Lazy Stoners create new strains of medicine!?

Sometimes it takes me a long time to realize exactly how to verbalize my thoughts on certain subjects.  I'm all about the Cannabis plant as many of you know.  And the stigma surrounding it has been like a piece of broken glass under my skin for a long time now.  It's like I just wish I could do a "Dr. Spock" to all of the nay-sayers by placing certain fingers on their face and telepathically downloading all that I have read.  Some of the stuff is just feelings as well.  Feelings  of fear about the possibility of all-out losing my secret freedom to ingest Cannabis.  What if I'm no longer allowed to use it?  Will I have to go back on the pills?  The pills that made an addict out of me?  The ones that gave me horrible detox zingers when I quit them?  Or feelings of sympathy for the many people out there who are ostracized because they choose to ingest a plant rather than a pill.  Many of them risking their freedom and the custody of their children to buy something that makes them be better parents.  Many parents take antidepressant and anti-anxiety pills every single day.  And their efficacy and function is really only theoretical.  I wish the world could feel that the way I do, and see that cannabis is a medicine when used like a medicine.

The 'lazy stoner' and the 'pot head' do exist though.  They aren't totally fictional.  But only for a small fraction of the regular cannabis users take on this extreme persona.  Like maybe only the ones who are underemployed or bored or already lazy.  Seeing someone ingest a Sativa-- the more cerebrally stimulating class of strains --and go about their day with better clarity and receptor action than they would if they popped that Proz@c or Cymb@lta, doesn't make the audience laugh as much as Wayne and Garth with couch-lock in the basement of their parents' house.  There is a whole other side to this plant that the audience never gets to see.  That's a shame if you ask me.

It's this fact that has inspired this post.  Society, Hollywood, and those who want to keep Cannabis illegal have encouraged and perpetuated the idea of the lazy stoner.  But lazy people don't create new strains of medicine!  Growing weed like all weeds is easy.  Growing it well, is not.  In another piece I say that some of these gardening geniuses are like mad-scientists meet tree-hugger.  They're grafting fruits like Blueberry plants to Cannabis plants to create Blueberry Strains.  Yes ... strains that smell like blueberry when they're dried and cured.  The idea that growing Cannabis is easy, is one of the big reasons why so many people are against the home grows.

The idea that something is easy, encourages the idea that care and safety is lax.  Mold and potential fires are what Real Estate agents, Lenders, and Property Managers are told are side effects of growing large amounts of any plant inside a home.  And I'm not going to tell you that they aren't a problem. But those professionals are not the only ones to know this.  Growers protect their gardens like they are their 'man-caves' filled with precious collectibles and priceless trophies.  And they are filled with those things ... just in other forms.

Now I am in no way being so bold as to herald the illegal pot grower.  But the fact of the matter is, many of these people could pass as Botanists.  Many hold the degree.  Many who hold that degree are now being hired on at the Licensed Producers in the Canadian MMPR program.  This I do herald as a success.   The only problem I have with it, is that they are the only ones allowed to grow it.  Well, the LP's and some of the existing MMAR card-holders.  At least until the Harper Government appeals the injunction.  But don't you think it's fabulous to see education from Queen's University being hired on to collaborate on this medicinal plant?  That makes me want to walk right down to the Engineering department of Queens and look at their awesome Bio-wall!

Every February my Dad starts hundreds of flowers and veggies for their numerous gardens.  It's a full time job.  And then the next day too.  And every day after that until he puts those organic babies in the ground.  Mom and Dad had a wee Aphid infestation this spring that took many of their seedlings down.  Each morning saw them preening and inspecting trays of Petunias and Marigolds, Blue Poppies too.   At the same time, they would assess their moisture levels and give them a gentle misting if needed.  But not too much, as seedlings are very susceptible to rot from over-watering. This is the life of a grower.  Most growers-- legal and otherwise.

