Marijuana or Cannibis

Well, since the use of marijuana has been legalized in Colorado for more than a year, and since in Boulder County alone the sales tax was $4.3 million, I thought I'd share some old posters and advertising regarding that "mad, bad weed"....

Be Safe - Not Stupid

I've lived in the same apartment for 9 full years now.  My neighbors change with great frequency, mainly because we're a college town, and this place is across the street from the University of Colorado campus.  Lewis, who lives three doors down, has rented his place for 15 years, Beatrice (my friend on the second floor) has rented for 5 years, and my current neighbor Rodney has been in his place for 3 years.  But, on the west side of the hallway, most of the tenants change every 3 to 9 months.  I know them mostly by sight.  Benjamin, who spends all of his cash on marijuana, is in 101; two guys share 102, a man in his early 20s and a friend in his mid-30s.  We greet each other, say, "Hi.  How's it going?" - but don't really know each other.
   Boulder Creek has been rising with the past ten days of rain and snow.  The Creek is flowing at 440 cubic feet per second, which is high, but authorities don't close the use of the Creek until the flow rate is 700 cfs or higher.  Chris, the mid-30s man in 102, injured his back last week.  He's a day laborer and couldn't work due to the injury.  He was given pain pills and told to relax and let his injury heal.  Over the weekend, he told his mother, who lives in Connecticut, that the back pain was "excruciating."  Monday afternoon, two days ago, he and and his roommate smoked some marijuana (which is legal, if consumed inside our home) and drank some beer and hard liquor - after Chris had taken his opiate pain pill prescription.  Chris decided to go tubing on Boulder Creek, at the south end of or apartment building.  His friend decided he'd follow along the Boulder Creek Footpath on his skateboard, and not try to ride the water.  Chris jumped into Boulder Creek just east of Folsom Street, which is equivalent to 26th Street.  His friend said that Chris was struggling to get centered in the tube (his backside) and didn't appear to have any control.  The Creek immediately took Chris and the tube downstream, to the east.  Somewhere near 48th Street, Chris appeared to be in trouble, and his friend tried to grab his arm and pull him out of the Creek.  Chris slipped away from him.  His friend called 911 and reported Chris missing in the Creek.
   The Boulder Fire and Rescue teams have been looking for Chris since 6 p.m. on Monday; at 7 p.m. last night, his mother and roommate were informed that the Search and Rescue had been officially changed to a Search and Recover scenario.  This is May in Colorado - with the snow melt-off feeding the creeks and streams, the current water temperature is 40 degrees.  It was sheer stupidity to go into Boulder Creek in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, in a rubber inner tube, in 40 degree (F) water.  Both of the men should have known better.
   Please, do NOT undertake anything while you are mentally impaired - the mixture of medication, marijuana, and alcohol killed Chris.  It can easily happen to anyone who doesn't think things through.  Please be alert to your surroundings and use common sense - don't try anything that could possibly be life threatening in a impaired condition.
   As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Chris has not been found.  One inner tube was found floating on the Creek, but it's not known if that was the tube Chris used.  He is now missing, assumed dead.

Miscellany

I really laughed at a news story in the local newspaper yesterday.  The Boulder Transit Center, or, the local downtown bus station, was evacuated because someone reported what looked like a pipe bomb was leaning against the building.  One of the investigating officers peeked around the corner at the "device"  and then laughed.  It was a home-made marijuana bong that was made from PVC pipe.  Of course, I'd rather be safe than sorry - but it was around Christmas that the Post Office and the Transit Center (they are catty-corner on two blocks) were evacuated due to a "suspicious package" - it was an empty box with Cyrillic writing on it.  The state of Colorado had approved the use of Medical Marijuana several years ago.  The legal use of marijuana in private was legalized almost 18 months ago - but, apparently some of the street policemen  don't recognize "normal" "home-made" pot paraphernalia.
   Our local news decided to air the cell-phone video of the 50-year-old man being shot in the back while running from a policeman (no longer) in South Carolina.  I can understand an adrenaline rush - I can understand pulling a Taser on a suspect if he's resisting arrest.  I can understand chasing a running suspect.  But I can not get my mind around a good reason to empty an eight-bullet clip into the back of a running man.  The man was stopped for a misdemeanor thing - to let him know that a brake light wasn't working.  I simply can't understand how that minor traffic stop escalated into a man losing his life in a hail of bullets...  Perhaps angry words were exchanged, perhaps names were called - but that still does not mean a man had to lose his life.  I am really becoming sickened by the seeming prevalence of police on citizen crime.
  At least there may be some measure of "closure" for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.  With the defendant being found guilty on all 30 counts that were brought against him, I understand that the Jury will begin deliberating on the sentencing sometime soon.  The loss of lives, and the horror of seeing one's loved ones being blown apart, is something that no one can ever totally recover from.  I just hope, that once this man is in prison, that the victims, and their families, can get on with their lives.
  We had a thunder storm last night - and my cats didn't appreciate it.  They both disappeared under the bed.  To be fair, we haven't had a thunderstorm since September, and the thunder was very loud, and, seemingly, directly over the apartment.  We also got some rain, which the ground immediately inhaled - just a few traces of dampness on the roadways.  We need a good, light, soaking rain that lasts for about 48 hours, to help our drought.  We were very windy yesterday afternoon, and had a humidity level of 5 % - much too dry, much too soon.
  I know I'm getting older.  The mirror certainly tells me that, as do my aches and pains, but I still am not used to being called "Ma'am."  I still call older ladies by that moniker, and men are "Sirs" - but for some reason it astounded me to have 20+ people greet me as "Ma'am" this morning.  I walked to the bakery to get my whole wheat blueberry bagel, and I passed the usual parade of construction workers on their way to Folsom Field.  Each one called me Ma'am.  I know that I have almost white hair, and I know I have some wrinkles - but I still want to look behind me, and see whom the "Ma'am" is addressed to.  I guess I'll always be in my early teens in my mind....

