What Makes The Cut?

These are all accounts that show a history of discussing marijuana, cannabis, and/or hemp with some sort of consistency. They may not be entirely all about weed, but they do take up the talk.

Not On The List?

If you’re not on the list, simply contact me via the contact page and let me know of the account that should be added. You can follow AboveTheFlaT, but I can’t promise that will result in a list inclusion as I am stretched pretty thin as it is.  Please note though, that there are a couple rules:

• The account must be somewhat active
• It must contain a little MJ talking
• It must have a profile pic
• No Spam! We understand the need to advertise a bit to make ends meet, but not every Tweet.

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Actually, a ton of things were blocked. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. The funny thing is, I provide services to clients that use these services as a means to promote themselves.

There were also a ton of industry related sites that we refer to and use all the time that we can no longer access. What does this have to do with marijuana? Let me continue and you’ll see.

I called the department responsible for this as well as spoke to several other employees in the company. The general consensus is that this was a blanket-style blockage of many sites in an attempt to prevent any loss in productivity. I pressed further asking if there had been any problems with productivity (I can tell you that my team and another team are certainly on point with productivity). The answer was no. Were there any other problems with people accessing these sites? Maybe personal issues overflowing into work time? Nope.

These sites were all blocked simply because they “may cause an issue.” The software we use for security has these sites in a category that was determined to negatively impact work completion in a corporate environment.

The problem with that logic is 2-fold:

1. Because these sites allow for another channel we use to promote our clients, the blocking of them will in fact reduce productivity. Now, I and my team members can not do their job in its entirity. I’m sure this will be fixed, but we will have to go through several meetings about the need for these sites, and I’m sure it won’t be “fixed” for some time.
2. These sites have been around for a long time already. Facebook and Twitter alone have been around for years. We can track the usage of any given site by any given employee. We know without any doubt that there are no problems with productivity or professionalism so far.

So here we are, blocked from using these sites that have been proven to have a specific need with real benefits, and have had no negative impacts in their recreational use. This is so because of the advice given to us by a third-party that doesn’t have a knowledge of our company and processes specifically. And that, my friends, is how this relates to marijuana.

Marijuana has been used for thousands of years with proven positive effects. From medicinal to recreational, there have been tests after tests to show a real benefit.

As for recreational use, we know that those who use responsibly don’t cause any problems, and usually abide by the laws of the government, including paying taxes. These are people who have full time jobs, go to school and take care of their families.

Those points aside, marijuana is illegal due to a perceived, baseless threat to society. Usually, the studies and reasons for marijuana prohibition are attributed to people who haven’t actually done any research themselves, but have the ability to make blanket decisions.

In the last few hours I’ve spent at my desk observing the impact of the recent blockage of access to these sites, I’ve seen morality hit a dangerous low. I’m watching, right this moment, an employee blatently shuck some of his responsibilities in a misguided attempt to “stick it to the man.” I don’t beleive this is the proper way in which to handle the situation, but it is still a direct result of the action taken by the company. This too reminds me of the state of marijuana in our country.

When marijuana was finally prohibited, we see an increase in crime and violence surrounding marijuana. And, like the response to the employee trying to fight the system; regardless of the obvious cause of violence by the prohibition and not the drug itself, his productivity will be blamed in a round-a-bout way on social sites like Facebook.

It seems that Facebook is the marijuana of the Internet. At least in my company. And though the owner of the company will go home tonight to update his status or put another video on YouTube, the blockage remains.

Interesting indeed.

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I give to you my open letter to our politicians requesting a real discussion.

If you aren’t living in Florida you’re lucky enough to be in a state that isn’t so far behind the times that you often wonder if the rest of the country even takes you seriously (”CHADS” anyone?).

We have some of the harshest laws in regard to marijuana use and possession and it’s mostly thanks too the politicians in our state.

The Laws

In Florida, possessing anything over 20 grams is a felony. Admittedly, I am not too sure how much that is in regard to amount of smokeable substance, but I did okay in Math and Science, and the hair on my head weighs more than 20 grams (I’m bald).

House Bill 173

During the 2008 Legislative Session, a law sponsored by Senator Steve Oelrich from Gainseville and Representative Nick Thompson from Ft. Myers was passed as House Bill 173. It was officially signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist soon after.

Now, to be fair the law targets the cultivation of 25 or more plants with the intention of distribution. 25 plants is a lot (at least to me) if you’re talking personal use. That being said, it does carry a felony charge and jail time.

I don’t have as much of a problem with the law itself because I know we will eventually fight through it (you can indeed cure stupid, it just takes time). The problem I have is a lot of the reasoning behind the law provided by Rep. Thompson and Senator Oelrich. The usual mis-information and poor logic.

So, though I think 25 plants is a lot for personal use, it does show that these are the guys that make decisions. And from them, I want real answers. More specifically, because Charlie Crist signed it into law, I really want answers from him.So I sent the questions to him via email.

Give Them To Me

What I want are real answers. No double talk, no political speak, no dodging/deflecting, etc. Just real answers as to why such a law was created which pulls us further from the future. I want real answers to the followup points. I direct my letter to Governor Crist specifically, but if anyone would like to take part in the discussion, I would be more than happy to open it to them as well.

