Today is 4/20 day, which is the official celebration day for Marijuana. We wanted to explore various perspectives on the matter without sharing my views on the use of the weed plant, whether it is recreational or for health reasons, which I am sure from this post you can guess for yourselves…
With the help of Rani Soto, we decided to get some insight on weed from various points of view – a more legal, professional perspective. I wanted to know what organizations in NJ existed that focus on cannabis or people who were a part of smoking culture. I learned so much.
Jonathan Goodman is a New Jersey Medical Marijuana patient and actively attends cannabis-focused political and business meetings. He runs The Johno Show, a YouTube channel that sets out to educate the public on the benefits of cannabis and is produced four times a week (Monday through Thursday). The content includes news, Q&A, interviews, and strain reviews.
Why are you an advocate for the use and legalization of marijuana?
I come at this from two sides. First, I believe there are incredible although untapped benefits within the cannabis plant. Second, it has become overwhelmingly clear that enforcement agencies within the United States have used this drug to unfairly incarcerate Black and Latino men at a disproportionate rate than other groups.
In your opinion, what’s the difference between consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana? Do you think our current laws make sense to the dangers of alcohol use in comparison to marijuana use?
I believe alcohol is a hyper-stimulant that causes a person to lose control and act irrationally. We hear of a lot of domestic abuse tied to alcoholism. It’s possible as cannabis becomes more prevalent, we may see an uptick in this type of behavior but for the most part, cannabis tends to mellow a person out. A person on alcohol becomes belligerent when their keys are taken away because they shouldn’t drive. I’ve witnessed a lot of fights outside nightclubs and other out of control behavior due to alcohol. The only act of violence I’ve ever witnessed relating to cannabis was the devouring of a Domino’s pizza at two in the morning…and the regret that came with it the next morning.
American history has played a major role in the laws surrounding both alcohol and cannabis. Prohibition for both these narcotics, and yes I believe alcohol is a narcotic just like cannabis is, followed the same exact historical path. A “moral” minority attempted to force their agenda down the throats of the American people. Once prohibition was established, we saw an escalation of incarceration and violence. When it ended for alcohol, we could correlate statistics tied to its use and came up with laws and consumer messages that save people’s lives. We didn’t go from the end of alcohol prohibition to the formation of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The same goes for drinking while pregnant. The same will happen for cannabis, but first we must have the ability to study the drug’s effects on motor skills and child development. We as a society need to look and ask “Why?” Why is alcohol okay, but cannabis is a crime? We need to look at our history and ask: were these laws created to target one segment of the population? More importantly, we need to realize that demand for a product doesn’t go away by making it illegal. All it does is open a window for a black market to emerge.
Tell me about your first time smoking and how you felt.
I am 46 years old and can barely remember what I had for dinner last night. I’ve been asked this question before and can honestly say I have no recollection of a specific first time. Only that at some point, I started smoking in or before college.
How long have you been smoking marijuana or have been involved at all in “weed culture?”
I have always been a supporter of cannabis. After graduating college and working in real world, I gravitated toward alcohol because it was more socially acceptable. Now, twenty years later and dealing with some critical ailments, I have returned to smoking cannabis but I have also turned my back on all other forms of stimulants including alcohol and coffee. I have become more conscious of my sugar intake and am working on my personal diet all because cannabis has allowed me to feel better again.
You can check out his channel and his latest videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh4SU-OHW-E
Laura Carter is the co-founder of Women Veterans Collective and the founder of the Weed for Warriors Project (Trenton chapter), as well as a United States Air Force Veteran. Laura believes that cannabis should be legalized because of its many medicinal purposes, and finds it less harmful than alcohol or other drugs. She also believes that with legalization, we help to “combat our overwhelming opiate use epidemic.”
What is the main concept behind your organization?
The concept for both of my groups is first and foremost to be an advocate and outlet for other veterans. Women Veterans Collective was formed by myself and 3 other female vets because we were tired of feeling alone and needed a place to come together to help be their advocates and help find solutions to the many problems facing us, and there really isn’t a group like us, we are pretty unique. Female veterans only make up 10% of all vets, and are often forgotten and the services for us are often limited. We are on a mission to change that. We all also happen to be cannabis activists in our respective states (NY, NJ, and DE) and are for legalization. Cannabis use is not required of course, but we are definitely cannabis friends as any of us women veterans are facing PTSD, military sexual traumas, pain issues, mental health problems, etc…and we understand how important cannabis use in our own lives has helped tremendously.
Why are you an advocate for the use and legalization of marijuana?
I started the Trenton chapter of Weed for Warriors Project last year because I wanted to provide an outlet for veterans who use cannabis to come together and fellowship with other like minded veterans within the cannabis community. It has become a great resource for vets who are medical marijuana patients and for those that are looking for more information on becoming a patient. We have also become a PTSD support group, it’s been great! I became an advocate in the cannabis community after attending a rally in 2015. Prior to that rally, I really thought people just smoked weed to get high. I had no idea that it was being used as actual medicine and how it was working in so many lives. Hearing parents speak of how cannabis saved their children was inspiring and eye-opening. It was also the first time I was able to look at my own mental health issues and realize that cannabis was helping me, as well.
