UNITY IN HARVEST-
By: Ron Mullins Sacramento NORML Gen. Mngr.
Harvest season has crept upon us.
With Croptober comes the outdoor cannabis harvest in California which happens
but once a year! Magically, thousands,
if not hundreds of thousands, of so-called “Stoners” show what they can really
do!
In spite of Federal attacks, local
bans, frightened landlords, sheriff's, code enforcement, Child Protective
Services, rippers, thieves, Mother Nature, and the like, the people in the
cannabis community continue to plant, nurture, protect, hide, harvest, manicure,
ship, and market millions of pounds of cannabis every year in this state! This is the miracle of this community, the Cannabis Community.
Think about this. People written off as low-functioning,
unintelligent losers do what many corporations cannot accomplish - without the benefits
of cheats like chemicals, preservatives, harmful pesticides, or an industrial
complex they meet a huge demand and deliver a quality product statewide year
after year. I don’t know a conglomerate
who could crank out a 22.5% THC perfectly manicured flower bud that tastes like
a blueberry muffin - do you?! They can't
do it, even if it were legal. As someone
who is a trimmer (one of the people who delicately manicures the final
product), I proudly can say that WE, the cannabis community, have done it
annually for quite some time. I
personally have never grown marijuana - I can’t even grow a houseplant for some
reason. I have, however, seen my share
of farms; and I do end up trimming a few dozen pounds a year since I became
part of the community.
I have found the cannabis community
to be a productive, vibrant, compassionate community! So maybe we haven't got
the politicking down to a science just yet, and like any community we struggle
between our grass roots identity and becoming part of the capitalist world by
becoming legitimate (and ultimately selling out our souls for profit).
I think we will figure it out. We, the cannabis community, are struggling
with our identity! Is everyone who tokes part of us? Even the profiteers and scammers? I think not.
Every community has a dark element trying to exploit it - pretending to
be part of it. I believe we will someday
rise above that too. I’ve been called a “Pollyanna”, and that’s fine. I will still continue to marvel at this
amazing plant. Whenever I look at a big
sugary bud, I will think of the hard- working farmers, trimmers, dispensaries,
doctors, lawyers, and prisoners of the “War on Drugs” who have worked - and
continue to work - in secret - making this plant a reality, harvest after
harvest!
So the next time somebody tries to
tear down the cannabis community or scoff at the mere speculation that,
somehow, we are organized and will someday accomplish our equality under the
law, remember this: As long as there is
bud out there, the real community exists, creating the magic of this powerful
medicine and sacrificing its lives and livelihood to bring it to you!
Let’s face it. If you're part of the cannabis community, you
are likely smoking a bowl and reading this in the privacy of your home. You are
at minimal risk, even less if you're a medically certified patient. This doesn’t mean we have won. We owe it to the community who brings us this
miracle medicine to create laws that legalize cannabis. We need to take away any legal standing of
the governments and police forces that are still attacking people who grow and
provide safe access to marijuana. Over 21,000 people, in California alone, were
arrested on marijuana charges that involved no other drug, violence, or
offense.
The first thing you can do is go
sign the California Cannabis Hemp Initiative of 2014 CCHI, written by Jack
Herer himself, and introduced over many elections. Canvassers are working hard to gather the
signatures needed to get it on the ballot in 2014. Go to CCHI2014.org for more
info
We may see more than one legalization initiative vying for the Ballot, the Marijuana Control Legalization and Revenue Act filed October 11th and is working to get initiatives on the street before the end of the year in time for 2014
Personally, I fully support all
initiatives; and if both make it to the ballot, we will be doubly sure to
legalize cannabis for adult consumption next year!
On October 22nd 2013 the occupy
movement sponsored a Police Brutality rally at the west steps of the California
state capitol and Sacramento NORML sponsored a cannabis community table. CCHI
signatures were gathered from the over 500 marchers in attendance. Calling itself
“Sac Green Street team”, literature from Safe Access Sacramento, Brownie Mary
Democratic Club, The Human Solution, MCLR, local dispensaries and others was
handed out to rally goers.
Pamphlets were available about
the medical applications of Cannabis, and how to support those attacked by law
enforcement and incarcerated with court support (where people show up in court
to support patients fighting cannabis laws used to prosecute them).
Videos of the Jose Gutierrez beating
were played on a loop at the table. Guiterrez, an activist beaten by cops at
the April 2011 raid on Oaksterdam university in an incident where he was
swarmed and pummeled by Federal Marshals, IRS,DEA agents and others. He was
then charged and convicted of assaulting the officers who beat him. Also on the
Sacramento NORML literature was the story Richard Flor who died of a heart attack
in federal prison on drug charges for providing medical marijuana. And Michael Saffioti, who died in a jail of a
food allergy after turning himself in to officers at the Lynwood police
department in Washington state when officers he complained to accused him of
faking his allergy. Daniel Chong’s story
was also included, the 23 year old San Diego college student forgotten in a
jail cell without food or water for five days nearly killing him
There were many discussions
with the families and supporters there because of family members murdered by
police officers. In many cases suspicion (smell) of cannabis was why the
officers approached them. The crowd rallied on the steps and marched down to
Kamala Harris’ office at 13th and I street where they held a
ceremony and called out the names of loved ones who had been killed by cops, showing
unity, and placed a rose on a coffin with all the names written on.
There were many more police
than I have seen at a typical rally, on bikes and horseback. There were no
incidents of conflict and overall seemed to be a very powerful and emotional
demonstration.
…
The city of Sacramento passed
it amendments to its dispensary ordinance on October first and the changes went
in effect October 31st officially. Dispensaries will be receiving a
letter from the City Revenue Manager, Brad Wasson, sometime soon
laying out what is expected of them. In addition to changing the ordinance to
give more wiggle room to dispensing collectives looking for new homes, this heralds
the end to the nearly 2-year long “Administrative Pause” or, as some called it,
the “freeze”. The city stalled its licensing process out of concern over the
Federal crackdown, and was taking a wait-and-see attitude regarding a supreme
court case in Inland Empire that would decide legitimacy of local ordinances government
medical cannabis distribution. The case found in favor of cities ordinances
last February. So, a mere 10 months
later, they are ready to move forward. Wasson cautioned that many of the
provisions of the ordinance that have been overlooked during the administrative
pause will now be enforced. Wasson would not speculate on what we will see as
far as new collectives opening, but I did request a list from his office. It appears we have 22 open awaiting the next
phase of licensing, 8 in limbo without a potential home or any word on whether
they intend to re-open, and 4 planning on re-opening. The dispensaries
will have until December 14th 2012 to complete their licensing
process under the new amendments.
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