Cannabis Freedom

Well we're blowing up on the bloggosphere here in Memphis. I'm rather underwhelmed with our Anti-Terrorism response, "Operation Sudden Impact" was more like Operation Dull Thud. I mean I never noticed any extra police activity on April 13. I try to miss all the local newscasts, and I can't abide listening to AM 600 for news anymore. Mike Fleming is a racist windbag of David Duke proportions. No one can mix a metaphor like Mike can. I digress.

We Memphians have one of the most violent cities in the US and we're using Federal anti-terrorism money to arrest people for petty, non-violent offenses. Does anyone else see a problem with this behavior? We're just stuck on stupid I guess. I'm a little embarrassed for our city, again.

Radley Balko mentioned us here.
Free Talk Live covered the story was covered in the last 20 minutes of Friday's show, MP3 here.
Alex Jones' Prison Planet has the scoop for the tin-foil hat crowd.

I arrived home yesterday and checked my mail box. Finally my "Never Get Raided" video was here. Shipping seemed to take forever, 3 weeks, but I ordered early so I was able to get an autographed copy. Barry and Candy Cooper are doing yeoman's work in the cannabis culture. I'm so glad they produced this video and hope that every cannabis user and person interested in cannabis law reform watches it.

As a former drug cop and baddass, Barry's message is unique. Now he works on the citizen's side of the law, instructing people how to protect themselves from having their lives ruined by tyrannical and draconian drug policy. His compassion is evident as he describes the lives destroyed by aggressive and violent police tactics. He specifically shows concern for families ruined by the war on drugs.

After seeing Never Get Busted Volume 1: Traffic Stops, I was amazed at the amount of gossip and misinformation the average stoner gets from his friends in avoiding police protection. There is a misconception that coffee grounds and other masking agents fool drug dogs. Dogs can separate smell with their nose, like we can color with our eyes. A dog will smell both coffee and cannabis in the same container, even if we can't. Volume 2: Never Get Raided is full of cannabis proverbs as well.

The first chapter [Youtube Video] covers growing cannabis outdoors or guerrilla growing. Barry takes you to a cannabis field to show you how law enforcement searches from helicopters to detect grow operations. Provided among the tips is a running commentary about the irrationality, stupidity, and futility of the drug war. The police will brag about busting 7 fields while failing to irradicate thousands more. Cannabis remains the number one cash crop in the nation, says Barry, it ranks just above corn. Corn! With all of the government subsidies corn corn farmers get, the millions of acres planted with it, with the 1000's of uses corn has from biofuel to sweetener, cannabis is still numero uno.

Barry then unearths a myriad of myths and speculation about how FLIR cameras work to detect indoor cannabis gardens. Spoiler: It's not your lights they look for, its the heat of your exhaust. You must see the actual FLIR video he took, where he uncovers an indoor garden. He also covers how to obtain indoor grow room equipment undetected, both online and brick and mortar.

The "Selling Drugs Undetected" chapter involves a complicated scheme of evasion and drop off locations. Frankly, the technique he describes just wouldn't be practical for small casual sales. There are other useful tips in this chapter you shouldn't miss especially about "talking business" and prepaid cell phones.

Detecting undercovers and informants is probably the most critical chapter for the average smoker to watch. Desperate friends will rat on you if they're in trouble. He covers how these snitches behave in order to deceive you. A Barry gem: A (clean) cop will never take a bong hit.

The most unique lesson he teaches comes in the Avoiding Knock and Talks chapter. When the police knock on the door to ask you questions, there is no reason you ever need to open the door for them. You are in no way obligated to talk to them or comply with their instructions. I'll say it again, whether or not you have anything to hide, "NEVER OPEN YOUR DOOR FOR THE POLICE!" If the police have the authority to enter your home, make them kick the door down. If they aren't willing to do that then they have no choice but to go away. He teaches, through the anecdote of a busted grower, the techniques that cops will use to manipulate and coerce you into complying with their investigation. I'll save the rest of the details for the video.

One of the strange paradoxes you'll learn is that, unlike your vehicle, in your home you want EVERYTHING to smell like cannabis. Barry teaches you how to ensure that that happens. If everything smells like bud, there's no way a drug detector dog can distinguish between the ubiquitous smell of cannabis and your well hidden stash.

That's about it. I recommend you buy this video for yourself and those that care about. Barry does give permission for you to make copies of the video that you buy for your friends, but requests that you at least buy one copy for the permission to do this.

Barry and Candy now write for Cannabis Culture Magazine, available next to High Times at Bookstar at Poplar Plaza. They are working on NGB Volume 3: 50/50, were they will document the use of alcohol and then cannabis on the same 50 people.

Barry Cooper, Mark Emery, and I all have very lovely wives, even though we might not be much to look at. That says something for responsible, cannabis using men. We take care of the ladies.

No, no, you're thinking G-13. I'm talking about the TV station G4. All their shows today are related to the cannabis culture.

Read more 420 news at G4 TV.

Thank you to all who work so hard and risk so much so that smokers might be able to enjoy a little bit of God's creation. Have fun and be safe today. See you all at Shelby Farms for Earth Day.

May your buds be dank and your smoke be cool. Happy 4/20!

I'm thrilled with Barney Frank's social Libertarian leanings. Maybe Ron Paul can persuade him to the light side of the force. There is still good in him, I feel it.

For Immediate Release: April 18th, 2008

Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act Introduced Yesterday in Congress

HR 5842 would reschedule marijuana for medical use, end federal interference in state laws

Washington, D.C. Congressional Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced the "Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act," HR 5842, yesterday, a bill co-sponsored by Representatives Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Sam Farr (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Ron Paul (R-TX). The act would change federal policy on medical marijuana in a number of ways. Specifically, HR 5842 would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug, which cannot be prescribed, to a Schedule II drug, which would recognize the medical value of marijuana and create a regulatory framework for the FDA to begin a drug approval process for marijuana. The act would also prevent interference by the federal government in any local or state run medical marijuana program.
Full text of the release.

Its about damn time! People should have a right to medicine. It is the right to life. The most fundamental of all rights.

It only took a few weeks but I've already scooped the New York Times in my coverage of the lead tainted cannabis in Germany. The NYT article is worth reading, even though it is old news by now. :) Yeah, me!

Normally a medical study touting the dangers of cannabis would throw up all kinds of red flags with me. This one is a direct consequence of the drug war.

A New England Journal of Medicine report describes a mysterious rash of unexplained cases of lead poisoning in Germany.

After 8 weeks, we detected a common pattern: the patients were young, were unemployed or were students, had a history of smoking, and had body piercings. On questioning, all the patients eventually conceded that they were regular users of marijuana smoked in "joint" form or with the use of a water pipe.

Turns out the dealers, in order to stack some extra paper, were dusting their weed with lead powder. Now I'm going to assume that this wasn't malicious, rather it was a couple of thugs not realizing that they were poisoning people, not just ripping them off.

What pisses me off about this is that people will use this story to convince people that cannabis is bad for you. The truth is, things would not happen like this if people were able to buy cannabis freely without fear of having their door kicked in. Because selling cannabis is illegal you can't get it from a legitimate merchant. Instead you have to go to a dangerous thug who will poison you.

It is inhumane that some people would rather see cannabis users be poisoned than be altered.