St. Patrick’s day and the rising of the Emerald Sun

March 7th, 2010 | By Reverend

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From Sensible Washington:

Hello Spokane 1068ers!

This was the first full week on the campaign trail, and you came out with a bang! Volunteers covered the Bus Plaza, Riverfront Park, bars, concerts, the Courthouse, and a door-to-door neighborhood canvass. We came very close to reaching our weekly goal. And we got a federal judge, a deputy prosecutor, and a high-ranking city official to sign the petition.

This is what the end of Marijuana Prohibition looks like.

But it won’t come without a fight — we need to prove we’re serious about ending the injustices. Anything short of a weekly show of our strength means our opponents can write us off as “just another stoner cause” without enough motivation to get the job done.

This Saturday, prove them wrong at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Spokane!

Parade starts at noon on the 13th, so come early to get the crowd beforehand.

Or if you can’t make it, join us at the other scheduled events below. Your area coordinator will get in touch to invite you to come gather signatures with other volunteers, and s/he can provide you with petitions and the info you need to collect signatures legally.

If we all pull in at least 40 signatures a week through July 2nd (two hours a week) we can end the harassment, surveillance, property seizures, court dates and trials for the decent people who choose marijuana — whether treating an illness or blessed with health.

And please — turn your completed petitions in to your area coordinator weekly. If you don’t know your area coordinator, please reply to this email or call 723-9965.

Thank you all, so much, for all that you do!

-Renata

Signature Events!
Grab a clipboard, some pens and some friends –
this is the quick & easy way to get your 40 sigs a week

Sunday, March 7

12-3 pm: Plaza/Downtown/Riverfront Park. Call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

Monday, March 8

9-11 am: Courthouse in courtyard of Public Safety Building. Call coordinator Dave T. for more info: 570-762-4114
12-2 pm: SFCC signatures. Call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

12-4 pm: Plaza/Downtown/Riverfront Park. Call coordinator Matt for more info: 209-0575

Tuesday, March 9

12-4 pm: Plaza/Downtown/Riverfront Park. Call coordinator Will for more info: 723-9779
12-2 pm: SFCC signatures. Call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

6 pm – Spokane Chiefs vs Kelowna Rockets at the Arena! Meet at the corner of Boone & Howard – call coordinator Will for more info: 723-9779

Wednesday, March 10

12-4 pm: Plaza/Downtown/Riverfront Park. Call coordinator Will for more info: 723-9779
12-2 pm: SFCC signatures. Call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

Thursday, March 11

12-4 pm: Plaza/Downtown/Riverfront Park. Call coordinator Will for more info: 723-9779
12-2 pm: SFCC signatures. Call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

7 pm – Bar Night! (Wander to Knitting Factory at 919 W. Sprague to catch the crowd for Janus concert) – call coordinator Shayna for more info: 998-3158

Friday, March 12

9-11 am: Courthouse in courtyard of Public Safety Building. Call coordinator Dave T. for more info: 570-762-4114

12-4 pm: Plaza/Downtown/Riverfront Park. Call coordinator Matt for more info: 209-0575
12-2 pm: SFCC signatures. Call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

6 pm – Spokane Chiefs vs Kelowna Rockets at the Arena! Meet at the corner of Boone & Howard. Call coordinator Will for more info: 723-9779.

7 pm – Bar Night! Meet outside Dempsey’s Brass Rail, 909 W. 1st, branch out from there. Call coordinator Shayna for more info: 998-3158

8 pm – Gonzaga Strip (Bulldog Tavern on Hamilton @ Sharp) – call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

Saturday, March 13

***Give your signature totals to your local coordinator by the end of the day today. If you do not know your coordinator, write to sensiblewashingtoneast@gmail.com***

11am-1pm – ***St. Patrick’s Day Parade!*** ALL HANDS ON DECK! Meet at Pavilion entrance at Riverfront Park and get all the supplies & info you need. Call coordinator Renata for more info: 723-9965

7 pm – Bar Night, St. Paddy’s Day Edition! Meet outside O’Doherty’s, 525 W. Spokane Falls Blvd – call coordinator Shayna for more info: 998-3158

