First of all, if you haven’t read reporter Leland Baxter-Neal’s cover story this week about the economic impact of legalizing pot, go read it now. It has everything: helicopters, girls in Harry Potter outfits, nerdy graphs. Seriously.
- Pot: It’s Punny.
The article coincides with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws’ (NORML) national conference, which is landing at the posh Governor Hotel today and includes speeches from, among others, Representative Earl Blumenauer (no surprise) and travel show host Rick Steves (what?!).
NORML sent out a checklist today outlining the rules of holding a pot convention at the Governor Hotel. Here is rule number one:
1. Marijuana is still illegal (unless you’re a registered medical cannabis patient)
The rest of the rules are pretty boring until you get to Rule #7 and its giddy talk of hemp beer:
7. The Rogue Brewing Company, in celebration of Portland’s hosting a national NORML conference, has set up a free brewery tour and shuttle bus during the entire conference—featuring a hempen ale made from hemp seeds.
And Rule #10, which makes up an annoying word:
10. Starting with the now mega huge Seattle Hempfest in 1991 the greater Northwest United States now plays host to several hempfests—large ‘protestivals’ where cannabis law supporters and consumers alike gather to both protest the status quo while at the same time being festive, celebrating cannabis culture.
All I can say is: Food carts on 10th and Alder are gonna be busy this weekend.
Rick Steves is a long-time proponent of decriminalization (though not a user himself). Dude’s been around Europe enough times to have reached an educated conclusion as to what works/what doesn’t–I recently watched his Switzerland episode & now want to visit Bern, badly.
@ Sullivan, I was going to say the same thing. In the Switzerland one, he gets about as close to rabidly pro-decriminalization as it is possible for Rick Steves to get.
More Po(r)tland events here:
http://www.asylumavenue.com
You should watch Rick Steves’ speech from this Conference… he’s not just a tourist to the place he calls HIGH
The Portland cannabis community is buzzing with talk of a bright “Out of the darkness and into the light” future for medical cannabis patients. Everyone seems primed for the legalization of cannabis, which will quite likely occur in California within the year. Oregon has a dispensary referendum on the ballot for November, 2010 as well.
While the NORML National convention was the reason for many cannabis activists traveling to PDX last weekend, the multi – consecutive evening long “after party” at the Governor Hotel organized by The Grower and Gawdess 420 was undoubtedly the social event of the season within Portland’s cannabis community. The after party completely overshadowed the High Times magazine party held in the same hotel, reportedly causing some of the High Times magazine staffers to abandon their own party. My congratulations to The Grower, The Grower’s Wife, and Gawdess 420 for organizing and supporting the best pot party in a long time, and doing it with their own funds! (NORML did not contribute to the party or the cost of the hotel suite) The entire cannabis community looks forward to these events. Thanks, folks!
I’d also like to congratulate Mrs. Martinez of Oregon NORML for her work in putting together the actual conference. At first I was very interested to attend the lectures and panel discussion regarding medical cannabis theraputics and legal issues, however I was unable to pay the 150 dollar fee required by NORML to attend those sessions. I would suggest that lowering the fees for such lectures might aid in helping local patients attend such sessions in the future. ( In fairness I have been told that a CD recording of the lecture/panel discussion will be available for purchase, but that’s just not the same as being there. ) I was pleased to read recently that Oregon NORML has instituted a ten dollar one day fee option open to all Oregon cannabis patients for entry to it’s cannabis cafe. Such a more reasonable fee option will allow medical cannabis patients, caregivers and growers to visit the cafe without paying the more substantial NORML membership fees, monthly club fees and daily entrance fees. This “Try it out” fee option was long overdue at Oregon NORML’s Cannabis Cafe.
In these difficult times, many medical cannabis patients are hard hit economically in addition to having physical disabilities. Sadly, we must be ever vigilant and protective of each other. I was recently devastated to learn of the abuse by a caregiver and her husband of a severely ill medical cannabis patient. The skanky criminal duo claimed falsely that they would make repairs to the patients home and pretended to begin repairs, then failed to complete the repairs and stole a thousand dollars worth of the patients prescribed medication with absolutely no regard for the health of the patient. They also wrecked the patient’s car while driving drunk. That this sort of abuse could happen to our fellow patients is unacceptable and must never be tolerated. I cried when I was told about this abuse, several months after the fact. Hearing about it I felt so sick that I wanted to throw up. Sick, and furious.
IF there is anyone reading this who is in a similar abusive situation involving patient or elder abuse, know that you’re not alone and that there are people who can help you to get out of it. Contact your family and friends, your social service agencies, and local law enforcement. “Keep no secrets with a criminal, especially one who is abusing you.” The worst thing you can do in an abuse case is to keep the abusive secrets of a predatory, low life criminal. They will always regard that acquiescence as weakness, and wolves attack the sickly and the weak. “Stay hardcore.”
These are bloody dangerous times. Cheers.