Congress Asks For Banking Rules on Medical Cannabis
U.S. Representative Barney Frank is among 15 members of Congress urging for the Treasury Dept. to set policy that would help facilitate the banks in providing financial services to medical cannabis collectives.
“Legitimate state-legal medical cannabisbusinesses are being denied access to banking services, which does not serve the public interest,” the lawmakers said in a May 20 letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner.
In other words if you are a MMJ collective, or a MMJ Doctor’s office, etc… and in a medical marijuana state, you will be able to get a merchant card services account for your business.
Elicit drug use among adolescents, especially college students, is considered a large problem among society. The government has tried many things to wipe out this problem, everything ranging from “This is your brain on drugs” TV commercials; to student wide random drug testing has been put into effect. These are all consequences of the “War on drugs” instated by the Nixon administration. More specifically, marijuana has been steadily increasing among college students over the last decade (from 41% to 47%) (Mohler-Kuo, Lee, Wechsler). But how large of a problem is it? And furthermore, how prevalent is the use of marijuana among Drexel students? Well from my experiences here over the past months, I can honestly say I had trouble finding students who don't smoke the plant.
I conducted interviews with peers about the subject of marijuana; this is just one of their tales of a typical smoking session. VP wakes up on a Tuesday afternoon, groggy and hungry; he grabs a bight to eat and says “hey, why not find some weed to smoke”. He then calls up his buddies to see if they are willing to split a “bag” with him. Usually at least 2 or 3 friends will oblige, and then VP attempts to procure this bag. Some days are tougher than others to find some weed but it generally takes no more than a half hour to call, meet up with, and buy the marijuana. “The consumption can really vary, whether it be a bowl, or a joint, or a blunt, or any of the above… or all of the above,” explains VP as he drags on his cigarette. Then of course, they meet at one of the various smoking spots to consume the marijuana. “Puff puff pass to the left, in a circle as it should be.” VP says this with conviction. After the friends finish the session, they tend to get the “munchies” and find some food, then lay around in the dorms.
According to one source, marijuana is said to have a direct link to “amotivational syndrome” in which the user is unmotivated in their lives and their achievement of career, academic, and personal goals (State University Blog). When I asked VP if smoking weed effects his schoolwork negatively or even positively, he said “sometimes I smoke some weed and I'm like, Oh My God I can't move. And other times I will be like, grr I'm going to write this paper, PAPER, PAPER, PAPER. And I will do my work and it will be decent.” There is no proof that says that marijuana causes amotivational syndrome, rather the fact that individuals who are not motivated, also tend to smoke weed. This doesn't mean that weed will actually cause one to lose all motivation in life. In fact, some of the world's greatest artists found their motivation and their “muse” under the influence of none other than, marijuana.
When I asked my interviewees how prevalent marijuana use is among their peers they all responded as if most of the people they know partake in smoking. VP had this to say, “Since being at college I have only met one or two people that don't smoke weed.” I think this exemplifies the prevalence of marijuana throughout Drexel. According to one source, illicit drug use among college students has risen from 41% to 47% over the last decade; no such statistic was stated for marijuana specifically (Mohler-Kuo, Lee, Wechsler).
When VP was asked, would he consider himself a “pot-head” he responded that “pot head is such a derogatory term, I like to consider myself a dope fiend.” This exemplifies the humor many smokers find in the hypocrisies of societies judgment of marijuana users. This leads me into the next area I will be examining, marijuana versus alcohol. When VP was asked which he prefers, smoking pot or drinking alcohol, he responded “I would choose marijuana because I can do that at any time of the day, and nobody will judge me about it. And if they do who gives a shit.” When I asked another interviewee, AL which he thinks debilitates his judgment and motor skills the most, weed or alcohol, he had this to say. “Alcohol, by far.” This seems to be the general consensus. Alcohol tends to be more intense than marijuana. When AL was asked which he prefers, he simply exclaims, “Weed! With weed you can literally do absolutely nothing and be completely content with your life.” In contrast with alcohol, which tends to make people want to be more reckless, usually translating to getting behind the wheel of a car, or picking a fight with someone. According to one source, alcohol is by far the most prevalent drug used among college students. In fact about 45 percent of college students report drinking alcohol on a weekly or more basis (Presley, Meilman).
Unfortunately, because alcohol is legal, most students find it to be the lesser of the two evils, and safer than marijuana. This is also due in part to the war on drugs tireless campaign against marijuana specifically. This is sadly just misinformation, in fact according to drugwarfacts.org, 85,000 people die per year from alcohol. Marijuana, in contrast has never killed anybody. There are zero deaths linked to marijuana in history. (drugwarfacts.org). Also, alcohol has a higher risk of dependency than marijuana. College students still drink much more then they do smoke weed.
I asked VP what he preferred, joints, blunts, or bowls, he said without even thinking, “Joints all the way.” But how college students consume marijuana varies and is mostly up to personal preference. I have learned from my time here that blunts tend to be the most popular form of smoking weed on campus, mostly because they are convenient to smoke outside, and they are the perfect amount of cannabis for a small group of friends. A blunt is a cheap cigar, cut down the middle and gutted of all its tobacco, then filled with broken up cannabis and rolled into a slow burning, long joint. The blunt is rumored to actually originate from the city of Philadelphia. When I asked AL what method he prefers, he explained, “I like bongs, but you can't smoke a bong wherever you want, so I prefer a well rolled joint.” A bong is a type of pipe primarily used for marijuana; it has a long wide chamber for collecting smoke, and a water chamber at the bottom. The smoke is drawn down the bowl and stem, and filtered through the water, making the bubbling sound familiar to most “stoners”. Bongs tend to create the largest hits compared to joints or even regular bowls, but because of their large size they are not as versatile as other methods of smoking.
