High – pot – cricy!

On a recent trip to the west coast of the United States, I had an interesting experience.  Now, for some of you who may live in California, this may not come as a surprise to you, but I believe there are plenty of people, who, like me, actually thought that medical marijuana was being prescribed by actual doctors and not a guy in a green suit and rollerblades.   I know, I know, call me naive, but I thought there was truly some degree of legitimacy in the whole medical marijuana debate.

Okay, I knew, of course, there was going to be a tremendous amount of fraud accompanying the legalization.   What I did not expect was that the government of California would simply turn a blind eye to it.  I mean, how does code enforcement allow the “Pot Doctor” to put up a sign that says, “get your green card for $40” on his shanty right next to the water pipe store?  Really?  Really?  In my disbelief, I did not notice what type of store was on the other side of the Pot Doc’s place.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a Doritos store!

All right, it is too easy to make jokes about this, and I can easily get off track from the point I am trying to make here.  When I turn on the news and hear a story about a state considering the legalization of marijuana based on the “medical need” argument, am I to believe that they are actually considering this as a compassionate alternative for those who are ill and may benefit from the main chemical in pot, Tetrahydrocannabinol?

This is the point of this blog and I am going to keep it really short.  California legalized pot on the basis of its usage being for medical purposes.  If that is their stance, they should not allow it to be sold and marketed to anyone walking down the Boardwalk in Santa Monica.  Now, if they legalized it for recreational use, then they should have defined what that is and how it can be marketed.

I was walking on the Boardwalk with my wife, my stepson, and his father, when we were approached by the esteemed doctor on rollerblades.  He nonchalantly put his thumb and pointer finger together and brought them to his lips, “You guys need your card?”  Mind you, my stepson is only 19.

After my shock of what had just happened wore off, I started to watch the Horticulture M.D. , realizing I was watching partially because the addict within me was flabbergasted that it was that easy to get pot nowadays.  When I was actively using drugs, we had to be way more covert in our attempts to “score.” But I was also curious to see if he was interacting with families with smaller children, and although I cannot be sure he was, it sure looked that way to me.

I haven’t been to Colorado since they have changed the law, but you can bet that I will be sure to notice the culture the next time I am there; however, I feel it is a little different in Colorado.  The people have voted and said they were in favor on a recreational basis.

I don’t have anything against legalization of pot.  What I have a problem with is the amount of hypocrisy that surrounds these landmark decisions.  I know this is ridiculous to suggest, but just be honest, politicians, you are in it for the money.  You spent more than you took in, people are resisting you raising our taxes again, and you need to be creative.  First it is gambling, now it is drugs, why don’t you just fast forward 20 or 30 years and make the sex-trade business legal now?  This way, you can spend us further and further into debt oblivion.   Just be honest with us, then do the job right and keep the drug-pusher — oops, I mean the “good doctor” out of my family’s face while we walk the Boardwalk and enjoy a nice sunset and some beautiful weather.

(Kevin McCormack, C.A.d, is a certified addictions professional. He is a recovering addict with 26 years of sobriety. Kevin is a practicing auriculotherapist, CWG life coach, and interventionist specializing in individual and family recovery. Kevin will be co-presenting with JR Westen at the CWG on Recovery Path to Peace retreat in Medford, Oregon, from June 23rd – 26th. You can visit his website for more information at www.Kevin-Spiritualmentor.com . To connect with Kevin, please e-mail him at Kevin@theglobalconversation.com) 

Comments

5 responses to “High – pot – cricy!”

  1. Erin Avatar
    Erin

    Personally, I see the fine print of “The federal stance of Cannabis remains as ‘illegal’.” Which pretty much says that the DEA can close up any & all shops & docs at whim. Can’t wait for the guano to fly when they get a bud-bug up their buns!:)

    I’m guessing you & JR have had many an interesting conversation relating to this subject, yes? 🙂 I highly suggest not taking the fam to vacay in Jamaica if the Calif. ‘deal’ really bothered you guys. heehee!

    Truth up front, this was the best idea intelligent wonders of leadership could contrive to gain assets through, & control of, something (anything) that previously did not provide such…much the path that alcohols & tobaccos stumble on. And Mother Nature just giggles more.

    I bless this plant being every day. It’s many varieties encompass this planet from jungle to icecaps…with good reason…They calm many ills quite effectively, and not just for humans. Each variety has it’s own properties to support many occasions, from medicine to food to entertainment to clothing, roping & paper goods, & neutralizing free radicals. And ya gotta give it kudos for involving itself so heart-fully into human existence to begin with. Persecuted, preserved…loved, hated…burned & grown…OMG! What humans haven’t done to these beautiful beings since discoveries of them…much like dogs & horses…or anything else we get our opposable thumbs on.

    Again, personally, I do not support the ‘legalities’, but rather Amnesty/Freedom of both people & plant (& creature)…Our humanity has no ‘right’ to exploit or persecute another lifeform…period. Just sayin’. 🙂
    I’m sure you’ll have ‘fun’ with this subject…:)

    1. Kevin McCormack Avatar
      Kevin McCormack

      Hi Erin,
      Thanks for your take and your artistic writing style. I must admit, I had fun writing this article more for the obvious and supple amount of synonyms available to spice up the writing. A good friend pointed out that I missed the golden opportunity to use “bad seed” in my article and I was saddened about that until you gave me the opportunity to use it here in my reply.

      I would support your argument to have zero restrictions on the use of the plant life, yet I would at the same time support our law makers in creating the rules for usage and distribution.

      As a society we are not able to use common sense when it surrounds mood and mind altering chemicals. Protecting our children from predators that pedal the drugs to anyone with enough money to buy them is a top priority in my mind.

