"LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Far from being a war between hippies and police, the fight to legalize marijuana in California centers on whether decriminalizing and taxing cannabis can help fill the state's fiscal hole.
Using the drug for medical purposes has been legal for 14 years in the western state. But a new initiative that will appear on the ballot in November elections is seeking to legalize recreational marijuana use."
My Story
Thomas saw an elderly couple walking down Santa Monica Boulevard. Normally he would have ignored them, but even for March it was a hot afternoon, with beads of sweat trickling down from his bandana, and he was bored and the heat spurred him on to do something. He was collecting signatures for a petition to put a referendum on the California ballot to legalize Marijuana. Normally he wouldn't even have bothered trying to ask two people in their seventies or eighties, heck he had no idea how old they were. Everyone over sixty looked pretty much the same to him.
She had a straw hat with a flowery ribbon around the base, while he wore a Scottish cap a little warm for this climate, but he supposed if it kept the sun off his head, it did its job. Thomas approached the two and worked on his most disarming smile while trying not to show his yellowed teeth from all the smoking he did. He didn't know what to expect, total right wing condemnation or confused indifference, But what the heck, he really was bored. So few people were walking the streets when you could zip by in your automobile.
"Hello," he greeted them cheerfully. They stopped with a start and looked at him warily. He felt like he had been profiled as a mugger, but he tried to change that with his sing song voice. "How are you doing today?"
"We give to the United Way," the old man replied, taking the woman by the elbow and trying to lead her on.
"Oh, no, I'm not asking for money. Actually I'm just asking for people to sign a petition," he smiled, showing them his clipboard in one hand and Bic pen in the other, as one might show their non-threatening hands to a Doberman.
They looked down at his weapons and then visibly relaxed as both released a pent up breath. "Oh, a petition!" the woman exclaimed. "I love signing petitions! You know I used to gather signatures for petitions when I was your age too."
Thomas smiled. "Was that for the right to vote?" Thomas asked innocently.
"Oh, hell no sonny. I'm not THAT old. Actually it was to legalize prostitution. Have you ever heard of the Coyote League?"
Thomas was taken aback. Her, a prostitute? Wow, brain melt. Maybe, when she was younger, but that had to be a l-o-n-g time ago. "Uh, no, sorry, never heard of it."
"Yes, well it was a while back. It didn't work. The petition. But, we tried. Got a lot of press though. I was actually on the Jack Paar show."
Thomas had no idea who Jack Paar was. Probably some local radio personality "Well, I'm collecting signatures to place on the ballot a referendum to legalize Marijuana. It's currently legal in California to smoke Marijuana for medicinal purposes such as those suffering from Cancer and other painful, debilitating diseases. But we want it to be available to more people, and not just with a prescription.
Currently criminals are making a lot of money smuggling Marijuana into the country which is part of the reason we're having this economic recession. The lost tax money, the money leaving the local economy, etc. And many innocent people who just want to relax are being wrongfully arrested and going to overcrowded jails which the government can't afford to maintain and house so many people already, sometimes releasing much more dangerous criminals to accommodate all the new inmates."
The old man took the clipboard from Thomas and looked down at it through his glasses. "Marijuana?" he asked.
"Yes."
"You mean MJ?" the lady responded.
Thomas looked at her. "Uh, yeah, some people call it MJ. And pot."
"So how much could you legally have?" the old man asked.
"Um, up to an ounce."
"Hmph, make it a pound and I might consider it."
"Excuse me?" Thomas cocked an eye.
"Well," the little old lady said, taking the pen from Thomas and the clipboard from the man, "we have three hundred plants in our basement and attic. We now have about four kilos stored up. An ounce or less wouldn't do shit for us. So, where do I sign?"
Thomas stared at her. "Um," he came out of his daze, and he pointed to the bottom of the list. "Right here. I'm sorry, did you say you have four kilos?"
"Damn right. You're not a Fed, are you?"
"Oh, no. I'm gathering signatures to legalize it. "
She signed the paper and handed it to the man to sign. "Go on Fred. Baby steps. Eventually we'll be able to grow as much as we want."
Thomas was quite shocked. "Uh, you'll also be able to have up to 25 square feet for growing space."
The man laughed as he took the clipboard with his trembling, liver spotted hands. "Hah, we have 400 hundred square feet. And she wants to hang some plants in the sun room. But I don't know about our neighbors."
"Four hundred square feet?" Thomas was shocked. He had a couple of plants in a closet, but... four hundred...
The old woman reached into her purse and to Thomas' surprise pulled out two rolled cigarettes and handed one to Thomas. "Here, would you like to try one of ours?" she asked, also pulling out a lighter. "It's our best Acapulco Gold. Smooth and a most excellent buzz."
"Well, sure!" Thomas was just in total generational shock. She lit hers and then lit him up. He took a deep drag... nice! Then Fred took hers and took a drag as well. Wow, this was good shit! he was thinking.
"So, what was that you were a part of? The Coyote League?"
"Oh yes," the old lady smiled coyly. "And Fred here was my pimp. We made an excellent living. Made 8 millimeter movies on the side. And now we have two grown daughters who both work in Las Vegas and make serious money. So, aren't these nice?" she asked, taking another deep drag. "Really help you to get loose."
"Yeah, this is great shit! I mean-"
"We know what you mean young man," she said, placing a small plastic bag in his hand. "Good luck with that petition." And the two moved on.
Thomas looked at the bag in his hand and the dark green contents within. He then took another deep drag, reminding himself, never, ever to profile anyone again.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment