I'm afraid nothing can be done. This is what happens when we fear something so much that we can't even have a conversation about it, when we refuse to do anything and allow fear to control the discussion - irrational fear of what pot does, and the cowardly fear of being demagogued as being soft on pot and on (the overextended catch-all phrase) "drugs" by people seeking political advantage. When we demand the use of unlimited force against things that we don't understand, then we suffer. Superstition ain't the way.
So, unless we allow ourselves as a country to acknowledge that marijuana is not evil, and is not worth committing violence over, this kind of thing will continue to happen, 40,000 times a year. But we won't acknowledge that. We are cowards.
This is truly fucked up…
…yet it seems that some states are effectively legalising marijuana “by the back door” for prescription use which is way ahead of most other countries. When I was in Portland in March I picked up a free local paper and the back page was full of adverts for:
1. Doctors who’d give you a medicinal marijuana prescription (back pain? insomnia? stress? We’ll sort you out!)
2. Home grow kits, hydroponics, etc.
3. Marijuana seeds.
Everyone was so relaxed about it which is the polar opposite of how other states work. Didn’t Washington DC pass a law legalising medicinal pot just this week?
The mind boggles at how different things are depending on what state you live in.
Similar experieces to Rod’s when I was in California last month. Makes me wonder why I am not living on the west coast.
What continues to mystify me is the disconnect between cannabis’ legal status and the number of people who have tried it. One survey found that 42% of Americans have tried pot at least once. Almost half! That means almost half of us know firsthand the existing enforcement framework is unjustified.
Why does this happen? What other activity enjoyed by 40% of the population gets the jackboot treatment? Why can’t potheads speak up and change the laws? It’s fun to joke about how they’re unmotivated or too stoned to vote, but seriously — what’s wrong? Why do my friends who know better allow their kids to be fed a diet of lies in the DARE program?