and the
fruits and the herbs were for us.
You could make the case any day of the week that any vice is not
necessarily good, even though the Bible tells us "all things in moderation". I
certainly don't want to encourage anyone to abuse any kind of drug, whether the government
makes tax revenue from it or not, and that includes tobacco, more addictive than heroine,
and profitable for people like the family of Al Gore for generations, alcohol, which
benefitted the rum-running Kennedy's during prohibition, all sorts of illicit drugs
foisted upon the world by the Bush family for a couple hundred years at least, and then
there's the CIA, known for using the Mena airport in Arkansas to import cocaine and more
in order to finance their rogue, illegal covert operations. Have you heard the story of
how crack became so popular in the ghettos? Ask the CIA. They did it.
You might be surprised to find out that marijuana was never made illegal
because it was supposedly bad for you. It was made illegal, among other thing, to be able
to intimidate and control black people in New York City who frequented jazz clubs. It's
true.
You know what they say, that music that causes immoral people doing
trancical, gyrating sex dances like those satanic tribes in Africa. If you think I
made all that up, you're wrong. It's really what they said back then, in the
50's, anyway, when I was growing up.
That's exactly why it was made illegal.
Ultra conservative William F. Buckley said way back in 1975 that the war
on drugs was a farce, and was being used to intimidate people who use it from particpating
in public life, particularly politics, and particularly liberals.
I was shocked when I learned all this.
It's like Time-Warner the corporation making over $300 million in one year
selling pornography, while if, say, Lou Dobbs had his own porn site, he would be driven
out of the public eye and viewed as a pervert. But it's okay if the parent corporation
does it. And I'm not suggesting that Lou Dobbs is involved with such things. And I'll bet
no Time-Warner employee would turn down any bonuses derived from that "product
line".
To be continued...
See: A Letter to Mariah Carey
and
A Conversation With America
The Truth About Marijuana
Marijuana did not become illegal because it was harmful to people. It became
illegal because of a zealot named Harry J. Anslinger. He lead a movement to ban marijuana
through scare tactics in a propaganda campaign many years ago.
Off the top of my head, I can remember studies and opinions during the administrations
of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan (Reagan generally said
it's their business, not government's if people use it, and Nancy Reagan promoted a very
straight-forward "Say No To Drugs" Campaign that I thought was excellent) and
then, of course, there was Bill Clinton.
"Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than use
of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of
marijuana in private for personal use." President Jimmy Carter, August 2,
1977
Of course, there was the report commissioned by Fiorello La Guardia, the governor of
New York from 1934-45. (Intro Report see
also Grass). That report included these findings
(excerpts):
The lessening of inhibitions is not peculiar to marihuana, for in a few subjects who
were given alcohol in intoxicating doses the behavior corresponded to that induced by
marihuana.
After smoking the main effect was of a euphoric type. Some dizziness and dryness of the
mouth were generally present but were not pronounced enough to distract from the pleasant
sensations. The condition described as "high" came on promptly and increased
with the number of cigarettes smoked, but it was not alarming or definitely disagreeable,
and did not give rise to antisocial behavior.
On the contrary it prompted sociability. The marihuana was under the subject's control,
and once the euphoric state was present, which might come from only one cigarette, he had
no inclination to increase it by more smoking. When a considerable number of cigarettes
were smoked, the effect was usually one of drowsiness and fatigue.
The description of the "tea-pad parties" brings out clearly the convivial
effect on the groups and the absence of any rough or antagonistic behavior.
I particularly remember the Nixon report, which was ignored, because it cited that the
effects of marijuana are that it "gives the user a sense of well-being".
Otherwise, it cited no generally ill effects.
I remember it well because at the time, I was doing a radio show, and I parodied the
report based on the song "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel - you know,
Parsley, Sage Rosemary and Thyme... I joked that the FDA report on those herbs came to the
conclusion that "any substance in such wide use and that people enjoy so much
couldn't possibly be a good thing." I finished with the teaser "be listening
next time as we review the negative psycho-social impact of bubble bath".
