Monday, January 18, 2010

Cheech & Chong & Cohen


You have to admire the political moxie of Rep. Steve Cohen for being the only Congressperson to address the Marijuana Policy Projects' 15th annual gala last week. It's not as if the congressman's district is clamoring for the reformation of pot laws, but Cohen has, ever since his days as a state senator where he proposed legislation to enable Tennessee's doctors to prescribe the use of medical marijuana for their patients. Cohen told the Memphis Flyer in 2005, "The laws are crazy to restrict an individual from something that can make them feel better when they're dying. There are so many other legal drugs out there that are much more habit-forming, addictive, and potent." Immediately, Cohen's detractors accused him of being a pot-head, but judging from his previous statement about marijuana's potency, he hasn't smoked any in a while. I was at first delighted and then confused over Cohen's appearance, along with "Trailblazer" honorees, Cheech & Chong, at the marijuana advocacy group's confab. I'm not used to my representatives acting on principle. First, this guy establishes a lottery that enriches the public school system, then he passes legislation formally apologizing for the institution of slavery, and now he's trying to decriminalize marijuana. Who does he think he is? Marcus Garvey?

Cohen told the self-confessed pot smokers that his own campaign polls have shown nearly 3-1 support for medical marijuana. "This is an issue that's important," Cohen said. "It's a freedom issue. It's an intelligence issue... I'm proud to be here." News reports said Cohen received nearly as loud an ovation as did Cheech & Chong, if not the belly laughs. It is a certainty that Cohen's political opponents will seize upon this issue in the 2010 elections. The conservatives will say that he's in league with Barack Obama in attempting to indoctrinate the nation's youth. And his Democratic opponents, including a group of African-American "ministers" who disliked his support over the passage of a hate crimes bill, of all things, will accuse him of being in favor of drugs in the 'hood, when what they actually mean is they don't want Steve Cohen there. The congressman, however, has shown consistency in voting his conscience, and anyone who is even vaguely informed knows that he is on the right side of history.

History teaches that cannabis was made illegal in the 1930s after a study by the Harry Anslinger Commission linked its' usage with illegal workers from Mexico. A marijuana "devil weed" campaign of provocative disinformation followed and was accepted as gospel until the beatniks and hippies exposed the hysterical propaganda as just plain silly. Today, cannabis cultivation is a billion dollar domestic industry that operates on cash and remains untaxed and unregulated despite the fact that, according to author Eric Schlosser, "There are more people in prison today for violating marijuana laws than at any other time in American history." Given the supposition that any mind altering substance is not good for children or the developing brain, isn't it time we admitted that marijuana is a gift from God for grown-ups and good for what ails ya'? Cohen speaks of pot giving comfort to the dying, but how about the living? This innocuous weed eases nausea, pain, and anxiety in most people, while causing passivity in its users. The Rastafarians use it as a religious sacrament, and there are now as many cannibis connoisseurs as wine experts. I suppose I've spent a full third of my life in bars and nightclubs, and I have seen a thousand fistfights, all fueled by alcohol. But I have never, ever, witnessed a pot smoker get high and become violent, unless he was about to be ripped off for drugs or money.

And that's the crux of the problem. Remove the massive illegal profits from pot cultivation and distribution, regulate it, and disassociate marijuana from other Schedule 1 drugs like Heroin and PCP, and prisons would suddenly have room for the rash of violent felons among us. The group for which Rep. Cohen spoke, The Marijuana Policy Project, issued recent statistics showing cannabis arrests outnumbering arrests for all violent crimes combined. And the hypocrisy of accepting thousands of deaths per year resulting from drunken driving while incarcerating nearly fifty thousand people, one out of eight prisoners, for pot use is dumbfounding. Yet the alcohol bandwagon rolls on unabated, creating shareholder wealth while destroying lives in its wake. New Jersey, however, has just become the 14th state to legalize medicinal marijuana and the ski-town of Breckenridge, Colorado has just decriminalized pot possession completely. There are a lot of rich folks in Breckenridge that just grew weary of the hassle and decided to stop pretending. And the Obama administration announced it will no longer conduct federal raids on state approved marijuana dispensaries, as the Bush government did in California.


