Parents Its 4:20 Do You Know What Time It Is?

Today is 4:20 day, and while the day usually goes by without a mere hint of what some people will be doing in groups out in parks and other locations — the big news is that now the paranoia and fear of getting caught partaking of the what was once called the evil weed has somewhat subsided in some states due to the decriminalization and legalizing the use of marijuana.

For some it was a rite of passage, it was a time when you realized you were adult enough to make that leap into the world of vague haze and euphoria with each puff of weed you took from a power hitter, bong, or joint. Even though in 2015 some of us may feel freer in lighting up in public, we have to realize that marijuana still remains stigmatized in the general public and this is where it hits a huge fork in the road.

Years ago the use of marijuana headed off in two directions — medical and recreational. But the argument for legalization or relaxing the laws is different for each.

Medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are very different conversation.

The establishment had made a huge stride is renaming marijuana for those who wished to use it for medical purposes. The idea of calling it “grass” or “weed” or “pot” in the medical field was not appropriate and so according to medical officials the proper name for it should be Cannabis, the name of its plant genus.

Using the word cannabis gives law makers and doctors that ability to categorize it as a schedule1 drug. Cannabis can now be defined as a substance “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.”

Making cannabis a schedule 1 drug puts it in the same drug groups as heroin, ecstasy and LSD. But various trials have shown cannabis can be effective in treating multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, epilepsy, intestinal disorders, glaucoma and pain.

The unfortunate thing is that since it is a schedule 1 drug and still has its so called bad reputation it becomes harder for scientists to get grants in order to test its effectiveness and other medical benefits.

That is why it is important that we change the category of the cannabis to a schedule II drug.

This puts it in the same class with cocaine, amphetamines and prescription pain relievers, all of which are defined as dangerous drugs, but ones that have medical uses. Doing that would enable more researchers to conduct controlled clinical trials to determine which compounds in cannabis work for which conditions.

The reason we don’t see a landslide unanimous view on the benefits of pot is based in all of the vague language and lobbyist propaganda that have plagued the movement to legalize for many decades.

Some of the choice talk against the legalizing of it recreationally is that the language used to discuss marijuana has been deliberately vague. There are words like “users will use it recklessly if not monitored” or “it has a high potential for abuse.” This puts up red flags where people have to wonder “Does abuse equal addiction?”

Well, probably not because throughout my life I was taught in school that it certainly wasn’t physically addictive, but it can be psychologically.

Rats don’t self-administer the compound in a lab, it’s virtually impossible to fatally overdose on the drug, and the physiological effects of marijuana withdrawal, if they occur, are far milder than those experienced by chronic amphetamine, alcohol, nicotine or opiate users. Put another way, if “abuse” means “addiction” then cigarettes should be Schedule I, not marijuana.

The problem has always been the observed cognitive effects of marijuana and how it dulls the senses and relaxes inhibitions, without flares and kicks that happen with alcohol.

Potheads eat a lot and laugh at stupid jokes. They kick back and watch Sponge bob square pants, or it makes them more productive or creative. For cancer patients with nausea. Pot smoked or eaten gives them an appetite and it balances the over medicated feeling that comes with the use of synthetic opiates.

This begs the question if pot damages the brain and if the damage is enduring and that “smoking dope” permanently impedes learning and memory.

There are some studies that back up the idea if pot is given at an early age, but later it has been found that the drug puts people in a positive mood, which opens doors to creativity and better brain function, sexual drive, and overall satisfaction.

It doesn’t matter if it’s pot, chocolate or great sex — those substances or experiences that put a smile on our face can also increase the powers of the imagination, at least when solving particular creative problems.

Colorado began allowing the sale of recreational marijuana on January 1, 2014 to anyone age 21 or older.

Residents can now buy marijuana like alcohol — except the cannabis purchase is limited to an ounce, which is substantial enough to cost about $200 or more.

It’s a big moment: Colorado became the first state in the nation to open recreational pot stores and became the first place in the world where marijuana will be regulated from seed to sale. Pot, by the way, is the third most popular recreational drug in America, after alcohol and tobacco, according to the marijuana reform group NORML.

Voters wanted this. And the law is now in the Colorado constitution after 55% of voters said yes to legalizing recreational marijuana. Colorado wasn’t the only state to OK this in November 2012. Voters in Washington also said yes and so did Voters in the state of Oregon.

