The focus of these documentaries varies vastly, and it’s sometimes hard to know beforehand if what you are about to watch will satisfy your curiosity. There are overlaps between the works, understandably so since the central theme of all of them is cannabis, however, the ones that do standout are the ones that emphasize certain details of the story. Four of these documentaries are embedded below.
In the first we address some of the basic issues at hand by taking a tour with a very pleasant and delightful young man. The second is about the business of getting high, centered on the marijuana trade industry in British Columbia, Canada. In the third we review the history of the war on cannabis. And in the fourth we learn about the benefits of cannabis to our societies. Enjoy.
“In 1973 Oregon became the first state to modify its law and decriminalize marijuana use, which meant possession became a civil offense punishable by a fine. A key reason for this legislative change was pressure exerted by the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML), a private citizens group founded in 1971 that believed drug laws were unfair to recreational users. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Bar Association (ABA) also supported marijuana law reform – the AMA came out in favor of dropping penalties for possession of insignificant amounts of marijuana in 1972, while the ABA recommended decriminalization in 1973.”
“Ten other states followed Oregon in decriminalizing marijuana and it appeared the nation was well on its way toward a federal policy of less stringent marijuana regulation. This policy seemed all but guaranteed when Jimmy Carter, a liberal politician, was elected to the White House in 1976.”
“Carter chose Dr. Peter Bourne as his special assistant for health issues and instructed him to come up with a plan for reorganizing drug policy. Borne… argued in March 1977 in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. Five months later President Carter asked Congress for legislation to eliminate federal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. Though a call for drastic legal change, this was not an extreme departure from everyday reality, as most local police departments were not arresting individuals for possessing small quantities of marijuana.”
In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the elections, and the War on Drugs entered a new stage. “In his first year in office, Reagan called for total abstinence and substantially more funding for law enforcement – under the Reagan administration the enforcement part of the federal drug control budget shifted from one half to two thirds. The following year, Reagan launched a huge new campaign to combat drug trafficking and organized crime. It involved a variety of federal agencies and included the Defense Department, which was allowed for the first time to take an active part in the war on drugs. Vice President George Bush played a prominent part in the campaign by leading a task force to combat trafficking in Florida.”
“By 1984, thirteen antidrug task forces involving multiple federal agencies were operating nationwide and Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No’ campaign, a program that promoted the value of a drug-free life style, was being inaugurated in the schools. A year later, 1985, a federal drive was begun to combat the growth of marijuana plants.”
“African-Americans are arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for drug offenses at far higher rates than whites. This racial disparity bears little relationship to racial differences in drug offending. For example, although the proportion of all drug users who are black is generally in the range of 13 to 15 percent, blacks constitute 36 percent of arrests for drug possession. Blacks constitute 63 percent of all drug offenders admitted to state prisons. In at least fifteen states, black men were sent to prison on drug charges at rates ranging from twenty to fifty-seven times those of white men.”
The monetary cost of this has been astronomical to the U.S. taxpayer. In 2007 alone, a staggering $74 billion was spent on corrections, $104 billion on policing, and $50 billion on judicial, even though reports indicate that $37 billion would be saved annually with legalization.
"The sacrifices we make to build these prisons are astonishing. Between 1987 and 2007, state spending on prisons increased by 40 percent (as a percent of the general fund). State spending on higher education decreased by 30 percent. We are financing our prisons by cutting our colleges.
"We continue to build even though prisons are often disappointing for economic development. The best jobs go to people from out of town, and dollars spent on prisons have little 'multiplier' effect. They don’t generate future additional dollars of economic activity, as do dollars spent on transportation, schools and so forth. Every dollar invested in highway construction generates $2.50 of gross domestic product in the short term. Raising teacher wages by 10 percent is associated with a 5 percent decrease in drop-out rates. But still we shortchange our schools and other rural enterprise, and build new prisons."
One of the most astonishing aspects of the war on drugs, specifically in relation to cannabis, is that even though the federal government has classified it as a ‘Schedule I’ substance, which means that according to the federal government the cannabis plant “has no currently accepted medical use”, in the United States there are at present 5 people who have a federal medical marijuana license.
