Today In America - Spotlight on my Hometown - Guess which guest is me?

Just thought I'd post this for everyone's enjoyment and to highlight what a great little community we have up here in the North of Ontario.

Guess which guest on the broadcast is me?

Hah! ... good guess ... but wrong ... the guitar dude has re-fretted my hollow body Gibson Custom though (ES-175 style) ... and did an awesome job fixing another potentially major issue at the same time

Edit: I thought people might guess that one ... I've said before I'm a good spokesperson for medical marijuana although my wife would not approve ... I'm medicated 24/7 and if anything people have a harder time relating to me (and me to them) otherwise

Yeah ... discrete eh?

For a half second I was hoping you were my childhood hero, the first, 4-Time,Super Bowl Champion, Terry Bradshaw!
I grew up thinking the Steelers were in the Super Bowl every year(4 out of 6 year stretch). I can't tell how many countless hours spent in the backyard(rain,snow,sun) emulating TB. Sorry to derail, just wanted to share.

JCat--Cool vid!! We know how you are relaxing at that cottage!!

Green shirt, hat, shorts, pushing the baby on the swing?

Mr. J... Cat....., yup, picked you out right off. Could not tell you were/are medicated. Well done, sir.

Look at the names more closely ... I'm maybe not who you would think I would be but the name gives it away -- it's not that big of a stretch though.

Ha! Was definitely medicated ... I'm medicated all day every day from waking until sleeping. (I vaped about 15 min before they started shooting the video ... always the last thing I do before I leave the house). You'd be more likely to notice that I'm a little "off" if I'm not medicated ... I do after all use it to keep me more balanced. Thanks for the kind words

You didn't say the test required the ability to read You looked great

Thanks. (To be honest ... I didn't even realize my name was actually typed on the screen when I first posted it ... I hadn't paid enough attention to notice that or had forgotten ... makes the test kind of easy ... otherwise it would have been more fun )

However ... apparently I'm not the only one who failed to notice my name typed on the screen ... seems to be common.

I know this is a double post ... but I felt this one deserved a post of it's own.

Just wanted to clarify my intentions a little by posting this here as well ... many people that know me do not know that I consume cannabis regularly and pretty much constantly. Do I care if most know? No I do not. Do I want negative repercussions due to my usage? No. Definitely not. Am I willing to hide and be marginalized and treated like a second class citizen or allow other people I know to suffer the same fate just because of their choice to use cannabis? No. Again. Definitely not.

All to often I find people are lumped in to a category of "pot heads" or stereotyped as being "lesser" members of society because they choose to use cannabis when in actual fact it is a more responsible choice than alcohol! (Although for the bulk of the population alcohol is fine for fun too). I don't accept this. Cannabis is a safer recreational alternative or at least a valid one and also is a valid medical alternative for many as opposed to many more harmful prescription medications. Many people like me choose to stay hidden in a closet about their cannabis usage and so do I to a degree (my wife would not like that I was posting this), but I have huge issues with this; it propagates the ongoing stigma around cannabis users as those that are in the public eye more often than not choose to keep their usage hidden for fear of the stigma associated.

I don't want to walk around waving a flag proclaiming that I smoke cannabis, but I also, if asked, will always speak up about my usage and how I feel it benefits me and hope to change some opinions (I've changed some already, I'm sure).

I would of liked it better had you blown out a fat plume of vapor at the end of your commentary.

They edited that part out

I am in the same boat as well. My wife's career and position in the community would be irrecoverably damaged if I was outed, me not so much since I am disabled with no career any more. I won't lie if questioned, but the situation must be managed properly.

Recently while visiting us from NY my sister learned that I am a user. Unfortunately the issue unraveled a major fight. She shares the same small minded opinion as most non users do and she told me that I might as well kill myself because I was obviously a drug addict and I should be ashamed of myself as a father, as a sibling, and as a husband.

