“Wow!” That was my first thought after watching the trailer for an upcoming National Geographic Explorer entitled Marijuana Nation.
I’m keen to reply to the oft ask question ‘why is cannabis is illegal?’ that if we have a watchdog press regarding cannabis prohibition rather than a lapdog press, there is little doubt in my mind that substantive reforms occur quickly–not over decades, which is what the general pace of reform has been when otherwise intelligent, critically-thinking journalists parrot the government’s propaganda, thereby mis-educating (in some cases, regarding some media outlets, outright misleading) the citizenry who rely so heavily on what is supposed to be verified and credible information.
While having not seen the entire product, if the trailer of NatlGeo journalist Lisa Ling’s commentary is an indicator, I’m greatly looking forward to viewing Marijuana Nation on National Geographic at 10PM (eastern/pacific), Tuesday, December 2.
Ms. Ling has covered the war on some drugs as a total-hands-on-journalist (a rarity these days!) from virtually all angles, from Colombia to Compton, and her personal commentary regarding what she has seen (i.e., aghast at the high level of military-style domestic law enforcement for cannabis) and believes regarding America’s cannabis prohibition laws is Murrow-esque.
when will people realize that weed is a PLANT that god gave to us to use as we see fit.There are so many uses for Hemp, not just medically, but commercially and industrially, that evan local gov’ts can profit from to help expand employment other than the wasteful law enforcement.Why should the back alley peddlers and corrupt politicains make money on something that grows as easy as a tomato plant.LOOK at all the RESPONSABLE citizens who have lost jobs just becuase they may have burned once, in the last two weeks, at home, on thier own time with absolutely NO effect to their daily responsabilities of their employment. Besides, if alcohol could be legal (which is responsable for more deaths in general, ie: highway crashes, family abuse and domestic voilance) and gov’t makes their pluck on taxes, why not cannabis? I personnally know CEO’s, bankers, medical professionals, and privite business owners that who use cannabis on a somewhat regular basis who are at the TOP OF THEIR GAME. It is about time that the older, misguided leadrshipopen their eyes to one of America’s most absurd laws on record. As medical professionals study and find more uses and no subsequant proof that it is truly harmful in any way………….JUST IMIGINE A MORE PEACEFUL WORLD WITHOUT ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMNET AND TRAFFICING VOILENCE, WOW, THAT IS WHAT WE ALL NEED.
LEGALIZE, NOT DEMORALIZE.
I am not the criminal that society makes out of the user, besides, cannabis is the only drug that you DO NOT have to “process” to become the drug.
LET UNCLE SAM GROW IT IN HIS WONDERFUL STATE PARKS………………….
WHERE IS SHE COMING FROM?
Today, December 5th some bars and taverns are celebrating the 75 year anniversary of the 21st amendment. That was the one, where after 13 years America had realized that prohibition does not work and in fact creates more problems than it can ever be hoped to solve. The country decided to end prohibition and instead controlled and taxed a substance just a few short years earlier to be considered evil enough to warrant an amendment to our constitution. Yet to this very day we have an in fact prohibition against cannabis and after a long 71 years since the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act we as a nation still have our collective heads up the all American Ass when it comes to pot. Despite the fact that 13 States now have laws allowing medical marijuana and a portion of other states have defacto decriminalized possession of small amounts, the federal government is stuck on stupid and the main stream media has either their heads stuck in the sand or are deliberately following stage management from special interests and government operatives. The latter is not too far fetched when one considers the scandal when “Drug Czar” Barry McCaffrey got exposed that he had made deals with the TV networks to incorporate anti drug messages into programming. OOOOOOPS!
That preceding part was written in advance to post to my cannabis blog on the 75 year anniversarty of the 21st amendment to our Constitution. Then, a couple of days ago the local ABC affiliate WLOS from Asheville, North Carolina was reporting on a pot bust in the neighboring county. A couple was charged with “manufacturing” pot and arrested. How in blazes do you manufacture a plant??? George Orwell warned us of new-speak. Drugs are manufactured, and even though marijuana is a harmless herb, in the new-speak of America’s so called main stream media this plant gets manufactured to make it sound more like the other truly harmful drugs such as meth, et al.
