March 2013
d n a y a D s ’ k c St. Patri k a e r B g n i r p S
Also in this issue: America’s Perspective on Marijuana New York says “No” to Marijuana Early Summer Plans Grower’s Corner Edible Review & Recipe and News of the Weird
Monthly Savings
Check out the Ganja Gazette each month for savings on your medication.
PATIENT CENTER EXCLUSIVE Top Shelf or Premium Quarter
$10
Off
Not valid with any other specials - Two coupons per patient, per month Expires 3/31/13
$5
Off Bubble Hash
Not valid with any other specials - Two coupons per patient, per month Expires 3/31/13
Pre-Rolleds $15 Five
Not valid with any other specials - Two coupons per patient, per month Expires3/31/13
$2
Off$20Edible
Any
Not valid with any other specials - Two coupons per patient, per month Expires 3/31/13
Tropicals $2
Off
Not valid with any other specials - Two coupons per patient, per month Expires 3/31/13
Must be a licensed Colorado medical marijuana patient to purchase medicine.
Altitude Wellness Center
3435 S. Yosemite St. Denver, CO 80231
303.751.7888
altitudewellnesscenter.com
Natures Herbs & Wellness Center
522 27th St., Garden City, CO 80631 970-353-1170
naturesherbsandwellness.com
St.Patrick’s Day and Spring Break Issue
IN This Issue Cooking With Cannabis Page 4 Sudoku Page 4 Early Summer Plans
Page 6
MMJ-What’s It Good For? Page 7 America’s Perspective on Marijuana
Edibles in Review
Page 10
Bud-O-Scopes Page 11 WonderWord Page 11 Grower’s Corner
Page 12
News of The Weird
Page 14
Growing Organically
Foreign Correspondent Page 15 The Ganja Gazette is a monthly publication. The first copy of each Ganja Gazette is free. Each additional copy is $4.20. For more information call 970-353-1170. ©2013 Natures Gazette, LLC
MEDICATION Shelf
Gram 1/8 1/4 1/2
Oz.
Top Shelf $12 $35 $70 $120 $210 Premium $10 $30 $60 $110 $190 Bud of $7 $2450 $49 $90 $170 The Day
at a higher level
DAILY SPECIALS Kickin’ It Sunday: $8 Grams on Premium
Medicate Me Monday: 2 Pre-Rolled Joints for $7
Tokin’ Tuesday:
10% Off Bubble Hash
Wheelin’ Wednesday:
Spin The Prize Wheel After Any $20 Purchase For Your Chance To Win Sick Prizes!
Sassy Grass Thursday:
Altitude Wellness Center 3435 S. Yosemite St. 303.751.7888 altitudewellnesscenter.com Open 10am-7pm Daily
Buy One Get One 1/2 Off On The Edible Of The Week
Twisted Friday:
Buy A Top Shelf 1/8th And Get A Pre-Rolled For A Penny. Buy A Premium Cap1/8 And Get a Pre-Rolled For $1.00
Pick Your Special Saturday: Pick Any One Of Our Daily Specials
3/2013
How to make:
Chocolate Cookies Ingredients Needed: • • • • • •
1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature ½ cup canna-butter, at room temperature 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. 3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner’s sugar. 4. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and “gooey.” 5. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
k D n a e z D D r e a p z u e S Come Celebrate B s ’ i r e t e h r i day s e D All Day Wednesday March 13th!
