UNCLE G on LEGALIZATION! WE CAN DO IT!
Uncle G’s Corner
June 2012
# 18
Topic: Legalization — We Can Do It
How depressing is this? Such a slap in the face. A reality check to our immortality. Cannabis icon Tommy Chong recently came out with the news that he’s been diagnosed with Stage One Prostrate Cancer. Mr. Chong said he first experienced symptoms of the cancer about eight years ago while in jail after being found guilty of selling drug paraphernalia. While he no longer smokes marijuana today, he does consume hemp oil at night that he says helps him combat wooziness.
In an interview Tommy did with a news cable channel, Tommy said:
“I’ve got prostate cancer, and I’m treating it with hemp oil, with cannabis,” said Tommy Chong, 74 years of age. “So legalizing marijuana means a lot more to me than just being able to smoke a joint without being arrested.”
Condemned prisoners, as the story goes, get a last meal wish before being put to death. Some pick out some pretty far requests. I always liked reading about the ones who made it simple; a sandwich and a beer. Don’t you wish someone like Tommy could be granted a wish? Not a last one. The World needs Tommy Chong. His desire to be able to use cannabis without being harassed isn’t even that outrageous of a request. Same ballpark as the simple sandwich and a brew also. It’s easier. The answer is plain and clear – legalize.
Everything has value. Marijuana is worth billions. Making its users safe from legal prosecution would not mean all the sudden Mary Jane wasn’t worth a cent. It’d be a new commodity. The biggest change regarding the money would be the people it went to. Bennie the marijuana dealer on the corner would take a hit. At the end of the day he might have as much cash as he used to when pot was illegal. The man would still stay in business. Modify his services a bit. Maybe work for a licensed delivery service? Bennie will still get a slice of the pie, but in a different way.
Medical marijuana, in my opinion, is never going to fully work. Users are still going to get screwed. Perhaps not so much as they are now. I predict an over abundance of red tape. Different States will have different definitions. Same goes for laws affecting licensed users regarding making a living. Even with having ‘permission’ users are now failing drug tests that put them at risk of losing the way in which they provide for themselves and their families. Nothing is going to be uniform doing it that way. Lawyers will get richer. The more complicated, the better for them. Making pot legal levels the playing field. The BIG plus…giving adults like Mr. Chong total access to this miracle plant.
Legalization clears up a lot of headaches. It would save A LOT of money also. That’s a very good thing in a poor economy. Taxpayers would be happier knowing their hard earned money would be now going to something other than destroying the lives of those associated with the plant. States would lose all cash from marijuana busts. With cannabis legal, they can now do the same they do with gasoline. Put a tax on it. The money just rolls in after that. Say it’s for the children. Just don’t get that carried away. Say I could buy a 10 pack of joints for fifty bucks. Now add a 5 percent sin tax. All they do would be to collect. The States going this route would not grow, or in any way do anything associated with the actual weed business. I repeat, all they do would be to collect. What’s five percent of a billion dollars? Ten percent and Bennie might make a few more bucks. A fine line to walk, much like other things. Greed will destroy.
OK, so you still have a deep seated problem with a weed that never did any harm to you. Think of it like beer, but less harmful. Beer is legal to anyone over either age 18, or 21. It was legal for me to drink alcohol when I turned eighteen. Had my first legal drink at the Squan Tavern in Manasquan, New Jersey. My Dad owned it at one time. The beer I drank was symbolic of being an adult. In all actuality, I was nearly an alcoholic by that time. I knew by turning eighteen that I’d finally stop getting harassed when I all was just trying to, was buy a damn six pack. Yeah I was underage when I did a lot of my drinking. I was basically living an adult life since I turned age sixteen. As I said before in before in previous Uncle G’s columns, I worked hard and played harder.
When pitching legalizing marijuana, I’d recommend right off the bat coming up with legal definitions. This means I could still buy from Bennie. The dude won’t have to be as cautious as he was before when worried about having to pay large fees, and/or jail time for getting caught selling me a forty dollar bag. But it would also mean that I could cop my pot from the corner drug store. They would have a better selection of weed than Bennie. It would be a comparison of drinking homemade wine or buying a bottle up the street from Bennie’s dad who works a full time job as a clerk at a liquor store. Adults could make the choice without any fear of bad shit happening to them whatsoever. I would still buy off Bennie, and use the drug store up the street as my back-up. See…it’s that simple. One logical voice could get us there. Or we could coat-tail off legalizing gay marriage and legalize marijuana right behind it. The rest of the Country would ignore certain things I’m sure, should these two no longer be just behind closed doors. More than half the Country could agree on that. The numbers needed to make the change who agree are there. In four years one could always vote Republican if just feeling guilty of selling out. If we could just have a clear understanding. A good speech could do that at a certain convention…getting ahead of myself. Something I can possibly touch on next month. Sorry y’all…..till next time.
In Solidarity,
Uncle G
Note: You may contact Uncle G, in care of this website: Ganjagrannysez@greenribbonworld.com
or try contacting him directly at: UncleGsCorner@gmail.com
PS (Post Script):
01.) Our Website: Please take a moment and sign our guest book / petition. Much appreciated.
02.) The main purpose for writing this every month is so people can read about cannabis in a more positive, and sometimes humorous fashion. If enjoyed, don’t keep it a secret. Make like a joint…provide the link…..and pass it on.
Thank you !!!