Why I am so interested in cannabis.. Legalization.. Etc

March 26th, 2010 | By Reverend

I think I have probably stated this several times.  But I like to make it very clear that my intentions for calling for cannabis legalization is not just a one dimensional reason.  I would like to recap on some of the parts of my determination to fight for cannabis legalization.

I can tell you that from the time I was a young teen I used cannabis to cope with stress.  I am not encouraging teen use, but I have a lot of years behind me that I have used cannabis for one thing or another.

Some times I have used it for stress/recreation (like drinking a beer).  Some times I have used it for medicine.  Some times I have used it for meditation. I find that it is very beneficial to me if used in moderation.

But knowing that it is beneficial to me is not the only reason why I fight for legalization.  I also carry a burden from childhood of when I got arrested for cannabis possession, and it screwed up my life not to mention took about 8 months out of my life during incarceration. 
I had only ever been arrested for possession of small amounts.  Less than a 1/2 oz.  But I served some real time.
After getting out of jail and moving on with my life, I was denied the ability to serve the country I was born in for military service.
Unlike my father and grandfather I would not be serving, based on multiple possession charges.

After serving all that time, paying thousands and thousands of dollars in fines, and being denied military service I finally am living a normal productive life.  However, during those times between incarceration, and times when I could have been serving in the military, I was on public assistance, and I was a great cost to the community for a time.  I was homeless for almost 3 years because of my choice to use cannabis as a teenager.

I do not want my children to ever be violated in such a way, for doing nothing more than possessing a harmless plant!

My kids could go into any grocery store at any age and buy a bottle of aspirin, and no one would think twice about it.

But the problem is that even though you can buy aspirin, you can not buy cannabis even if you are an adult (in most states).

According to the CDC aspirin//anti-inflammatories last year killed 7500 in America due to an over dose or complication.

Yet also according to the CDC (center for disease control)  it is reported that no one died last year from a toxic side effect of marijuana.  There were absoutely ZERO overdoses from marijuana.  Which is funny, because according to a government survey over 40 million people used cannabis last year.  Thats a lot of cannabis consumption and yet no deaths.

People should not be persecuted for using a G-d given plant!

There is also the issue of my family roots.  Back in the 1850′s my family ventured to the Americas from Wales to farm.  My father had a farm, my grandfather had a farm, and his grandfather had a farm. 
To me it is VERY important to allow our farmers to farm hemp!   It is an offense against the farming community in America to prohibit farmers from growing hemp.  We can import and distribute hemp, but we can farm it?!  That is stupid!

I am now importing hemp to my new business  (The Emerald Sun  www.emerald-sun.com) the cost of a hemp shirt is 3 times the cost of a cotton shirt, reason being is because we can not farm hemp locally!

Lastly and maybe least important to most but very important to me, is that I suffer from ‘cluster headaches’ that I believe are brought on by a condition that distorts blood vessels, sometimes making them thinner to irregular.  I think my condition is  Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)  http://www.vhl.org/aboutvhl/ ).  The cluster headaches I get are best described as feeling like I got hit with a frying pan.  I lose vision, hearing and I experience intense sharp pains in my brain.

Marijuana works to expand my blood vessels much like glaucoma patients experience.  The relief is almost instant, it is long lasting and it leaves me with no undesirable side effects.  My alternatives leave me with horrible, hard to live with side effects.

I depend on cannabis to get me through these headaches.

Washington, we support I-1068

Sign I-1068 at our shop in Spokane.

www.emerald-sun.com

Feds make it clear. Marijuana patients aren’t criminals

October 20th, 2009 | By Reverend

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Is it true?  Well, Im celebrating anyway.  Where’s my stash?!

See this article @ MSN

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33376482/ns/health/?GT1=43001

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/us/19holder.html
They have said this before, and I truly hope that they have come to the conclusion that the 10th Amendment is a principle our country is founded on, and that the Bill of Rights apply to all people who are citizens of this nation.  They need to respect states rights, as the courts have ruled many many times.

After all of the problems in Spokane as of recently, and of course what has been going on in California, I am skeptical but I will never give up hope to regain our freedom and liberty in this country!

Overgrow the government!

Kudos To The Supreme Court

May 20th, 2009 | By Michael

This is the first report I’ve received of a court system denying a case to outlaw medical marijuana.

