Dank Reviews of With a New Year Comes Opportunities for Cannabis in 2012
With a New Year Comes Opportunities for Cannabis in 2012
Published: 01/03/2012 by Theodore Hartman in Activism
As one year begins its close the New Year promises to be big for cannabis reform. For more reasons than one 2012 will deliver into the hands of voters ballot initiatives they can pass and begin to reverse the position of cannabis and hemp in America.
Ron Paul's Presidency
Gavin Latham from Washington, D.C. - 01/30/2012 - 09:09 am
Though I appreciate the tenacity with which this article was crafted, and the intent that it carries with it, I cannot fathom marshaling forces for an election based on a single issue. Though Ron Paul is certainly pro-cannabis, that does mean we, as a collective of voters, should promise a vote just so that our single issue may be fulfilled. I think it is that mindset which set cannabis on its spiral into the realm of the illegal in the first place. We, as activists, should be much more attuned to the prismatic character of politics than the simple, "My candidate likes Rice Krispies instead of Cocoa Puffs -- I'm voting for him!"
I'm not stating that I'm against Ron Paul, but I think that in an article which proposes such a strong following for Ron Paul, such consideration should not be restrained to a single issue (or candidate).
That said, I rather appreciated the in-depth analysis of the proposals and bills and outlines of the government regarding its stance on cannabis. This was an incredible information-laden article, and really caught me up to the 2012 cannabis activist calendar. Thank you, Theodore.
OH Yeah
Kathryn Iconomopulos from austin, texas - 01/09/2012 - 03:27 pm
We need someone like Ron Paul in office, he is for the people not against. If weed is legalized more job opportunities will be available, especially in Ohio where there is nothing, it's one big machine and people have no say. Alot of people are out of a job there because there really is nothing. We all need to just come together.
Dr. Paul gets my vote
Giuseppe B. Verde from DNVR CO - 01/07/2012 - 12:51 pm
I agree with the many components of this article, and the perception of Dr. Paul as a viable and honest candidate.
As per the racist disinformation that is being spread by mainly establishment liberal and neo-conservative policy makers is a deflection from the real issues rather than the issues of special interests.
Here are some citations of Dr Paul's reationship with African-American comunity:
http://www.therightperspective.org/2012/01/01/ron-paul-no-racist-walter-williams/
This isn't to mention that Obama has started unconstitutional wars in Africa (Libya, Ugana, and the Central African Republic to name a few) and destablization efforts that can only described as terrorist in principle and humanitarian only in doublespeak. While Ron Paul says he would bring all the troops home!
And Dr Paul says it best himself:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5fe_1200946769
The latter is to the point. It is not a matter of race, etc. It is a matter of people's personal rights. He does not view racism and people as compartmentalized particles in the formless abstraction of society. To understand this is to begin to comprehend the real issues of the present. As Confucius wrote of governance, " In cutting an axe-handle the model is not far off, in this sense: one holds one axe-handle while chopping the other. Thus one uses men in governing men."
This article is not about racism, that is only a feeble talking point by the mainstream media, it is about the very real idea that marijuana growers, medical patients and casual smokers no longer have to be stigmatized by recreational habits, disorders and diseases. It is also about a stand in principle for true free trade, that being the case for small business owners (i.e., medical marijuana dispensaries and all that the cannabis industry employs) versus the monopolizing croney capitalists.
A similar trend that could emerge is localism and a decentralized reliance for local food and produce. These two are similar because of the initial obstacles that occur in each industry. For produce it must deal with Monsanto and the various hydra heads that corrupt vegetation through GMOs. In the same way the cannabis industry may be recognized as true producers of the economy and medical benefactors (rather than certified drug dealers).
Dr Paul has also been consistent on his policies for over thirty years, simply youtube him from 1983, he is saying the same things. And also, Dr Paul ran for Libertarian President in 1988, so it seems nonetheless he is your candidate.
Aside from all of this, the main indication that Ron Paul is a serious candidate for office is the fact that the mainstream media (remember what the media has corralled the American public into believing) distrusts and calls Ron Paul "un-American".
