Medical Marijuana

Is Going GREEN Politically Correct?

Today the State of California will attempt the passage of a law legalizing "Recreational" Marijuana, with Proposition 19. In 1996 the state legalized the usage of “Medical” Marijuana targeted for use by those who suffer from cancer, glaucoma, and HIV. Some patients actually find relief when taking this for a long list of ailments. Others that use the drug for recreational purposes might refer to it as pot, Mary Jane, weed, 420, Maui-wowie, bud, grass, reefer, rip, Acapulco Gold (or Red), cannabis, smoke, wacky terbacky, dope, joints, hemp, TJ, golden leaf, or ganja and so much more, as well as a long list of other names used when teamed up with other drugs.

My company employed over one hundred workers, most being between 16 and 25. I tried to keep up with all of the marijuana terminology in an effort to stop it from entering my restaurants. I had a built in nose for the pungent smell, so very few employees ever got away with bringing it to work or being high while working. I always had a policy; I don’t care what you do on your personal time, but if you bring it to work or come to work with even the odor, you were either fired or suspended. In California it was ALWAYS a problem.


Myth or Miracle?
I’ve always been a non-smoker. I can’t stand the smell of any smoke product. I'd go as far as saying I have an allergy to it. The older I get, the more sensitive I seem to become. As a child I was exposed to heavy second hand cigarette smoke. My doctors have speculated that this could be the reason for my cancer, since I don't fit the typical profile of a tongue cancer patient. I do have many family and friends who partake in “mowing the grass.” Even my mother tried it.

I don’t consider myself a prude. I’ve always said if I smoked cigarettes, I’m sure I would have tried pot already. I was surrounded by "tokers" in high school and at parties we would sit around and pass a joint. My friends respecting my decision passed it right by me knowing I wouldn’t smoke. Now with cancer, mouth and neck pain, added to chronic back pain, I am a candidate for medical marijuana without a doubt.

I take enough Vicodin to warrant trying the green herb, but have always had an aversion to putting any kind of smoke in my lungs. After mom died a buddy came by for a visit. He knows my situation and the pain I’m often in and offered to “smoke me out.” I felt it was time to see what the hubbub is about. I'm going green!

After taking a BIG hit, which I coughed immediately back up, I relaxed and tried again. It left a burning sensation in my throat. After a half hour of being "baked" at "420" I was sleepy, comfortable, and mellow. I proceeded to bed expecting my pain to diminish, but it had not. It left me relaxed and cozy, but the pain was still there. I began to wonder if the whole “legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes” was a crock.

Not only did I find putting smoke in my lungs deplorable, but the smell was just overwhelming for me. A relative suggested I try cooking with it and it would work better for me that way. I guess I could create a Pot Pizza. The more you eat, the more hungry you become. Just ask for the "special topping!" How about a Bud Burger or a Maui-wowie Souffle? What a great way to increase business at the restaurants!


Now I have to wonder...Does this drug actually help people with chronic pain and lasting disease or is it just propagated by druggies who want to convince the general population that this is a safe and effective alternative to manufactured drugs?

Fourteen states and DC have legalized “medical marijuana” and now California will lead the way legalizing it for recreational use, if Prop 19 passes. I’d like to see the statistics on how many people (government officials) ran to their doctors for a prescription after it was legalized this year, in Washington DC. And you ask what’s wrong with the politicians in our country??? You can only imagine why it takes so long to get congress to act.

Allegedly overheard during a "Joint" Session of Congress: "Dude, you gotta bill? Yeah man, ya wanna hit it? It's a real fatty. Gotta be blunt...I added a lot to it, real heavy special interest stuff! Dude, pass that bill this way. It's a Colombian bill bro. Is that something to do with immigration? When do we eat?" Now we can really refer to them as a political “party."

Has this actually become a political issue just to garner your vote? With the November elections comes a new slogan “Just say NOW to Marijuana.” When asked how the party can get first-time Obama voters to show up this fall, the 78-year-old chairman of the California Democratic Party, John Burton, gave a one-word answer: “Pot.” Indeed, polls indicate that legalization could lure Obama voters to the polls like no other issue.

Pot is already big business in California creating a $2 Billion dollar medical marijuana industry. Some estimate that this could be one of the states biggest cash crops estimating over $14 Billion dollars in revenues. Others estimate $1.4 Billion dollars could be generated in tax revenues alone. This would also result in a savings of tens of millions of dollars annually to state and local governments on the costs of incarcerating and supervising certain marijuana offenders. This will create the second California Gold Rush for business entrepreneurs. Just think of the franchise opportunities!

In Oakland, Richard Lee, founded Oaksterdam University in 2007, a trade school that focuses their curriculum on the cannabis industry. I guess this is the best place in the country to seek “higher learning.” I wonder what Yoda would think? Maybe that's why he talks so strange...hum. He did appear to be stoned in Star Wars.

"Around the survivors a perimeter create. When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not." ~ Yoda

The “mother-ship” is located in downtown Oakland, with a 300,000 square foot campus complete with classrooms, auditorium, and grow labs. There are satellite campuses located in Los Angeles and Flint Michigan.


For a fee of $250 you will receive 12 hours of instruction. The advanced course of 32 hours will teach “Methods of Ingestion” and “Cannabusiness 101.” They also offer a comprehensive “hands on” semester in horticulture. For those of you that over water your house plants, this one’s for you. They don’t dispense, they only teach. Really? REALLY?

Is all this really necessary? Do we now need an education to get stoned? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just subscribe to "High Times” magazine and grow your own? I just don’t get it. As a chronic sufferer of pain and having tried it myself, I think the whole “medical marijuana” issue is just another excuse to make money, push political agendas, and get high. It's not medicine! Just legalized for what it is, a recreational drug, but don’t cloak your agenda by using it as a medical option for people like me. It’s just an excuse to legalize stoning! How much longer before we all go to pot?

Peace B
Dude!

States that currently allow the usage of “medical” marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont…and DC

UPDATE: Proposition 19 did not pass, with a strong 54.9% NO vote.