It's not that I take it lightly. Like I say, I don't recommend that people use it any
more than I recommend that people drink alcohol. I just don't think it's wrong. What
is wrong is sending people to jail in order to facilitate a political agenda.
In the beginning...
Marijuana became a "controlled substance" after the Spanish-American War.
Mexicans who frequented the United States or who were migrant laborers brought it with
them when they came to work. On the East Coast, blacks, most notably black
musicians, specifically jazz musicians, were known to be users. What was originally
made illegal because of fraudulent claims by a zealot quickly became a means of
controlling a population of people, a tool of racism.
And the political powers along the way used the war on drugs to claim victory against a
horrible scourge so you'd trust them and vote for them again..
It's very similar to the way the INS is used to control illegal aliens in the U.S.
So long as foreigners, particularly Hispanics, are useful to our economy, and don't
make a fuss or expect to be treated like people with rights, they're allowed to stay.
Suddenly, one day, when politicians are criticized for immigration policy, you'll hear
about a round up of illegals. And, you'll hear little complaint, because these people have
no legal rights. It's a very convenient political manipulation.
As time went on, Anslinger became "the drug Czar", using the media and
propaganda to convince Americans that marijuana would "make you insane", that it
was a tool of Communism to ruin our young people, that the use of marijuana would
definitely lead to the use of harder drugs, that users would kill themselves and other
people, that buying it supported the Red Chinese in South Viet Nam, and now, the ultimate
threat, that purchasing marijuana supports terrorism.
It's just one more way to exploit 911 and terrorism to scare people into compliance and
support of a policy based on lies... relating marijuana to supporting terrorism (if this
logic is valid, then why does the Bush administration not embrace it regarding the
importation of oil and the sale of low gas mileage vehicles, such as SUV's?)
Marijuana is not a gateway drug
One of the biggest lies spread about marijuana is that it is a gateway drug. This
has not been proven. In fact, it has been disproved. In fact, cigarettes appear to be the
greatest gateway to all illicit drug use.
I can tell you myself that what encourages people to try harder drugs are 2 things:
1) If the government lies about marijuana, then they would lie about other drugs,
therefore, people are more willing to "see for themselves". It's part of why
marijuana users show up as stereotypical liberals: when you feel you've been lied to, it's
hard to take the liar at face-value. Therefore, you question things. It's simple human
nature.
2) The gateway to harder drugs is not marijuana, it's other people. When I think back
many years to the few times I took other drugs, I had no desire whatsoever to take other
drugs. The situation was simple. The person I bought marijuana from sold other drugs. It
was in his best interest for me to spend more money. OR, a friend who had tried some for
the same reasons would ask me if I wanted to try it.
Marijuana is no more a gateway drug than cigarettes leads to the use of chewing tobacco
or cigars. It is no more a gateway than the idea that drinking alcohol leads to the
over-eating of pretzels. It's nothing more than incorrect stereo-typical training
based on the science of "knowing how to push your buttons".
It's like thinking all marijuana smokers are bad, and that all Christians are fanatics
and all Muslims hate America. You could find lots of evidence to make the case if that's
what you wanted to do - if it served a purpose - but the statistics would prove the
opposite.
It's like watching the news and seeing all the reports about child abduction as if the
problem is becoming huge, despite the fact that the incidence of child-abduction has been
going down. Child abductions - and crimes against children - are certainly occurring,
and are horrible occurrances. But the problem, as a whole, is not as pervasive as it might
seem.
Here's the truly bad news: ask the kids, they'll tell you that marijuana, and drugs in
general, are more available than alcohol and cigarettes. That should tell you something
about the value of regulation, and the efficacy of our drug and alcohol education
programs. I guarantee you, if you lie to young people and they find out, they will
rebel against authority. It's the simple story of the boy who cried wolf.
