THANK YOU, MICHAEL PHELPS!

Ten Reasons to Get High About Pot in 2009

Okay, it is only the first week of February and more people this year
have already died from peanut butter than pot.

Seriously, when you think about what has crossed the pages of our
nation's conscience in the past month, you have to wonder why we are
all not getting high.

I have ten good reasons to believe drug law reform will 'take' this
year. Here is why, and it starts with a young kid, 98 gold medals and
a bong. Thank you, Michael Phelps.

Number One: The President

First of all, we elected a President who has admitted inhaling, and
whose half brother just got arrested in Kenya for possession of
marijuana. Growing up in urban Chicago, and having come from Hawaii,
home of 'Maui Waui,' we have a man in the oval office that has an
herbal background.

I am therefore not intimidated that, on his third day in office, while
he was working on a nationwide economic stimulus package, some
renegade prosecutors raided a medical dispensary in California. Those
ugly efforts will cease soon enough. I am encouraged by President
Obama's prior public statements that such raids are counterproductive
and provide illusory answers to real problems.

Number Two: The Medicine

Just as I was exploring the placement of my mom into an assisted
living facility for early stage Alzheimer's patients, I see a study
released by Ohio State University this month. The research is
indicating that marijuana has some potential capacity to reduce brain
inflammation, which plays a role in Alzheimer's. Mom, those brownies
might taste differently next week.

While evidence showing the benefits of marijuana in multiple sclerosis
cases has been advancing significantly, work in Alzheimer's disease is
still in its infancy. Still, another recent study performed at the
Scripps Research Institute in California found that THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana, inhibits the formation of a brain plaque that
is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

Number Three: The Politics

If you light up a joint while walking down High Street in Medford,
Massachusetts, not much is likely to happen to you. As of Jan. 2,
Massachusetts became one of 12 states that have decriminalized
marijuana possession to some extent. The new civil penalties for
possession of less than 1 ounce include a $100 fine and forfeiture of
one's stash for those over 18 years of age. Minors will receive the
same fine and be required to attend drug education classes. In city
after city, and state after state, once silent minorities are becoming
vocal majorities and voting to enact legislation freeing marijuana
from unjust law enforcement. When given the chance, we are winning the
war against prohibition. Legislators in Michigan, Connecticut and even
Florida are starting to re-introduce bills to lower penalties for pot.
The whirlwind is commencing; just ask anyone in a dorm room within a
wave of the White House after the inauguration.

Number Four: The Media

Marijuana has gone mainstream. Media outlets are no longer hiding in
the shadows afraid to produce honest reports about the culture of
marijuana. We are less likely to see commercials of pot smokers having
their brains grilled in a frying pan. We are more likely to view
legitimate programming which produces truths rather than trash about
your stash.

One such report was featured on NBC news last week, a snippet of an
hour long production on MSNBC entitled 'Marijuana, Inc.' Focusing more
on economics then the sociology of pot, the well-supported report
inescapably concluded that marijuana commerce is here to stay and
unlikely to change. As even the NY Daily News said, "When it comes to
marijuana, a whole lot of people voted some time ago to just say yes."

Ask the cast of the award winning HBO show, 'Weeds,' which captures a
growing American spirit.

Number Five: The Public

Even the Department of Health has said that 95 million Americans have
over the age of 21 have tried marijuana at least once. Everyone except
Bill Clinton has inhaled. The anti drug warriors have a hard time
explaining to the average adult in the 21st century that millions of
Americans are wrong when they light up every day.

It is normal to smoke pot. The vast amount of marijuana users today
are parents choosing to calm down instead of liquor up, not just kids,
looking to get high after class. Of course, they are too, adults
treating arthritis, patients using it for multiple sclerosis, or
people with HIV fighting a wasting syndrome. Pot smokers cross ethnic,
sociological, and economic boundaries.

Number Six: The Celebrities

There is a lot of reason to hate the celebrity culture, paparazzi, and
people who get their daily pulp from finding out where Brittany Spears
went shopping. As more media types get busted with pot, the less
newsworthy it becomes. The public could care less. An arrest for pot
is not a career-ending event. As I finish this piece and send it off
for distribution, I am watching Snoop Doggy Dogg being interviewed on
ESPN for the NFL Countdown to the Super Bowl. It does not seem to have
hurt him.

Macauly Culkin, Bud Bundy, Willie Nelson, Art Garfunkel, and Al Gore's
son also make the High Subscription List. So do Allen Iverson, Matthew
McConaughey, Whitney Houston, Oliver Stone, and even Queen Latifah.
All have posted bail for pot. They are not doing too badly for
themselves. Go visit www.celebstoner.com for more information.

Number Seven: The Growers

In speaking out against rescheduling marijuana so as to remove it from
its classification as dangerous, the most significant point that the
Office of Drug Control Policy makes is that today's weed 'is not your
grandfather's pot.' Exactly! It is not, but they miss the mark when
they say today's pot is 'stronger.'

Today's pot is also cleaner, safer, and healthier to consume. From
vaporizers to hydroponic labs, the marijuana grown and consumed today
is more precisely cultivated, carefully processed, and lovingly
manicured then the mold-encased, dried-out weed we grew up on decades
ago. That pot was often delivered to Americans from overseas after
being buried in the dark, musky cargo hulls of ships for weeks at a
time.

Now that Americans grow our own marijuana at home, we do not hear
stories on a daily basis about people smoking rat poison or buying
oregano. We have returned to the roots of our forefathers, lest we
forget that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison all
grew hemp. They did not turn out too bad, either. Today's pot growers
are the new revolutionary farmers.

Number Eight: The Police and Jails

Sadly, the criminal justice system in America is teeming with serious
crimes and violence against Americans. A Department of Homeland
Security must necessarily focus on threats from abroad. From drive-by
shootings to corporate white collar crime, the jails in our country
are simply not capable of housing all those who should arguably be
locked up. So law enforcement has to prioritize. Building jails and
keeping people in prisons costs more money than communities can
afford. Pot smokers are the residual beneficiaries.

The necessities of twenty first century law enforcement have reduced
pot to secondary priorities. More and more cities are encouraging cops
to treat simple pot possession as a civil traffic infraction and just
write a ticket. As those progressive initiatives take hold, pot
prosecutions will diminish and pot users will be treated more fairly.

Number Nine: The Non Profits

The wealth of non profit organizations advocating drug law reform is
growing exponentially. We are not just NORML anymore. Benefactors like
Peter Lewis and George Soros have underwritten drug reform movements
the way Hugh Hefner once helped NORML. The Marijuana Policy Project,
Students for a Sane Drug Policy, the Drug Policy Alliance, and Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition are just a small sampling of honorable
groups fighting to change the public perception in the way drug
consumers are viewed and treated. If you enhance their efforts today,
there is less of a chance that you will be bonding yourself or your
child out of jail tomorrow.

Number Ten: The Internet

There is no better way to end this column then to point towards the
awesome power of networking to generate partnerships for the common
good. Overnight, hundreds of thousands of reformers can be linked for
a specific goal, a targeted protest, or unified voice to speak out for
or against a new law or proposed regulation.

The NORML blog and podcast draws hundreds of thousands of Americans
daily who would otherwise never be reached but for the arm of the
'Net. Stopthedrugwar.org Marijuananews.com, and cannabisnews.com are
amongst the target specific Internet resources drug law reformers can
access instantly. There are too many more to mention.

Finally, the Internet has spawned awesome networking groups such as
Facebook and My Space, where activists, organizers, and reformers can
synthesize their partnerships and causes. And there is always
something new unfolding, like Twitter, which I have not figured out,
but I know is catching on.

Conclusion: It's Up to Us

For too many years, pot smokers have been political prisoners, captive
to repressive government and a rolling tide. 2009 represents a renewed
opportunity to make the waters of justice run our way again.