At Drexel, marijuana tends to be a drug mostly used by guys, but I myself know plenty of girls who smoke the plant. I think the reason it seems more prevalent among guys is the fact that Drexel as a very large male population compared to females. Also, many girls believe that it isn't very “lady-like” to smoke weed. So if they do smoke, they may not admit it, or do it often.
Marijuana is in fact a drug, there is no denying that. But its effects are not as serious as other hard drugs, or even as alcohol. Marijuana tends to make people silly. I asked AL to give me a story of a time he was high, and he referenced a time he smoked with none other than VP. “We started asking each other random questions, then we started rhyming, saying things like, if you were a mouse, would you live in a house?” They continued in this Doctor Seuss rhyming trend for almost a half an hour. Only taking breaks for their uncontrollable laughter.
Walking around Drexel's campus, it is easy to find someone smoking weed. There are certain spots where smokers tend to culminate. One of which is the benches by race street. Prior to the opening of the Northside Dining Terrace, I would go out to Race Street and literally every bench would be full of people, and a cloud of cannabis will be rising over the horizon. After the dining terrace opened, it seems like the area is less populated, but still, on any given night one could run into a group of smokers or two.
There doesn't seem to be any relation between the types of people smoking, and the place they are smoking. Pot smokers tend to smoke wherever they think its safe, at any given time there can be groups of people from all different social backgrounds. Another place commonly used as a place to smoke is Pearl St. Morally I can't say where on Pearl Street, but since it's a narrow street there is very little wind and plenty of cover; making for a great place to partake in illegal activities such as marijuana smoking.
Another great place to smoke (and my personal favorite) is Drexel Park. It is nothing more than an open field on a hill off of Powelton Ave. There are just a few benches and some streetlights, but it has one of the most amazing skyline views of Philadelphia you can find in the area. Of course, the view is that much more breathtaking when you are under the influence.
The Schuylkill Banks is a long pathway running along the banks of the Schuylkill River. It is frequented by joggers during the day but during the night it is almost desolate. The pathway runs under several bridges such as Market and Chestnut Street. These underpasses provide adequate cover from the pouring rain on those off days where you want to smoke some weed but the weather isn't cooperating. It is the farthest walk of all the spots but it is definitely worth the walk. This spot isn't really frequented by a multitude of pot heads, but has been a choice spot for my friends and I over the last few months.
Of course sometimes the most obvious spots are safe enough to smoke a quick joint at. For example, late at night, one can spot a small group of people forming a crude circle on the steps leading up to Calhoun Hall. This is because the steps are far enough away from the building that not many people walk by, and late at night it is easy to miss a bunch of people sitting on the steps. The few people that walk by always flash a dirty look or a giggle when they smell the sweet marijuana smell permeating through the air.
Smokers tend to go unnoticed. We are an unorganized group of people with a common goal. That goal is of course to get as high as possible. We are walking down the sidewalk, we are around the corner from your workplace, we are eating at your favorite restaurant and we deliver your pizza. Smokers are everywhere, and unless you are a smoker yourself, you may walk by a group or an individual smoking weed and not notice at all. When you are a smoker yourself you can always spot a fellow pot head. It is like a sixth sense acquired from years of marijuana use. The smell is the first thing noticed, then a quick glance around your surroundings will reveal someone passing a small white something to another person, or the sound of someone coughing uncontrollably is another dead giveaway. I spot the person smoking weed and I can't help but smile. I know that smokers will be around forever. The legality of it has no affect on the amount of people smoking marijuana in the world. The alcohol prohibition did nothing but increase the amounts of people dying from alcohol poisoning, and the marijuana prohibition is just putting innocent kids into jail or giving them a record that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Marijuana will never die. No matter how hard the government tries. Hopefully the prohibition will eventually be lifted, and smokers can finally live in peace without constantly looking over their shoulder. That's the world I strive to live in.
Works Cited
“Annual Causes of Death in the United States.” Drug War Facts. October 2009. Web. 1 Mar 2010. http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30>.
Lalli, Andrew. Personal Interview by Paul Benedetti. 1 Mar 2010
Martindale, Gayla. “Marijuana Use Among College Students.” StateUniversity.com/blog. 21 Dec 2010. Web. 2 Mar 2010.
Mohler-Kuo, Meichun, Jae Lee, and Henry Wechsler. “Trends in Marijuana and Other Illicit Drug Use Among College Students: Results From 4 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study Surveys: 1993-2001.” 52.1 (2001): n. pag. Web. 20 Feb 2010.
Pathak, Vishal. Personal Interview by Paul Benedetti. 28 Feb 2010.
Presley, Cheryl, and Phillip Meilmen. “Alcohol and Drugs on American College Campuses.” (1992): n. pag. Web. 1 Mar 2010. .
![Between the two banks [..Munshiganj, Bangladesh..] by Catch the dream](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3791903613_24da735828.jpg)
Will Ca. Pass First Marijuana Legalizations Bill
California electorate is divided over an initiative on the November ballot that would legalize marijuana for recreational use.The Public Policy Institute of Ca. poll out Wed (05/19/2010) found t 49 percent of likely voters would support legalization of cannabis, while 48 percent oppose it. The poll has a margin of inaccuracy of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The state of California already allows medicinal use of cannabis, but would become the first state to legalize recreational use if voters approve the initiative.The poll found that Democrats and independents are far more likely to support the initiative than Republicans. Not overly surprising. Support also is higher in the Bay Area, while L.A. and the Central Valley remain divided.The survey found that men are more likely to favor legalization than women.
In California, medicinal marijuana has been legal since 1996. Since then there has been an ever growing surge in supporters to legalize and tax marijuana, much the way alcohol and tobacco are. The Tax and Regulate Marijuana 2010 Campaign has just achieved its first major victory in that fight. With over 700,000 signatures, they have gathered nearly double the amount necessary for inclusion on November's ballot.
January 13th 2010, the Sac Bee reported, “Assemblyman Tom Ammiano emerged Tuesday from a victorious committee vote to legalize marijuana proclaiming history was in the making.
It didn't matter that his bill was dead on non-arrival. A separate Assembly health committee won't take up the bill this week, meaning it will miss a legislative deadline for reaching the Assembly floor.
But the political theater Ammiano stirred in winning a 4-3 vote in the Public Safety Committee for pot's legalization raises the curtain on a near-certain November ballot fight and heated skirmishes in the Legislature over the future of marijuana use in California.” For the full story go to http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2457715.html
In the 1920's and 1930's, America clearly learned that prohibition only increased criminal activity, violence and the frivolous spending on a battle that could not be won. Many people feel that our country continues to implement laws that only drive the crime rate up as well as add to our national deficit. The use of marijuana does not affect a person's mental state so as to become violent. The financial and criminal gains cause a person to become violent. Wars over territory bring about violence, murder and theft as well as a host of other crimes. The criminals are the only ones who gain from keeping marijuana illegal. There is an annual $14 billion illegal market. Imagine what would happen if that criminal economy was brought to an end and given to society as legal profits.
Those opposed to legalizing marijuana would have you believe that marijuana is harmful to your health in a way that far exceeds the affects of recreational alcohol and tobacco. Tobacco is single handedly responsible for the deaths of 500,000 Americans each year. 100,000 people die each year from alcohol related causes. To date, no deaths have ever been attributed to marijuana use.
According to the US Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in December of 2008, there are over 600,000 people incarcerated for drug offenses in state and federal prisons. As also reported by the Department of Justice in 2008, the average annual cost of incarceration per inmate is $25,895. That is an annual cost of $15,537,000,000.
The Board of Equalization estimates that legalizing marijuana could generate about $1.4 billion in tax revenue annually.Public support for legalization of marijuana is at an all time high. Nation wide polls range from 44 to 52 percent. In California 56 percent of the population supports legalization of marijuana. It is an exciting and historical time for California as the battle for legalization is nearing an end, with victory lingering around the corner.
Sources:
Sacramento Bee http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2457715.html
U.S. Department of Justice http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/about/index.html
Really… Marijuana addictive?
Marijuana is not physically addictive, regardless of what many anti-marijuana people want us to accept as true. Cannabis consumers can use marijuana frequently, even numerous times daily, without any problem giving it up, when necessary.
Cannabis has the lowest risk of dependence and withdrawal potential if you compare it to other substances, such as alcohol, opiates (like Vicodin), caffeine, and other psychoactive drugs. Many of the anti-depressants (currently being prescribed abundantly) have very severe physical withdrawal symptoms which most patients are not warned about.
Medical marijuana is something I have personally seen, and seen succeed. I know a man who used to be in the timber industry. At one point, a tree collapsed as he was cutting it down and landed on him, causing massive injuries including a broken back. He barely survived, and barely escaped paralysis, but suffers from intense pain from the lingering damage to his ribs and the section of crushed vertebrae in his back.
Now, he could be reliant on strong pain medications, narcotics like hydrocodone (commonly known as Vicodin) or oxycontin. His doctors are very willing to prescribe these for him. But these drugs can cause a lot of problems, especially when they are used for every-day pain management. They can cause digestive problems, such as nausea, vomiting, and constipation. They are addictive, and an overdose can be fatal. They can also heighten anxiety.
Instead, he has a medical marijuana permit for the state of Washington. I've spent a good deal of time looking for studies that show the benefits of marijuana. Instead I mostly encountered media reporting that such studies are generally blocked by the FDA and Federal drug law enforcement, such as in the New York Times. However, according to Wikipedia there are a good number of well-known and respected organizations that support medical marijuana use, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the British Medical Association, Health Canada, and many more.
Instead of the side effects of pain pills, I see this man get significant pain relief. He tells me the marijuana eases the inflammation and the pain with far better results than narcotic pain killers. It allows him to function at a level he otherwise couldn't. Personally, I would much rather see someone using a substance like marijuana than taking narcotic pain killers on a daily basis. It's my experience that narcotics are far more addictive (if marijuana is even addictive at all, I don't believe it's addictive, just potentially habit forming like anything else people might really enjoy), and far more harsh on the body. When this man has no access to marijuana, he has no problem waiting until he does, except for the pain. He'll simply spend a lot more time sitting still and schedule additional acupuncture appointments.
To me, it seems sad that the American government is not more tolerant of using marijuana medicinally. Cancer, AIDS, painful permanent injuries, these are all very real things that thousands of people suffer from every day. Why not use every tool available? It is my feeling, that the Federal issue with medical marijuana has more to do with the fact that people can grow it themselves. The government can't tax it, the big drug companies can't patent it, and it can more easily get into the hands of recreational users. However, recreational users already have no problems accessing marijuana. Worse, the marijuana they are buying now is often from Mexico, where drug cartels are causing chaos and carnage to get it to them. Wouldn't home grown relief for cancer patients, chronic pain suffers, and others, be better?
As someone who has trained for various sports and with a personal trainer certification, I still prefer marijuana over narcotics. I can easily imagine people using it medicinally as much better able to digest and ingest a proper diet, without such interruptions as nausea and vomiting. I can also easily imagine them still being able to be active to the extent that their illness or injury will let them. Whereas, as someone very familiar with the effects of narcotic pain killers from previous surgeries and injuries, narcotics really throw you for such a loop, between messing with your stomach (after a few days of use, in my experience) and making your mind truly cloudy and drowsy, not much activity is accomplished.
Overall, I think it is far and away an excellent alternative to harsh narcotics. I look forward to a day when society and the federal government realize they have much more to worry about than the stigma, the difficulty of regulation, and the possibility for abuse, such as the health and well-being of it's citizens.
Sources:
Researches Find Study of Medical Marijuana Discourages - NYTimes.com, Gardiner Harris
Medical cannabis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Wikipedia
Over The Counter Prescription Drugs Vs. Medical Marijuana
The National debate concerning the legalization of cannabis and,of medical marijuana, continues to be a hot topic…and not just the general public. Within the Facebook community the groups such as “Moms for Marijuana” and “Baby Boomers for Medical Marijuana” have as their principal ambition educating people, testing the predetermined ideas and battling the lack of knowledge with the only effectual weapon… Knowledge! As medical cannabis gains national acceptance as an alternative medication for many ailments, medical marijuana will gain its rightful place in the medicine cabinets of America.
Michigan voters approved passage of the medical marijuana law in November 2008. The process for obtaining a permit is finally taking shape. On April 6, 2009, applicants for medical marijuana permits were allowed to apply to the Department of Community Health. A busload of Michigan residents made the trip to Lansing, the State Capitol, on April 6th to be the first to apply. State employees processed 101 applications the first day.
Michigan law allows for legal use of marijuana for the following conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, Hepatitis C, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Cohn's Disease, Agitation of Alzheimer's Disease, Nail Patella or for a medical condition that produces pain , wasting syndrome, severe nausea, seizures, or muscle spasms.
The proposal allows patients to use marijuana after obtaining registry identification from the Michigan Department of Community Health. The process for obtaining a permit involves completion of application forms and certification by a physician and a fee of 100.00, 25.00 if you are on Medicaid or SSI. Anyone with the conditions mentioned above is eligible to apply. The Department of Health will verify the applicant's information within 15 days and the card must be issued within 5 days. The Marijuana website is: http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-27417_51869—,00.html. You will find all of the forms and information there.
A primary caregiver can be assigned to be responsible for the patient's plants. Patients may possess 2.5 ounces each. The patient can choose to designate a primary caregiver but it is not required. A caregiver can be anyone over the age of 21 who has not been convicted of a felony involving illegal drugs. The caregiver may be responsible for as many as five patients.
Caregivers and patients will be allowed to grow 12 marijuana plants in an enclosed, locked facility. The Department of Community health has no part in the growing process. The new law does not provide advice on how to acquire marijuana legally.
The permit is a state issued ID car which will protect patients and caregivers from arrest for growing and using marijuana to treat ailments.
Currently there are no dispensaries in Michigan. Michigan joins a group of other enlightened states which recognizes the value of marijuana for medical purposes. These states include: Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, California, Nevada, and Montana.
Penalties for misuse of this law are steep. The law states: a caregiver or patient convicted of illegal sale “is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both, in addition to any other penalties for the distribution of marijuana.”
There has been much heated debate and discussion lately on CNN and other news channels about legalization or decriminalization of marijuana.
The impetus for these debates is the drug war being waged on the Mexican border. This is a debate that is long overdue. The loss of life over drugs is very foolish.
Humans have been consuming marijuana since pre-history. Evidence has been found as far back as 10,000 B.C. of human use of cannabis. During the 20th century, it became popular as a recreational drug but it has been used for centuries. Although much has been done to demonize the drug, the negative charges have not stood up to the test of time.
There has been a perpetuation of a myth alleging marijuana causes all manner of disorders including mental illness, advancement on to stronger drugs, birth defects, brain damage etc. The fact of the matter is that none of this is true. The foremost dangers posed by marijuana use are respiratory problems from smoking and injury during impairment.
Cannabis has become the largest cash crop in the United States accounting for 36 billion dollars in generated income.
The judicious thing for our country to do is to legalize this drug. The government will never be able to control production of the plants. Countless tax payer dollars are squandered yearly on a senseless drug war against marijuana when it is far less damaging than alcohol or tobacco, which are legal substances.
Hopefully other states will soon follow suit and legalize medical marijuana. The next step is decriminalization.
Los Angeles Medical Marijuana Collectives…Smoked by City Council
L.A. 420 Collective News! More than 400 Medical Marijuana Collectives in the greater Los Angeles county area were notified toclose up shop before June 7, 2010. Will shop keepers decide to fight the pronouncement to let their shops go up in smoke?
The “official” decision to go against social progress is not likely to bode well for city officials. After all the great work celebs and Ca. residents have done to de-stigmatize medical cannabis as a natural remedy alternative for so many costly pharmaceuticals, this is distressing news for many “going green” Americans.
Author Jonah Raskin labored on an organic farm in Sonoma, California, to write his new book Field Days: A Year of Farming, Eating, and Drinking Wine in California. He commingles his reporter's notes with personal memoir in this quest for “health, harmony, and a sense of place.” The journey transforms him into a slimmer, near-vegetarian locavore. He comes to understand that the key to sustainability is to eat food raised close to home and grown organically.
Raskin says, “I did not intend this book to be about politics or economics.” That is a concept so quaint as to be humorous. The only thing more political than the issues of farming, organic food production and environmental sustainability is Karl Rove's Blackberry. No matter how delicately Raskin wants to tiptoe around politics or economics, he is discussing Mexican farm labor within 22 pages, California land value within 31 pages and soon thereafter, farm collectives, food co-ops, agribusiness, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), the Department of Homeland Security, labor raids, pesticides and other such socio-economic considerations. Raskin is no stranger to political topics. He reported extensively on California's marijuana cultivation business throughout the 1970s and he has written books on such incendiary figures as Abbie Hoffman and Alan Ginsberg. In spite of Raskin's non-political intent, he states (at least twice) throughout his book, “I believe that the hands on the hoes in the fields are connected to the hand on the knives and the forks at the dinner table.” Not exactly destined for a bumper sticker, however it does capsulate a world view.
In Field Days, Raskin presents himself as a skilled note taker rather than a brilliant wordsmith. He knows his strengths and weaknesses. He displays no false modesty when he says, “I never do know how to use the terms that wine writers use, though I have written about wine and wineries for magazines since the 1980s.” He demonstrates the point by rather feebly describing a boutique Zinfandel as “amazing” and moving on. Raskin's book reads like assiduous notes more or less randomly fleshed out. There is no unifying narrative thread to follow, no dramatic arc to travel. The many Somona residents who populate Field Days have personalities, but we learn too little about them to have an emotional stake in their outcome. We are still being introduced to new people on the fourth to last page. This is a bit of a ramble, but rambles can be enjoyable.
Raskin frequently is possessed to describe the clothing of his interview subjects and the impulse is entirely baffling, as the attire is never more remarkable than jeans, t-shirt and a baseball cap. Unless your subject is wearing leotards, a cape and a mask, it probably isn't worth mentioning. While this type of empty calorie detail is served, we are often left begging for more nourishing information at other passages in the book. For example, Raskin interviewed a farmer who “kept a record of the compost he added to the soil, and about compost he spoke rapturously. From the way he described its texture, color, smell, and weight, you might think compost was the food of the gods.” And that's it. Nothing more about that rapturous description. Just nouns, the bare bones. No adjectives, no similes, no spice. How would we think compost was the food of the gods with nothing more to incite our imagination? Come on, give us something to develop that manna-like texture, color, smell and weight. We can take it.
On a substantive level, Raskin may be a bit light-headed and heavy-handed on the topic of locally grown and consumed produce. The most glaring example is his approach to the Whole Foods market chain. We are told that Whole Foods is an evil corporate giant to be shunned. However, we are never actually told why. From his interviews, the employees seem happy, the executives seem committed. Raskin is given access to all aspects of the Sonoma Whole Foods store with the exception of the kitchen for safety considerations, but for that hindrance Raskin insists Whole Foods is not to be trusted. He appears to have forgotten mentioning 200 pages earlier that Whole Foods loaned a Sonoma organic farmer $50,000, with which she installed an elaborate underground irrigation system, as part of the company's “program to rely less on distant suppliers and generate more produce from local farmers.” This doesn't sound the least bit evil or corporate. In fact, it sounds quite compatable with Raskin's “hands on the hoes” sensibility. Yet, we are told absolutely nothing more about this sponsorship program. Remember, this is a personal quest and not investigative journalism. Field Days is best appreciated when held to this less demanding standard.
Raskin's personal quest is what is important here. “Going back to the soil–planting, harvesting, weeding, and cultivating–changed what I prepared in my kitchen and how I prepared it,” he observes. “Farming changed my feelings about food any my rituals of eating, whether by myself or with friends.” If it takes a ramble to reach this most admirable end, so be it. Enjoy the ramble.
Field Days: A Year of Farming, Eating, and Drinking Wine in California
By Jonah Raskin
University of California Press, 329 pages, $24.95 hardcover
400 L.A. 420 Dispensaries to Close
L.A. 420 Collective News! More than 400 Medical Marijuana Collectives in the L.A. County area were notified toclose up shop before June 7, 2010. Will shop keepers decide to fight the pronouncement to let their shops go up in smoke?
The “official” decision to go against social progress is not likely to bode well for city officials. After all the great work celebs and Ca. residents have done to de-stigmatize medicinal marijuana as a natural remedy alternative for so many costly pharmaceuticals, this is distressing news for many “going green” Americans.