In your opinion, what’s the difference between consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana? Do you think our current laws make sense to the dangers of alcohol use in comparison to marijuana use?
I believe cannabis use is a lot safer than consuming alcohol! There are thousands of seriously ill Americans who use cannabis as medicine to alleviate symptoms of cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, MS, PTSD, etc. You cannot say the same about alcohol! The current laws do not make sense! Marijuana is a Schedule I drug, the same as heroin, which means it is considered to have the highest potential for abuse and be the “most dangerous” and has no medicinal value, which we now know to be false. Because alcohol and tobacco are legal, they are not controlled substances, and not subject to DEA scheduling. That really doesn’t make sense to me considering it is by far safer than alcohol and tobacco for that matter. I believe that cannabis should be regulated the same as alcohol. A lot of us are working really hard to break the stigma that cannabis is evil. I definitely think more people are coming around, especially after seeing how well Colorado is managing.
Tell us about your first time smoking. How did you feel?
I have only been using cannabis for the last 6 years, I was fairly “late” to cannabis use. I was a part of society that truly believed that cannabis was BAD and that anyone that used it must be an addict. I couldn’t imagine how smoking was actually helping people. Plus, I went into the military at 17 so I missed the whole experimental teenage phase that a lot of kids go through. The first time that I used cannabis I was 31, when a friend gave me a pot brownie. I really underestimated the power of edibles and ate way too much! I felt so paranoid and remember thinking at the time that weed just wasn’t for me! Over the years, I’ve learned how to regulate my cannabis use for medicinal purposes to help combat my anxiety and to basically get out of my own head and to cope with my depression. When I feel down, I am able to medicate and pick myself back up. In the past, I could be stuck in bed for days unable to function. Instead of the many prescriptions for mental health, which the VA gladly prescribes, I am able to have a more holistic approach in my own healthcare and for that I am thankful. Cannabis helps me to put everything back in perspective and helps to keep me on track, especially when I start feeling lost. It gave me my quality of life back.
Jessie Gill is a cannabis nurse and writer with a background in holistic health and hospice. After suffering a spinal injury, she reluctantly became a medical marijuana patient then quickly transitioned into an advocate. Her site, MarijuanaMommy.com, combines science with personal insight to educate and combat the stigma against marijuana users.
What’s your name and what do you do?
I’m Jessie Gill, I’m a Cannabis Nurse, and I maintain an online cannabis resource at MarijuanaMommy.com. I’m a proponent for national recreational legalization.
Tell us more about your site and why you’re an advocate for marijuana use?
Marijuana Mommy is dedicated to teaching real facts about cannabis and fighting the stigma against use.
I’m an advocate because life forced cannabis upon me. I’m a registered nurse and injured my spine in a nursing accident in January 2014. After the accident, I took a long crappy journey through a series of failed treatments, awful pharmaceuticals, and ultimately major surgery that just worsened my condition. I was taking tons of opiates and Valium, and it wasn’t even helping. Finally, in November 2015, I tried medical marijuana. It didn’t heal me, but it increased the quality of my life dramatically.
What are your thoughts on the comparison between alcohol and marijuana?
Legal cannabis use is less dangerous than alcohol. Excess alcohol kills 88,000 people a year, according to the CDC. No one has ever died from a cannabis overdose. Cannabis is also less deadly than nicotine, opiates, benzos, caffeine, even nutmeg!! – true story, cannabis is less deadly than ordinary nutmeg.
Not to say there aren’t risks and dangers of cannabis use – there are. People need to use in safe spaces and consume moderately. Smoking should be avoided – edibles and vaporization are healthier. I also specify “legal” cannabis, because illegal use carries greater risk.
How long have you been involved in “weed culture?”
I’ve been a patient for one year and five months now. I’ve been writing about cannabis for about a year now. MarijuanaMommy is about three months old, but I migrated some old posts from my holistic health blog. The first time I tried MMJ, it was like all my spasmodic muscles sighed at once in relief.
We asked everyone to share some statistics or resources they felt were relevant, and Jonathan shared useful tidbits of information. For instance, minorities, specifically blacks and Latinos, are more likely to have criminal records from pot arrests than any other group. In fact, 77% of the federal sentences for marijuana possession were given to Latinos. It also doesn’t help that marijuana is tied to a negative image that is untrue, as Laura shared with us. It’s significantly less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, yet it’s still considered “illegal” in several states. So, where do we go from here?
When will weed finally be legal all over the country, or at least here in Jersey City?
New Jersey, let’s go…
WOW! Great site thanks for fighting!