Pet's death leads to drug bust in Boscawen, NH

Information courtesy of the NH Union Leader, DEC. 16, 2009: Click the title of this post for a link to the Union Leader, at the upper left select DEC. 16, 2009.

** In my own words my take on this story:

Two citizen residents of the town of Boscawen, NH had a very sad start to their day.  Their dog, was outside, strayed into the road and was hit and killed by a motorist. The police arrived, appeantly called by the motorist, and apparently came to the dog's owner informing them of the bad news. The officers entered the dog owner's house, and after the fact, according to the news article, say they smelled marijuana.

The short news is the two citizens are now under arrest, felony charges of "manufacturing marijuana" and "possession of firearms while committing a crime".

The police, having said "they smelled marijuana" got a judge to issue a search warrant, and so later that day the police returned to the house, en masse' no doubt, and searched the house. They found what appeared to be a personal growing operation - a refrigerator made into a grow lab, and other assorted personal growing equipment. They found 9 bags of marijuana, which could have been 9 bags containing a gram each, or 9 lbs, they don't say. Nor do they say the couple was in the act of selling drugs, but rather claim they suspect they were. They also found the owners had legal firearms - a shotgun and two handguns.

I suppose the same is true, given our fair legal system, that if a firearm is found during any criminal offense, be it DWI, an underage drinking party where parents of teens own guns, that guns are treated by the law as a criminal offense since they are in the area of the crime that has allegedly been committed.

This would be good, no?

I'm told every second someone in the US is a victim of a violent crime, and police are often strapped as to finding sufficient resources in giving such crimes the attention they need, so when I read about the time and the resources spent on this petty marijuana bust, I have to ask how does this pot bust make us safer and more secure?

As always - I don't encourage nor endorse the use of any drugs, be it cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, etc. I just wanted to share my friend John's message.


John Miller responded to the Union Leader story where I read this story and I wanted to share with you his comments:

If growing a plant like cannabis is considered "manufacturing drugs", then God is in big trouble. Ironically a certain Brig. General in Afghanistan admitted on the news tonight he's growing (aka, manufacturing) an opium poppy plant right in his office. I assume it's in a US military base, and like everything else, if you've got the power or money - you too can do it. Talk about guns!!! Lots of those around! He even laughed about it... and another generl asked if he dould take it to the states... so I have to ask, what kind of message is that sending for children?

Yes, as one commenter pointed out, cannabis/aka, marijuana is illegal because it's illegal, not because it's dangerous if used responsibly, which is much easier to accomplish than it is to drink alcohol or smoke tobacco responsibly.

Just like not everyone who uses cannabis are good, neither are all cops bad or to be mistrusted. Check out LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

My condolences for the death of your pet dog, and the consequences. I'm told there is a leash law in that town, so you might want to adopt a cat.

The politics of cannabis prohibition are ludicrous!
- John Miller, Bristol

Let's Party!!! Let's Play Safe!!!

The season to "party hardy" is upon us! Myself, honestly, I don't party like you might think. My partying is in front of a computer... as boring as that may sound, but I have had my life of partying and I wish to encourage all of you out there to party safe!

I don't encourage excessive drinking, or drugs, but realistically speaking, let's accept the fact they're out there. The customer's are lining up with shopping carts of alcoholic spirits and beverages, the cannabinoid vampires are getting their weed, and the hard drug users - well, maybe they'll consider backing off a bit and even maybe recognizing there is a limit to what us human beings can endure physically and seek help.

Over the years I've met pretty much all kinds of "drug users", from those who have self-control to those who have lost it. As I've said before, drunks scare me the most, but mostly because they feel free to terrorize the towns and highways.

The following are BobKat's harm reduction suggestions... maybe if just one person reads this and a injury is avoided/a life saved, it'll mean something, and make this post worthy of my efforts.

1) Don't drink alcohol or use recreational drugs and drive. Period!

I have a dear family friend who got in trouble! In a sense she was fortunate, in that, she and her new husband went to a party one night and they both got blind drunk. Although it was her husband's truck they left in, my friend decided to drive because HE was too drunk; but she was too! Being drunk causes stupidity, plain and simple. She was always the responsible one in the family... but that night, she made a BIG mistake thinking she'd be a better driver than her husband.

My friend was in school to be a registered nurse, and now she has a record: "aggravated DWI. He wasn't charged. Now she has no driver's license, has spent time in jail, and more.

Why didn't they call a cab??? Because they were drunk, and they felt fearless. That's alcohol, feeling fearless.

2) Cannabis use may seem safe - and I believe in many ways it is. But if you use cannabis, the opposite can happen... you can feel fearful, especially on the highway. Someone who has never used cannabis prior to the day they do, are especially vulnerable, as they have no experience with the effects of cannabis. Stay put if you're high... take a long walk, unless it's dangerous outside. But just because you may have experience doesn't mean you're prepared for the unexpected. Cannabis is a herb to use when you're safe indoors, if you go out, a straight person drives. It's common sense, and unlike alcohol users, cannabis users seem to retain most of their common sense.

3) This is important - this is the time of year often hardest on people who, for whatever reason, are feeling lonesome, alone or abandoned... I've been there and in some ways i'm still doing that! I've come to an understanding though, about my existence, and that is, the planet itself is not safe, but I am, or seem to be, at present (knocked on wood:). 

There is a lot of uncertainty, yes. I've experienced it. Drives me nuts, internally. So I write. And do other things. I accept it somehow... 

Sometimes Life gets hard to take in - breathe in...

I know.

