I want marijuana to be legal purely for selfish reasons as of late. When I was younger it was an unjust law that didn’t make any sense, “Just another way the man keeps us down” so I fought against it than. But now that I’m older, it’s simply because I don’t want to go to jail — I am a law abiding citizen who works 40 plus hours a week and devotes all his time and money to his family, so if there is opportunity to be legal in my state why not?

Getting my green card is kind of like protesting with the other 99% – I’m too busy trying to be a “functioning adult” but I support your cause. Between work, family, kids, wife, writing and learning (pretty much in that order) I never have had the time or money to do much of anything else but recently I have.

Ever since my weed was stolen out of my hotel room in a state where I could have my green card (which would’ve gave me rights) I’ve reconsidered the importance of the green card, especially as an advocate. One may think you’re protesting the system by not getting your card (like I would often tell myself) but getting your card is probably that one thing we can do to make politicians listen to us by the all mighty dollar.

Of all the things I’ve done; donations, buying hemp products, buying, getting signatures for initiatives, I think getting my green card was the simplest and most effective thing. I am now a card carrying member for back pain.

The process is fairly easy; I knew what to expect and went in to the Washington Medical Marijuana Group’s office with a copy of my military medical record. If you don’t have a copy of your medical you’ll have to authorize a release from your caregiver (if you have one) or establish some sort of reoccurring condition with one.

Another reason I never got my card is the same as why I’ve never gone to the VA to claim disability – I would hate to make a mockery of the whole process. I see it happen every day, people leaving the military and clocking 10 to 20 percent disability for sleep apnea or some other bullshit condition. When I went to the VA hospital in Tucson to “try and get mine” there were soldiers with missing legs and other disfigurements that made me turn around, being that I’m mildly mild aged with 2 good arms and legs.

As for the Green card it has simply seems like a ruse when there shouldn’t be any hurdles in the first place. Yes it does make people’s lives better (Yes I’m one of them) but if you’ve ever seen an A.I.D.S or cancer patient you know they really need it or should have whatever the hell they want. Unfortunately the legalization fight took flight because of sick people.

When you get your Green card everyone says “Congratulations”, like you just had a baby — when all I did was get old. This thing called getting high is nothing new nor is it anything bad but sometimes bad shit happens but bad shit happens all the time because of no reason, not pot. I’d trust a stoner before a drunk, a drunk before a politician and yet weed still gets a bad rap.

My first experience with medical was waiting in a parking lot as a friend went into a dispensary to buy a 20 bag of weed in Southern California. Gone are the days of waiting in random parking lots hoping this place doesn’t get raided or worse I get shot for some dumbass who thinks he’s Al Capone.

Getting the card was an eventual thing, just not an all important one; being that I’ve always been able to obtain my medication but now I’ve seen the monetary light. For 150 dollars I can legally carry more weed than I can smoke in a day (or at least I haven’t tried yet). The green card has opened my horizons as a functioning adult, now I can attend vapor parties or things of that nature.

As I write this Washington State seems to be under some sort of Federal crackdown for those dubious sellers of weed. Like a child lashing out they attack harmless hippies, not physically but spiritually through a known source. Even at my worse I’ve never had harmful intentions towards anyone while get a couple beers in me and it’s on. For the most part I’m a pacifist with a gun so I’ve never seen myself going to jail for any other reason than for possession of marijuana, weed, mary jane, sheeba, pot, etc…Why does the Federal government, why does the DEA feel that marijuana dispensaries are bad for communities? Why are farmers and gardeners found to be criminal?

I smoke weed because I am sick. Sick of Tea Baggers and Occupiers, sick of misguided cops enforcing archaic laws, sick of debt and everything else that has to do with money, besides back pain weed helps me say fuck it to the rest.

My first legal purchase in my life was at the Evergreen Holistic Center, nothing fancy but they’re 100 percent there for the cause. The clientele in the lobby were friendly and the blonde girl that greeted me was friendly and easy on the eyes. You’re seen in the back one by one, I guess this prevents shoplifters. The gentlemen in the back ask for my experience preference heady or body, I choose heady. There were several selections and I went with Lavender. A beautiful compress nugget at 10 dollars a gram. If you go there you can’t miss the guy that served me, he looked like Bam Bam Bigalow — tell him thanks for the free cookies.

I am now part of the 1% of smokers that can smoke cope free, it should be us all.