This had me tearing up.

[dannite]

For the first time in my life I just moved into my own place with roommates I don't have to hide cannabis from in a State where it is legal for me too use it. I have never vaped up with such an easy mind and stored my kit with so little worry. Every human should have the right to feel this way and not be afraid to medicate. Join NORML!

In honor of this here is a pic of my out-in-the-open medication nook.

 

[Elluzion]

That is a beautiful thing for sure man , what part of nor-cal are you in?? We may be in a similar area.

 

[dannite]

Sunnyvale. I work in Palo Alto.

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

Nice to have your freedom to flash your stash

What's the big yellow fire extinguisher looking thing?

 

[dannite]

It is a propane torch for heating my titanium skillet for vaping.

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

Ahh, ok, so basically the exact opposite of a fire extinguisher

 

[VaporNation]

Enjoy Nor Cal dude, it's a beautiful place and the freedom is indeed a wonderful thing... that's a sick torch by the way, must heat that skillet right quick.

 

[tranceporter]

That's awesome man. I only wish I could be so conspicuous with my shit.

It seems like I have to leave planet Earth just to enjoy some green. I feel weird around you mmj users though. I know some of you guys really need your medicine and I don't use for any medicinal purpose at all.

 

[dannite]

LOL - I am not intending to frame myself as a medical user. I'm forgetting the audience here is not cali. Around these parts, people use the term "medicate" (and its derivatives) as synonymous with "high" or "stoned". The medical term is used because the legality of medical usage makes the term usable in public so its easier to use it tongue-in-cheek than use two sets of terms.

I am pretty open with my identity online, so I prefer to avoid any possible self-incriminating statements, but suffice it to say that it is well known there are doctors in Venice Beach who don't ask any questions. Any questions. Venice Beach. No questions. You get the idea.

I share your uneasiness with the medical community, not because I am unhappy about the good cannabis can do, but because of how they throw the recreational users under the bus. By telling the world how they are legitimate BECAUSE they require medically, they imply that the government somehow has the right to prevent people from using it for its own joy.

 

[dannite]

You will also notice a lot of those in the cali mmj scene using the term "cannabis", "sativa" and "indica" where most people would say something more casual like "weed", "pot", "marijuana", "bud" etc. Its not because people out here are all cannabis geeks or pretentious. Its just that those are easy terms to use in public/head shops/dispensaries and around non cannabis users without causing offense. Because openness is possible this way, the terms tend to stick instead of switching vocab.

Same goes for an avoidance of the word "bong" even outside of a head shop.

 

[steiner666]

You will also notice a lot of those in the cali mmj scene using the term "cannabis", "sativa" and "indica" where most people would say something more casual like "weed", "pot", "marijuana", "bud" etc. Its not because people out here are all cannabis geeks or pretentious. Its just that those are easy terms to use in public/head shops/dispensaries and around non cannabis users without causing offense. Because openness is possible this way, the terms tend to stick instead of switching vocab.

Same goes for an avoidance of the word "bong" even outside of a head shop.

yeah terminology is a big thing. i dont like to uses the terms pot, weed, dope or even marijuana because theyre all basically derogatory terms for the most beautiful and beneficial plant on this earth. and i dont use "getting high" term either, since it applies to teh use of actual, serious drugs, not just to the act of cannabis usage.

 

[dannite]

+1

 

[pakalolo]

I share your uneasiness with the medical community, not because I am unhappy about the good cannabis can do, but because of how they throw the recreational users under the bus. By telling the world how they are legitimate BECAUSE they require medically, they imply that the government somehow has the right to prevent people from using it for its own joy.

This man gets it. In my view, every jurisdiction that legalizes for medical use only is eventually putting control in the hands of Big Pharma and their ardent patent protection. I see no benefit in this to anyone but their shareholders.

 

[dannite]

I see no benefit in this to anyone but their shareholders.

Well there's the rub. The recreation benefits a lot from the medical community. The budding testing industry, the proliferation of the vape industry, more money and sophistication being turned to breeding and growing etc. All you have to do is see the renaissance going on in cali specifically and the larger mmj community worldwide to know that the medi folks bring VERY good things to the stoner table.