Buy One Blondie and get One Dixie Ice Cream
1/2 Off! $8 Grams - On Premium $3 Off Natures Elixirs
Natures Herbs & Wellness Center 522 27th St., Garden City, CO 970.353.1170 naturesherbsandwellness.com
Altitude Wellness Center
3435 S. Yosemite St., Denver, CO 303.751.7888 altitudewellnesscenter.com
Early Summer Plans By: Lacewing We did it! We survived all the big, stressful holidays— from Christmas to Valentine’s day, we bought all of the gifts and sent all of the cards, and we can now finally relax. Other than potential birthdays and anniversaries, we won’t have to spend money on anyone else for another nine months! You know, unless we’re feeling generous or something. So what should we do to fill the time we would have otherwise used for preparing for parties or selecting the perfect gift? We take to the big screen. Hollywood’s biggest season for the best movies is
a few short months away. Sure, a lot of companies wait until winter to bring out their heavy-hitting, Oscar-worthy films, but those are the serious movies that try to make us think. The great thing about summer movies is that there is not a whole lot of thought involved. Summer movies are about going out with some friends, getting the unhealthiest snacks known to man (short of Twinkies, may they rest in peace), and feasting our eyes on the best CGI technology has to offer. While there will be some good flicks coming out in the spring, the real fun begins in May. ‘Star
Break Out the Popcorn and Junior Mints
Trek Into Darkness,’ ‘Iron Man 3,’ ‘The Great Gatsby,’ and ‘The Hangover: Part III’ are just a few of the big budget movies that are attempting to woo you away from your couch. Hollywood’s latest attempt at capturing Superman will be coming out in June. ‘Man of Steel’ actually looks like a decent try, in comparison to ‘Superman Returns’ (2006). MovieInsider.com’s description—“A child sent to Earth from a dying planet is adopted by a couple in rural Kansas. Posing as a journalist, he uses his extraordinary powers to protect his new home from an insidious evil”—really doesn’t do the film
justice at this point. Look up the trailer. July brings us another installment in the X-Men saga, ‘The Wolverine.’ “Based on the celebrated comic book arc, The Wolverine finds Logan, the eternal warrior and outsider, in Japan. There, samurai steel will clash with adamantium claw as Logan confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed.” And August will bring us a sequel to ‘300;’ ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ “…revolves around Themistocles and the Battle of Artemisium, which coincidentally happens on the exact same three days as the Battle of
Thermopylae. Before the Battle of Marathon, Themistocles discovers that Persians are invading again.” These movies will either be fun to watch because they are so good, or fun because they are so awful. Anyone want to place their bets? Between baking in the summer sun, hiking in the Rockies, and planning vacations, the movie theatres and popcorn are there for those lazy Thursday afternoons. Check out all of the trailers (and the trailers for trailers) and get a good feel for what actors and plots have the most appeal. And don’t forget to invite me to best ones!
We have added a new delight for you to savor...
Ambrosia Station The Ambrosia or Cannabis Caviar is created by taking the strain of your choice from our case, then its drizzled with hash oil testing at 88-90%THC and is topped off with a sprinkling of Keef (Sativa, Indicia or Mix) creating a very strong and potent high. If you are wanting a stronger, longer lasting high,
The Ambrosia Station will suit your needs.
$15 for 1/2 Gram • $30 per Gram
Natures Herbs and Wellness Center
522 27th St., Garden City, CO 80631
970.353.1170
MMJ — What’s It Good For? America’s Perspective on Marijuana by: Alvin Dy
Almost 100 years since the United States came under Prohibition, we are still reeling from the effects of that infamous time. The US Constitution was amended on January 19, 1919, and these amendments took effect the following year. The Prohibition covered all alcohol products, from manufacturing to selling them, and includes everything that contained alcohol. The prohibition lasted for close to 14 years. That is just 14 short years before it was repealed, but it was a time when criminals and organized crime flourished. It was when Al Capone reigned and became very wealthy. Al Capone had close to 700 henchmen who acted on his every whim. Capone became so wealthy and influential that he was even able to get a man elected as mayor in Chicago. But more than Capone’s rise and reign, there were other aspects of criminality as well. Because bootleg alcohol was such a lucrative business, other gangs were formed. These rival gangs fought with Capone and with each other, leaving a trail of blood everywhere they went. Politicians and police officers also became corrupt as they were paid to turn a blind eye on the gangs’ workings, sometimes
even aiding them in the movement and sale of alcohol. This scenario was undoubtedly repeated all over the country and this went on for over a decade. Why are we bringing this up now? It is because a hundred years from the Prohibition, we still have not learned anything. There are debates about the safety of marijuana and whether it should be considered safe for sale or not. In the United States, 14 states have already approved legalized medical marijuana. But the Feds are still cracking down on those who use or even possess marijuana, regardless of whether it is used to treat or manage medical conditions. There is no doubt that marijuana helps alleviate symptoms and ease the pain for some sufferers of certain medical conditions. It has helped cancer patients lead normal lives. It helps people dealing with pain to manage it. Marijuana has been proven effective as treatment for a variety of medical conditions. Independent studies have proven that, and even the American Medical Association has voiced its support for marijuana. Why then are politicians and the federal government insisting that marijuana is a bad
thing and that it needs to be made illegal? Alcohol, on the other hand, has been proven to be very damaging to the body. As the number of people suffering from alcoholism rise, we also see a lot more people dying from alcohol related diseases such as liver cancer and cirrhosis. On top of that, alcohol is also the leading cause of traffic accidents that kill more people around the country than heart disease does. Yet, alcohol is very much legal when marijuana is not. There surely is some kind of craziness in all that. But we are not laughing. It could be that by keeping marijuana illegal, we are creating an underground market where there are more profits to be shared with politicians and police officers, much like how it was during the prohibition. Not that we are saying there are a lot of rogue politicians around, though we would not be surprised if that is the case. But think about it, by keeping marijuana illegal, the government is making it difficult for sick people who need it to get it. They also have to pay a higher price for it. Making marijuana legal, on the other hand, will open up people’s access to it, as well as allowing better regu-
lation. More than this, you could tax it the way you tax alcohol. In this economy, who does not want more money to go around? The good news is that more and more states are coming to their senses. Just this month, we have heard that Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach is pushing to make all forms of marijuana legal in the state. Sen. Leach has introduced a bill in 2011 that made medical marijuana use legal in the state. Sen. Leach says that if you legalize marijuana, it would mean more revenue for the state while respecting individual freedom. It would also allow the state to use law enforcement resources more efficiently. New Hampshire is also moving to legalize marijuana. It is very hopeful that medical marijuana will soon be legal in New Hampshire in March, by way of House Bill 573. If both chambers pass the bill, they would not have any contest coming from Governor Maggie Hassan, who had earlier declared that she will not veto the bill. On top of HB 573, there are also three other marijuana-related bills on their plates: HB 492 seeks to legalize marijuana possession up to one ounce. It will also allow people to grow up to six mari
juana plants. HB 337 seeks to legalize marijuana with no restrictions. HB 621 will reduce the punishment for the possession of less than one ounce of the drug. As more and more studies confirm the benefits of using marijuana for a lot of medical conditions, people will be more receptive to marijuana. The thinking will shift from the traditional and erroneous dictum that marijuana is a drug like meth, to the truth that marijuana can be beneficial. New technology will aid in this shift. There are already marijuana products that are not addictive, or at least ones without the high. All of these developments would make people realize that marijuana is not bad after all, and would finally pave the way for more tolerance, and eventually full legalization of marijuana.
YOGA
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday
1:00pm-2:30pm Instructor: Ariel Cost: Donations per class appreciated Altitude Wellness Center 3435 S. Yosemite St. Suite 200 Denver, CO 80231 303-751-7888 303-750-0564 (fax) altitudewellnesscenter@gmail.com
Spring Break Specials Enjoy a different “Flower of the Day” During Spring Break - March 11-15, 2013 MONDAY - Get a Top Shelf “Flower of the Day” at Premium Pricing - $10/gram
TUESDAY - Get a “Bud of the Day” - $6/gram WEDNESDAY - Get a Top Shelf “Flower of the Day” at Premium Pricing - $10/gram
THURSDAY - Get a “Bud of the Day” - $6/gram FRIDAY - Get a Top Shelf “Flower of the Day” at Premium Pricing - $10/gram
Natures Herbs & Wellness Center 522 27th St., Garden City, CO 970.353.1170 naturesherbsandwellness.com
Altitude Wellness Center
3435 S. Yosemite St., Denver, CO 303.751.7888 altitudewellnesscenter.com
Fu-Qua Johnson Ganja Gazette
Edibles in Review:
Do the Dew, Drops That Is
Hello everyone and I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day (a love ‘em or leave ‘em type of holiday, anyway). Now it’s time to look forward, to St. Patrick’s Day! And yes, St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday in my calendar and always will be. This day will be celebrated properly in honor of my Irish grandpa, because he loved this day. Like he always said, “On St. Patty’s day, everyone is a little Irish. Erin Go Bragh!” He was an Irishmen, and damn proud of it. Anyway let’s get into the review at hand for the month, and I expect that this product will help a lot of people. I recently got a hold of a product that a favorite company of mine makes. The MMJ Company Dixie Elixir and Edibles have created a new company, Dixie Botanicals, which manufactures the Hemp Oil Dew Drops tincture. It is a new product for me, and I was excited to try it out. I received the one ounce bottle (100mgs of medication), but Dixie does offer a more concentrated two ounce bottle (500mgs, wow!). I was told this product contains CBD instead of THC, so it wouldn’t get me that high feeling I usually associate the edibles I try. Furthermore, I was told this product would really help with the stress I feel a lot of times, and manage my pain with a non psycho-active outlet. Also, just for future reference, the word around
the campfire is that it’s not “CBD’s” if you are making it plural; it’s just “CBD.” You wouldn’t say “Chinese’s.” I tried the Dew Drops after a very long day. I was about to medicate by smoking, but then I remembered the drops. The bottle comes with a dropper, and I gave myself one full dropper under the tongue, like it suggested. The cinnamon flavor tasted great. I used my tongue to move the liquid around my mouth, and I sat on the couch. I felt my body relaxing immediately, and I mean literally relaxing. I didn’t feel anything close to “being high” at all, but I felt this calming feeling all over. Stress, anxiety, and all of my other symptoms were fading away. It was just awesome. Remember readers, this is a NON PSYCO-ACTIVE product, so please don’t try to get “high” with this product. Wanting to know more about this product, I contacted Christie Lunsford, the marketing director at Dixie, and had a wonderful phone interview. She passed on some valuable information for me. Their website also has information about CBD and what kind of hemp they use. She wanted the readers to know that”Dixie Botanicals offers innovative hemp oil products for health conscious consumers. Our formulation experts include scientists, clinical herbalists and nutritionists who work to integrate our hemp oil into a variety of beneficial and uniquely effective
over-the-counter (OTC) products– both dietary supplements and a topical balm.” A doctor from Texas recently contacted her to let her know how great the dew drops were; the doctor called it “Meditation in a Bottle.” Christie told me a very interesting and fun fact: Did you know the early colonists had to grow at least one acre of industrial hemp or they would have to pay a tax to the British? We had a wonderful conversation and she referred me to the Dixie website for more information I could use. • Dixie Botanicals purchases hemp from PhytoSPHERE, a MJNA portfolio company. PhytoSPHERE cultivates thousands of acres of industrial hemp in special microclimates located in various countries abroad. • When derived from hemp stalk or seed, the hemp oil constituent CBD is considered a food nutrient or dietary supplement, delivering the benefits of cannabinoids without the psychoactive/euphoric effects of THC. [Dixie Botanicals] presents dietary supplement products containing industrial hemp whole plant extract from seed and stalk and from isolated strains or “cultivars” of hemp that provide significant quantities and concentrations of CBD. • Recent scientific research has shown that humans (and all mammals)
have an affinity for these cannabinoids. Mammalian cells contain two known receptor sites on cell membranes for various cannabinoid compounds. Humans can supplement any potential deficiencies in their endocannabinoid systems with plant-derived phytocannabinoids, such as [Dixie Botanicals’] CBD products. All the sources and material are located on the
Dixie Botanicals website. I can’t speak for Christie or Dixie, but I truly believe this product will help with dealing with whatever life throws at you. Having enjoyed the Dew Drops so much, I was really excited to pass on the information about this product. I thank every one of you for reading, and remember to medicate with care. See you on the flipside.
Bud-o-Scopes Aries
Mar. 21 - Apr. 19
Horoscopes at a higher level
Libra
Sep. 23 - Oct. 22
Maybe it’s time to Head down to the upgrade your sound. race track this month For your phone. Do they for a little gambling. Not with make portable surround money, no. Taking up the sound systems nowadays? new hobby of riding horses, you would be gambling with your life!
Scorpio
Taurus
Apr. 20-May 20
You should invest in a yacht. Sure, Colorado is severely lacking in large bodies of water, but yachts are just as impressive parked in your front yard.
Gemini
May 21- June 20
Have you played with your dog lately?
Cancer
June 21-July 22
You need to work on your bedside manner. And your road rage. All of those feelings of impatience in general, really. There’s no need to lose control.
Leo
July 23 - Aug. 22
Have you ever tried snow-bicycling? Don’t. It is dangerous in the extreme, and ultimate not worth the broken limbs.
Virgo
Aug. 23 - Sep. 22
Drink more water! Can you go an entire day drinking nothing else? Forget the soda, energy drinks, and hot cocoa. Embrace the hydration.
Oct. 23 - Nov. 21
Your house is infested with mice! Giant, mutant mice that have evolved beyond human intelligence. Your measly traps won’t even give them pause. Get out while you can!
Sagittarius Nov.22 -Dec.21
When given the chance to take a risk, go for it. Whether is pans out or not, you will always regret it if you don’t dive in head first.
Capricorn Dec. 22 -Jan. 19
Start your spring cleaning. Open the blinds and the windows, air your place out, and let in the sun! And don’t forget to dust your fans; they usually need it the most.
Aquarius
Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
When bad things happen, just go with the flow. Stand strong, and you’ll see the good things wash back toward you, sweeping the bad away.
Pisces Feb.19 Mar. 20
Happy Birthday! Feast upon a Chocolate Get Wasted cake and partake in a few rounds of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
1/2013
GROWER’S CORNER
By: Tucker Eldridge
Growing Organically: Almost Organic is NOT Organic When making a decision to grow organically, to truly gain the benefits associated with the organic process, one must make the full conversion away from using anything synthetic within their plants’ grow environment. These benefits include a fuller, more multifaceted flavor to the smoke, as well as a more well-rounded and complex scent. Yields can also be comparable to hydroponics or even superior, although growth times tend to be a bit extended in comparison. To make the full conversion to organics, and to receive the benefits associated with growing by these means, one must take into consideration each individual aspect of their grow process. This includes the media you use, the quality of water available to you, the nutrients you use, and which products you use to successfully prevent pests within the garden. When choosing a media to grow organically, you must choose a product that is both naturally sourced and naturally produced. This leaves a wide variety of options available to you, but limits the use of media such as GRODAN cubes and STG pellets. Aim
for a good mixture that drains well and contains organically sourced ingredients in it. Things such as CoCo Coir can effectively meet these needs independently, or you can choose a soil option like Sunshine #4 Organic. Just make sure anything you use is OMRI listed. You also need to make sure you are not introducing any synthetic nutrients to your containers through your water, which means knowing what is contained in your water is key. Tap water contains either chlorine or chloramines. The primary function of this is to sterilize our water of any potential harmful bacteria. Being that these chemicals are classified as biocides, meaning “kills all life,” they also tend to wreak havoc on our beneficial bacteria necessary for organic growing. The only way to completely remove these poisons, as well as allow yourself a clean slate for mixing your nutrients, is to purchase a small, inexpensive, reverse osmosis machine. This removes all of the contaminants from the water, and makes it suitable for feeding all of our little soil beasties. When feeding our plants organically, we never actually feed
our plants. Our goal is to inoculate our container with a full spectrum of fungi and bacteria. Then we introduce organic inputs to our soil, such as earthworm castings, kelp meal, or manure, with the intention that our soil microbes will break down these organic inputs and turn them into useable and available nutrients for the plants. Our goal is to feed our soil, and then to let our soil feed our plants for us. Keep in mind that
“organic” and “organically based” are not the same, and that the addition of any synthetic nutrients will effectively decimate all of our beneficial beasties. Dead beasties don’t break down organic inputs into anything, and this leaves our soil saturated with organic matter unusable to our plants. Keep all of these things in mind when growing organically, and as a rule of thumb, if it isn’t OMRI listed, it isn’t organic, and you
shouldn’t be using it. Growing organically enriches our soil, creates more flavorful, higher quality smoke, and is more ecologically mindful than the synthetic alternative. So when you decide to start growing, or if you’re looking for a change of pace, growing organically is the best way to go about it.
Natures Herbs
And Wellness
970-353-1170
OPEN DAILY
8:00 am to 7:00 pm NaturesHerbsAnd Wellness.com
522 27th Street Garden City, CO 80631
Gram 1/8
Top Shelf
$12 $35 $70 $120 $210
Premium
$10 $30 $60 $110 $190
Bud of the Day
1/4
1/2
Oz.
$7 $2450 $49 $90 $170
Daily s l a i c e Sp
Kickin’ It SUNDAY $8 Grams on all Premium Caps
Medicate Me MONDAY Two Pre-Rolleds for $7
Sassy Grass THURSDAY FRIDAY Wheeling WEDNESDAY Edible of the Week BuyTwisted any Top Shelf 1/8 & get a Buy One Get One Pre-Rolled for 1¢ Spin the Prize Wheel Buy any Premium Cap 1/8 & get a with a $20 Purchase for a Chance to 1/2 OFF Pre-Rolled for $1 Win Awesome Prizes!
y a d y r e v E
Low s e c i r P
Tokin’ TUESDAY 10% OFF Bubble Hash
Pick Your Special SATURDAY
Choose from anySpecial of theWeek
Chuck Shepard’s News
of Weird
Huh, that’s weird... Laziness Made Us Fat, and Laziness Will Make Us Slim
Dr. Oliver Di Pietro of Bay Harbor Islands, Fla., is a leading prescriber of the “K-E diet” that offers desperate people drastic short-term weight loss by threading a feeding tube through the nose to the stomach and dripping in a protein-fat solution, as
clients’ only “meals,” for 10 straight days. “Within a few hours,” Dr. Di Pietro told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in April, “your hunger and appetite go away completely.” Fat is burned through “ketosis,” he said, and a loss of 10 to 20 pounds in 10 days is possible. Such short-term loss might be important, for example, for a woman prepping for her wedding day. One client said she doesn’t have “all of the time on the planet” just to exercise, “so I came to the doctor.”
No longer weird
A time-honored defense used by many older men when charged with having sex with underage girls is now so common that it must be retired from circulation. In February in Bridgeport, Conn., Norberto Millet, 60, denied raping the 9-year-old girl, accusing her of actually attacking him -- and said he had to fight her off. In fact, Millet told police, a lot of girls 8- to 10 years old try to have sex with him. And in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in May, Lyle Moodie, 47 at the time, said much the same about his 16-yearold accuser. “She just suddenly grabbed me by the pajama bottoms. I pulled back and said, ‘No, stop.’ I didn’t know what to do.”
Great Architecture
There are big plans in the city of Chiang Rai, Thailand, for a massive Buddhist temple that priests aim to make one of the most beautiful structures in the world, and have entrusted artist Chalermchai Kositpipat to design it in all-white with glittering glass and arrangements of “rich symbolism derived from Buddhist
and Hindu traditions.” If Kositpipat has his way, according to an April Huffington Post dispatch, the temple will also have images of Superman, Batman and (from the movie “The Matrix”) Neo -- all of which, Kositpipat said, further Lord Buddha’s “message.”
Bless Those Researchers’ Hearts (1) A team of scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, following up on a Harvard study that found dramatic weight-loss qualities from eating yogurt, did its own yogurt study. The results, summarized in Scientific American in May, noted that yogurt-eating male mice have 10 times the follicle density of other mice, producing “luxuriantly silky fur” and larger, outward-projecting testicles that made them far more
effective inseminators. (2) British researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of Bristol concluded in an April journal article that caterpillars of the large white butterfly, which defends itself against predators by vomiting on them, are less likely to do so when the caterpillars live in groups. The researchers hypothesize that gratuitous vomiters are seen as poor mating risks.
Foreign Correspondent
Alvin Dy
Elsewhere on Marijuana New York Mayor Says “No” to Legalized Marijuana against legalizing and decriminalizing the substance. That sends contradictory messages as to how he views marijuana. If you think that marijuana is so bad that you should not legalize it, why decriminalize it? Even if you say that it should only be decriminalized when the amount is small, it does not really bode well for your “marijuana is bad” slogan. If marijuana is bad, then even 15 grams of it is bad, right? The simple truth of the matter is that marijuana is not dangerous. The good mayor has betrayed this thinking when he said that there are more dangerous drugs out there than marijuana. How ironic. For someone who has publicly admitted smoking marijuana and actually enjoying it, Bloomberg should know that marijuana brings no long-term ill effects to the body. More than just making it easier for a sick patients to live a relatively quiet life, new laws would also mean substantial cost savings to New York City. If these relaxed laws were in effect when Bloomberg became mayor, the city would have avoided spending more than $600 million in arresting those involved in low-level marijuana possession. Under the mayor’s administration, there have been 400,000 low-level marijuana arrests in New York. Since 2002, those who
are caught with even minute amounts of marijuana in New York faced a violation. A violation is not considered a crime, and it will not go on your criminal record. But still, you can end up in jail for as many as 15 days. New York’s record of more than 400,000 arrests since 2002 puts the Big Apple at the top of the list of US cities with the most marijuana-related arrests. Can you just imagine how many sick people who use medical marijuana are under attack in New York? By continuing to falsely paint marijuana as a dangerous drug, such as what good people like Mayor Bloomberg are doing, it puts at a disadvantage those people who need it to cure their diseases, ease their pains and manage their symptoms. The new directive from Mayor Bloomberg takes away the phantom of a violation. At the most, those who are found with less than 15 grams of marijuana will get a ticket. They will also be required to appear at court. But that is if they have a valid ID. Just imagine spending all that money for catching people who are not criminals, but who are holding onto a substance that, at the very least, would allow them to feel less pain or get a temporary trip. All that money could have been used in the fight against more serious
criminals in the city, or perhaps poured into the public education system. Maybe it is time to let people get access to marijuana legally. That, combined with good police work, just might help stem drug-related criminality and help put illegal drug dealers out of business. More than that, however, we continue to put money into fighting a drug that should not have been made illegal in the first place. Rather than force people to hide in the shadows, why not legalize marijuana so that you could regulate it? From a financial standpoint, that means more legitimate income for the cities. You get to regulate and
profit from dispensaries. You get a list of people who avail of the marijuana you sell. You get money coming in. That money could be used or better undertakings, such as addiction rehabilitation programs for people who use genuinely bad drugs like meth or cocaine. It could help boost the various police departments to help crack down on illegal drug syndicates. It could be used to improve the education system, or even other projects that the city might have. And so for wasting taxpayers’ money, and sitting on the fence on the marijuana issue, we give Mayor Bloomberg a big and loud BOO! 2/2013
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, but he says that he is still against legalizing marijuana as a whole. Bloomberg called marijuana an “illicit narcotic” that is now much stronger than ever in the past. Bloomberg believes that marijuana might impair drug users in a more intense way. Another reason why Bloomberg wants to keep marijuana illegal? It is to keep drug dealers busy with marijuana. His reasoning defies all logic and proves the case that marijuana is harmless. Bloomberg says that if New York were to legalize marijuana, drug dealers would have no choice but to sell cocaine and other “more serious” narcotics. Bloomberg has earlier moved to decriminalize possession of minor amounts of marijuana and has approved lighter penalties for possessing less than 15 grams of marijuana. But that is just something that the state would soon implement. New York State currently has a state-wide bill that would take away all penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Bloomberg’s stance against marijuana is not a surprise, however. Bloomberg has, time and again, stated that he is
St. Patrick’s Day
Sale!
$125/oz. Premium (limit 1) $30 Top Shelf 1/8 (limit 1) Wear Green and get a Pre-Rolled for 35¢ All Day March 17th Natures Herbs & Wellness Center
522 27th St., Garden City, CO 970.353.1170 naturesherbsandwellness.com
Altitude Wellness Center
3435 S. Yosemite St., Denver, CO 303.751.7888 altitudewellnesscenter.com