Basically, growing any garden is hard work.  Yes we've all heard about homes that were simply filled with soil and an instant garden of weed arises.   But that doesn't happen very often with anyone who actually loves and respects this plant.  In many ways, it's the illegal growers in their basements and closets who are the most careful.  When the alternative to being carefully diligent is six months to a year of mandatory minimum sentencing, you tend to take things more seriously.

Cannabis consumers are an educated group.  Many know or have a pretty good idea of what their ingesting even when procured by your buddy's buddeh who knows a friend of a friend.  Many will not accept or spend their hard-earned money on something that was grown shoddlily and without safety measures and tender loving care.   We've heard what it's like to smoke the body of a spider mite.  Ew.... now that's organic.  And finding seeds in your ganga is a total friggin buzz kill.  Not to mention the fact that seeds are heavy.  So you've now spent money on something that you can't and don't really want to ingest at all.  Most of us tuck those away for when Justin Trudeau legalizes home grows and recreational Cannabis use in 2015.

I hold no degree in anything and surely don't want to learn too much more about cut-throat capitalism.  But I know about supply and demand.  I know the economy is important, but that it grows based on our excess money.  If we could grow our own medicine, just think about all the money we'd have to buy the other shit that's advertised ad nauseum everywhere we look.

Gardening is therapy.  Doctors even recommend and yes prescribe it to calm stress and give your mind a creative outlet to relax with.  You can google "Horticultural Therapy" to find out more about Gardening as medicine.

Too far away from Queen's?  Here's the link to see their Bio-wall

http://livebuilding.queensu.ca/green_features/biowall

Cannabis death stats no longer zero

Statistics have a tendency of separating us from the magnitude of death.  The news today tells us many stories about deaths from all around this little blue planet.  But two particular deaths are what this blog post is about.  It's a small number ... 2. But the sterility of the statistic hides the fact that you could add at least a few zeros to that 2 when describing the people affected by those two deaths.  It's sometimes up to us, the society to remember each and every soul connected to the numeric. If only in our thoughts.  Thoughts are energy.

So I and every other Cannabis lover, supporter, and prescriber await the shit storm of blame that's undoubtedly on it's way down the media pipe.  The blame will be directed at the Cannabis plant.  It will be reiterated ad-nauseum that it's so much stronger these days than it used to be.  Or it's never really been safe, and perhaps the reefer madness is real~yes I expect to hear the archaic and racist theme of that movie spoken tomorrow by some Magpie like a Palen, a Bachman, or a Grace.  Two deaths in Colorado have been blamed on the Cannabis edible.  My sincerest condolences to their loved ones.

The "pot brownie" segment on the average tv show has had it's share of takes in the past year or so to brainwash us all to what it's like to eat a Cannabis laced edible.  And every single tv show exaggerates or outright lies about the effects, side effects, duration, and aftermath of the ingestion.  For ratings of course. Minutes go by after eating that medible and they're not giggling like so-and-so on tv!  Why not? It took the fictional tv characters only moments to feel the effects. It's truly no wonder at all that kids, teens, and adults are feeling sick upon eating the infamous pot brownie. How the hell is the average person supposed to know anything real about the topic? Things like how much to eat?  How long it will take?  How high will you get?  Should you eat more?  How soon?  Uh-oh ... I think I ate too much.  All of these questions come AFTER the making of the brownie!  How was the herb added to the brownie?  Was the plant material filtered out? How well?  Chlorphyl can make some sensitive stomachs hit eject.  How much Cannabis was used?  What kind?  How was it grown?  So many questions!!!  And the answers are everywhere, the truth few and far between.

For me, the blame has not moved from where it points every time someone has a bad ganga experience.  I don't blame the person for eating the brownie.  Or the person for making the brownie.  I don't even blame the person who brought the brownie to the party. I blame prohibition for it all.  Prohibition is the lock that keeps the open conversation and understanding about Cannabis edibles out of reach of most of us. Prohibition is like duct tape over our mouths.  Prohibition is the hand holding our words in, keeping us fearfully silent to even whisper about where, how much, and how.  Edibles are nothing like smoking, so too many people eat a little chunk more way too soon.  And then again in too short a time.  They don't feel high so they eat more.  Edibles are like any other medicine, it's all about dosing.  Not that we'd know that.  We learn about the effects from television after all.

If the leaders of our countries would acknowledge Cannabis as more than just a societal inconvenience or a fleeting fad, they'd surely do a better job of educating the masses on the truth.  Dissidence is everywhere these days.  People don't trust their government!  And many of those disgruntled citizens ~whatever their country~ are pissed to have been lied to about this plant.  Cannabis talk is still taboo in mainstream media. My small city newspaper, like many others, only ever reports on changes in "Marijuana regulation" or report the local "Marijuana busts".  Never have I read in any Ontario newspaper about this plant and read it called it's proper name ... Cannabis Indica or Cannabis Sativa.  That matters to me.  The word Marijuana is a derogatory, racist, and historically misleading slang.  I've never read about Cannabis edibles and how they kill pain and stiffness, though there are plenty of readers in this city using them for that.

Our governments are kind enough to allow us to buy all kinds of alcohol.  Just today I read the LCBO motto:  "Please Drink Responsibly".  That in itself is mildly infuriating, though familiar so it doesn't sting quite as much.  But how's a person supposed to do anything responsibly if they've never been told? Your bartender knows how many drinks you should consume on average per hour, but do you?

Hey Leaders ... how about you start GOVERNING RESPONSIBLY?  Seriously!  Recreational substances are not going away.  You cannot control personal choice, you can only teach personal responsibility through real education and guidance.  We're not idiots.  Tobacco kills 15 million of us every single year!  And when your citizens mix Tobacco and Cannabis, the lung damage is severe.  Cannabinoids open up the Alveoli, and the tobacco tar, nicotine, and 400+ man-made chemicals goes right into the deepest parts of your lungs~ the things that keep you alive.  Add alcohol into the mix, and sickness will be felt by all but the very experienced.

Properly prepared and ingested Cannabis edibles relax the body.  Physical exertion can become increasingly less and less of a priority depending on the dose.  The couch-lock becomes realized.  And this is absolutely bliss for many of the millions of people who suffer from chronic pain.  Some take a pill;  others take a plant.  You wouldn't leave your Oxycontin out for a child to consume would you?  They look like Skitt!es.  What about your Fent@nyl patch? They look like tooth whitening strips.  And finally, in this same vein, you should never leave your Cannabis edible around for children to consume.  If you have children, don't buy Cannabis candies or yummies that look anything like what your kid sees as a treat.

Whether taken medicinally or taken in recreation, Cannabis laced edibles are to be eaten, stored, and supplied responsibly.

'Tainted Love' does not exist.

"Tainted Love" ... released in 1965, is a song that was written and produced by an american artist named Ed Cobb.  Many have sung it, most have grooved to it, some have learned from it's lyrics.

"To make things right, you need someone to hold you tight."

For me, Love is Love.  There is no good love vs bad love.  Love just IS.
How many times has it been described, denounced, declared.
How many songs and hymns sing it's praises?  How many got it right?  How many truly know the face of Love?

The thing about Love is, when you give it, it feeds both they who give and they who receive.

Love can sometimes be held hostage though, amid other feelings like greed, ego, hurt.  Love can feel poisoned though it's not.  Love can feel aged, though rebirth is easy.  Love can feel toxic, until it is fed.    

Love is like Mercury ... it clings and gathers to it's likeness.
Love is like Iron ... it builds up our blood making us strong.
Love is like Silver ... it purifies the bad; protects the good.
Love is like Gold ... it may one day be, the one true currency.
Love is like Titanium ... it's strength on earth is yet unmatched.
Love is like Lead ... it gives a good comfortable weight keeping us grounded at all times.
Love is like Brick ... it builds up that fortress where you can raise your love each day.
Love is like Aluminum ... it can be spread so thinly to cover all distances.
Love is like Hemp ... it's roots clean the self as they grow.

