Rainbow Farm: Eight Years Later

by Joseph Klare, Sat Sep 5, 2009

Several years ago I came across a book at my local library called Burning Rainbow Farm, about two pro-marijuana activists who were gunned down by federal and state agents. It's an amazing book, and I suggest you find yourself a copy if you haven't read it. If you can't, there is a great story about the incident here, and the immediate aftermath here.
 

What struck me the most when I first began reading the book was that I had never heard of Rainbow Farm. Ruby Ridge and Waco were common knowledge to anyone not living under a rock due to the constant news coverage, and the constant stories on the aftermath and what went wrong. I considered myself very up-to-date on marijuana activism and what was going on in the movement.
 

Yet many of us had never heard of Rainbow Farm because of the timing of the …READ MORE

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Why I Smoke Weed

by Joseph Klare, Mon Aug 24, 2009

My friend and I were bored. We were often bored, and that day in August of 1997 was no different.

I had just graduated High School a couple months before, and my best friend (Joe M. RIP 1978-2005) still had a year to go. I was driving my mom's car around our town with Joe riding shotgun; as usual we were looking for trouble to get into.

But we didn't find trouble. Instead, Joe spoke those magical words, "Hey dude, you want to smoke some weed?"

In the space of two seconds I flashed on all the bad things I had heard about weed, from many different people. Then, "Hell yeah, man."

Joe knew a dude, so we went to dude's house and scored our ganja, or whatever the hell we called it back then. We toked up, and after a while I was disappointed. Whatever high was, I wasn't it. But that story blows (and was a one time thing, except that time I bought sage in a bag and had to kick …READ MORE

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Wake n Bake w Stoner Jesus

by Joseph Klare, Wed Jun 3, 2009

Stoner comedy has a long and glorious history. Cheech and Chong are obviously legends, and not just in the stoner world. Guys like Doug Benson continue the tradtition.

And there is stoner radio: Marijuana Radio, John Doe Radio, and The Stone Zone Show come to my currently baked mind. But to my knowledge there is no live morning radio show for stoners.

When stoners wake and bake, they don't want to do a whole lot of stuff. But what stoner doesn't enjoy getting baked and listening to stoner comedy on the radio? Well, internet radio, have you heard the crapfest on regular radio? The only radio I listen to anymore is on the net.

Speaking of a crapfest, I did The Stoner Jesus Show podcast off and on for the past three years. You may have heard of it? No? Well, no matter, because there …READ MORE

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The "Gateway Drug" Myth

by Joseph Klare, Sat May 16, 2009

'The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on marijuana explained that marijuana has been mistaken for a gateway drug in the past because "Patterns in progression of drug use from adolescence to adulthood are strikingly regular. Because it is the most widely used illicit drug, marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug most people encounter. Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and nicotine before marijuana -- usually before they are of legal age."'

Ok Arnold, Let's Debate

by Joseph Klare, Fri May 8, 2009

The Govinator of CA says it's time for debate on legalizing marijuana. I say it's been time for a long while, but that's neither here nor there. Better late than never, as the kids say.

I debate this issue all the time. I talk about the success of Portugal's drug decriminalization, how marijuana is beneficial to people in pain for a whole host of medical reasons, how it would put dealers out of business and eliminate the crime that goes with making drug deals, how innocent people would no longer be caught in the crossfire when drug deals gone bad become gang "wars."

But who am I? A marijuana user to be sure, and a pretty intelligent one at that. But there is an extra effectiviness that comes from hearing that marijuana should be legalized from non-stoners. So in the interest of debate, and to prep you stoners for the upcoming battle, here are some vieos of non-stoners speaking out for marijuana …READ MORE

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The Big "Mo"

by Joseph Klare, Thu Apr 30, 2009

My fellow sports fans know the importance of momentum. Let’s take a NBA basketball game for example. Your team is at home, but the crowd is quiet because you’re down by 16 points in the third quarter. Suddenly, that guy off the bench hits a three; a steal, another three, now you’re only down 10 points. The crowd is on it’s feet, the noise begins to fill the arena. True, you’re still down ten, but you now have the momentum. The big “Mo.”

This is comparable to where we in the marijuana movement stand today. Thirteen states have legal medical marijuana. Roughly 20 more states are considering it or have pending bills. Many cities won’t prosecute marijuana users period, whether it’s for medicinal purposes or not.

Yes, we are still down. Marijuana won’t be legal nationwide for a long while in all likelihood. But we must seize the momentum. “Extend …READ MORE

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Global Marijuana March 5-2-2009

by Joseph Klare, Mon Apr 27, 2009

Protesting is a time-honored tradition in the United States. It is the last recourse for those who feel people in the government, people who supposedly work for us, are no longer listening. And when it is peaceful, a protest shows the world that those protesting are not an angry rabble, but real people, with real concerns; concerns that don't just effect those that are physically protesting.

On Saturday, May 2nd, 2009, people in 263 cities (as of this writing) are going to participate in the Global Marijuana March. They are people from every continent, mostly pot-smokers to be sure; this will cause many to dismiss us as a bunch of stoners getting together to get high and protest the fact that we can't toke up whenever and wherever we want.

Yet, this is about so much more. I could go on and on about how marijuana is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, citing study after study. I …READ MORE

tags: activism, global marijuana march 7    « add a comment