The Weather Underground Organization (WUO), a militant faction of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), was heavily criticized by the New Left for their ideology, tactics, and expressions. The rhetoric of the WUO was meant to recruit, polarize, and connect others to anti-imperialist struggle. Weather viewed themselves as “forming the core of a future revolutionary army” which “in order to attain its goal… needed to be willing to take the initiative by attacking the enemy” (Jacobs 35). Although the quotes and slogans that Weather is famous for are viewed as extreme and sometimes crazy, they strategically employed language in a way that would foster their anti-imperialist cause.
Guns and Grass United
“In every tribe, commune, dormitory, farmhouse, barracks, and town-house where kids are making love, smoking dope and loading guns- fugitives from Amerikan justice are free to go” (Weather A 512).
One of the first places WUO sought to recruit from the new hippie counterculture. Weather believed that youth were “more open to new ideas and are therefore more able and willing to move in a revolutionary direction” (Ashley et al. 7). The Weather Underground Organization originally called Weatherman, took their name from Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues.' The group was inspired by the lyric “better stay away from those/ that carry around a fire hose/ keep a clean nose/ watch the plain clothes/ you don't need a weather man/ to know which way the wind blows (Dylan). Weatherman was chosen to represent their feeling that revolution was inevitable and “you don't need
Weather looked to youth for membership in the revolution and in doing so focused on appealing to the hippies in order to gain support. By seeking members from the counterculture Weather hoped to gain an assembly of youths who were pre-exposed to anti-authoritarian and unconventional social ideals.
It was general knowledge the youth involved in the counter-culture were typically white and middle class. It is important to note that Weather made a distinction between youth insofar as they categorized them into the counterculture or the working class (Ashley et al. 7). This distinction eventually led to rhetoric that was meant to capture the rebellious spirit of oppressed working class youth.
In Weather's first communiqué, they forcefully stated their dedication to the idea that “guns and grass are united in the youth underground” (Weather A 512). By uniting guns and grass Weather hoped get the message across to counterculture converts that if you wanted to keep smoking grass, you'd have to pick up a gun, because eventually the state would come down hard. The state, meaning the police and the government, would eventually punish the illegality of the counterculture and the only way in Weather's view to stop them was to smash the state so it would no longer be able to oppress. The connection was made again in their first communiqué when they said, “Freaks are revolutionaries and revolutionaries are freaks” (Weather A 512). The word freak was reclaimed by so-called degenerate youth and “worn as a badge of honor” by those involved in the hippie counterculture (Varon 164).
The focus on drugs was part of the anti-establishment philosophy. Drugs such as marijuana and LSD were signature of the counterculture. Although drugs were not a major part of Weather's politics, they were important to the organization's image. The image Weather wanted to take on was one in contrast to the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), a Maoist party that had infiltrated SDS. PLP was known for their disgust for anything that distracted from the revolution, and anything that had to do with the counterculture was on the enemies list. Among the New Lefties Weather wanted to be seen as the more “real” movement. In New Left language being real meant “'being what one becomes upon rejection of the conventions' learned through one's mainstream socialization” (Varon 88).
Drugs were also used to establish cohesiveness. Gut checks and acid tests were forced upon those who tried to become involved in Weather. When SDS was mostly disintegrated, Weather shut down their national office and began purging people who were not dedicated, in an attempt to move underground. The series of acid tests and gut checks doled out regularly became the method for Weather to successfully stop those who did not believe in their new culture to from entering. LSD was also a way for Weather to “ferret out police,” as it would be “difficult for anyone, especially an informer, to maintain his/her cover while under the influence of LSD” (Jacobs 94). Only one known infiltrator is said to have survived the so called acid test by pretending to take an LSD tablet while being called a “homicidal pig” for hours on end (Varon 171). Taking drugs and being criticized on a daily basis became a way of life that only the most dedicated revolutionaries could handle.
Unlike other organizations in the New Left, WUO did not make the bold statement of separating from societal norms without acting on it. Along with this new culture came the idea of smashing monogamy and the typical family structure. According to Weather it was necessary to divest one's self from all social norms associated with an imperial societal upbringing. Once underground, Weather wanted to become completely separated from mainstream society and to liberate themselves. Weather took the campaign seriously and forced couples in underground collectives to live separately. There were mixed reactions; one couple ended up leaving after realizing that they were more effective revolutionaries when together. Others saw elimination of monogamy as a good thing and said, “Women, who for years had been silent or someone's girlfriend, in two or three weeks became strong political leaders” (Sale 585). Although the women's movement was not adequately addressed by WUO, feminists looked to the idea of smashing monogamy as an interesting form of women's liberation. Debate aside, Weather's attempt to live outside social norms succeeded insofar as they created a revolutionary lifestyle.
Mother Country Radicals
“There is no way to be committed to non-violence in the middle of the most violent society history has ever created” (Weather B).
Dividing the whites in America was one of Weather's primary goals. Weather used violent and critical language with the aim of forcing white people to choose between “build a white movement which will support the blacks” or being “objectively racist” (Ashley et al. 4). Weather's view was that failure to join a revolutionary movement was the same as supporting the white power structure at the expense of the black revolutionaries. Such support meant that one morally tolerated racism, and not fighting the system that oppressed blacks was actively tolerating racism. In deciding who would benefit the movement by joining, Weather developed a class analysis of “white Amerika.”