Retail weed will have a 25% state tax — plus the usual state sales tax of 2.9% — making recreational pot one of the most heavily taxed consumer products in Colorado. Some communities are adding even more taxes to the product.

The additional revenue will initially amount to $67 million a year, with $27.5 million of it designated to build schools, state tax officials say.

Federal law says the drug’s possession, manufacture, and sale is illegal, punishable by up to life in prison, and its mass cultivation is a sensitive subject among growers, experts say.

The U.S. Justice Department said it won’t challenge Colorado or other states with laws legalizing recreational marijuana. Instead, federal officials will focus on serious trafficking and keeping the drug away from children.

The federal government still takes the position technically that you’re violating federal law if you’re complying with the state law.

It all becomes too confusing. In most cases Federal Law trumps state law. The conflict between state and federal marijuana laws is likely to continue and ultimately require resolution, possibly in a decision by the Supreme Court.

Basically, the legalization of marijuana means you can’t be arrested, ticketed, or convicted for using marijuana, if you follow the state laws as to age, place, and amount for consumption.

However, you can still get arrested for selling or trafficking marijuana if you aren’t following state laws on licensure and taxation. For example, black market marijuana is still sold in Colorado despite legalization and is still illegal.

Marijuana has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Since 1996 when California started the trend, almost half of the states and DC have legalized medical marijuana. Typically, there are limits placed on the number of ounces of marijuana and marijuana plants that can be owned. A few states, including Connecticut and Massachusetts, have a 30-day or 60-day supply limit, which can vary by patient.

Washington legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 1998, before legalizing recreational marijuana. The statute clearly spells out the compassionate intent behind medical marijuana legalization and states the limited medical purpose of the law:

Qualifying patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions who, in the judgment of their health care professionals, may benefit from the medical use of cannabis, shall not be arrested, prosecuted, or subject to other criminal sanctions or civil consequences under state law based solely on their medical use of cannabis, notwithstanding any other provision of law.

Often in the legalization of medical marijuana, certain agricultural exceptions for pot growing are included in the law. This is important because if it was still illegal to grow marijuana or supply a store with it, then a sick patient would have difficulty obtaining the drug.

As an example, Illinois is in the process of developing a medical cannabis pilot program, which includes cultivation licenses for farmers.

To be clear, decriminalization of marijuana is not the same as legalization of marijuana. Decriminalization means that a state repealed or amended its laws to make certain acts criminal, but no longer subject to prosecution. In the marijuana context, this means individuals caught with small amounts of marijuana for personal consumption won’t be prosecuted and won’t subsequently receive a criminal record or a jail sentence. In many states, possession of small amounts of marijuana is treated like a minor traffic violation.

The Obama Administration has made it part of their policy, although unofficially, to neither indict nor raid dispensaries and growers of medicinal marijuana. While this is encouraging, it is a tenuous hope at best. Just because the Obama Administration has not made it a priority and put focus on other issues within the nation does not mean that a future administration could reverse course and begin a hunt to take on the medical marijuana movement.

Since the “War on Drugs” began back in the 1970’s the United States has spent more money fighting this than any other moral social expenditure. We have created a system of imprisoning more people than all other nations on the planet — combined! The vast majority of our prisoners are in jail due to the harsh sentences imposed by the “war on drugs.” In fact, 1 in 8 prisoners is in prison because of marijuana. And the disparity between blacks and whites receiving sentences for marijuana is also sadly depressing.

But Congress may have finally begun a stage of waking up from decades of failed policy. As stated above, tucked in the newest budgetary act, Congress approved a measure to legalize all the creation, distribution, sales, possession, and use of medicinal marijuana.

All 50 states are affected by this measure. This does not mean that medicinal marijuana is effective immediately in every state. The states must first ratify at their own legislature the passage of medicinal marijuana in order for the process to begin. Currently, there are 32 states that have medicinal marijuana approved. The remaining 18 states need to realize it’s time to catch up and put this horrible legacy of imprisoning our population behind us.

Even though the smoking of pot is becoming less of a crime, how is it doing on a social level and does the population have a sour view of those who smoke it?

The time of decriminalizing may be off a bit, because the hippies of yesterday are getting too old to care about it, the generations after the boomers use it occasionally, and the generations after may see it as something that is as annoying as a cigarette burning in a public place.

Time will tell if anyone in the future will care what time it is at 4:20 every April 20th.

Text – Check out Ground Zero Radio with Clyde Lewis Live Nightly @ http://www.groundzeromedia.org