8 pm – Gonzaga Strip (Bulldog Tavern on Hamilton @ Sharp) – call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

Sunday, March 14

***Your local coordinator needs your signature totals. If you do not know your coordinator, write to sensiblewashingtoneast@gmail.com***

12-2 pm: Main Market Coop, 44 W. Main Street, call coordinator Will for more info: 723-9779
12-3 pm: Plaza/Downtown/Riverfront Park. Call coordinator Nick for more info: 389-8275

–
Renata Rollins
Eastern Washington Field Director
Initiative 1068 – Sensible Washington

www.SensibleWashington.org

Fan us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Sensible-Washington/250965900741

Friend us on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/sensiblewashington

We’re on Twitter too:
http://twitter.com/sensiblewash

Updates for Sensible Washington on I-1068

February 28th, 2010 | By Reverend

Hello Fabulous Spokane Activists!

You’re reading the first weekly volunteer newsletter alerting you to upcoming events that are rich signature-gathering opportunities for us! A campaign coordinator will be on site at every event with extra blank petitions, so if you’re a first-time volunteer you will be in good hands.

Expect a follow-up call soon from your local coordinator. S/he will invite you to attend at least one event per week so you can contribute regularly toward the Eastern Washington goal of 80,000 signatures before July 2nd. S/he will also be your contact for turning in completed petitions and getting new blank ones.

If every volunteer turns out for one or two events per week, we will make it on the ballot!

The success of I-1068 is up to you. The only question left: What will you do to repeal Prohibition and stop that knock at the door for good?

Bring a clipboard/cardboard, some pens and a friend — and come to this week’s organized events to find out!

Renata  =)

–
Renata Rollins
Eastern Washington Field Director
Initiative 1068 – Sensible Washington

www.SensibleWashington.org

Fan us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Sensible-Washington/250965900741

Friend us on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/sensiblewashington

We’re on Twitter too:
http://twitter.com/sensiblewash

Drug Tests Are Wrong – Here’s Why

February 11th, 2010 | By Brenda

In this country, it has become very popular for companies to require drug screening as a condition of employment. You’ve seen the “This is a drug-free workplace” signs, I’m sure.

This is wrong, wrong, wrong!!!

No company has the right to control what it’s employees do in their off-time. No matter how much the pay. Period. End of story.

But there’s more.

Let’s give an example. Cannabis cannot be measured with a drug test. The metabolite that is released when THC is metabolized by the body is what’s tested. This metabolite can remain in the body for as long as 30 days.

If a person is drug tested, and has consumed cannabis within the last month, the test will turn up positive. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is impaired today. All that means is that the person consumed cannabis within the last month or so. Big deal.

Why should any employer care what it’s employee did last month? The employer should only care about what’s going on with this employee while they are on the clock.

And yes, I’m a nurse. So you can imagine the outcry it would cause if I turned up positive for cannabis during a drug screen.

But you know what? Using cannabis last month does not make me impaired today. I have worked with nurses who come to work hungover. That’s impaired. And on the clock too. What happens to these nurses? Typically, they are sent home “sick.” They are not sent to pee in a cup and face the loss of their job. Basically, it’s a chuckle, chuckle, nudge, nudge, don’t do that again, see you tomorrow.

Why? Because alcohol is a legal drug. And a lot more harmful than cannabis, thank you very much.

I am sick and tired of being discriminated against just because my medicine of choice is illegal. Actually, the ONLY thing wrong with cannabis is that it’s illegal. It doesn’t hurt anyone. Never has, never will.

So, until I find a nursing facility that looks at the truth instead of falling for the lies about the “evil devil weed,” I won’t be working as a “registered” nurse. Period. End of story.

And that is very sad. Because I am an excellent nurse.

And guess what? The last “excellent nurse” you met was probably a cannabis user too.

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Cannabis – Canna-business – and activism

February 5th, 2010 | By Reverend

I got reprimanded today by another stoner in a chat room.

I just created a new way to ’spread the herb’ which is via  http://SLU2.com

SLu2.com is similar to TinyURL.com, TR.IM, and Bit.Ly.

I put 2 or 3 links up at  http://stash.norml.org and asked people to help me test it.

This is the response I got:

@xcannabis, I guess I don’t see a reason for me to change to slu2.com. For one thing, tr.im lets me track hits on my links. Are you tracking hits with yours? And just what do you track? Sorry, but other than in here, I don’t know anything about you except that you’re trying to drum up business. Sortof everything you do is a little spammy.

I respond and say:

@ ******, my site SLU2.com does everything that TR.IM does. One thing that I do that TR.IM doesn’t is that I support NORML with $$. I also organize and attend pot rallies. Do whatever you want. But TR.IM does nothing for law reform.

The entire reason that I am starting these cannabis businesses, is not because I am needing more things to fill my already busy schedule up.  I’ve made enough money each year for the last 4 years that my wife has not had to work, and our bills still get paid and our life is still comfortable.   At one time my wife brought home the bacon.  But due to some good investments and a lot of hard work, I am able to take care of my family without needing a two income family anymore.

I didn’t NEED to start a few cannabis businesses, other than  wanting to be able to contribute more to the cause.

By starting these cannabis related businesses, I am able to donate more money to several of my favorite causes which are all cannabis related.

Last year we donated thousands of dollars between several orgs.
NORML, HempFest, Cannabis Culture and BongTV.

That money came right out of our pockets, and with no material benefit to us what-so-ever.

This year we have created several cannabis businesses and we are starting to advertise them.
We will do all of the same donations to the same orgs as we did last year, but this year we are also adding High Times, and possibly Treat Yourself Magazine.

I couldn’t give nearly as much money to these orgs, if I wasn’t getting something in return.  Meaning I advertise with these groups,  it fuels their agenda and it fuels mine.   This isn’t a take/take relationship, this is a give/take relationship.

Further more.  I am employing people, renting a business location, advertising with several businesses, and paying taxes in my cannabis related business and I am not even selling weed. 
This is all complimentary to the cannabis movement.  It goes to show that cannabis business is good business, it’s good for our whole community and it shows why cannabis can be legal and legitimately fix our economy and restore freedom at the same time without causing mass crime, etc..

I am a business man.  So the best way that I can contribute to the cause is by business.  When I post a link at NORML, or Cannabis Culture, or BongTV, or any of the other sites that I go to, I pay for the advertising.  I don’t just take without giving back.

So the question is.  What do YOU do to help the cause?

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Giving thanks!

December 2nd, 2009 | By Reverend

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I am so grateful for the support and bravery of so many cannabis soldiers out there!  Today we have 1044 members at Cannabis For Cancer.   http://Cancer.xCannabis.com We hit 1000 member on November 30th 2009!

brain cancer and cannabis

My dad and my grandma on my dads side both died from horrible cancers.  My dad had Glimoblastoma brain cancer, and my grandma had a variety of aggressive breast cancers.  She was a great fighter too!   But cancer being cancer, tore them both apart.

I am so thankful that with today’s research on cancer, that we are beginning to find our that marijuana is a cure and treatment for many types of cancer.

Ref:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0CAmiv5wyA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68dM1HsZzuE

I so very much wish cannabis would have been rescheduled before my dad and grandma died.   New research on the cannabis plant is amazing.  There is so much to be found.

I was missing my dad today, and it made me think of one of the reasons why cannabis legalization means so much to me.

Medical Marijuana Spokane (copyright 2009)

There are so many medical benefits, it’s hard to list them all.  But I can tell you that even if my father and grandmother were allowed to use cannabis, and it didn’t cure them.  They still would have lived happier, healthier and more fulfilling days of their lives.

Cannabis is used for many to counter nausea.  With AIDS and cancer patients it increases appetite tremendously.  I watched my grandma and dad shrink down to nearly nothing.  Its hard to eat when there is poison attacking your body.  Cannabis is known to increase appetite.  Sometimes even jokingly, when talking about stoners getting “the munchies”.  It just makes sense.

