It’s election day and I am worried for the nation, and yet I
can say, too, that it’s election day and I am happy to see that so many folks
are going to the polls, not only to cast their ballot for president but to cast
their vote to see if they are going to go forward with the great social
experiment and legalize recreational or medical marijuana in their state. It’s
election day and no matter what happens in the end, whether we have a wonk in
office or a dictator, we will all need to loosen up a bit and possibly smoke a
bowl together, just to get the taste of this nasty campaign out of our mouths.
I grew up in Southern California and was raised in Orange County, one of the most conservative counties in the state, probably in the nation. As a child I lived in the shadow of the great Reefer Madness mind set but thankfully I discovered in my teens that I was the product of an ethnic group that loved marijuana just as much as the straights hated it. It’s been great to see the status of grass change over the years in California, from decriminalization in the 70’s to medical legalization in 1996 to being on the verge of possibly being legal throughout the whole of the state tomorrow.
What strikes me as funny about this election is that Proposition 64 will
simplify the process of being a pothead in the state and yet so many knowledgeable, courageous and well meaning folks are
fighting it. Some think the wording in Proposition 64 is not enough and some
think it’s too much. Humboldt thinks it will take away their heritage. Illegal dispensary folks are afraid their way of life will end. Some folks think that it will somehow take away the rights of medical folks or let big business come in and take away the goodness of it all.Some folks are just plain afraid of grass. I just like the idea that it makes it legal for adults over 21 to hold onto it and smoke it. That much I think
folks can agree on.
I loved my med card and know that there are people out there whose lives depend on medical marijuana. But I know from being a regular user of dispensary medicine that there are a lot of fakers in the state who get in the door of their local dispensaries through guile and mendacity. Let's call a spade a spade: if you are hurting and need that card, go down and get it, god speed. You other guys and gals who bought a card down on the Venice boardwalk or elsewhere from a quack just becuse you want to get high, get out there and make this proposition happen. Folks who have been partaking all along as a goof will now be able to do it without having to chase down a medical card every year or have to pretend that they have some sort of illness or condition to validate their jones. They will not have to worry about the man taking them downtown just because they don’t have a card on hand to show the police that, yes, they are a registered cannabis patient.
I loved my med card and know that there are people out there whose lives depend on medical marijuana. But I know from being a regular user of dispensary medicine that there are a lot of fakers in the state who get in the door of their local dispensaries through guile and mendacity. Let's call a spade a spade: if you are hurting and need that card, go down and get it, god speed. You other guys and gals who bought a card down on the Venice boardwalk or elsewhere from a quack just becuse you want to get high, get out there and make this proposition happen. Folks who have been partaking all along as a goof will now be able to do it without having to chase down a medical card every year or have to pretend that they have some sort of illness or condition to validate their jones. They will not have to worry about the man taking them downtown just because they don’t have a card on hand to show the police that, yes, they are a registered cannabis patient.
Living in NorCal I saw, as a cannabis user, that practically nobody outside of the dispensary owners cared too much
about that card, but I loved it as it let me have access to mota legally in dispensaries
all around the region. If I had spent a bit more time than I did cultivating
friendships with farmers and such I would have never had to register for a med card but
being the pussycat that I am I didn’t want to worry about being pulled over or
having my door broken down for having herb on me. Not that it was ever going to
happen, mind you, but once you start smoking that Emerald Triangle dope you do
get more than just a touch paranoid at times.
What will be great is that come January 1st,
2018 (that is, if all goes well at the polls today,) I will be able to
take a drive to coast and not only get to see the sea and stock up on my
favorite Anderson Valley wines but I will also be able to stock up on some of
the world’s most fabulous grass. I know, I know, we’re
not supposed to transport it across state lines but if the good people of Arizona and
Nevada do their part and join in and legalize it, too, I should be able to drive
from Medocino to Greeley and not have to cross over into a state with
prohibition on the books.
Today we vote on a president, on senators, on local laws and
taxation schemes, but what we are doing, in an even bigger way, is paving the
way towards a larger legalization mindset across the land. That, as much as
anything else, will have me on the edge of my seat the rest of the day.
And yes, be sure to get out there and vote!
And yes, be sure to get out there and vote!
Salud!
Here's what you can do, California, if Proposition 64 passes!
http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/11/08/proposition-64-know-your-rights/66948/
A watershed cannabis event!
http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/11/08/marijuana-prohibition-election-2016-watershed-moment/66928/
Why some folks in Cali aren't behind the proposition!
http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/11/07/marijuana-legalization-california-industry/66795/
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