***

If you use drugs - alcohol, cannabis, and others, don't drive... until the effects have had hours to wear off... call a cab, designate a person to drive who doesn't use intoxicants and euphorics, or stay put. If you're at a party and you must get home, have no money for a cab, and there is no designated driver... make a PLAN - let family or friends know you're going to a party and may not be able to drive... ask them ahead of time if they'd be willing to come get you, rather than the worst case - post your bail or ID your dead body (along with other, often innocent persons) at the morgue!

I want you around in one piece next year to follow my blog and the blogs of my friends, like Slam Dunk.

So please... Be Safe this Christmas, Ho Ho ;> And Not SORRY!!!

MEDICAL MARIJUANA - the HYPOCRISY of SELECTIVE CANNABIS REFORM!

During my long commute I listen to NPR (National Public Radio) usually in NH. That's where I got news about the park sit-ins for cannabis reform. Recently, however, I heard a news-cast on Marketplace, about the difficulties posed with legalization, and the dispensaries in CA. One of those problems is distribution and who gets prescriptions. To highlight the article they ended it with an interview of an apparent 18 yo, sounding stoned, proclaiming he had "used marijuana for stress, and had done so for most of his life", and now had a "prescription", so he was legal.

Generally I find NPR  playing both sides... in this case they're playing center. It'd be easy for me to create a post to illustrate the stereotype of a drunk, describing his ills, and how during alcohol prohibition, he had a prescription, to use whiskey... something that today is available with no limit...  The controls come into play, in theory not only with the age of the person buying it, but also who is sharing with who? All drugs used for recreation need sound regulation... to the degree coffee is simply enjoyed with it's caffeine buzz, to Psilocybin or LSD... a war on these things is futile.

This prescription for whiskey was issued in 1925 , to a Mr. McNoble (sp?) He apparently was one of the good guys - got his prescription, to make his use of a recreational drug legal.

So I have to question authority, when I ask: why does cannabis decriminalization, ie reform, pose such a serious dilemma? With alcohol and tobacco causing thousands of deaths every day, and cannabis causing next to none, despite it's popularity, why the billions of tax-payer dollars spent annually on cannabis erradication and arrests?

And why bring up children almost every time decriminalization is debated?

It's always about the effect on the children, it seems. Yet, adults easily consume alcohol around children with utter abandon about the message it sends. And many smoke tobacco around kids, even today, with all the warnings of second-hand smoke. Cannabis smoke likewise should not be used around children, but effects of second hand smoke for cannabis are not the same as with tobacco. There is research indicating the opposite, that it dilates airways, and helps relieve the symptoms of asthma. Yet further research indicates cannabis may actually provide anti-cancer benefits to the body. All this is documented.

A good book to start with is a recent release, "Marijuana is Safer - So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?" Chelsea Green Publishing, copyright 2009 - Steve Fox and Paul Armentano.

There seems to be little logic to the laws, in my opinion, regarding recreational drug use... the most dangerous the government makes a bundle on, with taxes; yet one of the most appreciated, and least harmful to society - cannabis, it's treated like a plague, or a serious crime. Makes no sense to me.

We've Been there... Done that people... time to get real... deal with real issues ...

The point is... the stereotype of the "pothead" is a myth. It's easy to act the part of a stoner, the fact is people who use cannabis, use it for many reasons... and very few of those users are harming society by doing so, except by doing something in private that is illegal.

Currently, the FDA regulates tobacco products, as well as all pharmacuticals. It doesn't regulate cannabis. Recently the FDA sent letters out to companies still selling caffeinated alcoholic beverages... demanding them to prove such beverages were safe.  Essentially they can't, it would cost the companies a lot to prove the combination is safe, so it's a tough position to be in.

Yet tobacco, now regulated by the FDA, is known not to be safe, yet it's sold virtually unregulated, except by age, with no limit to the amount purchased. The same with alcohol. No Limit. Except by age.

Cannabis on the other hand, with considerable studies showing it to be among the safest drugs known to man, remains in limbo... it is legally prescribed/sold in, at last count, 14 states, and the states benefit from the sales being taxed...  to my knowledge, prescription meds aren't normally taxed, making this, DeFacto Legalization!!!

Meanwhile, the federal government sits on regulations making use of marijuana a schedule one crime. That's a serious complication. It means doctors cannot prescribe cannabis for any reason, and yet, the federal government has chosen, at least for now to look the other way. I guess President Obama is planning to let his successor decide on what to do about the 'Omar and Kumar's of this country'.  

"CIRC the Turk": Our Family's Special Guest: for Dinner...

In memory of our dinner this Thanksgiving, I'd like to thank Circ the Turk.... yeah, it's one thing to go to a supermarket and buy a turkey, it's another to raise your own.

I got attached to Circ the Turk- our domestic turkey. It's our first year on the farm with our own livestock. I've already mentioned Henry the Feral Rooster, and we have laying Hens, lots of eggs...  and plan to do more. But as much as I imagined having livestock would be "simple to raise", it's a lot of work. I can't take credit for most of it, as I work all week and commute 3 and 1/2 hours a day. I'm not home much, but when I am it's the natural environment that rejuvenates me.

I got to know Circ... pretty well... and he was a good turkey. He'd had a rough time of it, in fact.

We have two turkey's, and there is a pen outside next to our chicken house where the two turkeys live(d).It was late May we got them settled into their home. Everything was going as expected. One morning one of us went to feed the livestock, and found Circ had somehow broken his wing - a compound fracture, with the wing-bone extruding through the skin. Fortunately we have a registered nurse living here, who reset, and bandaged/ applied a splint, to Circ's wound. We had our doubt's he would survive, moved him into the garage where we set up a pen with comfy hay and a warm light... and that's where Circ has lived for the past several months, doing fine, with a radio and "Home Prairie Companion" a constant, soothing voice for the lone turkey. He recovered completely... but today was his last day. Some photo's of Circ...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL...