California Governor Jerry Brown had some surprising things to say about his State legalizing marijuana. And we had some surprising things to say back!
About the Author
Michael is a journalist and filmmaker. His award-winning documentary, Sleeping with Siri is playing film festivals across the country. Stusser runs TechTimeout campaigns in high schools across the country, asking teenagers to give up their digital devices (for a little while) in order to find balance, and perhaps even make eye-contact with their parents.You Might also like
-
Vape Pens & the Future of Marijuana
The Oxford Dictionary named “Vape” 2014’s Word of the Year! Vape pens and vaporizers are now all the rage for marijuana use, and, while convenient, they make us a bit nervous….Here’s our exclusive report!
-
THIS TIME
An essay from Higher Ground correspondent Michael Stusser.
As I write this, I’m stoned to the bejeezus. Most my writing sessions begin
this way, firing up a bowl, cranking the stereo, and then hitting the
keyboard for all-night diatribes of psychedelic discourse (editing sessions
are done sober, as a more steady hand is required for sentence structure,
syntax, and coherent thought). Sorry, what was I saying? Oh, right. Thank
god I’m not an air traffic controller.As a modern-day pothead, I’ve replaced my hacky sack with a Saab, roll
joints rather than smoke out of an 8-foot Graphix, and sport Kenneth Cole
more often than tie-dye. But let not my closeted dope smoking be mistaken
for embarrassment. I’m a proud Rain-City Rastafarian and light up in public
as often as possible. Still, like the heads from yesteryear, I have no
interest in getting busted by the Man.Folks have smoked weed ever since it originally sprouted out of God’s green
earth, not because it tastes great, but for the euphoric rush that
accompanies it. Through the centuries, this elevated state has been
responsible for colossal breakthroughs that would not have come about au
naturel: the notion that the world is not flat, for example–that guy was
stoned on pot brownies.Whether for invention, inspiration, or just plain recreation, cannabis
continues to spark creativity and is damn festive fodder. Call me partial,
but parties with people passing the peace pipe seem a lot more fun than
bashes with bloated beer-bingeing and belching (not to mention less
calories). In addition, with ganja you can usually maintain if necessary
(unlike LSD), passing a joint is quite social (unlike blow), and, though
ecstasy seems the substance of choice for the new generation, when the
chemical effects make ravers forget where they live, you’ll be glad you
went organic.Along with herb counterculture comes an “It’s all good” vibe that, in our
road-raging times, is helpful for keeping a lid on things (no pun
intended). Something about firing up a fatty hits the Hippie Nostalgia
button, harkening back to a “Make love not war” philosophy that’s as
relevant today as ever.Marijuana affects different people differently. Many gave up grass because
it made them sleepy, comatose, or they started seeing dark figures slip
around corners. For me, ganja is like a quadruple latte–I’m jacked up and
nimble, having (seemingly) deep, meaningful realizations that my overly
stressed, multitasking, wildly distracted synapses cannot come to in their
normally abstemious condition. As they say in the brochure, sinsemilla
heightens the senses: Thus, Moulin Rouge was better baked, as is Laserium,
Isaac Scott, and a Dick’s hot fudge sundae. Once I become paranoid, tense,
obese, or can’t get it up, I’ll quit. And yes, that’s the talk of an addict.No doubt there are harms to smoking marijuana; anyone who has ever had
bongwater spilled on their carpet can attest to that. Over time, it may
also make you stupid, fill your lungs with black sludge, and induce
indolence and the urge to buy a Lava Lamp. But like alcohol, firearms,
tobacco, and the freedom to drive a big-ass SUV, I should have the right to
kill my own brain cells in the privacy of my own hovel.Speaking of which, my tobacco waterpipe calls. Please hold. . . .
Clearly, everyone should NOT get stoned; surgeons, psychos, and small
children should refrain at least until after hours or till their homework’s
done. As for the rest of us, the key is moderation. Those who “wake ‘n’
bake” are probably using the ##### in an unhealthy manner and should get off
the couch, bathe, and take a hard look in the mirror.(God, I look awful.)
