do we represent cannabis?

[Infinitee]

Its about protecting money and power, both inherited and earned. That relies on control, not social justice.

 

Too true. And of course, the illusions (trips, as it were) of both money and power can be easily removed simply by a bit of smoking (even easier with hyge....at least it's good for somethin' ).

 

 

So to be an activist of any benefit to the reform cause, you'll have to not grow, or buy cannabis, and not use it until it is legal. blink.gif

Otherwize you'll be showing that you don't care about the laws, that you do care to change.

 

Tho I can see where your coming from, mull, i don't think it's a must that we adhere to the laws we disagree so adamantly with. Considering the whole anti-cannabis movement has been chiefly based on misinformation, I don't see why we should work within a system working against us.

 

I think rather than concern for the laws enforced 'on' us, we should be worrying about public opinion. While the majority of the public see us as a negative aspect of society or smoking pot as doing something wrong (or at least, so we've been told they do by the media...), we do not have a leg to stand on. And we are hopping round on a bleeding stump with no arms atm... The moral high-ground with a majority of the public's consensus would make changing these inhibitive laws on our inhibiting drugs a fuck of a shit easier.

 

 

So anyone with any decent idea's regarding how to convince 20 odd million people (about half of which have never picked up a reefer.....i'd wager ) that cannabis is good, can be healthy and that stoners are good people (best.....i'd say) without smiling and nodding??

 

[pipeman]

I agree with you in that I think a key ingredient to law reform is having large numbers of people defy the law. Of course when your own personal use or growing habits become known you will be targetted by the police.

 

So they use the unjust laws that we are protesting against as a threat to keep our heads down and not cause any trouble.

[Luke Skywalker]

The thing is, large numbers of people already do defy the law. But the problem is they do so in secret, and are told by wowsers that they can't possibly be a decent citizen if they smoke pot.

 

I still think that if we all marched on parliament hill with bags and bags of weed, even just the smoke we planned to consume that day, what're they going to do? Arrest several hundred thousand people? No, because this is an unenforceable law with a false premise at it's heart. It's a matter of numbers, being loud and and convincing the consuming population that we aren't going away. If we all sit in front of our computers and just bitch about the law but do nothing to change it, what will our kids think of us in the future? They'll call us pussies. Stoned pussies, to be sure, but pussies nonetheless.

 

Ghandi had the right idea. Non-violent, passive resistance, with civil disobedience on a mass scale would ultimately tip the balance. It'll be a long, hard road. But if you don't start walking to your bus stop, how will you ever get the bus and therefore reach your destination? If you get mugged, get up, shout to the world about the injustice, but keep walking!

 

I disagree with mullaway in that you must be pristine perfect to legitimately critisize the law. We just need enough people who use pot to stand up and say, "Oi, I use pot, it's not a crime to my eyes and and I vote."

 

btw, that's another way to change policy... stop voting in the same dickwits who screw us over every single election time. It's like being smacked in the head and asking for more. If every pot smoker voted for a party or independent who advocated law reform, regardless of their other policies which you may or may not agree with, we'd very, very quickly see a change in the major parties attitudes. Politicians are statistical devourers. At the moment the cannabis using population is a significant minority, but we choose not to have our voices heard. Once we decide to be heard, they cannot ignore us.

 

Probably the best way to show the realities of the world is through talking directly, and in general life, to those who don't smoke or don't have contact with it. It's no sense preaching to the converted. Show them the lies and bullshit that they've been force fed and question their opinion that pot is bad. Show them the reality of cannabis, and give them a solid set of figures and data that can't be argued with. Even just talking, politely I might add, to your mum about weed if she's a non-user, makes a few cogs start turning. You'd be amazed how grass roots action can make a difference.

 

Another very, very useful way to get the message out there is writing to editors of major newspapers. It might seem a little silly, and sure, it'll take up time, but they'll print it if you send it often enough. Keep it short and to the point, and don't try and offend people. It's again a matter of showing them the lies that bind them and pointing the powers that be in the right direction.

 

 

Of course when your own personal use or growing habits become known you will be targetted by the police.

