I’m an addicted to weed in the sense that I can’t, and don’t want to give it up for personal, moral reasons. Addicted to weed like religion, not like my wife to cigarettes — she can’t go a day without. Addicted to weed but not like the rest of my family is to booze. Addicted to spreading the truth about weed, it’s the oldest conspiracy that no one can tell you why: The truth that marijuana should not a schedule 1 drug and that it is medicine.

Marijuana causes depression

When I walk outside on a sunny day in my neighborhood a feeling of sudden sadness overwhelms me as I look around my picturesque street. Sad not because I just smoked a couple of bowls, mowed the lawn and played with my kids, sad because my lifestyle is not an accepted norm when the same people that frown upon my smoking have a drink with dinner or look forward to weekends of excessive drinking.

Marijuana affects each individual different just like aspirin. Hell everything affects each of us different how many people do you know that are lactose intolerant or avoiding glutens. We live in a world where things that have a label pure, natural, or organic comes with an extra cost and those are the preferred healthier choices for us as human beings. I root for marijuana because it is one truth that I know and that is cannabis is not bad like a hundred other legal things such as cigarettes, alcohol, coke or anything served from a fast food restaurant.

Now there are some bad effects from pot but nothing like you see on some sleep aid that suggest suicidal thoughts and or anal bleeding. Some people are allergic to it like anything and break out in hives, I’ve only heard of this but believe by now that some people are allergic to it. Then there’s the mental aspect of it, bits of paranoia.

Part of the paranoia symptom of being high I think can be linked to the law. We’re told that upon the first inhale the user becomes demented with ill intentions but this is contrary and adds to ones mental process. Under the influence you realize your will is still your own, you just choose to order Dominoes and watch movies — it’s not paranoia if going to jail is always possible.

There needs to be rules

Smoker and non-smoker, I think something we can all agree on is that drugs are bad — for kids! Of course there are exceptions since cannabis is medicine there are kids with cancer, a.i.d.s, and a wealth of other ailments that cannabis can help with. In fact, one of the biggest misconceptions about medical marijuana is the lack to self regulate.

Politics are funny business and only on a local level does your vote make a difference or so I believe. We live in a world of choices democrat and republican but what about the independents and wigs. What about the alternate choice, if there is or should be one.

In my state of Washington there is a group of activist, actively working to pass pro-marijuana laws that empower the individual. One of the laws was I-514. Politics and legislation is long and drawn out, so I don’t know where this law will be once you read but I can tell you it’s written in favor of the patient and non-patient. If it doesn’t pass it’s merely because it didn’t get enough signatures and never got a chance. This is the type of legislation that we need to get out there state to state; where if an individual sells to a minor the penalties are harsher unless of course the minor was a patient.

I don’t have much faith in the government recognizing it’s the bad guy in this scenario but I do believe we can do things as an individual, locally. Locally we can create laws and recount with some ease to ensure the popular voice is being heard. Part of the problem is not all non-smokers see legal weed as a priority when it’s the biggest oldest bullshit conspiracies ever.

Recently I made my voice heard by submitting a letter for Michael Adam Assenberg in support of his case on my local level. If you’re not familiar with Michael, he’s just another American not being allowed to do what is right.

I write this letter for Michael “Adam” Assenberg

I write this letter in support of Michael (Adam) Assenberg and his predicament with the state level government. Laws and rules are all we have and if bad laws exist in the favor of greed vs. what is the common good than we’ve lost already. The state has voiced where it stands on medical marijuana and it’s up to state peace keepers to enforce such laws.

I come from a broken neighborhood in Southern California where the rest of my broken family still resides. I use the term broken excessively to emphasize the effects of a broken system unable to contain the real bad guys. Coming from a dysfunctional family background plagued by real drug abuse and alcoholism I find the witch hunt of marijuana users medical or not a waste of taxpayers’ time and money.