I don't know about these days, but I do remember years ago, when I was in high school,
only one time I recall buying marijuana myself, the only other 2 times was for an adult.
They told me afterward that the old rule of thumb was that if you moved to a new town and
wanted to make a connection, the best thing to do was make friends with a high school
student. I was particularly offended because it was my own sisters, one of the
"fundamentalists" Pastor Culwell admired. Still, no disrespect for him meant
there.
"Alternatively, experience with and subsequent access to cannabis use may provide
individuals with access to other drugs as they come into contact with drug dealers. This
argument provided a strong impetus for the Netherlands to effectively decriminalize
cannabis use in an attempt to separate cannabis from the hard drug market. This strategy
may have been partially successful as rates of cocaine use among those who have used
cannabis are lower in the Netherlands than in the United States."
Source: Lynskey, Michael T., PhD, et al., "Escalation of Drug Use in
Early-Onset Cannabis Users vs Co-twin Controls," Journal of the American Medical
Association, Vol. 289 No. 4, January 22/29, 2003, online at http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v289n4/rfull/joc21156.html,
last accessed Jan. 31, 2003.
The Marijuana Culture
You might think that I'm in favor of blanket legalization. I'm going to
disappoint many marijuana smokers by telling you the opposite.
What comes to mind is the times in Soquel in the 70's when marijuana growers
perpetually had their crops stolen just before harvest time, and so they booby-trapped the
fields with machine guns with fatal results. I'm not saying you have to put up 20 foot
fences and such. What I'm pointing to is the need for responsible growth and dispensing.
What comes to mind is the times that military helicopters with machine guns were used
in the hills of Humboldt County in order to strafe meadows where children were playing in
order to "scare" the residents out of growing marijuana. It made it difficult to
tell the good guys from the bad guys.
What comes to mind is the arrest of people growing marijuana legally in Santa Cruz,
under state law, and city leaders who then dispensed marijuana for medicinal purposes in
defiance of John Ashcroft and the Department of Justice. Fortunately for the leaders of
Santa Cruz, and the seriously ill medicinal marijuana recipients, a major national news
station - CNN -covered the event as they dispensed it.
Otherwise, they probably would have been arrested with as much misplaced glee as when
they arrested Tommy Chong (of Cheech and Chong) for conspiracy to sell paraphernalia.
What comes to mind is the prosecution under federal law of a marijuana grower - Ed
Rosenthal - in the San Francisco Bay area who was growing it under the legal authority of
the state.
Under Federal Law, the prosecutor could deny the introduction of evidence that would
show that the grower was in compliance with, and working in tandem with the local
government. He stood to serve 7 to 25 years. The jury was outraged when they found out the
truth afterward. He was finally sentenced to 1 day. (6/4/2003)
What also comes to mind is a culture of marijuana users who also must transform their
thinking. They've become so used to being a "don't ask don't tell" constituency,
that it's hard to imagine another way. And there's a genuine resentment toward
establishing marijuana as a profit center for large corporations, or sin taxes by the
government. There are concerns about quality, freshness and additives.
Over the years, I have met few people who used marijuana who were unwilling to consider
legalization and sale of marijuana with the same laws and controls as alcohol. I could
make all the same trite arguments about all the tax revenues and legitimate income and
jobs that marijuana could provide, but I too am tired of making the all too logical
arguments with people who would prefer to restrict other people to their own preferences.
I could say volumes about how the real control of marijuana would reduce its use by
young people.
The one issue that should decide the matter is the truth. Unfortunately, for all the
politicians who claim to have tried it without inhaling, the truth is far too confronting,
because it would expose a deception, and it would take courage to stand up against the
politically generated perception of this issue.
The part that disturbs me the most is the lie.
700,000 people a year are made into criminals because of a lie. That's the biggest
crime of all.
And that takes me back to William F. Buckley....