That gave me an idea. I e-mailed Ms. Courtney Ward of WLOS who did the report the following:
To: cward@wlos.com
Sent: Thursday, December 4, 2008 12:32:51 PM (GMT-0500) America/New_York
Subject: potbust
Dear Ms Ward,
I noticed an absence of fair and balanced in your reportage about the potbust. There are many arguments to be made in favor of legalizing cannabis for adult use. While I agree and admit to it’s current status as an illegal drug, you as many could use this as a segway to investigate the failed war on drugs and start with a fact and science based argument. If you have the time, may I suggest Lisa Ling of “The View” fame and her National Geographic’s expose ” Marijuana Nation ” to be replayed Sat. 12-06-08 on the NatGeo channel at 7PM Eastern.
With our economy in the tank and our jails overflowing, isn’t it time to start a fact based and open dialogue?
The numbers for Michigan’s Medical Marijuana ballot initiative should give a hint.
-2008 MICHIGAN ELECTION RESULTS-
MEDICAL MARIJUANA (YES) 3,008,980 63%
MEDICAL MARIJUANA (NO) 1,792,870 37%
BARACK OBAMA 2,875,308 (57%)
JOHN MC CAIN 2,050,655 (43%)
-MICHIGAN COUNTIES WON-
MEDICAL MARIJUANA (YES) = 83 (100%)
MEDICAL MARIJUANA (NO) = 0 (0%)
BARACK OBAMA 48 Counties (57%)
JOHN MC CAIN 35 Counties (43%)
The public is ahead of the curve and it starts to show in the polls
Prohibition isn’t working and there are plenty of reasons to change our 72 year, failed policy on both medical as well as recreational use. The tax benefits and the roughly 25 billion of tax dollars on jail space alone, as well as the reassigning of priorities and going after the real problem drugs such as prescription, meth, cocaine etc.
NORML is a good place to look, as it has a vast library of information. We need to assess the way our tax money is spent to special interests and the pandering to certain ideological segments of society, when popular attitudes are suggesting the need for an even handed and unbiased approach to the drug problem.
Greg Williams”
Here is Ms Ward’s response:
“Mr. Williams,
The story I reported was fair and balanced. The purpose of it was to report the facts (i.e., what happened, when, where, who was involved, where they are now)… and to further the story from yesterday… and I did that.
The goal of THIS particular story was to inform the public about a marijuana bust… not to delve into whether marijuana should be legalized.
I hope you see where I’m coming from. Thank you for your comments.”
Sincerely,
Courtney Ward”
That last part was a bit of a puzzler, so I replied to her reply with this:
“Dear Ms Ward,
Thank you for the prompt reply. I am a bit puzzled by your statement: “I hope you see where I’m coming from.” I really don’t see where you are coming from. Could you be more specific?
Thanks,
Best regards,
Greg Williams”
Here is Ms. Ward’s answer to this last query :
“Mr. Williams,
What I meant by that is what I’d stated in my last e-mail…. that the focus and purpose of the marijuana bust story that I did yesterday was to let people know about what happened…. not to get into the various marijuana sub-topics.
Sincerely,
Courtney Ward”
Maybe the absence of an answer to my question as “to where Ms. Ward is coming from” speaks for itself. What better segway on the eve of the 75 year anniversary of ending prohibition on alcohol was there than a pot bust, which could have been used in opening the long overdue debate on cannabis. The good people of 1933 only took 13 years to learn that prohibition doesn’t work and the abandoned those futile efforts. Yet after 72 years of wasting our tax money and no headway at all in the war on truly dangerous drugs, we the taxpayers are forced to spend 25 billion dollars annually on incarcerating non violent pot heads alone! The simple fact that those addicted to meth, cocaine etc have true addictions, something impossible with cannabis, and even they are locked up. How retarded is that? Addiction, whether drugs, alcohol, gambling or other addiction is a medical problem. It’s a disease! When will this nation wake up and reassess their priorities and approaches to problems? An unbiased and open media would be nice to start the debate. But since we “don’t know where they are coming from” that debate has to wait and more lives will be destroyed and more billions of our tax dollars wasted on the un-winnable war on drugs. Other countless billions of potential tax revenue and jobs are lost before they can be created. My country’s leadership and my nation’s Main Stream Media are a joke. They neither represent me nor do they talk to me or for me. I refuse the incessant propaganda and lies perpetrated by both.
