Sunday, July 18, 2010

Reefer Madness Redux

Since the initial wave of the hippie movement travelled from west to east, it didn't reach Knoxville until well after the 1967 "Summer of Love." We had more of a "Springtime of Love" in 1968. Toward the end of the school year, rumors reached our Tennessee tribe that there was marijuana growing wild in the state of Kansas, right in the interstate median. Just like the Gold Rush of '49, van loads of denim-wearing, entrepreneurial hippies raced to the great plains and, sure enough, returned with garbage bags filled with something looking identical to cannabis. It was the remnants of a WWII era government program that grew the plants for their hemp value, and all these years later, the crop had survived. The problem was, the wild plants lacked the psychoactive ingredient that caused the euphoric effect in pot and were pretty much useless for anything other than weaving into handbags or sandals.

Personally, I never tried to sell pot because I lacked the ruthlessness required to profit from your friends, but even I got caught up in this deal. Since it was over 40 years ago, I trust the statute of limitations has expired. We tried to doctor this cabbage in every way possible, including baking it, but only ended up with brittle leaves of the worst pot anyone had ever tried. It wouldn't even give you a headache. I finally locked it all up in a Styrofoam chest filled with dry ice overnight and by the next day, the gas from the CO2 made you mildly dizzy. We drove it to Nashville, where a new breed of songwriters had settled and distributed all of it without complaint, and soon afterward, there was a Renaissance in country music. OK, that last part was a lie, but we did unload all the Kansas weed on Music Row.

Just recently, I was reminiscing with an old friend about that particular escapade and we couldn't help but agree what a dumbass, reckless college-boy thing that was to do, like trying to smoke the inner skin of a banana peel because we had heard Donovan singing "Mellow Yellow." We also agreed what a shame it would have been to have been arrested over such hideous weed during an age when people were going to jail for seeds in an ashtray. The irresistible lure was that it was just growing wild, but by picking it and carrying it in a sack, we were guilty of the crime of possession, and when we crossed state lines, our crime became federal. Kansas ultimately eradicated all the interstate pot because Hefty-Bag toting hippies kept popping up on the highways like penal farm work crews. It did occur to me, however, that if this weed could grow wild on a Kansas blacktop, it could pretty much grow anywhere, and people being who and what they are, it was only a matter of time before the prohibition of pot would be tossed aside just like the prohibition of whiskey. But, that was eight presidents ago. What has prevented even the discussion of decriminalization  until relatively recently, has been the same old-boy deal that has always muzzled debate on the issue; political influence. In this case, the beer, spirits, and alcohol lobby, who are still smarting from having their seductive and subliminal liquor ads removed from television. The pot industry doesn't have any lobbyists. Plenty of advocates, but no lobbyists.

Local news reported that a man was arrested in Memphis last week after a DEA task force raid with more than 1,200 pounds of baled marijuana in his humble Orange Mound home, and was being held in city jail under a bond of one penny less than ten million dollars. A somewhat saner judge reduced the bail to a quarter mil, but you'd have thought these guys caught Scarface. Rapists and murderers are given more consideration and less harsh treatment than a pot dealer, and they do less time. Though the bust warranted a scant five paragraphs in The Commercial Appeal, it was eye-popping news to pot aficionados who are experiencing the annual Memphis summer marijuana drought, or so I'm told. The DEA agents testified that after jack-booting the doors, they found large bales of a "green, leafy substance." Can you imagine the number of police and the manpower used to haul away a half a ton of leaves? In the end, they'll burned it all which was exactly what was going to happen to it in the first place. And this all-purpose panacea had a street value of over a half-million dollars. The zeal in which the pot dealers were captured and jailed was exceeded only last month by the Las Vegas police, who killed a 21 year old man while serving a marijuana search warrant. And this was in a state where citizens voted to decriminalize possession. The late outlaw's bride-to-be told local TV that her intended was "a recreational smoker. He smoked weed, marijuana, that's what he did." The police recovered "an unspecified amount of marijuana and some digital scales." A regular Al Capone, this kid.

In the Memphis bust, there will now be a trial or two and long incarcerations, costing the city and state and ultimately you. And because the profit motive is so high, (you know; Capitalism), someone else will take these guys' place and the criminality will continue. In fact, author Eric Schlosser writes, "There are more people in prison today for violating marijuana laws than at any time in American history." And that population will only grow as long as police forces around the country maintain the marijuana home-invasion mentality. Imagine if the ban on the plant was lifted for adults, and regulated and taxed by the government for the benefit of society. How many more policemen or teachers would that revenue hire? How much gang violence would be diffused by removing the profit from illegal pot sales? How would our problems on the Mexican border be affected if the demand for marijuana smuggling were eliminated? I'm not naive enough to believe that there won't always be a demand for illegal narcotics, but hard drugs that do emotional and physical damage are another matter entirely, and if we are being honest, we'll admit our major national drug problem is with good old home-made American pharmaceuticals. I'd prefer to be able to take advantage of that "pursuit of happiness" thing. All these people who are running around screaming that their freedoms are under siege and they want their country back; well, so do I. No federal agency forbids you from growing poppies on the veranda. Give me the freedom to determine what grows in my own backyard. I want the government out of my bedroom and the police out of my garden. This is an issue worthy of a tea party.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

i wondered where our government was, the one i voted for in 08. now you tell me they've been hiding in your bedroom! no wonder nothing has improved.

Willard Morgan said...

Billions of gallons of water are showered upon the golf courses of America daily at a great cost to our environment and medical marijuana dispensaries are being shut down in California at a great cost in health and well-being to those who now have to resort to illegal purchase, beside the effects on the local real estate market which will suffer due to newly-vacant storefronts. I'd say we're taking care of the wrong grass,it's enjoyment and economic benefits! These parallels were drawn while completely sober, btw.

Anonymous said...

Randy....a very fiscally conservative (and anti-drug)uncle of mine said we could probably raise 2 or 3 billion tax dollars in a year if pot was legalized. We could sure use that dough.....

Cary said...

Here's a fascinating article on how our ridiculous weed penalties came about solely through fear-mongering.

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

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

Amanda Reckonwish said...

Love you, Randy, but I think you're dead wrong on this one.

We have enough mental illness in this country (and yes, that is what causes many people to start smoking marijuana in the first place), and legalizing these super-potent strains now will only make things worse.

It's a myth that our prisons are filling up with people busted for selling marijuana. But it's a myth well sold by the mj lobbyists. Small amounts are ignored, and everyone knows it. So, it seems every adult who wants to use marijuana recreationally can get it.

Sadly, too many people are becoming addicted, and it's leading to the destruction of many children's futures. It's right up there with porn and gambling when it comes to sucking the life out of some people.

I've heard all the arguments, but the pro-mj lobby strikes me as the most narcissistic group imaginable. They really don't care about anything but their profits and business opportunities.

You want to hear something sad. Oakland can't deal with its own entrenched multi-generational poverty, much of it caused by untreated mental illness. And what are they looking to for salvation? Marijuana.

A science fiction writer couldn't write think up the pathos better than that.

Embeedubya said...

Your Kansas story reminds me of the elusive tale of supposedly duper dope, Kosciusko Red. It had a romantic ring to it -- unless you'd ever been to Kosciusko. But there was a time when it was much sought after, though I never saw any. It may have been a myth.

Anonymous said...

There are two vices that have always been with mankind, and these are the taking of mind-altering substances and prostitution. These vices will NEVER be removed from society. The only two options for dealing with them are the creation of a perpetually-running conveyor belt to prison, or de-criminalizion along with regulation and control. There is no need to rehash all of the pros and cons regarding the pot issue, but I ask which option would be the more enlightened...the conveyor belt or de-criminalization/regulation? The opposite of illumination is to be benighted. I submit that Amanda has either been drinking the conservative's kool-aide in regard to marijuana or he (she? cross-dresser? trans-sexual?) is abysmally ignorant in regard to the subject.
1) To say that most people begin smoking pot because of mental illness is beyond absurd. So, tens of millions of youth in the 60's were all mentally ill?
2) The super-potent pot myth is one of the conservative's main talking points. In the 60' you could get Thai stick (and lots of other 'one hit' pot). That pot was more potent than the $400/oz. stuff that is available today. Really potent pot is so expensive today that only wealthy capitalists, like lawyers, can afford it. 99% of the pot that is the most available to people is middle-of-the road in regard to potency.
3)To say that pot is addictive is a throw-back to 'Reefer Madness' hysteria. This statement shows your profound ignorance of the subject. Tobacco is a thousand times more addicting. In fact, pot is not physically addictive AT ALL. For some personality types (and these are in the vast minority) it can be habituating which is a far cry from addiction.
4) To say that pot sucks the life out of people like porn and gambling is at the very least hyperbolic and like most of your screed, it is absurd. There were very few casualties in regard to drug use from the 60's/70's relative to the millions who used. Most of the drug casualties of that era would have become casualties by means of something else, probably alcohol or glue.
5) Calling the pro-pot lobby narcissistic and money grubbing is a monstous distortion. The vast majority just share Sputnik's convictions that pot is a political prisoner and that it is a relatively harmless alternative to alcohol...which is more deserving of your hysterical commentary.
But,no offense, I am just trying to interject some sanity and balance to your mis-information. I don't know why more of you are remaining silent in regard to his (?) lame testimony.

Drew said...

what drought?

Anonymous said...

I so agree with Anon....Amanda is watching too much Fox these days...or that koolaid really fried her brain' I had NO idea there were so many mentally ill people out here.holy cow, I'd best leae this glorious country right now. Randy...who ARE your friends, love?

Psychedelic Slim said...

The Summer of Love reached my door in Dec. of '67. That is when I lost my cherry...so to speak. My psychedelic baptism didn't occur until March of '69, though. It was a humdinger and turned the evening into a very bizzare incident, or as the Dead would say, it was a very long, strange trip. I believe the stuff was Purple Haze. When mixed with Seven-Up it looked like Welch's Grape Juice and it was extremely potent. To make a long story short, my experienced 'guide' underestimated the potency of the psychedelic that we took. We went to a straight party in Nashville, because we were with some others who were directing the show that night. When we lifted off, she imagined that her parents had the place surrounded with cops and pulled me into a closet with her. Then she burst out of the closet and jumped out of a window, much to the consternation of the party-goers, I am sure. It was my maiden voyage, so you can imagine where that left me. The story goes on, but I will spare you the details. I also was too soft-hearted to make money on my friends and even strangers. But, I would take a pinch from each lid as my compensation since there was some risk involved. Those were free-wheeling days that younger folks would probably never believe if you were to tell them the gory details. You had to be there, as you old-timers well know. One of the Merry Pranksters described it well. He said that it was as if they had a party one night which spilled out into the street and covered the enire free world. America was a non-stop party from the mid-60's at least until the mid-80's. What is going on today is very tame in comparison regardless of what the news reports about binge drinking, raves, etc. It has taken me a long time to get over the fact that the party is over...yes it is over.All that is left are the fumes of what once was.

Psychedelic Slim said...

Here is a useful tip for the 'smokers' out there. I am old and my lungs can no longer take the pounding of smoking weed. Fortunately, I discovered the herbal vaporizer. These are used largely by medical pot smokers and by those who either don't smoke, or like me have issues such as asthma or bronchitis, etc. These devices work by heating the herb til the THC containing oils are vaporized but without burning the pot. Therefore, no smoke with the associated tars, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, etc. is formed. Just vaporized THC and air. There is practically no impact on the lungs at all. You can find them on Amazon.com, but they are a little cheaper ($40-$50) on Ebay. If interested, get a digital, hands-free one. All you do is set the temp at 380F., let it heat up for about 5 minutes, attach the loaded glass whip, and you are off and running. You may not know this, but burning destroys up to 50% of the THC in a given quantity of pot. Since the vaporizer doesn't burn it you can get around twice the hits from whatever quantity that you load into the whip. This means that your stash will last about twice as long...Yipeee!! Lets give a hand to Yankee know-how. One more thing. You can learn all that you need to know about the operation and maintenance of vaporizers from Youtube. Some don't come with instructions, but that is no big deal as long as you remember to use Youtube.

Anonymous said...

Speaking truth to power can get a guy killed. Ask Jesus.

Anonymous said...

Good NEWS:
Obama has finally decided to release his birth certificate.

Bad news:
It is nothing more than a letter of apology from a condom factory.

Thought for the day:
If Obama were any more crooked you could use him to open your wine bottles.

Psychedelic Slim said...

Here's the solution to the weed problem. Grow your own. That way it is practically free except for a small initial investment. It's as easy as growing tomatoes. And you won't be supporting the black market with all of the associated crime. All you need is a small closet or basement. The single biggest key to doing it safely is to tell absolutely NO ONE and NEVER sell it. And don't ever leave the house with more than you can easily eat. Just keep it at home for the enjoyment of yourself and your friends.

Psychedelic Slim said...

Here is the ultimate catch-22. Last Nov. the American Medical Assoc. requested that the feds downgrade pot from a schedule I drug to a lower classification. This would give reseachers greater freedom to conduct studies. As you may know a schedule I drug is one for which there is no proven therapeutic value. Enough is known already to downgrade it, but the liquor lobby and other special interest groups have a death grip on the feds over the issue. Also, if pot were to be de-criminalized lots of DEA and other drug related gov. employees would be out of work. The reason that pot was made illegal in the first place is that after prohibition was repealed the feds had a large bureucracy with nothing to do. But, I digress. Back to the catch-22. The feds told the AMA that they couldn't downgrade pot, because there was not enough proof that pot has medicinal value and the AMA wanted the downgrade so that researchers could establish the fact that pot does have therapuetic value. How is that for monumental inanity? Everyone with any intelligence works in the private sector leaving the government in the position of having to hire stupid drones who come up with foolish drivel like this. The inmates run the asylum. In my own world, I have downgraded pot to the level of ketchup. I perform my own research and have found that it does have therapeutic value. I don't need no steeenking feds to gum up the works. Like the great libertarian Willie Nelson said, who cares if pot is illegal as long as you can get it...great redneck wisdom.

Anonymous said...

We are now being watched over by machines of loving grace and this trend will amplify ad infinitum. Will someone please explain to me how the free-wheeling, freedom-loving, anti-authoritarian hippie culture of the 60's/70's has morphed into the 'whip me, beat me, make me write bad checks' type of mentality of today. Why would they align themselves politically with forces that see individual freedom as a problem which is to be remedied by total government/total regulation? All these people want is MORE government. You would think that they would have become libertarian. Sputnik, you appear to be one of this breed. You were a free-wheeling, hippie artist. What demon possessed you and turned you into someone who sides with the oppressors of freedom? I would really like to know. I refuse to give in. My solution was to move to a place where there is a minimum of government and in which the indigenous culture is de facto libertarian...live and let live. In fact the place where I live is extremely free on many different levels and is something of a refuge for old hippies. To find these places you have to get away from the cities. Maybe city life slowly erodes one's sensibiliies until he becomes one of the freedom-destroying zombies...sort of like a political 'day of the dead'. What is your take on this phenomenon?

Anonymous said...

It occured to me that one answer to my question is that the control freaks and their lackies are Marxists who are working toward the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat. During this phase of the Marxist nightmare everyone will be 're-educated' under duress to conform to the Marxist vision of the 'just' society. Those who can't or won't conform will be summarily executed. Mass murders have always been a part of the Marxist modus operandi. One spokesman for the Weathermen(a Marxist organization founded by Bill Ayers and one of Obama's closest allies) estimated that around 25 million Americans will have to be murdered to appease the Marxist gods. I hope that there is a less sinister reason for your aligning yourself with the anti-freedom crowd.

Anonymous said...

Here is some parting advice to those who love freedom. Support the government so long as it supports freedom. Otherwise, fight the oppressors till your dying breath. Meanwhile, live in your own microcosm and make your own rules. If you meet others who are worthy, allow them into your free world. Here is our motto...FUCK THE FREEDOM SUPRESSORS. LIVE FREE OR DIE! Live so as to be high on the Marxist hit list. And, take a few down with you.

Anonymous said...

Here is an incredible article from the English version of Pravda, a Russian newspaper. The first thing that struck me is that a Russian newspaper is more honest and free to communicate truth than most any American newspaper. The irony is that today Russia is becoming freer while America is morphing into what the old iron-fisted Russia used to be. But, I guess that this is a point of pride for American progressives.

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-0/