Legalize It

Never thought I would live to see the day when Cannabis/marijuana, also known as hemp, weed, joint, blunt, duchy, pot, grass, reefer, tampee, sensee melia, or ganja, would be legal. I grew up in an era where I was ignorant to the fact that it was illegal to possess marijuana never mind smoke it. Not that I have ever smoked it - well there was that one time I tried to but ended up coughing up a storm - so not funny. Guess I swallowed when I should have exhaled. Either way, it ended up on my “least liked things to do” list just above smoking cigarettes. The thing is, back then it seems as if just about everyone smoked it and nobody was tripping over what it did or didn't do. On any given day you could walk through the projects (Chabert, Red Brick, Kennedy, Auro Diaz) and observe guys hanging out on the corner puffing and passing a joint. Sooner or later someone would come by asking if anybody had any funta or grabber. Funta/grabber is home grown tobacco which was used to lace the marijuana joint to reduce coughing and to enhance/increase the length of the high (I guess my sample didn't have any in it, thus the coughing). 

Ordinarily marijuana burns quickly and the smoke is very light so the high gained from it is over before you had a chance to enjoy it. By adding funta you create a slow burning blend which enhances and prolongs the effects of the high. 

Marijuana is a natural herb that grows wild in some places and harvest for its healing properties. Rastafarians use it as a part of their meditation ritual. For years people who used marijuana and knew of its healing properties begged the powers that be to legalize it so that they could indulge in it freely without the stress of being hauled off to jail for having less than an ounce in their possession. Even renowned reggae artist Bob Marley (and later Peter Tosh) released a song about it back in 1976 called simply - Legalize it! Some of his lyrics claim that doctors, nurses, lawyers, and judges smoked it – I can believe that. He also claimed that it was good for the flu, asthma, and tuberculosis and even something called Numara Thrombosis, whatever that is.  I couldn't find the meaning for numara but I learned that Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. So with the calming effect that comes from smoking marijuana I can see how that would work. Bob goes on to say that even birds, ants, fowls/chicken, and goat eat and love this plant. There were no “food administration” when my grandparents were growing up –  for that matter there was none around in our earlier ancestors’ time either. So according to my paternal grandfather, the animals were their official food administration. He said, “If the goat eat it and lived, then it’s good for human consumption.”

This highly controversial dispute over whether or not to legalize marijuana has been on-going for decades. The arguments presented on either side can be very compelling. For some it’s all about the revenue marijuana sales generates. They believe that keeping a ban on the use of marijuana is a coordinated effort by very powerful men who use the government to help regulate the revenue it generates. If everyone is able to grow their own marijuana in their backyard like tomato patches, then there would be no profit in it. They equate marijuana to tobacco in that they both are derived from nature in the form of a plant and while tobacco is “big business” because it is harvest and packaged by a handful of companies who control that revenue, marijuana can eventually be harvested and packed the same way. But by keeping it illegal, it forces people to operate in much the same way they did when alcohol was illegal. There is more money to be made on a banned substance than there is on the legal stuff, especially when the suppliers are few.

Then there are those like John Walters, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy who argues that there are properties in marijuana which makes it unsafe for human consumption. They claim that it is highly addictive, and among other things increases heart rate, and according to Director Walters, it “damages the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. That it also "impairs learning and interferes with memory, perception, and judgment.” Oh and my personal favorite, “Smoked marijuana contains cancer-causing compounds…." Hello, so does smoking cigarettes! Opps I’m sorry. I forgot I’m suppose to be providing unbiased reporting here – lol.  Okay, where was I again? Oh yeah – marijuana is bad for you. Yeah, right. I saw literally lots of people indulging in smoking pot over the years and they are no worse for wear. Sure some of them are dead now but it had nothing to do with smoking pot, trust me. The worst side effect I saw was increased hunger and mellowness. I never witnessed anyone doing half the crap that a person loaded on alcohol or prescription drug do, i.e., crash a car, picked a fight, pull a gun, etc. Besides, have you seen some of those commercials for prescription drugs? The side effects are ten times worse than the illness it is suppose to help alleviate and in some cases can literally kill you.  Truth is, smoking marijuana is a lot less harmful than say smoking cigarettes. It is little known fact that cigarettes manufactures add stuff/chemicals to the tobacco that not only make them very addictive but also very harmful to your health.  Have you seen all the new cigarette warning commercials lately? It's enough to make you want to quite smoking - if you can.  Anyway, for all intent and purposes, there are tons of reasons why marijuana should be legalized and just as much reasons why it should not.

So after years of being on the “banned or control substance” list which resulted in countless people being prosecuted for indulging in this favorite American pass time – I say that jokingly of course, but true none the less – we have the beginning of what many felt was inevitable. Marijuana is now being more accepted as a formal form of treatment for a range of health conditions across the country. First out the gate was California, who broke away from the pack in 1996 by legalizing it for medicinal purposes.  Over the next 16 years the following 18 states made their mark by voting to legalize it for medicinal purposes as well: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia (DC), Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Colorado and Washington are the first states to approve the legalize non-medical use of marijuana. It is important to note that each state has different rules and regulations/laws that govern the possession and use of this once controlled substance. And while the following eight states have pending legislation to do the same, they would do good to take heed of the federal issues hovering over this brave act: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, and Oklahoma. For starters, while marijuana may be legal in the aforementioned states, under federal law, it is still illegal to possess, use, buy, sell, or cultivate marijuana for recreational use. There have been reduced instances of individual persecution in those states where it has been legalized for medicinal use because of the revised laws, but for those people who are “professional traffickers”, not so much. There are rules and regulations in place to govern the handful of approved growers of marijuana for medicinal use and they are being monitored discreetly to ensure compliance. Side bar: For the record, I'm not convinced that these "authorized growers" and "producers" are keeping the cannabis at it's natural properties. I've seen ads and commercials where they are offering a variety of flavors and strains. Seems like somebody's playing God and adding stuff to the mix. It's those "additives" that can potentially muddy the waters and give the impression that cannabis is not healthy for human consumption. Yes, mass production by companies could very well end up like the tobacco industry - where we now have a tainted product.

So when posed with the question of whether or not I am for or against the legalization of marijuana, I say legalize it! By so doing we begin the process of eliminating the grip the illegal trade has had on this country for years and reduces the crimes that come with it.  Not only that, legalization would also ensure that the product does not get contaminated with chemicals or such delights as everyone who chooses can grow their own thus ensuring it keeps it original natural properties. We will gain a valuable tax-source as well as reduce the cost associated with policing this now illegal activity.  As more states opt to legalize marijuana, I can’t help but wonder what repercussion this is going to have on the rest of the country/world who still have bans on it.  Who knows when or if all of America will embrace lifting the ban off this substance allowing it to be used for whatever purpose - be it medicinal or recreational. But for now I know there are some happy people out there who will gladly drive across state lines if for no other reason but for the opportunity to be able to indulge in a spliff without the fear of being caught, imprisoned, or worst. Just because I don’t smoke don’t mean you can’t. Enjoy! I’m just saying – I got issues. What about you?)i(

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