Pubdate: Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

WHAT'S UP WITH GOV. JERRY BROWN'S COMMENTS ON MARIJUANA?

What's up with Gov. Jerry Brown smack talking marijuana last
week?

- -Not Sutter

I have no idea. In a recent TV interview, Gov. Brown had this to say
about legalizing marijuana: "The problem with anything, a certain
amount is OK. But there is a tendency to go to extremes. And all of a
sudden, if there's advertising and legitimacy, how many people can get
stoned and still have a great state or a great nation?"

Dude. Really? What happened? Where did "Governor Moonbeam" go? Is
this the same guy that dated Linda Ronstadt? I have a message for
you, Mr. Governor: All of the people that want to smoke weed already
do. And California is still a great state.

Some folks seem to think that legalizing cannabis will lead to some
sort of explosion in marijuana use. That isn't the case. What
legalization does is keep people from going to jail for using
marijuana, while giving the state legitimate jobs and tax revenue. How
can this be a bad thing? How many people can get drunk and still have
a great state or a great nation? Alcohol is much more problematic than
marijuana, and no one is trying to put boozers in jail. I think Gov.
Brown made a mistake with this statement. Hopefully, he will figure it
out.

This year will mark 40 years of cannabis use for myself, and in the
last month, I've read two haunting articles that have caused me to
view things in a different light. The first was a Mother Jones article
regarding the impact of grows on public land, as well as private land,
in primarily the Emerald Triangle, focusing on rodenticide usage and
it's impact on Pacific fisher populations, as well as other predators.
And, of course, water usage. The second was an article on AlterNet
that spoke about the intense energy usage involved in indoor grows. As
a cannabis user, I want my money to be used in as responsible a manner
as possible. I'm now thinking very hard about where my cannabis comes
from, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. I'm currently
done with indoor-grown herb. It can be some righteous and dank stuff,
but the footprint is just too huge.

- -J.

I feel you. The best answer would be taxation and regulation. Think
about it: If pot was legal, there could be rules in place for what
kinds of pesticides and chemicals growers could use. I want to smoke
weed, not chemicals. As it stands now, many unscrupulous or
just-plain-lazy people will grow however they want. There are no "best
practices." It's really what they think they can get away with. It
frustrates me to no end. Your best bet is to find a grower you know
and trust, and ask them about how they raise their crops. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D