      I always come back to the science of addiction when these topics come up. Addiction is a disease that we are born with the potential for it to overtake our lives. Too many children have been innocently become addicted by the majority of people not understanding what triggers the disease.

      Smoking pot may be all well and good for one person and another may be off to the self medicating race to the ultimate end for and addict, jail, death, or recovery. Institutions used to be part of that but humans as a species couldn’t seem to drum up enough compassion to run said institutions without abusing the patients to such a degree that the government finally said screw it let them all out and fend for themselves.

      Now we all see the results of that on the streets damn near every day. Oh boy did you get me going!

      1. Erin Avatar
        Erin

        UGH! Kevin! Now ya got me goin’!
        The only “bad seed” I know of today are those being contrived by a conglomerate of companies, laboratories, & governing wonders…And it’s not actually the man-created seed, but the concept of controlling human food sources that plants “bad ju-ju” all around. The inevitable being that only a few (as usual) will have say in who gets nourishment & medicine.

        You brought up the perfect reason this state of beingness exists…The mass of human society is deemed (by these few self-proclaimed exemptions) incapable of managing themselves, using a common sense…with anything, not just chems…and therefore Must be managed with stringent rules of their affairs.

        In wonder mode, I have to ask, “How can one support freedom while supporting law-making?” idk, Kev…sounds a bit hypocritical, No?

        You have obviously been involved in “the Science of Addiction” for quite some time, so I must ask this of you, as well…”Addiction seems to be psychologically deemed as a ‘forever deal’, ergo, your lifetime is already “over-taken” once you claim such title, Yes? How is it so different to hone our skills of not allowing people to ‘push our buttons’ into former reactive states of angers & insecurities, yet we fear “triggers” from other aspects as if we have no Source to be other-‘wise’?

        Also, I agree that addiction is a dis-ease (although not a disease)…most creatures of this Earth prefer ‘sweets’ if given choice, & become ‘addicted’ if those treats are abundantly available…Who doesn’t enjoy a ‘rush’? However, Nature does not provide this way…nourishment comes & goes…berries only come one per flower per season, else, yes, there would be great dis-ease among many species who only seek to ingest berries, and yes, they would get quite cranky when the time of twigs & root digging comes upon them. Human peeps are no different…although We like to imagine being above & beyond such, don’t We?

        And, If we go by the now law, “only a drug can cure a disease”…How does this ‘help’ a drug addict? The dis-ease of Life caused the original issue, not the drug…sooo, wouldn’t it serve wiser to simply adjust one’s perspective of Life as cure to the issue?

        Nature is the most experienced ‘manager’ of All…she knows her stuff! One of the things She does amazingly is provide balance. To maintain a balance, there is a constant sorting in process…Those who can live well in abundance are kept in-check by famine…the strong survive to keep quality within the specie & maintain themselves as adjustable to change. Although humans admire those of Our kind who strive for & maintain flexibility & strength, We also ‘save’ every one who does/is not. Our quality has suffered immensely for our defines of ‘humane-ity’. However, Nature is posing Her own opts to sort this out for Us…without rules, btw.

        idk, Kevin…This stuff has been “on the streets” long before there were streets. Options of choices of our matters, options within the sorting process of being here. We make mis-takes, are provided re-takes, sooo, I cannot support a psychology or science that condemns one’s lifetime to fear of triggers & stamps their heads with defines of diseases. Naturopathy does not name system upsets…one is no more a cancer survivor than a flu survivor or a splinter survivor or chemical-high survivor…one has a dis-ease within the body, mind, or spirit, and the healing move is to restore one’s ease of being…This, to me, is “common sense”…This is personal responsibility unleashed…and That, to me, is being freedom.

        As far as the children, Darlin’…As parental guardians, we can lead them to knowledge, but we can’t make them think…We can show them consequence, but we can’t make them See…We can be other-‘wise’, but we can only steer in this direction for a short time before they get their own wheels. One alternative, however, is to lock them in the basement, censure everything, feed them only what we deem as necessary for sustenance, but that would be deemed ‘deviant’ & although this makes Our job easy, the youth would be as feral to society, now wouldn’t they? What happens when the adamant minister’s daughters are let loose? Oh, yeah…”Party On, Dudes!” comes to real life, while ‘bodacious’ & ‘sexy-fied’ are provided actual meaning by one…the other scurries back into the basement, hiding from the apocalypse.

        OMG! So didn’t mean to be sooo long-winded here…but let’s discuss the questions further…You’re points of view are interesting & inspiring.
        Namaste’ <3

        1. Kevin McCormack Avatar
          Kevin McCormack

          Well, you just gave me food for my next blog! I’m gonna keep that a secret for right now though 🙂

          As for the children, you are so correct, they must learn for themselves. Our parents taught us about the ills of drugs quite differently than their parents taught them. The thing we owe to our children is to teach them differently. Should I say more spiritually?

          For the point of this article I am going to stay focused on the children although you make some interesting points that I do hope society takes a good look at some day. Laws vs rights vs duh, do better!

          Teach the kids about genetics, then teach them that they have the power. Tell them about right and wrong, how it doesn’t exist! There is only what is there to experience and re – member here.

          Tell them you love them, and love knows no wrong. Teach them boundaries and let them know clearly what yours are. Don’t send mixed signals. Get your own act together. Simple living stuff eh? Well, we all know living isn’t always simple.

          But it is simply perfect in every way.

          Love da Namaste’
          Kevin

          1. Erin Avatar
            Erin

            Sweet…Look forward to your next post, too. 🙂

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