The real cognitive dissonance comes for recreational users who masquerade in the mmj system both for social acceptance, legal, and convenience reasons. Like what "don't ask don't tell" did to homosexuals in the military, the medical system incentivizes people to be silently deceptive about why they use cannabis. This surely is a detriment to the greater legalization effort. But it is sooooo easy to just not give a fuck because hey, if you have the weed you want everything is good, right?!

The harsh truth for all of the mmj recreationals out there is that if they were really doing their part for legalization they would be participating in civil dishobediance and risking punishment just like their brothers and sisters everywhere else in the world.

norml.org

 

[t-dub]

The medical people, like me, are going to get the camel's nose under the tent. The anti cannabis crowd won't go down any other way. Once the medical system is in place, and failing or creating more problems than it solves, then you will see an outright push towards legalization, taxation, and regulation. Financial hardship for municipalities and the federal government will also require a rethinking of cannabis policy as well. As a patient I don't get down on recreational users, better that than alcohol imo. However, a lot of recreational users game the system and are creating problems getting the framework installed, trusted, and functioning.

t-dub

Edit: I am sorry but if people as recreational users are screwing up my access to meds because of their behaviors (gaming the system or whatever), then I am going to disagree with them.

 

[dannite]

Yah, like I said, the medical community has created islands of safety, acceptance and quality. Sorry if I sounded like I was ripping on mmj folks (I AM a card holder after all). I'm a little vaked and suppose my intensity is partly my own pseudo guilt about being part of the problem instead of part of the solution on the total legalization front.

I think its a personal thing. Its just when I hide behind the medical thing, I suppose I feel like someone who is saying that Rosa Parks shouldn't have to sit in the back of the bus because she isn't *that* black after all.

Live long and toke deeply!

 

[crawdad]

congrats dannite.

i love herbs. dont have a card nor a "medical condition" that i can refer to, but its made my life clearer and exposed meaning in all directions. for me its the brain's drug for coping with the human condition...and parallel universes, fractals, multidimensional beings, etc....

 

[pakalolo]

I see no benefit in this to anyone but their shareholders.

Well there's the rub. The recreation benefits a lot from the medical community. The budding testing industry, the proliferation of the vape industry, more money and sophistication being turned to breeding and growing etc. All you have to do is see the renaissance going on in cali specifically and the larger mmj community worldwide to know that the medi folks bring VERY good things to the stoner table.

I agree with this part. I spoke at length with someone who works in Big Pharma, and he said that they are delighted at the amount of free research that they can build on.

He also said that they have their eye closely on medical marijuana and are prepared to swoop. His opinion is that they intend to take over the market and make it proprietary. Restrictions and penalties for recreational production and use will increase. In other words, the idea that legal medical access will lead to complete legalization (or even just de-criminalization) is something that they (and all their loot, lobbyists, and lawyers) will vigorously oppose. If there is open access then they won't be able to control the market.

This guy works in the lab for a large pharma company and doesn't drive their policy, but he has been asked to do certain research that he wasn't willing to discuss, except to say that this was the reason he was knowledgeable about the subject. He said he doesn't partake. He seemed credible and what he said made a lot of sense.

 

[t-dub]

pak, what you say sounds very truthful to me. I can see big pharma utilizing this as their battle plan. It all comes down to $ in the end . . . fortunately for us, I think we are going to win in the end, despite their efforts, since we have the truth on our side. Naive? Probably.

t-dub

 

[djonkoman]

well your medical system is at least better as around here...
here there is 1 government-certified company that is allowed to grow legally for medicnal purposes, and the finished product is radiated to kill all spores etc, to comply with rules that aply for medicnes.
there is only choice from 3 different strains(not under their original name), and more expensive as their equivalent in the coffeeshops.
I don't know the details, but I've heard a lot of patients just get it at the coffeeshop, because unless your insurance covers it that's a lot cheaper.
and with only 3 strains you also have to go to the coffeeshop or grow yourself if the strain most beneficial to you isn't one of those 3. and in that case you are treated like any recreational user, so if you grow yourself your 5 plants can be seized by police. you can ask your doctor to sign a note to put up on the wall saying you grow for medicinal purposes, wich could help you by being treated more leniant also if you have more than 5, but as far as I know it isn't legally binding so it's up to the cop in your house if he decides to let it slide

 

[CentiZen]

Yeah and even then they are getting rid of the growing options in 2014 entirely. My caregiver has no idea what we are going to do then (but I do...).