Written by Christopher Meyer | 6:28 pm on December 23, 2011

In all of the discussions that take place about marijuana’s role in our society and in our culture, recreational versus medicinal use of cannabis is often at the forefront of the conversation.

A recent Gallup poll showed 50% of Americans support legalization while 70% support making cannabis medically available.

What is the important difference for the 20% of those who favor making cannabis available medically, but do not wish to give access to adults? What about cannabis recreation is undesirable? Is there ever a time when cannabis use can be both recreational and medical? (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 10:05 am on December 17, 2011

Some lies become so loud and pervasive they hold more command than the truth.

A little harmless make believe is well and good, but when delusion engenders violence, and when such imaginings destroy lives and economies those lies must be stopped.

Not by accident do these ideas remain popular opinion. Mechanisms of our government, industry, and news media work to perpetuate these myths throughout the world.

Supporters claim they operate for the good of the public, but in fact spread propaganda aimed at appealing to emotion and fear, rather than logic and rationality, and the result is a public that has formed their opinions while seeing a fearsome falsehood sold as reality. (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 10:54 am on December 12, 2011

Attorney General Eric Holder was grilled on Thursday by the House Judiciary Committee. Directly confronting Justice Department policies concerning the regulation of medical marijuana, Representative Jared Polis asked questions which most concern the medical marijuana industry as it teeters between state and federal law.

Each of the 3 topics that Polis asked about received essentially the same answer. The simple message is this: Given their limited resources, the Department of Justice will not make it an enforcement priority to prosecute medical marijuana providers that are acting in conformity with state law.

You may be thinking that the medical marijuana community is breathing a sigh of relief, but this presents no drastic change in the official policy of the Department of Justice, and there is not sign that marijuana will disapear from federal view any time soon. (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 6:07 pm on December 3, 2011

We trust our health to doctors. They have a position of stature and respect. Unfortunately that trust is manipulated by a healthcare system which focuses more on profit than on well being, and the repercussions of this neglect manifest themselves in public policy, politics, and in our own bodies.

Data from a study conducted between 1999-2004 by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicated that accidental poisoning was second only to automobile accidents as the listed cause of death. What’s shocking is the amount of increase for prescribed drugs.

‘Rates for drug poisoning deaths increased 68.3%, and mortality rates for poisonings by other substances increased 1.3%. The largest increases were in the “other and unspecified,” psychotherapeutic, and narcotic drug categories.’

How is this allowed to happen? It is a common misconception that the FDA actually tests the drugs that it is charged with approving. In fact, clinical trials are performed by pharmaceutical companies themselves and the data is passed onto the FDA for approval. This situation is the epitome of a potentially lethal conflict of interest. (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 10:17 am on November 26, 2011

Political candidates shape themselves to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Appealing to emotions, the hot topics become issues about which people have very strong opinions.

No matter what level of public service, every elected official must attempt to assess the wants, needs, and opinions of their constituency in order to appeal to the greater share.

Since morality often creates the strongest opinions, subjects that are seen as criminal, unwanted, or improper such as socialism, Islam, and ‘illicit’ drug use will generate bad press for a candidate if they advocate for them outspokenly. Such press will harm their chances of being elected. (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 1:35 pm on November 16, 2011

If you will allow me, I would like coin a term for systemic prejudice that is both governmental and popular among many citizens. This particular phenomenon, while it is often painted as justice, is in fact a form of discrimination unbefitting a country that presumes to call itself free.

Cannabisism – A belief or doctrine that cannabis and its users are inherently inferior to those who do not choose to use cannabis and that cannabis and its users should not have the same rights other drugs (alcohol, tobacco, Vicodin) and their users have.

Discrimination can take many forms. The common element is an antagonistic feeling towards a particular group or category of people. Such antagonism has been fostered in America for decades towards those who use cannabis, be it for medical reasons or as part of their lifestyle. The result is a systemic prejudice against cannabis and its users that now encroaches on the most basic civil rights.

This sort of prejudice isn’t new in the USA. A group of citizens are systematically stripped of their rights and powers because a trait is perceived as undesirable. It would certainly be a grievous mis-judgement of scale to compare the criminal prosecution and cultural persecution of cannabis users to genocide or slavery, yet some startling comparisons may be made. (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 10:43 am on November 10, 2011

This blog was nominated for the 2011 Westword Web Awards for categories ‘Best Activist Blogger’ and ‘Best Use of Social Media by a Medical Marijuana Center’. Truly the nomination is an honor in itself. Thank you Denver for the recognition.

I would like to take this occasion to explore the future of such activism and what we can expect from the marijuana movement in the year to come. (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 5:14 pm on November 3, 2011

Last week people showed support for a drug-free world by pinning red ribbons to their clothing. Throughout this country there are fellow citizens who believe, each in their own way, that drugs (you know, like heroin) have no place in our society. An admirable, albeit misguided, cause.

The term ‘drugs’ includes too much to bear the dream of indeed having a drug-free world, the battle cry of those with the red-ribbon. ‘Drugs’ can include anything from alcohol (not leaving anytime soon) to meth (probably should be done away with).

It’s not that I doubt their intentions. Addiction has many forms, and many are destructive, but other sorts of addiction, like eating, are quite beneficial. The grey area between track marks and drinking coffee is something that should be left up to individual choice.
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Written by Christopher Meyer | 12:57 pm on August 14, 2011

Consider the recent death of a teenager in jail who was arrested for marijuana possession after being stopped for not having lights while riding his bike at night, and take it as an example of myriad other tales of ruin that have come as a consequence of the war on drugs.

With this in mind, I will be exploring how the marijuana movement is representative of much more than just fighting cannabis prohibition.

This is the first part of a many part series investigating the many facets of this theme. Now, let us explore how the prosecution of cannabis users and producers has played a part in the lives of Americans. (more…)

Written by Christopher Meyer | 7:29 pm on June 21, 2011

Almost imperceptibly the change began taking place, but marijuana is entering the mainstream conversation in ways that it hasn’t in the past.

Even the recently crowned Miss America is on board with medical marijuana, and Miracle Grow wants to produce nutrients for the industry.

With many influential politicians and public policy makers becoming outspoken about the failure of the drug war, other countries are beginning to notice (like in this simple New Zealand story), and whether you are for or against marijuana, it is undeniable that buzz about cannabis is everywhere. (more…)