MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO 'GET LIT'

Just how many ways are there to describe smoking pot? I'm reading John
Gordon's book, and counting.

Gordon, a member of the B.C. Marijuana Party, spent a recent afternoon
autographing copies of his new soft-cover 'Chronic Chronicles.' I'd heard
about the signing on FM radio and couldn't resist dropping by.

Marijuana Party headquarters on Hastings is a step into alternative reality
for a police officer wandering life's mystery on mere caffeine. It was
reminiscent of Amsterdam, or Gastown in the late 1960's ; everyone inside
grooving and cool, with pot being smoked as if it were legal.

I reminded myself I was there uninvited, and introduced myself politely to
Gordon.

That in itself presented a challenge. Was I to intro myself as constable
Tonner, full time lawman and sometime journalist? Here to have a go at your
latest stoned work?

Gordon might even have been open to it: he's a friendly fellow, but it
seemed like a grossly uncool thing to announce in such a post-post modern
setting, and I introduced myself simply as Mark.

A signature, five bucks and a dreamy smile later I was back into fresh air.

The book is a series of tales; glimpses into the social side of marijuana
advocacy from the POV of a fictional character 'Flash' While John Gordon
signs with the same moniker, Flash, he sees the fictional designation as
extending artistic license. And though the stories speak of actual
incidents, writing them as fiction is seen as a way to avoid legal trouble.

That said, a great many well known and non-fictional names are used.

Marc Emery is portrayed as entering several scenes, offering encouragement
and high-grade bud to all. Among other advocates mentioned by name are
David Malmo Levine, Hilary Black, Dana Larsen and Richard Cowan.

Marijuana advocates are determined folk, so I'll assume they're aware their
have been used, and that they don't mind. My intent is to review a piece of
written work, after all; not to offer a prelude to Prosecution. So, back to
descriptions of smoking up. Characters in the tales were described as
alternately 'sparking' joints, toking up, starting days with 'wake-n-bake,'
inhaling a 'B.C. pinner' or indulging in the 'champion's breakfast'.

All of which is reasonably creative, if a little vague in focus. The
problem in fictionalizing actual events is well known, and shadows this
work as it has many others: real stories don't come with proper plot lines
or character development. As Homer Simpson is known to say, they're just a
bunch of stuff that happened.

Whether or not Gordon's stories are accurate, they fit the Simpson profile.
An herbal subculture is portrayed as hopping from meeting to rally, with
little in mind other than getting high-high-high and fighting for the right
to do so.

If that's what spins your hydro meter you'll have to make do with
indifference from this writer. The legislation decision isn't mine to make,
and I won't make predictions either way. What I will do is carry on with
unofficial insight from the blue side of the street.