In California, two counties, San Diego and San Bernardino, wished to exclude themselves from the law requiring them to provide citizens with medical marijuana cards.  Their case stated that the medical marijuana law in California was preempted by the federal law banning the substance.  The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, thereby ending the appeals process.

A decision in the Supreme Court would have decided whether states can legalize medical marijuana while it is still illegal on a federal level.  Wasn’t there something in the constitution that gave us that right? hmm.  Finally it’s the prohibitionists that are being shut down.

Marijuana has become an integral part of every states political standpoint, and fortunately our voices are slowly spreading across the nation.  State by state, we’re taking over and no one can stop us because state by state, people are realizing the ignorance of enforcing laws against marijuana use.  Science is finally beginning to outweigh propaganda.

Freedom of Relgion, and freedom of religious sacrament

May 15th, 2009 | By Reverend

For many years now I have been a devout follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I have dedicated my time and resources to preach the gospel and to take my part in the Great Commission of Christ.  In 1999 I gave my life to Christ as a result of a unique, personal spiritual experience that I had while praying on the side of the road in Deer Park WA.  In 2001 I wrote my biography which was inspired by this spiritual awakening.   I was inspired to write a lot of poetry after that, and had it published on Poetry.com in hopes to inspire others.

I love to write and I love to inspire others.  But what I have enjoyed most is serving others.  After giving my life to Christ, I volunteered for a number of homeless ministries that I was once a regular client of while I was homeless.  I volunteered with these ministries because of how much people blessed me while I was homeless.  I wanted to inspired other clients of these ministries and show them the love that Christ and His church showed me.  I completed several trainings, and I served whenever I was able.  It has been a great blessing to me to be able to serve others.

In September of 2002, I spoke at a Southern Baptist convention about the loss of my brother, who lived in the most depressed state in the nation, Utah.   My brother’s death was a result of depression, and anti-depressant medication that he was prescribed, and I had a burden on my heart to try to reach those who were hurting, and who couldn’t speak out about it because of the fear of rejection by the Utah culture.  I wanted to be the mouth piece for those who couldn’t speak, like my 16 year old brother who lays in a grave in Spanish Fork Utah, completely voiceless now.

Now I have another burden on my heart, which is for the cannabis plant which I enjoy as a religious sacrament.  I feel that our freedom of religion in this country has been hijacked by the government and the DEA.  I believe that those of us who use cannabis as a sacrament as Moses and Jesus did in the days of old are persecuted unjustly and that our civil rights get violated when we are charged with crimes in relationship to our holy sacrament, cannabis.

Gensis 1:29

I have heard it from religious folks and nonreligious folks that they do not believe cannabis was used by Biblical prophets.   They laugh at the thought of it.
But this is not uncommon, humanity has a knack for ignorance and I am no exception.  When I first gave my life to Christ, I gave up using cannabis for 7 years.

I had given up cannabis until I developed a vesicular anomaly that causes my sever headaches called cluster headaches that come on strong and fast, and that no prescription medicine has been able to relieve in anyway.  With these headaches I sometimes go blind, and I get a loud ringing in my ear.  It completely destroys my senses for about 30 minutes and the pain brings tears to my eyes.  One toke off a spliff instantly relieves this pain and this drastic symptoms, with no ill side-effects.

I tried Imitrex and Midrine before trying cannabis and all that those medicines did was make me feel ill and give me nose bleeds.
When this problem started we lived in Washington state which has passed many decriminalization measures for marijuana, and I tried some.   Instant relief as I described.  It was amazing, no nose bleeds, no stomach aches, no yucky feeling, nothing.  I just felt better, and happier.  The only real side effect that could be considered negative, was I felt hungry and got what people call “the munchies”.   I was sold, and start the process to get my medical marijuana card in Wa.

After that I started questioning whether this would conflict with my faith, and what I found was amazing.  Moses used cannabis in his anointing oil.  This is found in non-marijuana using Rabbi’s writings.  I have wrote about this several times before on this blog.

http://xcannabis.com/2008/09/cannabis-in-the-ancient-annointing-oil-moses-to-jesus/

Exodus 30:23 Fragrant Cane, or Cane of Bosom, or Sweet Cane is translated in several Hebrew Dictionaries as “Cannabis”.