We can all agree in hindsight that the temperance movement and the "Noble Experiment" of prohibition from 1919-1933, was a miserable failure with unforeseen consequences. The governmental ban of alcohol and liquor gave birth not only to thousands of "speakeasies," but led directly to the formation of the modern crime organization in America, whether known as the Mafia, the Mob, or La Cosa Nostra. Not just men with names like Capone or Luciano made millions from smuggling and bootlegging, but families named Kennedy and Bronfman did as well. After more than a decade of fierce bloodletting, the public had enough and repealed the 18th Amendment, abandoning prohibition. That "tipping point" has been reached again in the case of marijuana. Ordinary people are tired of seeing SWAT teams kick down doors and passive users being brutalized. Parents are weary of their children establishing arrest records over possession of a joint. And the people of the Southwest are sick of the Mexican drug gangs and their American accomplices who murder journalists, judges, and innocents to protect their cash flow. All this can end with the stroke of a pen. And with common sense congressmen like Steve Cohen leading the way, who says "It can't happen here?"

20 comments:

Furry Freak Brother said...

Actually, I think it was Frank Zappa who said "It can't happen here." Only he was singing about Kansas.

rockskipper said...

Still another reason to support Congressman Cohen for re-election next year. Way to go Steve! Keep up the good work!

ghg said...

The fact that some things are inevitable should be heartening to us. I'm speaking about the writer you have always been now being a writer who other people can read. I've had the pleasure for over 40 years, old man.

Anonymous said...

I AGREE ,RESPECTFULLY BILLY WICKS

Anonymous said...

I AGREE,RESPECTFULLY BILLY WICKS

Anonymous said...

It was very interesting for me to read this post. Thanx for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more on that blog soon.

Anonymous said...

As someone who has used medi-mari for a few years I can assure you that the only thing wrong with it is having to find it. Please write to your congressman and tell him to change the laws, for all of our sakes. For some of us this is the only way to function day to day.I bet you know someone too that could benefit from a little "fatty". This is not for children but for adults in pain.

John said...

Randy,
Loved the blog. I think I'll pass it along to all my associates.
Fondly,
J. Edgar Hoover

Anonymous said...

The arguments for legalizing pot are legion and you named some good ones. I submit that a good medical use of pot is to alleviate the aches and pains and mental malaise that go with aging. Pot should at least be de-criminalized for anyone over 55 as a general healing balm. Black ministers should be delighted that thousands of brothers would not be going to jail. Did any of you know that the citizens of Eureka Springs, Ar. de-criminalized pot a couple of years ago. Shortly after that, Carroll County, where Eureka Springs is located, also de-criminalized pot. The area is something of a free spirit mecca. The reason the feds outlawed pot is that after prohibition they had an entire government agency that was once used for prohibition that they had to keep employed. So, they outlawed pot to give the slack-jawed bureaucrats something to do. I'll bet a sizable number of the Obama team indulges. Maybe that is where they come up with some of their crazy ideas, but I digress. Hundreds of thousands die each year as a result of the legal drugs tobacco and alcohol. No one has ever died from pot. The liquor lobby may have something to do with keeping pot illegal. Maybe someone should inform them that many, if not most, pot smokers also like to drink wine or beer along with the reefer. All in all, the criminalization of pot is just another aspect of the control fetish in which the government indulges. They seem to feel compelled to infringe upon our liberties. Maybe, a National Reefer Day should be established where millions of pot smokers across the country meet to smoke pot in front of court houses thereby over-loading the judicial system. For that matter, why don't the people outlaw the government. There are lots more of us than them. Allow an old liberatrian this indulgence...FUCK THE GOVERNMENT AND THEIR DERANGED CONTROL FETISH!!!!! They will keep restricting us until we are all wearing black pajamas and riding bicycles.

Cary W. said...

As always, Randy, you are right on the money. Here in Colorado things are verging on the surreal with dispensaries popping up everywhere. (I was SO far ahead of my time back in the '70s, but that's another story.)

Here's a real eye-opener for you. I came across it in the comments section of an article written by a psychiatrist calling for the decriminalization of marijuana in today's Wall Street Journal. It's a transcript of a pretty long talk given by a highly respected legal scholar (Google him to see what I mean). If it looks like too much to read, skip down to 1937.

The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States
by Charles Whitebread, Professor of Law, USC Law School
A Speech to the California Judges Association 1995 annual conference

http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm

Anonymous said...

If there's no funding to care for me in a few years, pass me the medical "grass" (I'm about 4 years younger than you, Randy; grew up on Walton Rd.) and a jumbo bag of Fritos. Yeah, I left Sacred Heart believing the Counts were better than the Radiants, before I could think for myself. Worked for DEA in the '70s and got chummy with people who actually knew and loved Harry A. But I don't want to suffer in pain or worry about finances in my old age. I thought I was on my way to New Orleans, but let me check out Eureka Springs. Great blog, by the way, Randy.

Anonymous said...

How about this idea to win over the alcohol lobbyists. Suggest to them that the distillers and breweries develop beers, wines, etc. that are laced with THC. That would be a win-win for everyone. You know that its really all about money. The feds don't give a shit about the peoples' health except as it relates to the bottom line. If the money situation works out they would legalize anything.

Anonymous said...

New Jersey makes 14 states that have legalized the medical use of pot. This trend will continue. At some point when enough states join this movement, pot will be legalized. It is not a question of if, but when. Corzine signed the medical use law on his last day in office. That was kind of cowardly, but I am not complaining. Legislators, especially in liberal states, need to be more bold in this regard. You should encourage Cohen to do some behind the scenes politicing to do the same for Tn. Pass him the idea of the medical use of pot for the physical and emotional problems of aging for those 55 and older. Maybe he could use that as a ploy. There would be no danger of minors getting it and it may be seen as a compassionate act toward the elderly. Maybe Cohen could introduce that idea on the federal level to make pot legal for the elderly. He could be a national hero like Cheech and Chong.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Obama! Was that loud enough for you to hear? Just wait till Nov. Every lame Democrat in both the House and the Senate had better start packing because real Americans are in the process of taking America back from the commie bastard Obama and his merry band of Marxists. I would love to know why the Democrats allowed their party to be taken over by communists/Marxists. Maybe they were too stoned to know the difference.

SIREEN said...

Mr. Anon. I wouldn't read too much into that election. Those folks only voted for Scot Brown in Mass cuz he looks good naked! Case Closed! Did you see that Cosmo spread? The Dems thought that would kill him. Shiiiit! Those folks in Massachusetts have but one emotion...HORNY! Don't forget~That's where the Kennedy's are from. But Brown be looking good though! Speaking of Brown...When I saw those pictures I broke out in a James Brown COLD SWEAT singing PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!. Forget the politics! I be thinking BROWN is the NEW BLACK! Thank you Jesus! Yours truly! SIREEN

Anonymous said...

Sireen, stay tuned for the November elections. You will see what is called a political purge. Liberal Democrats will be run out of office in droves. No need to argue about it, because it will be in plain view for all to see. Mark your calendar. And the icing on the cake will be the 2012 elections. The sleeping giant is rising up from slumber to KICK ASS!!!

Anonymous said...

The head of the NAACP, Julian Bond, admitted in a recent interview what many people have known for a long time, that Martin Luther King was a socialist. In the past when people would accuse King of being a communist or a socialist they would be excoriated. The question is, why is this admission being made now? Some think that it is a psychological ploy. The thinking is that since socialism is under growing assault and since many people respect MLK, then socialism can't be all that bad.

Anonymous said...

It looks like the Democrat's dream of a glorious Marxist revolution and take over of America has suffered a set back. I hate that for them. Maybe things would improve if they would smoke more dope.

Anonymous said...

A fundalmental problem for Marxism (or any -ism that is based on command and control of the people...this includes Progressivism): Freedom...trying to control a free people is like trying to herd cats.

Historical Marxist solution: Kill the free people and anyone else who does not conform to the plans of the central authority.

You can't have both freedom and equality. A free society will always become stratified (unequal) because intelligence, gifts, and apptitudes are not equally bestowed at birth by nature (God) and because each person differs in regard to their motivation, work ethic, self-discipline etc. Therefore, a Marxist society has to eliminate freedom to establish their goal of equality. Without freedom, we become serfs in a slave state. This doesn't happen over night, but it is the end result of Marxism. Being a little Marxist is like being a little pregnant. After a period of gestation, the end product will ultimately be born...a slave state.

Anonymous said...

Air America went bankrupt and closed down. The liberals claim that it is because of the recession. Its a funny thing, but the conservative radio and tv shows are setting records for listeners. The truth of the matter is that there is no demand for programs that spew liberal propaganda and blather. This is why the Obama Mafia wants to shut Fox News and conservative talk radio down. The truth has the same effect on liberals that sunlight has on Dracula. Truth gets in the way of their agenda, so it must be shut down at any cost. Mark Lloyd, one of Obama's henchmen, has a plan to cripple conservative news outlets by adminisering draconian taxes upon them and then giving this tax money to liberal programs. They can't survive any other way, because there is no demand for the bullshit that they put out. It will be interesting to see how the Obama Mafia proceeds with their evil plans. November can't come fast enough.