I wouldn’t mind doing so via email, which would allow for time to think about answers and questions as the conversation grows.

My Expectations

Admittedly, I am not well educated in the realm of politics. I’m not sure if I’m even barking up the appropriate tree. I can’t actually tell you the difference between a governor and a senator. But, I am a resident of Florida and more importantly America. I have opinions on a matter that I feel is important enough to warrant attention. I have kids that I would like to raise in an America not governed by fear or ignorance. I’m just a regular guy who wants answers.

So, I would be amazed if I get a response. I would be blown away if he actually agrees to answer questions. I am 100% sure that I won’t actually get any real answers. I would really love to hear them, but I’ve been lucky (unfortunate) enough to deal with this state before, and the odds of something coming from this are very low.

However, I hope that this will at least get others to think about these things when voting time comes. I hope that perhaps somewhere there is a politician that can help lead Florida to a better position.

No offense to Governor Crist, but maybe we can get someone into office who thinks for the future with an educated stance as opposed to the perpetuation of mis-information.

If anyon in the anti-legalization crowd is interested in taking part in this discussion, please feel free to do so.

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It’s a good piece on America’s prohibition and its impact on the rest of the world.

Pretty good indeed.

What’s more interesting is the second comment on the post. It starts with:

I suppose it’s easy for someone who doesn’t use Marijuana to argue against its legalization, but this isn’t about the effects it has on its users. It’s about personal freedom…

And these 2 things are what today’s post is all about. First, we haven’t won anything (and I don’t think we are close enough to celebrate). Second, I don’t think segregation among the people is a good idea, even in thought. Let’s discuss.

I don’t use marijuana, and haven’t for almost 12 years now. Perhaps I will entertain the idea again, but I don’t see it in my immediate future. However, I whole heartedly believe that marijuana should be legal, even for recreational use.

No, I don’t think it’s a case of users vs. non-users. I think it’s a case of misinformation by a noneducational system perpetuated by our government. Pair those things with the greed associated with the war on drugs and we are on the losing side of this battle.

Make no mistake. I love articles like this, but I really don’t think we are even remotely close to a national reform. It feels like it, but that’s only because our government let’s us feel like it.

This is all the more reason to act, and NORML is a perfect place to do that. Get involved, donate, tell a friend; it doesn’t matter, just do something to help others become educated and get this “war on drugs” to end. But whatever you do, don’t place yourself on the other side of the non-users. This creates an exclusion and can be perceived as aggression (however passive or subtle it may be). This would make us look just like the government, and they have more money.

No, instead I think we need band together, users and non-users alike. You can’t reason with America’s government. They are like umpires; right or wrong, they stick with their answers. They don’t care who loses.

So what do we do?

Educate

I think the most important thing you can do is educate the people around you. Marijuana use comes up all the time, whether you partake or not. These conversations happen. Take it as an opportunity to educate rather than debate or argue (leave that to the lobbyist, they are better at it).

If the setting is appropriate, perhaps you could show a documentary on the subject. I spoke about the manner in which I talk to my oldest child in this post. Maybe that’s right for you, maybe it isn’t, but education starts with our kids. Maybe even purchasing a book for kids would help.

Action

I posted on an idea posed by NORML themselves. I think it’s a really good idea. This is a physical action that will be noticed. People, especially those that comprise our government, don’t always hear words or logic; they sure as hell pay attention to physical actions if on a large enough scale (please keep it non-violent though, as violence just gives more reason to keep it illegal).

Even if you don’t do that, there are plenty of gatherings across the nation that offer open arms to those that want to participate. You can even start a NORML chapter in your area if there isn’t one already, and perhaps brainstorm some gatherings and actions of your own.

Voting

I know it doesn’t seem like it most of the time, but voting is how we the people exercise what little power we have. Show your government that you aren’t some lazy pothead, but a pothead that pays taxes, and has a belief regarding the direction of YOUR country.

In the same respect, tell your elected officials who are already in office that you think marijuana should be legal, and that this topic is a large part of the determining factors when deciding on your ballot submission.

Money

Our government is arguably the most powerful on the planet. They use that power to make a lot of money. And they use that money to get what they want. We aren’t going to stop that cycle for sure, but we can get some money of our own. I know we don’t have much, but every little bit helps. NORML also has plenty of opportunity to do so.

For crying out loud. I’ve typed “NORML” so many times on this post, maybe I should approach them about a kick back or something.

Rest assured I don’t actually get anything for sending you there. I would gladly take donations here, but to be honest I wouldn’t know what to do with it, and would probably just send it to them anyway.

Learn More

No matter what you know, you can always learn more. Learn more about the problems facing the legalization of marijuana, and think of ways to get through them. The first article that comes to my mind is that by Jon Gettman on the Top Ten Obstacles to Marijuana Law Reform. Believe you me, there are plenty more out there.

In Closing

We haven’t won anything until it is over. This is not that time. We need everything we can get, and that includes non-smokers. I’m a non-smoker, and proud of it. If I were a smoker, I would be proud of that too. That doesn’t matter. What matters is the amount of research I’ve done on the subject, and my willingness to stand up for what I believe in. You…do that too.

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