Get Over It

Oregon legalized cannabis last November. Prior to that momentous event, dispensaries were finally legalized, giving businesses already operating the ability to do so legally. It’s interesting when states legalize in some fashion. Cities think it means that they can still do as they please, preventing laws passed from the normal implementation that any other laws enjoy. Those who voted for these laws or worked to get them passed feel duped and ripped off as they see all their efforts stymied by attitudes that have no basis in fact.

Medical cannabis laws were the first to come into existence, but mostly providing only personal access. So patients had to either grow their own, or have someone else grow it for them. Legal dispensaries never seemed to be allowed for. Oregon passed our law in 1998, with various revisions and updates over the years, but only recently did dispensaries become approved. I always thought dispensaries were legal in California, but now I’m not so sure. It’s like the proverbial carrot on a string. It’s legal, but you can still be arrested. It’s like they gave patients enough rope to screw themselves over.

Oregon’s Legislature allowed cities to impose a year’s moratorium on dispensaries from opening and now that legalization has taken place, they’re still trying to figure out a way to do an end run around the law. I read today that Hillsboro, a city near Portland which already has a moratorium banning dispensaries in place, is trying to continue its circumvention by narrowing further the areas in which these businesses can open. At this point, it appears that little if no space will be available to them. There is only one city in Central Oregon that allows dispensaries and it will be interesting to see if any of the surrounding towns will continue their idiotic attitudes or finally look at the facts and stop all this nonsense. Time will tell if their machinations will succeed, but honestly, all of these histrionics are so unnecessary.

Washington State is trying to sort out recreational outlets versus medical outlets. Patients are at risk of losing their dispensaries in that state as some loud voices are trying to eliminate dispensaries entirely, folding them into the recreational market. At one point last summer it was also rumored that federally supplied water was to be cut off from cannabis farms.

You know, this all comes down to one thing. A long time ago, some idiot with a profit motive decided that hemp and cannabis wouldn’t increase his income as much as other things would, so deals were struck and hemp and cannabis were suddenly illegal. Just like that. Then the propaganda machine went into overtime and suddenly smoking cannabis became synonymous with jazz music and women having sex with black men. Trust me, the only time I’ve ever experienced any reefer madness was when the dog got into my stash and spread it all over the carpet. I don’t even get the munchies. Never have. Then, as people continued to ignore the propaganda and use cannabis anyway, the medical community was used to come up with things like growing man boobs and sterility to further control the masses. Notice how it all centers around men?

And then they went after parents and children. Oh my goodness. Parents watch as their children suffer endlessly with no cure in sight. They’re threatened with incarceration and removal of parental rights just for trying something, anything, to heal their precious child. Never mind that cannabis saves the lives of children with cancer. Never mind that cannabis stops seizures and controls rage in autistic kids. Never mind that anyone suffering (and suffering doesn’t even BEGIN to describe it) from PTSD finds peace and balance using cannabis. Never mind that it helps alleviate inflammation and pain. Never mind that it eases glaucoma. Never mind the truth of it all.

So here’s some truth.

Cannabis is safe to use, whether as medicine or to relax with. It’s cousin, hemp, should be a daily dietary staple. It contains more Omegas than just about anything and hemp hearts are bland enough to be added to smoothies, soups, stews, or toasted on salads..really it can fortify anything. The milk made from it is amazing and is so much better for people than cow’s milk.

Medical laws didn’t spring up all over the country to give hippies the ability to smoke pot. They were enacted to give people an alternative to regular medicine. Cannabis users have known forever about the medicinal efficacy of this plant. Why wouldn’t we want the truth to come out? It’s not about using it to get high. It’s about using it in some fashion to survive whatever illness we have. Can you just imagine the number of people with cancer who might have lived normal, healthy lives, instead of the alternative had they had cannabis as a treatment option?

Big Pharma is salivating at all the money to be made from cannabis; however, it still appears that we do a better job in our kitchens making our own medicine than anything synthetic can achieve. Which is how it should be anyway. It’s rather sickening to think that after all of the lies told, and all the lives ruined in the process, that some corporation can make a killing while we all suffered for so long.

Cities need to relax and enjoy the tax revenue cannabis businesses will generate. Opponents will eventually understand that their beliefs were based upon lies. If they don’t want to use cannabis, then don’t use it. No one says they have to. They just can’t lie anymore. And I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think we all deserve the truth for a change.