Flooding, Spring, $2 Million in Taxes in One Month

The biggest news around here is that the first month's sale of recreational marijuana brought in $2 million in state taxes for Colorado.  Not only that, but the first marijuana smoking club has been licensed and will soon open it's door - Club Ned - up in Nederland.  Yep, where they just finished the three-day celebration of Frozen Dead Guy Days -they keep a man's body preserved in dry ice in a shed.  ...  Also, since 1 July 2013, if you buy anything in Boulder from a grocery store, you have to pay 10 cents apiece for the little, flimsy plastic bags the store supplies.  Monday, Boulder announced that the use of those plastic grocery bags has dropped by 68 % since they began charging for them - this was done by the city of Boulder, not the grocers, to reduce plastic trash. And, since Target sells groceries, as well as everything else, one must purchase (or bring) a bag, even if you're buying underwear...  (That's my only gripe!)
  It was in the mid-60s on Sunday, and it was 70 degrees here at 4 Monday afternoon.  Of course, we're expecting rain and snow this afternoon and evening...  March and April in Colorado is like taking a roller-coaster ride blindfolded; you go up and down, and are never quite sure what's going to happen next.  All of the domesticated animals and wildlife I see seem to be exhilarated by the signs of spring - trees and bushes are budding; snowdrops, daffodils, irises are starting to show green above the dead leaves and grasses.  I've seen several types of birds gathering items for nest building, and the red-winged blackbirds were singing their hearts out in the marshy areas along the foot path yesterday.  I guess that Spring will eventually arrive...
  Lovey and Nedi still chase and hiss at one another when they are running around playing - but they are occasionally sleeping together these days.  It's taken a long time, but I'm very happy.  They play and share food and water, but they have never cuddled with each other.  I think I might see that in the next few years.
  The other big news item in Boulder is that the County is holding meetings this week for anyone who lives on, or near, our huge creek system - Boulder Valley has at least 20 different streams and creeks that pour into it from the mountains.  After the big flood last September, which many people (and properties) are still recovering, it seems that we have a bumper crop of snow in the mountains.  This is good, because it is our drinking water for the rest of the year; it is bad because the creeks and streams have not recovered at all from the flooding this past fall.  Other than Boulder Creek, most streams and creeks here are seasonal - they are dry during fall and winter months, and for the last part of the summer.  Almost every single creek and stream has water running along its course right now, when it "should" be dry.  As we have 142 % of our annual snowpack up in the mountains, if we have high temperatures, and the snow melts rapidly, we could see September all over again.  So the County is calling folks to come to local meetings to discuss what will probably happen if we have more water than we can handle...  It will be an interesting spring in this semi-arid area!
  ~~~ On another note, if my husband were still alive, this would be his 66th birthday.  Jeffery Dale, I still love you and miss you.  I hope that you share all that I see, hear, read, think, and experience... especially the joys of your grandchildren!  ~~~

- Flashback -

Wow, talking about taking me back in time.  Smoking small amounts of marijuana, or cannabis, in private, is now legal in Colorado.  I have watched the media cover this, along with the selling of sales licenses, since the new year, and never really thought much about it.  Today, I stopped inside the local bus station to get a sip of water from the fountain,and was asked something I haven't been asked in years - "Do you have a few extra rolling papers I can have?"  I told the young man that I didn't, and got my water and went back to my pick-up area.  Then I started trying to remember when I had last been approached and asked for "rolling papers"...  and had to admit that the last time I remember that happening, I was at a concert that featured Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Roger McGuinn at the University of Florida.  In trying to pinpoint the year, the closest I could come was 1976 or 1977 - I know it was before I cut my right index finger off two days before Thanksgiving in 1977...  I know who I went to the concert with, and that we traveled on his motorcycle, and I remember having a wonderful time.  Marijuana never did anything "for" me - it just made me giggle insanely at everything, so I only used it once or twice.
  My Dad was an alcoholic, and, other than trying to drink for a little while, in college, I gave that up, too.  I suffer from migraine headaches, and alcohol brings them on - even though I didn't know it at the time.  All I knew was I always had a "hang over" that lasted a week, and that I'd spend most of the 24 hours after I stopped imbibing in the bathroom - either throwing up or with diarrhea.  Neither was pleasant, so I stopped doing that, also. I have to admit that up until 6 years ago, I occasionally - once or twice a year - had a cocktail.  But I don't really like the taste, and I have an allergic reaction to gin, so I've stopped drinking.
  I never tried LSD, but I did have a good dose of psychedelic mushrooms one night; at least, I was told they were -   The next day my friends told me about all these strange mental experiences they had; while I don't remember a thing out of the ordinary happening to me, mentally or physically....  I figure either I didn't ingest enough to "get high," or that I just didn't react to it for some unknown reason.
   It's possible that I'm just a spoil-sport.  I prefer to observe the world that I live in from a mind that isn't clouded (or enhanced) by psychotropic drugs.  I'd rather see and evaluate things as they actually happen. Maybe that's why I enjoy history so much - it's already happened, so it's cut and dried, other than the perspective.  But, then, I love to read science fiction, fantasy, and fiction, as well - maybe reading is my drug of choice....   I know I'm certainly addicted to it!

Colorado Says Recreational Marijuana is Legal

Voters approved an amendment legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado on Tuesday, making this one of two states to end prohibition of the drug but also raising new legal questions and setting up potential court battles.  The historic result, projected by The Denver Post on Tuesday night, drew raucous cheers and applause from the amendment's supporters, who gathered in hundreds at Casselman's in downtown Denver.  "We won! We won!" supporters cried as the results were splashed across a giant screen.
   Amendment 64 led late Tuesday night with 53.3 percent voting yes and 46.7 percent voting no, with 1,863,535 votes or about 66 percent of active voters counted, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's office.
   "This is really groundbreaking," said Beau Kilmer, co-director of the Rand Drug Policy Research Center. "No modern jurisdiction has ever removed the prohibition on the production and possession of marijuana for recreational purposes. ... Since no one has done this before, there are a lot of uncertainties."  Voters in Washington state approved a similar measure Tuesday; in Oregon a legalization issue failed.
   The amendment will allow those 21 and older to purchase up to one ounce of the drug at specially regulated retail stores. Possession would be legal but not public use. Adults could grow up to six marijuana plants at home. It sets up a direct challenge to federal drug law, which regulates it as an illegal substance. Federal authorities have not said how they will respond.
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This will be interesting....

CU Boulder Closing Campus To Public Next Friday

For almost 50 years, the students of the University of Colorado at Boulder have held "the Great Smokeout" on April 20.  Not cigarettes and/or cigars.  It is a celebration and gathering of like-minded thinkers to literally blow smoke into the faces of police offices and college officials.  Weed. Grass. Mary Jane. Wild wood flower. Loco-weed. Marry-ju-wanna. Marijuana.  I grew up with Gainesville Green, Micanopy Madness, August Alachua, Windsor Wild weed, and Waldo Whack.  After all, I was a teen in Gainesville, home of the Gators - a college town.  In any event - and not to start any controversy - I, personally, believe that marijuana use should be legalized.  Folks here in Boulder have been thumbing their noses at authority for quite some time on April 20 - and without a huge police crackdown.   Last year more than 10,000 people showed up at the Norlin Quad for the smokeout - and more than half of the people there were not CU students.  Norlin Quad itself has three functioning teaching halls and one of the best libraries on campus; with more than 10,000 people packed into the Quad, it is very difficult to move from class to class, or to visit the library.
   But CU is going to close the campus to outsiders next Friday, and only those people who have pre-registered to be on campus will be allowed past security.  CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard cited a Boulder campus rule  - "Campus Use of Facilities" - that allows the chancellor to restrict access because of weather, safety concerns or "disruption."  He said that the April 20 closure falls into the latter category.  "This is definitely a measure that is unique, " Hilliard said.  "That should be a signal to people that we are very serious about ending this event on our campus."  The closure has ignited concerns from the Boulder County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has asked its lawyers to look into the legality of closing a public college campus. Several weeks ago, the campus had already notified the public that no parking would be available on campus the day of April 20.
    Because of the shut down of the campus, one of the Student groups has arranged for a free concert (for students only) at the Coors Pepsi Center with singer Wyclef Jean, scheduled to start at 1 in the afternoon.  This is intended to keep the students out of trouble.  However, several grad students have opined that with Norlin Quad a "no-go" and the campus closed to visitors, that the Smokeout will spread throughout downtown Boulder and that there will be several riots.  VT had asked me a couple of weeks ago if he, as Security, should be worried about next Friday - I told him, "Of course not!"  Now, I'm not so sure....