- G B Verde
It's Time to Give Marijuana a Hollywood Makeover
Michael Mazzola from Tujunga, CA - 01/06/2012 - 05:35 pm
It is common for proponents of marijuana legalization to emphasize the dangers that tobacco and alcohol pose to human health. Thanks in large part to marketing efforts in the first half of the twentieth century these substances do not carry the same stigma as marijuana; not even tobacco, which has been aggressively campaigned against for decades. We as marijuana rights activists should not concern ourselves with bringing alcohol and tobacco down to the level of approval that marijuana endures, but rather concentrate on rebranding marijuana as mainstream, with a flare of sex and sophistication. Marijuana needs a Hollywood makeover and fast.
We accept alcohol and tobacco partly because we’ve all admired someone who drinks and smokes. In a world that has romanticized booze and cigarettes for centuries, through film, poetry, literature and legend, many of our greatest role models are remembered as inveterate smokers or drinkers. We do not, however, hold our nose at these associations, but rather regard Freud’s cigar or James Bond’s martini as inseparable extensions of their greatness. We collectively indulge in an unblushing nostalgia for these vices, largely because they were branded so well and effectively marketed as strengths, not weaknesses.
Tobacco smokers disregard science and common sense because cigarettes still impart this lingering romance. Opponents of marijuana legalization will similarly pay no heed to any scientific clarifications until marijuana has been branded, romanticized, and sexed up like Bogie and Bacall. In short, we need new role models, heroes like Steve Jobs, who proudly credited his use of hallucinogenic drugs for igniting his creativity. Hollywood still hesitates to depict marijuana users honestly, insisting rather that pot smokers wake up in Guantanamo Bay or get slain by an axe-wielding maniac, so this new direction begins with us.
Americans are singularly preoccupied with success. Anything that can hinder success—drugs, taxes, debt—is automatically evil. Marijuana is frequently accused of extinguishing the fires of ambition, robbing users of their fair shot at the American dream. For millions of Americans, this is more heinous than any other supposed side effect of cannabis, whether they consciously realize it or not. For marijuana to be broadly accepted and legalized, we need successful men and women, self-made entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors, people who not only live but exemplify the American Dream of wealth, abundance and self-reliance, to endorse marijuana as a conduit, not enemy, of creative productivity. These individuals can be real, like Steve Jobs, or fictional characters of Ayn Randian proportions.
Rebranding cannabis in this way—as heroic, romantic, even sophisticated—is a fully achievable goal worthy of our time and energies. For legalization to be realized, marijuana users must shed their reputation for being unproductive and uncreative (i.e., unprofitable), especially in a fledgling worldwide economy. This starts with how we present our selves and ideas, and, most importantly, which stories we choose to tell each other. If we can keep our opponents’ biggest objections in mind, then these changes will flow naturally into what we do and say, and we move closer to social and legal acceptance.
Tobacco and alcohol endured a spirit of prohibition, emerging heavily regulated but not illegal, because their positive economic and cultural associations outweighed their perceived danger. Instead of trying to jealously dismantle this model, marijuana proponents must embrace it, for the mythology and romance we build around marijuana is more persuasive than any doctor’s note could ever be.
I Can't Vote For Ron Paul
Lol from Albuquerque, New Mexico - 01/05/2012 - 06:43 pm
Gary Johnson has worked for drug policy reform for many years. He makes compelling, reasoned arguments for dismantling the violence-based prohibition that we live with today. He is fiscally conservative, and served New Mexico well as governor. Gary had the stones to step away from the GOP, an out-dated entity that completely silenced him. Why did they do that? Because he makes sense, he's his own man--and he could win. He is now a candidate for the Libertarian nomination.
Ron Paul does not strike me as someone who is honest. If he was unable to properly control his publications, and avoid printing racist material, how could he run an entire country of more than 300 million?
We need to end political parties in the U.S. (As we know them.) In the current system, more reasonable voices are excluded, in favor of people who can be bought. Gary Johnson has moved away from the constricting grasp of the GOP. He respects my rights and my freedom. If he is nominated, he has my vote.