For those of us who do use responsibly (I like the sound of that), the
issue at hand is that we’re criminals (forcing our friends who are cops and
DAs to step out of the room each time we partake). According to NORML
(National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), almost 20 million
Americans fire up at least once a year (22 mil are on Prozac). And 700,000
of those are arrested annually for doing so, which is not only apt to harsh
your buzz, but costs taxpayers a mint.Maybe you’re one of those Bill Clinton types: “Didn’t inhale, didn’t enjoy
it, don’t support it.” Well, that’s bullshit, and you know it. You probably
ran out of connections, and now have kids and conservative neighbors, but
secretly wish more folks in your hood passed a blunt around the BBQ. I’m
here ta tell ya, we Potheads need you. The country needs you.Now that I think about it, maybe drugs DO lead to insurrection. My heart
and mind race with thoughts of freedom, personal rights, interconnectivity,
instant karma, and (back to the topic) legalization! I am angry. Not for
the sorry sick fuckers who need to overcome tremors or glaucoma or nausea
or chemo, but for the creative minds, seeking higher artistic heights,
searching for meaning in a world that has too many limitations already.Legalization will come about when enough people have the courage to speak
up and admit to having smoked pot, enjoyed the experience, and support the
RIGHT to do so. (Plus, it’ll then make it a whole lot easier for you to get
some.) So go to HEMPfest (Help End Marijuana Prohibition). Sign a petition.
Burn one down. You may find it empowering to advocate something in this
blase age of nonradical politics. It might even make you more vigilant
about other issues that are pissing you off. Get up, stand up, and
“Question Authority,” dude.
See the original post at 420 Magazine
-
MAUREEN DOWD ATE TOO MUCH WEED – BUT WE CAN STILL LEARN FROM HER STUPIDITY
(Courtesy of the Washington Post)If there is one thing you can say about New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, it is that she knows her brand. Even when she has a bad high in Colorado and uses it as the peg for a column on the messy process of marijuana legalization, she does not lose sight of her Dowdisms. Dowd may have lost her mind via mis-dosage, but in writing about it, she stays on message by describing “my more mundane drugs of choice, chardonnay and mediocre-movies-on-demand,” blaming a girlish affinity for chocolate for her misfortune and confessing her stoned fascination with the green corduroy jeans she was wearing at the time.
But while it is easy to make fun of Dowd’s bad experience with edibles, when it comes to marijuana, there is a good point tangled up in her column. A majority of Americans may favor legalizing marijuana. But that does not mean that that everyone knows how to consume it in ways that are pleasurable and safe for them, or that avoid unpleasant side effects.
Most Americans learn to drink by a process of trial and error, conducted through well-established rituals and with social support. If marijuana is to be consumed in similar ways, a lot of new consumers will have to learn how to toke.
Take Dowd’s experience. She got much higher than she wanted to because she made the not-unreasonable assumption that a candy bar was a single serving, eating the whole thing in one go. “A medical consultant at an edibles plant where I was conducting an interview mentioned that candy bars like that are supposed to be cut into 16 pieces for novices,” Dowd explains that she finds out later. “That recommendation hadn’t been on the label.”
It is one thing for experienced consumers to scoff at Dowd’s lack of knowledge. But she is not going to be alone, and asking for labeling or instructions is not unreasonable. Similarly, new marijuana consumers may look to analogous delivery mechanisms and social rituals when they are smoking joints for the first time, and expect that they ought to treat joints exactly like cigarettes
When new marijuana consumers venture beyond products that look similar to ones they already know, they will have to figure out the answers to a number of questions.
New drinkers may know intellectually that beer, wine and liquor have different amounts of alcohol by volume. But they still have to figure out what they are comfortable drinking, and then determine the amounts they can drink and the rates at which they can drink it. The difference between passing out from keg stands and enjoying High West bourbon neat is a matter of education and socialization.
Smokers and eaters of edibles will have to learn the same things with different strains of and delivery systems for pot. How many hits can they take or brownies can they eat, depending on the bud or the clarified butter in question? How full should they pack the bowl of a pipe or the oven of a vaporizer? If their tolerance is higher than a single square of Dowd’s chocolate bar, how many is optimal? What is the difference in dosage between a nice vibe at a party and hiding in a corner to avoid displaying your incoherence and anxiety?
Americans long ago decided that tee-totaling isn’t the only alternative to being a sot. If the country is to determine that marijuana ought to be legal for recreational as well as medical use, we will need to find a model for marijuana consumption that differs from the motivation-sapped stoner or the deadly violence sometimes committed under the influence.
We figured out a way to regulate alcohol rather than banning it. And we developed a vision for classy, controlled alcohol consumption, even if we occasionally tweak that model in response to dismaying social developments like binge drinking. For Maureen Dowd’s dignity, and the rest of our sakes, we should do the same for marijuana.
(Thanks to reporter Alyssa Rosenberg and the Washington Post for contributing this story)