The most oppressed section of the working class are “poor southern white workers; the unemployed or semi-employed, or those employed at very low wages for long hours and bad conditions” and more generally are those who have “as oppressive material conditions as the blacks” (Ashley et al. 6). Although not all oppressed workers were blacks, Weather made it a point to include whites among those who were not enemies of the revolution. This was an important interjection because without it, Weather would have been making generalized and arrogant statements about whites. It was necessary to get across that all whites were not enemies, just those complicit in imperialist oppression.
The second category of the working class was referred to as the upper strata. The upper strata had a small objective interest in maintaining the imperialist system. Weather states that this category included the “proletarianized and the semi-proletarianized” but warns there is “no clearly marked dividing line between the previous section and this one” (Ashley et al. 6). Lack of a clear division was due to the inability to delineate oppressive material conditions and failure to define exactly what those in the upper strata possessed that the most oppressed did not.
The next strata, called the middle strata, was not of the working class. The only difference between the middle strata and the upper strata of the working class was the closeness of their ties to imperialism. The middle strata include “management personnel, corporate lawyers…government agents,
Youth were in a different category all together and were divided into two. Weather drew more heavily on the working class youth as potential revolutionaries because they have “less stake in society” and have “grown up experiencing crises in imperialism” (Ashley et al. 7). The dealings with authoritarian school systems, the draft, and the police repression created youth imbued with revolutionary consciousness; youth who were capable of joining the revolution. Recruitment efforts among youth were directed at urban high schoolers and working class youth. The relative losses associated with the revolution, among working class youth compared to those of middle class youth seemed small, and led Weather to believe it would be easier to convince them that armed struggle was the only answer.
The most violent rhetoric Weather used was aimed at polarizing whites. Weather believed that the role of whites was to aid black liberation and anti-imperialist struggles of the third world. They also believed that a decision not to join the revolution was a decision to be against it. David Gilbert, a member of Weather, reported his revelations as “not to be willing to fight against the forces who actively use violence to maintain these social conditions, acquiescing to more violence” (Varon 90). Gilbert's discussion was similar to that of other Weather members who felt that the only answer was armed struggle and to be against it was complicity in oppression.
“The political polarization that has occurred through these struggles has been the basis for our organizing success. Everyday it becomes clearer that the struggle is the only way to build a fighting movement” (qtd. in Sale 586). Weather members were fully aware that their language alienated some even in the New Left, and saw success in both gaining and losing members. Purging a member who could not pass a gut check was just as successful as gaining one who could. The goal was not numbers. At this point in the struggle, the goal was finding effective fighters and dedicated cadre as opposed to building a mass base of supporters. Members of the underground were convinced that violence was the only way to compete with violence. This being said, it was imperative that they separate out those who were not willing to commit acts of violence from those who were. In order to form the revolutionary movement they envisioned, Weather believed that they must first find those who were on their side by testing their limits with intense rhetoric.
Weather's general position was “we're ready to fight and die. We're ready to do
anything, and you're either on our side or you're on the side of the pigs” (Varon 93). The deep seated belief that refusal to join the revolution was supporting imperialism led to the concept of no middle ground in the anti-imperialism fight. This attitude demonstrated that Weather's use of shocking rhetoric was purposeful in polarizing the New Left movement insofar as they challenged the movement to act.
Bringing the War Home
“PIG AMERIKA - BEWARE: THERE'S AN ARMY GROWING RIGHT IN YOUR GUTS, AND IT'S GOING TO HELP BRING YOU DOWN” (qtd. in Varon 108).
In Weather's view “the main struggle going on in the world between US imperialism and the national liberation struggles against it” (Ashley et al. 1). The principle catalyst in the formation of the Weather Underground was the inspiring success of the National Liberation Front (NLF) in Viet Nam. The NLF was fighting imperialism with guerilla style warfare abroad and winning. After the US increased the bombing campaigns in Viet Nam in spite of the growing peaceful anti-war movement, Weather was obsessed with finding new tactics. The only way for United States imperialism to be defeated at home was to use the tactics of NLF which were successful abroad. Similar student uprisings in France, Mexico, and Czechoslovakia, shed a new light on the possibility of western revolution. All of the combined factors, successful NLF tactics, increased United States bombings, and beginnings of western revolution in other countries influenced the Weather strategy of armed struggle.
WUO was similarly inspired by the militancy of the black liberation struggle in the United States. The black community in the United States was called an internal black colony. They referred to it this way because they believed that black people in the United States were suffering from the same oppressive material conditions as were those in Viet Nam. Weather looked to the Black Panthers, the leaders of the black liberation struggle, as the vanguard of revolutionary movements in the United States. In an effort to employ successful tactics Weather adopted the militant imagery and inflammatory rhetoric used by the Black Panthers.
Weather created the slogan “Bring the war home” to express their revolutionary strategy which commenced with the Days of Rage in Chicago. While most New Lefties wanted to end the war in Vietnam, Weather attempted to bring third world struggles into the streets of the imperialist nation that was oppressing them. Bringing the war to America was an attempt to counter apathetic attitudes and to bring the realities and consequences of war where Americans could see them. Weather believed that they had a unique opportunity to bring the state down from within 'the belly of the beast.' Weather drew analogies between the relationship of Captain Ahab to the white whale, from Melville's Moby Dick, and their pursuit of revolution against a large and oppressive state. The magnitude of the task only intensified Weather's struggle. NYC Police Headquarters, Military Police station at Presidio Army Base, Bank of America, and Harvard were all symbols of American imperialism bombed by the WUO. The members of the media warned that “the first stages of an urban guerilla movement were afoot” (Ayers 185). Weather's new third world revolutionary tactics succeeded in garnering attention from desensitized Americans and bringing them a step closer to the revolution they were aiming for.