After asking her to leave my home I felt necessary to run through 3 fully loaded ELB's in her honor! Saying that to me crushed me after loosing my 24 year old brother just 6 months ago - she watched me as I spoke in front of the crowded funeral and told everyone how you should never take ANYONE for granted.

I feel so obligated to share this as is truly saddens me how something helps me so much is looked at by other in such a despicable fashion.

Hopefully she'll come around ... don't give up. Maybe after she cools down she will be able to think more clearly ... cannabis is NOT cocaine or heroin ... it's not even as significant of a drug as alcohol!

You have nothing to be ashamed of for your cannabis use (although I know I'm preaching to the choir in this forum ). She should be ashamed for judging you based on her stereotypes and not based on your actions and who you are ...

I agree completely. My problem is I look just like an old pot head. Long hair, beard, Deadhead who wears tie-dye all the time. People who don't even know me assume I smoke pot. So, unintentionally I guess I do walk around waving a flag.

I refuse to change because that's who I am and have been for 30+ years. What they don't realize is I'm also college educated, have a IQ in the 126-130 range and was a manager of information technology before I quit and successfully started my own business. It also gets me profiled by the cops fairly often.

Until we get more legalization and more exposure of MJ usage and benefits out to the public that's just the way it's gonna be.

I'm in the same boat. My wife and I are both Christians and see no hypocrisy in MJ. Yet she owns a Christian daycare and would be ruined if I ever got busted. Now, I NEED TO MAKE IT CLEAR, she does not smoke before or during work, she barely smokes at all. Almost always only with me on thye weekends at music or some other type of festival/event.

I sure hope this forum is safe?

Safe enough I believe ... I'll take my chances ... for anyone spending enough time on here to find out who I am, it's probably a non-issue.

**Virtual Hug**

I lost my brother in 1996.

We now have one offspring, and my two inlaws that know we are MMJ patients. Still fairly cool. Still haven't decided "what to tell the kids"...

I hate stereo types - I get comments all the time. I am in charge of large sized national company - I wear suits all the time and speak publicly at conferences. I'm chubby, balding and wear glasses too. When I am at home without the suit people see that I am covered in tattoo's and when they find out that I'm a vaporist I get this comment: wow, you don't look like a pot head! What the fuck does a pot head look like? Should I have long hair and wear tie die? Maybe get a pair of Birkenstock's? I hate these small minded assholes - I have hippie friends as well as friends into punk rock, friends that play in bands as well as friends who are lawyers. Funny thing is my lawyer friend medicates more than I do!

I even had someone tell me they couldn't believe I was Jewish and smoke weed! My reply was - don't worry, my weed is Kosher!

Unless you live in a backwards ass Sharia law country, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Public internet discourse is about on the same level as heresy in terms of quality of evidence.

Yes mvapes , public perception of cannabis users would be a great subject for another thread.
I've often pondered it as I've had to hide my usage from the general public as well due to jobs and associating with "straight" people. I'm in my late sixties and have regularly used cannabis for 44 years.
I'm in excellent health ,don't drink,smoke or do drugs and have accomplished much in the business and sports world...raised three beautiful children yet I have to hide the fact that I'm a cannabis user from most people. In my present career I work closely with a retired RCMP drug cop who made it fairly high in the organization. He thinks cannabis is nasty and dangerous so we have never discussed it although we spend a lot of time together shooting the breeze. I'm generally not a fan of the police but he is a decent guy in spite of being completely brainwashed by the RCMP yet he drinks alcohol and fights a tobacco addiction.
I'd love to sit down and set him straight but it would be a career ending move on my part LOL

The hypocrisy astounds me sometimes. Ten years ago I attended a large funeral for my friend Mike who was not a drinker or toker until he developed a brain tumour and then smoked weed with his many friends to combat nausea and pain during his final six months. There is a tradition here that if one of your toking buddies dies then you discretely place a joint in his breast pocket of his suit while he's resting in the casket.
The funeral director who was also a mutual friend told me that several joints were placed in his pocket, one by a well known crown attorney. I wonder how many people he has sent to jail for weed ?