As for you Ms. Ward, maybe you’d like to explain on this forum “where you are coming from”?
Didn’t like it. There was subliminal messaging I believe, in particular the music. Very negative doom and gloom music, the same kind used by propagandist politburo types begging for your support to continue the WOD. While there was a night and day difference between the heroin and meth episodes, do you think that placing the show between the two was the best thing? May be ups and downs, I don’t know. Maybe after 32 years of hearing propagandist bs I just want something polarized in my favor.
Rick Steves (of PBS European travel fame) did an HONEST (commercial?) program about responsible use by adults as well as medical. But you probably haven’t seen it because the media outlets refuse to air it. It was filmed here in Seattle, and it still doesn’t even air here (although you could find it on demand if you knew to look for it already!). After the news station took his 100,000 dollars to produce it, they refused to air it. They said they were a “family channel” and were afraid of what the FCC would say. I bet they didn’t have that same problem airing the “hey let’s get stoned and play with my dad’s gun” bs.
Rick Steves interviewed persons of substance and had a forum of intelligent persons. Natgeo had flashy pictures and a sophomoric presentation of the issue.
If I could have Obama actually sit and watch one film about cannabis, it would be Rick Steve’s.
John D. Podesta just announced yesterday that they (Obama and his team) will actually be reading everything in their blog on change.gov about ALL issues. Also all docs and info in regards to organizations they meet with and what they are meeting about will be posted on their site. change.gov
it certainly looks like Obama may bring the change we all have been looking for we just need to step up to the plate and show him and his team that decriminalization and taxation is the only way to go when it comes to the war on drugs.
It’s time to organize, like many other groups of citizens we have to fight for our rights as free people!
What if everyone that uses marijuana went to Washington D.C.???
I’m from Australia. I wish we could get opur laws changed here too.
i’m tired of being niggerized because of my medical choices. yes, i know exactly how offensive that word is, but what makes it so offensive is the condition it describes, i.e. being persecuted, legally, for what i am and being denied my constitutional right to equal protection of the law
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Wow, after seeing this (slanted) “documentary” I just don’t see how so many of you thought it would help our cause???
I am with #43 L. Sellers and #54 Anonymous. There were only a few segments that gave cannabis its just due. Even the chosen bits of the woman with cancer made her look like she was giddy over the high she was about to experience rather then focusing on bits that showed the seriousness and life extending features of her medicine.
I’m sorry but I was NOT impressed with this piece like the majority of you. However I was glad to see a piece on cannabis air on such a heavily watched channel like Nat Geo even if it wasn’t balanced to my liking.
As of right now there are only 3 comments on the Nat Geo Blog for this piece. Understandable since it was difficult to find where comments could be made.
Make a comment on the Nat Geo site here -> http://ngccommunity.nationalgeographic.com/ngcblogs/explorer/
2008/12/marijuana-cultivation-on-public-lands.html#comments
I do not use marijuana, but at the same time I think it should be decriminalized and/or legalized. It is such a waste of our tax monies and it causes much grief in families of those who are affected by it. Not only do we have to provide housing and health care, the NA programs they provide on the inside to marijuana users is so lame and useless. Our whole system is screwed up. It is not only about the money, but about having control of our lives.
i watched it and it was like watching an angel be made
Ms Ling and NatGeo provided an interesting look at cannabis. Was totally a pleasure watching the program.
Reminded me of Humbodlt County.
Great work, NORML
Ne