So lets support our loved ones who may someday have cancer, and in memorial of those who have died of cancer.  Lets make this the time in our country that cannabis is rescheduled appropriately, and further studied and used.  It is my opinion, that just about any other standard medication you can take is more deadly than cannabis (since cannabis toxic side effects have never been known to kill anyone).  Its safe and effective medicine!

Is marijuana activism about money?

December 1st, 2009 | By Reverend

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I got so mad today when I was posting on a blog today and the blog owner/moderator person edited my signature (which linked to this site, but just text no actual link), and removed an entire post about how cool the new (free) dispensary software is.  He wrote me and told me “gotta pay the pony if you want to advertise here”.

I got a little pissed first about the signature, because it leads to xcannabis.com  and we are truly a no-profit/not-for-profit entity.
Just like  BehindZionCurtain.com which I have owned for 9 years and NEVER have I sold ad space on there.  Never will.  Same with UtahPirateRadio.com.   Those sites are things that I dont want polluted with money and transactions, etc.  BehindZioncurtain.com gets over 35,000 visitors per month, and over 100,000 page views a month.  At least that was the averages from last year.   But I have no intention of commercializing those sites.

I hope someday that xCannabis.com will pay for itself.  But that day may never come, and for over a year now, I have sunk thousands of dollars building and advertising this website.  Plus the countless hours driving and protesting all over “The Zion Curtain”.  But I do this because I love it.  Not because I expect to make money.

Making Money with Marijuana

I looked at the ad prices for this site (these numbers may give it away for some); $500 to $20,000.

I thought to myself  “I would much rather advertise on CannabisCulture.com or NORML.org”.  I mean both those sites get a high amount of traffic, and at least I have saw those people around.  Plus their advertising is way less expensive.

I have never heard of this particular website ever before in my life.   However they are wildly popular (probably because of how obvious and clever their name is).  Its so obvious, it would be like looking for a shoe, and typing in the word “shoe” in google.   You would find were looking for.  Its that obvious.

But anyway, I wrote the guy back and I got a little snippy with him.   Telling him, that Im just too poor to advertise after a big year of protesting, and contributing time and money to marijuana law reform.  His prices are too much.  And, my “product” is free.

But then I realized “I would love to make money with marijuana myself”.   The thought of using this wonderful plant to sustain my life and the life of those around me.  To me that is beautiful.  Just the idea.

So I can’t hold it against them too much.  I just wonder why they are so popular, and I’ve never even heard of them.  After 15 years of going to shows and rally’s, why have I never saw this website, or this person?    They don’t seem to support any of the major political activism groups, or any of the festivals like HempFest.

Or maybe I’ve got it all wrong.    But I can understand wanting to make a profit off of this market.  And that’s a good thing.  If our culture is making legit money from marijuana in some way.  I think that is 10 steps forward in our movement.  Which is why we are utilizing our skills to build and strengthen cannabis businesses.

Good job cannabis businesses, thanks for all you do!

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American Drug War Economics

October 21st, 2009 | By Reverend

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This video touches close to home.  I was one of those millions of people who served time, and lost everything for merely possessing (not selling, growing, etc) a HARMLESS plant.

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Utah Freedom Rallies – Legalize Marijuana

October 12th, 2009 | By Reverend

Today October 12th 2009 and tomorrow October 13th 2009 are the xCannabis Freedom Rallies in Utah.

In Provo on October 12th at 2pm at Fourth District Court, and in Salt Lake City on October 13th at 2pm at Salt Lake Federal Court.

To watch the streaming video live, use the media player below to view the rallies live! Better yet, come help out!

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Footage from the Protest In Spokane for Dispensaries

October 6th, 2009 | By Reverend

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This is the footage that I got from the Inland Northwest NORML website from the protest in Spokane regarding the closing of 7 medical marijuana dispensaries in Spokane:

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Provo Utah and Salt Lake City Utah Protests : Media Release

October 4th, 2009 | By Reverend

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Revered Ryan from xCannabis will be holding two rallies in Utah.

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