“Rather than respond to public and political demands for marijuana's medical availability, federal drug agencies are instead promoting bureaucratically sanctioned alternatives which are synthetic, expensive and often ineffective. It is ironic that after decades of pretending marijuana is medically useless, federal drug agencies are now aggressively pushing synthetic Marinol, the so-called ‘pot pill,’ by arguing it is as safe and effective as marijuana.”
“‘There was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high (it was actually the number 1 question) and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation, and I don’t know what this says about the online audience,’ Mr. Obama said, drawing a laugh. He said he wanted to make sure the question got answered. ‘The answer is no, I don’t think that was a good strategy.’”
“The feds are busting growers who operate in full compliance with state laws, vowing to seize the property of anyone who dares to even rent to legal pot dispensaries, and threatening to imprison state employees responsible for regulating medical marijuana…
“‘There's no question that Obama's the worst president on medical marijuana,’ says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. ‘He's gone from first to worst.’”
The audacity of a leader that is willing to destroy countless lives for something that he has admitted to doing himself, frequently, must be taxing to those who have and are still willing to support him.
“’It’s very monumental,’ said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a Washington-based group that advocates legalization. ‘No state has ever done this. Technically, marijuana isn’t even legal in Amsterdam.’”
Under the measures, “personal possession of up to an ounce (28.5 grams) of marijuana would be legal for anyone at least 21 years of age. They also will permit cannabis to be legally sold and taxed at state-licensed stores in a system modeled after a regime many states have in place for alcohol sales.”
In addition, the cultivation of up to six plants for personal use will be legal in Colorado while still remaining illegal in Washington State.
Just to recap, in the United States, hundreds of thousands of people are being arrested for marijuana violations under the pretence that marijuana has no medical use, but at the same time the government has allowed 5 people to carry a federal medical marijuana license. The US government has also authorized pharmaceutical companies to synthesize THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, and to market and sell it as medicine. Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, Washington State and Colorado have gone beyond the medical marijuana debate and legalized the recreational use of cannabis.
“Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marihuana.”
While we wait to obtain our freedom we should keep in mind that those who consume cannabis are not criminals. They are our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, our grandparents and our children, and many have been sacrificed to further the agenda of certain individuals and organizations who feed off the profits from the criminalization of a plant.
“In 1973 Oregon became the first state to modify its law and decriminalize marijuana use, which meant possession became a civil offense punishable by a fine. A key reason for this legislative change was pressure exerted by the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML), a private citizens group founded in 1971 that believed drug laws were unfair to recreational users."
Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs - Johann Hari on RAI (1/2)
Below you will find the names and websites of some of the more prominent groups spearheading the battle to end prohibition in the United States and Canada. They are trying to bring sanity back into our lives and I’m sure they would appreciate our support as much as we appreciate their efforts.
“’It’s very monumental,’ said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a Washington-based group that advocates legalization. ‘No state has ever done this. Technically, marijuana isn’t even legal in Amsterdam.’”
Under the measures, “personal possession of up to an ounce (28.5 grams) of marijuana would be legal for anyone at least 21 years of age. They also will permit cannabis to be legally sold and taxed at state-licensed stores in a system modeled after a regime many states have in place for alcohol sales.”
In addition, the cultivation of up to six plants for personal use will be legal in Colorado while still remaining illegal in Washington State.
“The Obama administration has quietly unleashed a multi¬agency crackdown on medical cannabis that goes far beyond anything undertaken by George W. Bush. The feds are busting growers who operate in full compliance with state laws, vowing to seize the property of anyone who dares to even rent to legal pot dispensaries, and threatening to imprison state employees responsible for regulating medical marijuana…
“‘There's no question that Obama's the worst president on medical marijuana,’ says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. ‘He's gone from first to worst.’”
Everything, however, changed on 6 November 2012. The citizens of the United States from Washington and Colorado joined the fray, and I for one welcome them.
Below you will find the most recent global map available from wikipedia on the legality of cannabis. Please pay special attention to the two dark blue areas shown in the United States of America. Expect there to be more.
In 2005 the DEA released the following statement when they began proceedings to extradite Marc Emery from Canada to the United States for drug trafficking related to his activities as an online cannabis seed retailer (emphasis added):
“Today's DEA arrest of Marc Scott Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture Magazine, and the founder of a marijuana legalization group -- is a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also to the marijuana legalization movement…
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars of Emery's illicit profits are known to have been channeled to marijuana legalization groups active in the United States and Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on.”
If the DEA is trying to prevent the flow of funds to “marijuana legalization groups”, then it is in our best interest to make sure that funds continue to flow to these organizations. Our support for organizations helping to repeal prohibition laws in the United States and Canada is what the DEA and those who oppose legalization fear. We should do our best to give them cause to fear us.
A few hundred thousand dollars in donations to these organizations brought the full weight of the United States government onto Marc Emery. In an attempt to neutralize Mr. Emery, the US government was forced to commit resources to this war that they cannot afford, so if we want to end prohibition, if we want freedom, there has never been a more opportune time then now to end the war on drugs.
Below you will find the names and websites of some of the more prominent groups spearheading the battle to end prohibition in the United States and Canada. They are trying to bring sanity back into our lives and I’m sure they would appreciate our help as much as we appreciate their efforts.
The Solution to Our Environmental Woes is to End Prohibition
One of the best solutions to our environmental problems is to repeal prohibition, and our first step towards a sustainable existence should begin with cannabis. Its assimilation back into our civilization is the safest, simplest, most efficient immediate solution that we can implement in time to prevent an environmental catastrophe.
Cannabis is a plant, and its use is as old as civilization itself. It has thousands of immediate and potential applications. Its cultivation rejuvenates the soil, it can replace wood products, it’s medicinal, and it can be used as building material, textiles, paint, plastic, fuel, paper, food and body care. It is one of the most important bounties of nature. It’s a plant that will help us achieve sustainability. It’s a plant that we were meant to use.
The war on drugs is not a war between nations; it’s a corporate war on humans, irrelevant of their nationality or ethnicity. It is a war against citizens of the United States and those of other nations. It’s a war without borders. It has gone through multiple mutations and over the last few decades grown into the monstrosity that it is today. It is a one sided war declared by nations on their citizens. A conflict not yet reciprocated by the citizens. It is a war that is sustained entirely due to ignorance, fear, and greed.
If there is such a thing as a just war, then the war on drugs belongs at the other end of the spectrum. It is a war exclusively waged for money. Every other war throughout history has had at least one other fathomable pretense. The war on drugs doesn’t. (Please note that the first few minutes of the following documentary are in Dutch, but the rest is in English).
The irony is that this war and the destruction that it unleashes can be brought to an end within an instant, if it was so desired. All that is required is to end prohibition, to repeal one law.
We know that the end to prohibition will have positive effects because precedent for this has already been set. When prohibition of alcohol ended, so did most of the violence associated with gang warfare, as did much of the corruption in government. When prohibition ended, precious resources were made available again and a major source of revenue and employment was established.
The only reason that America’s Federal War on Drugs continues to this day is because its so-called adversaries, criminal organizations, as well as certain corporations and sectors of government don’t want it to end since its continuation guarantees them flow of funds.
On the behest of certain corporations and a small minority that profit from prohibition, we have been waging a war on a plant that has the potential to help us reduce our ecological footprint. We have been waging a multi-decade war on cannabis that spans the globe, costs trillions of dollars, destroys millions of lives, and consumes precious resources. Stupid.
Below you will find the exercises and solutions available for The Language of Mathematics. Over time, more will be added and those in draft form will be finalized.
Please keep in mind that like most people, I am prone to making silly mistakes, so take the answers with a grain of salt. Corrections and suggestions are always welcome.
Welcome to 420math, a site dedicated to teaching mathematics and supporting organizations that are working towards ending prohibition.
The purpose of the mathematics aspect of this project is as simple as it gets: Due to our technological advancements, mathematics has become an integral part of our society and the need to be literate in this language a necessity.
In much the same manner that the industrial revolution brought about a surge of literacy in natural languages, the advent of the Internet in combination with low-cost computing has brought about a surge in the need to be literate in the language of mathematics. To help in the process of exposing as many people as possible to this beautiful language, lessons for all major topics covered in secondary school math curriculums in Canada and the United State will be produced, i.e., all major topics starting with The Real Number Set up to and including an introductory course in Calculus and one for Probability and Statistics.
The 420 aspect of this project, similar to that of the mathematics, is also as simple as it gets: Our global continuation of America’s War on Drugs is collective insanity, hence, I have decided to support the battle to end prohibition, which, of course, is an inevitability.
It has been said that the first casualty of war is truth, and nowhere has this idiom applied more so than with the war on drugs. Much more on this subject later, for now all that matters is to end prohibition as quickly as possible, and for that we look to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for answers (emphasis added):
“Today's DEA arrest of Marc Scott Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture Magazine, and the founder of a marijuana legalization group -- is a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also to the marijuana legalization movement…
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars of Emery's illicit profits are known to have been channeled to marijuana legalization groups active in the United States and Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on.”
The above statement was the catalyst that gave birth to this project. It implies that Mr. Emery was targeted for political reasons, which, in turn, makes him a political prisoner. It also indicates that the DEA is interfering with the sovereignty of Canada, as well as interfering with citizens’ rights to change public policy in the United States of America.
That’s the bad news. The good news is, per their statement, the DEA has told us what we need to do to prevent their meddling in the governance of our societies. All we need to do is to make sure that organizations that are working towards ending prohibition are amply funded.
This is the essence of 420math, a site dedicated to teaching mathematics and supporting organizations that are working towards ending prohibition. So, if you enjoy this work, if you are finding the information on this site useful, and if you would like to support this project, then please consider supporting the organizations listed below.
Peace,
chycho420math [at] gmail [dot] comFrom the series, "Vancouver People Project" by Tallulah Photography.
The Language of Mathematics is geared towards teaching the syntax of this language, the rules and principles that we use in math. This project began in 2007 with The Real Number Set and will conclude with an introductory series on Calculus and one for Probability and Statistics.
Math in Real Life, started in 2012, is in its infancy and will continue indefinitely. The content in this section is geared towards using The Language of Mathematics to enhance our lives.
Lessons are also accessible through the tree menu provided in the left column. Specific topics can be found through the Index (left column).
By far the most common question that I have been asked over the years regarding mathematics has been, ”When am I going to use math in real life?” That is, at least, the way I choose to perceive it. Unfortunately, more often than not, this question has come my way in the form of the following absurd absolute statement, “I’m never going to use this in real life!”
This erroneous perception of math’s practical usage has been the most prevalent problem in our education system, and by addressing it, the beauty of mathematics and its relevance reveals itself. Information gets absorbed faster. The details get scrutinized and people begin to recognize the occasions for which they have, can, and are already using math in their own lives.
This is the ultimate purpose of this section, to apply what we have learned from studying The Language of Mathematics to enhance our lives.
Content for this section will be organized in the following categories:
The first part of this series deals with the absolute basics of mathematics: the Real Number Set; basic operations; prime numbers and their importance; and how to deal with fractions. This is where it all begins. Please be comfortable with this material before moving on.
The second part of this series deals with basic geometry and trigonometry. Topics discussed include: right triangles and trigonometric ratios; parallel lines; congruent and similar triangles; the Cartesian coordinate system; and slope, midpoint, and distance of a line. We also take a quick look at three different types of proofs related to these topics; those related to triangles, lines, and the Cartesian coordinate system. (NOTE: at some point in the future an in-depth introduction to trigonometry will be produce.)
For ease of reference, included below is the Table of Contents and the expanded image of the tree menu provided in the left column of this site. Specific topics can be found through the Index (left column).
