ABOUT THE COVER

by James Bridges

All of us have been affected.

“Doesn’t affect me directly.” That’s what my go to thought is when I get angry at those that have so many followers when they speak untruths or talk in ways that make their followers feel blindfolded and act as if they are their savior.

Guess what did affect me. Maybe more indirectly. It has reminded me of the actual importance of making oneself be heard. What affected me has affected all of us that are still living on this planet within this realm of reality. That thing was Richard Milhous Nixon’s declaration of the war on drugs a mere 50 years ago.

Fear is an easy thing to hide things under. Simply browse through most literature and historical documents and you will see a trail of fear dragging behind some of the most absurd and damaging happenings on this planet made by mankind. It is atrocious to say the least.

I traveled throughout the internet and all over Oklahoma shops and could never find a mask that resembled that dirty old Dick. So what’s the next best thing that actually turned out to be a better choice?

I called an awesome local artist Sonya Spears and tried to explain. She cut me off mid sentence. “Say no more,” she said. “I totally see what you are going for.”

And she did. Sonya Spears is available for commission. You can read more about her amazing talent by Anna in the other pages.

Economic Impact

Since 1971, the war on drugs has cost the United States an estimated $1 trillion. In 2015, the federal government spent an estimated $9.2 million every day to incarcerate people charged with drug-related offenses—that’s more than $3.3 billion annually.

State governments spent another $7 billion in 2015 to incarcerate individuals for drug-related charges.20North Carolina, for example, spent more than $70 million incarcerating people for drug possession.21And Georgia spent $78.6 million just to lock up people of color for drug offenses—1.6 times more than the state’s budget current for substance use treatment services.

In contrast, marijuana legalization would save roughly $7.7 billion per year in averted enforcement costs and would yield an additional $6 billion in tax revenue. The net total—$13.7 billion—could send more than 650,000 students to public universities every year.