Verbal Overkill - Conclusion
The violent language used by the WUO that urges kids to do drugs and bomb buildings served an important purpose in their movement. By emphasizing illegal drugs as a means of escape, they hoped to recruit youth who were already inclined to have hostility for the state and be willing to act on that hostility. As Weather searched among other youth, they deliberately divided whites into those who would “either take this stand with us, or 'fuck you'”; if they didn't” (qtd. in Varon 93). The role of whites in America was to help free the black colony which the imperialism had created. The only way to fight against a violent state was with a violent message. The difference between Weather and other New Lefties was their willingness to carry out their message of revolutionary violence. Although it was often said that “they are all fucking crazy,” the Weather Underground will always be admired for doing it! (Sale 604).
Works Cited
Ashley, Karen, et al. “You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows.” Debate Within SDS: RYM II vs. Weatherman. Alternative Press Collection in the Archives and Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries.
Ayers, William. Fugitive Days. Massachusetts: Beacon Press Books, 2001.
Dylan, Bob. “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” Bringing it All Back Home. Columbia 1965.
Jacobs, Ron. The Way the Wind Blew: A History of the Weather Underground. New York: Verso, 1997.
Sale, Kirkpatrick. sds . New York: Vintage Books, 1973.
Varon, Jeremy. Bringing the War Home. California: University of California Press, 2004.
Weather Underground The Radical Reader. Ed. by Timothy Patrick McCarthy, John McMillian. New York: The New Press, 2003.
Weather Underground . Dir. Sam Green, Bill Seigel. California: The Free History Project, 2003.
Cannabis As a Business
With the possibility of legalization of Cannabis in the state of Ca. is on the November ballot, right now you can find medical marijuana collective ads all over the internet, as well as in print. Just grab an OC Weekly or SF Weekly, for that matter in Sacramento grab a Sacramento News & Reviews, you'll see multiple ads for medicinal marijuana stores. Advertisements include free deliveries, free lighters and “free gram” promotions. Sacramento has so many MMJ shops, and doctor’s offices the areas medicinal marijuana business is as competitive as L.A.’s west Hollywood.
Tired of the violence and crime that seem to fill the news airwaves night after night? Here are some not-so-normal stories that provide a glimpse into some of the other stories that don't make your nightly news broadcast.
From Reuters:
Fugitive Seeking Love Online Gets Nabbed. A fugitive wanted for a double homicide in Arkansas was arrested recently in Wisconsin after he added his name, picture and address on an online dating site. Calvin Bennett was charged with two counts of murder when taken into custody. It seems people who visited the dating site also saw Bennett's picture on “America's Most Wanted.” Bennett's online profile said he liked to cuddle. Too bad he couldn't list intelligence as a trait.
Play It Again and Again and Again, Sam. An Indian carpenter who over a million dollars in diamonds from a jeweler was arrested in a dance bar after he lavishly spent money from selling the diamonds to get the band to play one song over and over and over. Divesh Borse spend hundreds of dollars on the song over the course of two days, arousing the suspicions of a police informant. When Borse was arrested, he was carrying diamonds worth nearly $100,000. I guess all that money just made it too difficult to keep a low profile.
Free Viagra Spices Up Small Town Life. The mayor of a small Brazilian town has begun to dispense free Viagra to residents. According to the mayor, the elderly population of the town is now much happier after having their sex lives spiced up by the town's government. The program, called “Happy Penis” by local officials, has also resulted in an increase in extra-marital affairs as older men seek out partners other than their wives. To fix that problem, the city has now decided to begin giving the sex pills to the wives instead of the men.
Buddhist Monk Cuts Off Penis and Renounces Refix. A Thai Buddhist monk cut off his penis with a machete because he had an erection during meditation. According to the monk, he has renounced all earthly cares and does not want the penis reattached. He did, however, allow medical personnel to clean up and dress the wound.
Dutch Group Scraps Attempt to Smoke Biggest Joint. A plan to roll and smoke the world's largest joint was cancelled in Amsterdam after the group figured out that they might be breaking the law. The group had planned to roll a 1.5 meter long, 500-gram marijuana cigarette with no tobacco. However, the group's understanding of Dutch law was misplaced. Dutch authorities allow five grams of marijuana per person for private use, but the individual allowances cannot be combined into one joint.
Beverage Firm Offers Pea-Flavored Soda. Seattle specialty beverage maker Jones Soda Company is now offering a new soda flavor: Green Pea. The Jones Company plans to include the new flavor as part of its holiday pack of bottled drinks that includes Turkey and Gravy, Dinner Roll, Sweet Potato, and Antacid flavors. Previous flavors offered by the company include Fish Taco, Salmon, Broccoli Casserole, Corn on the Cob and Brussel Sprout.
And from the Associated Press:
California Couple Calls for Orgasm for Peace. Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration that calls for everyone in the world to have an orgasm this December 22nd. According to the activists, orgasms produce feelings of peace similar to being in a meditative state. The goal of Global Orgasm for Peace is to get people to channel their sexual energy into something more positive (see www.globalorgasm.org).