Finally, the greatest of greatnesses about this great thing called LOVE is that it doesn't keep track of mistakes.  Ever.  I have sinned, but the love I feel, I give, I build, I share ... it is unaffected by these sins.  It doesn't even know the meaning of that word.  LOVE has eyes that see through all of our human weaknesses and faults.

This post is rooted in a conversation I had with a light worker.  Society says she has sinned like me.  But her love is ferociously great and powerful.  Someone wants to keep her supposedly tainted love from her flesh and blood grandson, simply because of past mistakes.  Love laughs at the thought of being tainted. That thought is just so void of truth.

Attempting to delay love is not only just unnecessary, but it is simply useless.  An ineffective struggle that doesn't even know it's own name.

Love is like a virus ...no pill, or poke, or prod can kill it, stop it, delay it.

You better move outta the way .... cuz love is love ... don't run from love.

Hear "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_MfcZNm7ic

Double standards, Ignorance, and Equality

My hunni and I just moved into an eleven story tenement building.  I like it very much.  Quiet, all inclusive, rommy but small enough to keep clean with ease.  For the most part, my small apartment is my sanctuary. It's upon stepping outside that sanctuary that the issues begin.  Don't get me wrong, my neighbors are cool, and most of them love my dog Molly.  Lots of dogs in this building.  I often recognize them before they're owners.  I couldn't tell you 3 of my neighbor's names but I know one's dog is Valdez, the other is Whisky, and the third is Heidi.  What can I say?  I'm an animal person.

So when I'm taking my pooch out for her duties is when I notice this ... problem.  It's an odor.  And depending on which floor the elevator stops on, that odor could be garlic, urine, or tobacco smoke.  Of these three, I loathe only one.  If you follow my writing, you can guess which one I'm talking about.

We were here for about five days when the odor complaint came in.  We were thrilled to have a brand new counter top installed, so we made sure all evidence of illegal use was hidden from the visiting carpenter. But we didn't expect him to start so early, and well the apartment was still pungent with the aroma of a whole other plant.  The next day I ran into the super and was asked to come to the office.  Yep ... like elementary school.  I was a bad kid.  Or so it felt.  At 39, my hands were shaking as I sat and waited for whatever this stranger had to talk to me about.

So the super simply stated that the carpenter noticed a very strong marijuana smell~ yep the slang.  She then went on to ask me if I have any documentation to back up my use, adding that there were several medical marijuana patients in the building.  Privacy!!!  I should not know that.  That is not my business nor the business of anyone other than that person and perhaps their physician.  She went on to mention that there has been odor reported in the hall as well.  I immediately wanted to call bullshit.  But ... I was a bad kid.  By this time, my hands were sweating AND shaking.  My blood pressure was elevated to the point where I knew my face was red and blotchy.  This woman wasn't even so much judgey or disrespectful, just grossly unethical.

Now ... my point about smells.  Sometimes I take a long ass time to set up a story eh?  Here goes:  why is it socially accepted if not encouraged to be completely fine with the smell of tobacco in the tenement hallways but not fine with the smell of Cannabis? The first floor just past the laundry and garbage room smells like a hunting camp of filterless cigarette smokers.  The garbage room itself smells better than the actual hallway!  If I had any kind of breathing issue, I know I'd be choking and spittin' and coughin'.  But it's all perfectly legal. You can buy and shmoke as many ciggies as you can afford, and that's just fine.  In Canada, you can legally grow up to 15 kgs of Tobacco for your own personal use.  But don't you dare stink up the hallway or get caught growing that other plant.  We KNOW Tobacco is deadly.  Yet it's still legal.  And day by day more and more people are trying to find ways to deter us from using Cannabis ... NOT Tobacco!  WTF is wrong with this picture?   PUBLIC SAFETY!  And no ... I am not saying I want Tobacco illegal.

You know about the other plant right?  Ugh ... I'm almost getting tired of hearing myself say these words:  the plant that has never killed anyone?  Er no ... one death ... last year when a bale of cannabis fell on a man. You literally CANNOT overdose on Cannabis.  Yet we're all so offended by the smell aren't we?  While the smell of something that kills 15 million of our loved ones every single year, is fine.  We need to get real with the world about these plants.  To this day, parents who catch whiff of the herb a' burnin' in the park run and shield their children's noses, yet the person smoking the cigarette is addicted and has the right to be there. One is dangerous for the majority of us;  the other is not dangerous for the majority of us.  And don't even get me started on the lack of fiduciary responsibility when it comes to the mixing of these two plants and the extreme and serious damage that that combination can do to your lungs.  But that's a whole other blog.

I want equality.  That's not only about marriage and sex y'know.  It's about respecting my choice, if I'm willing to accept yours.  If you can grow, buy, or ingest Tobacco;  so should I be able to grow, buy, and ingest Cannabis.

The Scarlet Stigmatization of Society

We live in a world where every single one of us has been stigmatized in one way or another ... even if we don't realize it.  We are judged and categorized accordingly for easy control and manageability.  Based on looks, speech, address, wardrobe, recent past, not-so-recent past, past mistakes, past successes, past addictions, past ailments, past friends .... and the list goes on and on.

This wouldn't be so bad in my opinion, if it were all just you and I trying to compartmentalize our friends.   But this stigmatization is in the daily cracks and crevices of our lives.  For instance, if you have ever had any issue with pain medication and addiction, your Medical Records might as well have a giant red "A" on them.  I've witnessed this and heard the horror stories.  Basically, a person could have their Femur bone sticking out of their thigh, and depending on what their medical records state, if they go to Emerg the first thing the staff will think is "PILL-SEEKER".  It doesn't even matter if you want the pain meds.  The stigma is there.  You are inside that box where you're simply looking for a quick fix or a quick high.  I've heard of people stating very plainly upon entering Triage that they DO NOT want any pain killers. And yet, many medical professionals will simply push them into another even deeper box.  One that says that they're game-playing or that they're in denial of their need for an opiate.

And I'm no fool here Peeps.  I know it happens.  I know about addiction and how deeply those claws can dig in.  I know the lengths that an addiction will go to, to make you feed it what it needs.  And if you don't feed it, those claws feel like they curl, anchoring themselves even more deeply.  I've been addicted to legal medications that don't even give pleasure;  and I've felt addiction for non-legal substances too.  They feel similar if not identical.  Like an urgency in your gut or in your brain.  And what society doesn't seem to realize, is that every single one of us has the potential for addiction.  Addiction does not discriminate.  Not by race, religion, culture, or tax-bracket.  It's about receptors in the brain ... and nothing more.

I want to know this:  if a medical professional can seemingly judge your state of addiction by looking at you, then why the heck aren't they helping people with addiction!?  If you can see the early stages of addiction, then offer assistance, suggest programs, tell them that they don't have to live that way! Rather than assuming that a person wants an opiate, how about you discuss that need that you think they're feeling.  I thought the medical industry as a whole had the "Do No Harm" motto.  Well you're doing harm every single time you prejudge the intentions, the needs, or the addictions of those entering your workplace.  How about you discuss their addiction with them for what it really is .... a disease.  And one that can be managed if not cured.

There are other scarlet letters that are written on our files.  Especially our kids.  This to me is the most appalling.  Soon our children will all have big red letters after their names. The boxes they already had, called SDD's (Specific Development Disorders) recently needed micromanaging.  Some needed to split and create new boxes, new sub-categories.  The age old LD (Learning Disability) was way too big.  I was in there at grade 3 and 4 and it seemed very suffocating to me.  Inside or as addendum to the LD box, we now have a PDD box (Pervasive Development Disorder).  If your child is strong-willed and stubborn, they'll shove her in the ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) box.  If your son has trouble concentrating, interrupts, or has to be doing more than one thing at the same time, we'll shove him into the ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) box or into the newly renovated ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) box.  And finally ... my personal favorite ... EFD (Executive Function Disorder).  Why my fave? Because of all of the labels we throw around, this is the blanket that can cover the majority of us at one time or another ... or for me on the daily. It is the box that adults and children are shoved into when they show a pattern of having problems with organization and keeping schedules.  Ahem.  Yep.

Every single week, I find myself being helped by fully capable adults who, if born today would be shoved into one or more of these boxes.  I wonder, do you think that those people, if labelled would still be the same people today?  Would they still have that job?  Still have that self-image, self-esteem, self-identity?  Or would the Scarlet letters that our society places on us all, marginalize them to the point of discrimination and self-defeat?  I know that some parents accept these labels, stating that without the label they wouldn't get the extra help and assistance.  That's shitty isn't it?  What's shittier is the fact that our schools are given funding for most if not all of the Scarlet labeled children they enroll.  Would that not automatically encourage over-labeling?

Huh ... so labels mean profit.  So in the end, this rant is once again about how much Capitalism sux.

Capitalism Sux

Imagine if some salesman came to your door selling you a health supplement.  It's not cheap, but depending on your country it might be covered.  Someone does indeed make money from this supplement~and lots of it ~if not the salesman himself.  You take it, you believe in it, the science is solid and real.  But the supplement reacts badly with something in your system, in your blood, in your genetic makeup.  It really doesn't matter why, because you're sick.  Imagine if you couldn't even hold anyone responsible, or get reimbursed for hospitals visits and medications.  Imagine if you found out that that supplement maker is governed by a "no-fault" system for litigating damages.

People react to simple things these days like Tums, makeup, foods like chickpeas.  So no one can deny that there is a chance that you or your child will react to a vaccination.  The very vaccinations that people are crying out for the world to mandate. Studies proving vaccinated kids are healthier than unvaccinated kids would go a long way to convince me.  As would studies that prove GMO food, Fluoride, and yearly dental xrays are safe too!  But that will never happen because the results will affect someone's income.

Capitalism sux when it trumps public health and safety.

Black Box Technology in Every Politician's Vehicle.

I used to be in the car business.  Such a small yet fast-moving and profitable world that is.  I remember this one dealership that I worked at really valued it's customers.  And to show that appreciation, dealers wearing that brand all over Canada held yearly anniversary parties, usually taking place at the local drive in and/or amusement park.  That's where it was held the year I took part.  Right up on the hill that our Tragically Hip speak of in the first verse of that awesome song "Blow at High Dough".  It was amazing to take part in something like that.  Imagine it.  For one Sunday all of the salespeople ... new and used ... met and helped make this one day of gratitude rock.

It was here that I witnessed one of the poorest of judgments in a fellow human being that I had ever witnessed at that stage of my life.  One young couple were driving a loaner car because their own vehicle was waiting for a part.  The ownership in the glove box had a business number a dealer name on it.

Well ... we all learned about odors and osmosis in high school right?  It wasn't long at all until management and then the actual owners of the dealership became aware of the weed smell wafting from the cracked windows of their brand new demo car.  The gall.  The poor judgement of youth.

Segue now to Toronto.  Our mayor has done crack cocaine in a drunken stupor.  To me, those are two statements that are obvious cries for help masked in some kind of elitist ideology that the drunkenness is an acceptable excuse for the crack use.  Not only this, but it's pretty difficult if not impossible to get crack home delivery these days lemme tell ya.  And they say we have free enterprise!  I jest ... truly ... humor is a coping mechanism for me now.  What's my point?

It came to me just now as I vacuumed that Mayor Ford has undoubtedly used the same poor judgement that those two young small town kids used at that anniversary appreciation day.  I, and the owners of that dealership excused and forgave that lax in sanity to inexperience and lack of respect.  What are we blaming Ford's poor judgement on?

I mean ... think about it:  It is very very likely that cocaine was not only purchased from, but then cooked in and then frantically consumed in a vehicle whose ownership reads "The City of Toronto", "The Canadian Kennedy's", or maybe .... "The Gatekeepers of Etobicoke"?

Maybe we need some good 'ol Black Box technology installed in every politician's vehicle!