After 38 years on this earth, 10 of it honorable military service than on to working as a calibration technician I think I understand right from wrong, what should be and shouldn’t. I watched as good sailors were separated from the military for marijuana while their counterparts stayed in. The counterparts would do things like meth and coke instead, merely for the fact that these drugs don’t stay in your system as long. As a calibration technician the essence of my job is checks and balances. Its ensuring traceability that leads to accountability, presently there is none of that in a non-medical marijuana situation. Medical marijuana ensures that the patient can receive the same product from the same grower, as well as, ensure accountability of the product — there is no lacing of medical marijuana.

As a Washington State resident, father, husband, and neighbor I believe marijuana should not be a law enforcement priority nor should it even be a target. When marijuana was made illegal it affected only minorities, which is just un-American. Present day it affects black, white, brown, and yellow — and they are all Americans.

If laws are meant to protect us, laws against marijuana do not do that. Laws against marijuana users are imprisoning non-violent farmers/gardeners. Laws against marijuana users are making law abiding contributing members of society into criminals.

Webster’s dictionary defines police state as “a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures”. The United States government is persistently against marijuana with raids conducted by the DEA and FBI but in the State of Washington it is up to the government bodies to support medical marijuana as per the will of the people.

I’ve seen both sides of a state with and without medical marijuana. Before Washington State I was an Arizona State resident, prior to their passing of medical marijuana acquiring my pain medication was quite the underground experience: From shady parking lots to shady backdoor deals in bad neighborhoods. Marijuana also known as cannabis is medicine and for people to acquire their medicine through life threatening gang scenarios vs. a dispensary or store front collective is preposterous.

If the laws in our state are meant to protect us than it can’t be ignored that a store front basis is needed to protect both the patient and non-patient; the non-patient is protected from violence of deals gone awry which is often the case when dealing with low level thugs and the patient is ensured a quality product in a safe atmosphere.

I find it pretentious and wrong when politicians mock the level of seriousness of Americans that value the legalization of marijuana as a priority. President Obama gaffs off the question whenever it becomes his number one internet question and presidential candidate Mitt Romney chastised a reporter in Colorado for asking about marijuana. Mr. Romney goes further into mocking the issue with “Aren’t there issues of significance that you’d like to talk about?” Personally I’m not concerned what happens in Pakistan or Israel but I do care what happens in Tacoma.

Millions of Americans are effected everyday by marijuana laws and not in a positive way. Daily we are persecuting mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters either by imprisoning them or placing a scarlet letter upon their record which will hinder future employment and aid opportunities.

I plead with any official reading this to please consider the case in favor of Michael (Adam) Assenberg, to consider that a single man can help the community by being a place that can supply quality products in a safe environment for not just sick medical marijuana users but for sick Americans and most importantly for your consideration on a local level sick Washingtonians.

V/r

XXX

Everyone for the most part should be an activist

Everyone for the most part is or should be an activist: Everyday discerning from right or wrong, moment by moment, day by day. If you’re not than you have no right to complain, it’s simple as that. I still think any election on a federal level is a sham but on a local level, “we the people” means we who live here.

You don’t have to carry signs or go to parades to be an activist, though they do serve a purpose. You don’t have to collect signatures for the local initiative, though it would help. By merely making a conscious decision in favor of an idea you are being an activist.

There is no definition for “activist” or at least if you Google activist only websites pop-up and the internet definition version of Webster’s Dictionary is: acÂ·tivÂ·ism noun \?ak-ti-?vi-z?m\: a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue. The legalization of marijuana should be everyone’s concern. To pass a law that lets people live who aren’t a threat to not live under threat anymore. To free wrongfully imprisoned persons when there are real bad guys out there. Marijuana legalization should be smoker’s and non’s priority simple for the pursuit of justice. Justice for Americans, justice for a plant.

Armchair activist

It’s all about doing what you can. Not everyone can come out of the marijuana closet but everyone can vote. You vote with your dollar, your signature, and in that little box where you draw the curtain to pick your candidate. You don’t have to march or picket but if you live right and still smoke, you represent all smokers. If you’re holding down a 9 to 5, paying your bills, and living right than we’re winning. You win a war by winning the hearts and minds, besides policies and laws.