See Roger Christy from the THC Ministry (Hawaii)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaiKSWKzjdc

I have also spoke about Jesus and His resistance to state and religious laws which forbid certain food and certain eating practices:

http://xcannabis.com/2008/09/cannabis-and-religion-2/

Now what I have found recently is quite amazing.

See this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xvf42scU2U

And read this about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Freedom_Restoration_Act

Our religious rights are protected!

The NJWeedman proved this when he practiced his religious sacrament on federal property in New Jersey.  He was arrested, he was man-handled, he weed was taken.  But the charges got over turned.  Not once, but 3 times!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaCw1j2RqxA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrGah9enZRQ

If you are a Christian, Jew or Hindu the use of cannabis your religion goes back thousands of years!

Ever wonder why Indians can use Peyote but no one else can?  Because it’s a religious sacrament.

Is Idaho ready to legalize marijuana?

May 14th, 2009 | By Reverend

On May 13th in the “Boise Weekly” there was an article ran about the 300 person crowd at the state capitol for the “Global Marijuana March”.

Ref:  http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A323768

Legalizing marijuana in Idaho

This news couldn’t be better.  I only wish that I had been there.  What an inspiring and wonderful event that I will regret missing for the rest of my days I imagine.

I have been saying that Idaho will legalize marijuana next, becoming the 14th state that legalizes marijuana in some way.  But I think I am wrong about that, because Missouri will be next it looks like.   But we have a proposal for a 2010 bill from an Idaho representative:

Here are a few clips from the “Boise Weekly”:

Then Ryan Davidson, a “Ron Paul Republican” and marijuana activist from Garden City, announced through the bullhorn that Moscow Rep. Tom Trail plans to introduce a medical marijuana bill next year.

——————

Since 1996, voters have favored ballot initiatives removing criminal penalties for growing or possessing medical marijuana in Alaska, California, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. State legislators in Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont have passed medical marijuana laws. On Nov. 4, Michigan became the 13th medical marijuana state and Massachusetts’ voters decriminalized personal possession.

———

In an article found in the Washington Post, the current White House drug czar (former police chief of Seattle Norm Kerlikowske) explains that the White House will be changing the current US drug policy to a harm reduction policy instead of a punish and destroy the product policy.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124225891527617397.html

I am amazed and proud of the brave citizens who took to the streets on May 2nd in Boise:

The Worldwide Marijuana March drew more than 300 demonstrators to downtown Boise on Saturday, May 2. Offering peace signs and garnering many supportive car honks, the marchers moved slowly under scattered showers along Capitol Boulevard to the front lawn of the Idaho Legislature.

On some of the local blogs that I go to, I have been told that Idaho isn’t supportive of marijuana legalization.  But after considering how Hailey Idaho has twice legalized marijuana (not just medical, but recreational as well), and how this proposal has been through the capitol a few times, and seeing how four of our neighors on Idaho’s border have legalized marijuana in one way or another.  I think legalization can be clearly viewed on our horizon!

Join NORML and lets start an Idaho NORML chapter!     www.NORML.org

Twitter this blog posting

A spring of protesting in the Zion Curtain

May 11th, 2009 | By Reverend

Last month marked a new showing of support for marijuana legalization in South East Idaho.

There have clearly been a lot of support throughout the rest of Idaho for Marijuana legalization.  Including Hailey Idaho which have twice passed a series of initiative that we passed by the voters of the city, and despite that these initiatives were overturned, one thing is clear and that is that Idaho, like four of our neighbors (who have already legalized medical marijuana) is ready for legalization.   Right now these four neighbors have at least legalized medical marijuana; Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Montana all have legal medical marijuana laws.  Oregon and Washington have gone a few steps further by decriminalizing simple possession in many areas of their state.

I am calling for marijuana reform in Idaho, and I am putting everything I have behind this movement.  If you would like to join up with xCannabis in Idaho and form a NORML chapter, we can start getting even more work done.

Visit  www.NORML.org to join NORML.  If you would like to broadcast your pro-liberation (of marijuana) message on xCannabis, then join the conversation!   You can now upload your own videos directly through xCannabis.  Just write a post, and at the bottom of the posting page, there is an option to upload a video.
You can upload a new conversation topic or opinion, or you can upload a response to someone else’s video.

< use this button when writing or editing a post to leave a video comment.  You can use your webcam, or you can upload a new video, or even select a youtube video to respond with.

Let get this conversation fired up!

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