 

Yes, but you're running that risk now anyway. Why not use that to your advantage, and gain something from that risk?

[pipeman]

Those are some strong words "Luke Skywalker". But at the end of the day this "stand up and be counted" message is coming from an anonymous internet poster, which doesn't count for a lot. Do you actually believe in any of this or is it just a bit of intellectual masturbation? Perhaps when people can see you practice what you preach then your statements will have some credibility.

[Frazz]

Indeed i find Skywalkers sentiments as somewhat "pie in the sky" , vote for a party that supports cannabis law reform....well theres not a political party in the country who supports those ideals, and dont tell me the greens will , as an example in the last 2 weeks of the SA election they turned thier pro-cannabis policy around 180 degrees!. And rather than them getting voted in, an independent whose policies advocated total prohobition was duely elected.

There is zero organisation amongst smokers to even attempt a public protest, unless there was a oz for every protester, lts laughable to even contemplate hundred thousand cannabis smokers marching on parliment.

As for spreading the word to non-smokers, do you really think for one minute that they give a rats arse about pot smokers?

When youre power base is set against a government who is currently spending $22 million dollars per year to demonise cannabis the phrase "pushing shit uphill" quickly comes to mind.

This Howard government uses brilliant propaganda so that unreality becomes reality, and reality is subverted to fantasy.....political subterfuge right before your eyes.

The pendulum swings Luke........in the seventies it was fashionable to smoke pot and protest, whilst now it is civil disobedience.......something to be met with para-military style police filming protesters every move with the ranks of protesters infilltrated with police paid violent aggitators thereby ensuring an outbreak of violence to be recorded for the 6.30 news bulletin.

[nugget]

...in the seventies it was fashionable to smoke pot and protest, whilst now it is civil disobedience.......something to be met with para-military style police filming protesters every move with the ranks of protesters infilltrated with police paid violent aggitators thereby ensuring a outbreak of violence to be recorded for the 6.30 news bulletin.

 

 

Unfortunately, spot on..

 

I probably represent the typical stoner in a few ways, although I try not to do anything to tarnish the already bad 'typical stoner' image. I dont sell pot, prefer to give it away. Havent purchased any for a while now (although guilty of it in the past) so I dont support terrorism anymore:rolleyes:. I dont go committing crimes to support my smoking either - NEVER have

 

 

The main stereotype that I fit would probably be that of having a bad short-term memory ..........

[pipeman]

well a fair few people come together at Nimbin Mardi Grass every year. But really what is that other than a side show.

 

vote for a party that supports cannabis law reform....well theres not a political party in the country who supports those ideals, and dont tell me the greens will , as an example in the last 2 weeks of the SA election they turned thier pro-cannabis policy around 180 degrees!.

 

yes, the Greens are starting to realise that a drug law reform policy is not a vote winner and sure enough have cast pot users aside as does everyone else. It simply doesn't pay to stand with us.

[Luke Skywalker]

I do speak to people about reform. I do vote for parties or individuals in my state and federal election to advocate reform. If they cease to advocate reform, I don't vote for them! If you feel strongly enough about something it doesn't matter.

 

Saying it can't be done ensures it won't. At least accept that it can be changed if we want it badly enough.

 

Intellectual masturbation is saying that things are wrong and doing nothing about it. I'm actually writing to papers and talking to the people in my life who have nothing to do with pot. What are you doing? And I sign my name to those letters. I could be found if someone wanted to. But I do it regardless. I'd challenge all the members here reading these posts to write one letter to national and state newspapers. If you can't do even that, don't expect change.

 

There was a time when no-one thought that a million black men could march against capitol hill. Now, I'm not suggesting that they've gotten everything they wanted, and equality is far from reality in the U.S. or in Australia for that matter. But they did it, and it did make people listen.

 

Would you be willing to stand up for yourself and your rights? Somehow I doubt you would Pipeman. You seem to complain a great deal but are unable or unwilling to make a concrete effort against those who are controlling your legal rights.

 

Once again, saying something can't happen is the surest way of stopping it happening. If you took positive action, (is writing a letter that hard or take up that much time?) you might actually get somewhere.

 

We don't have any association for pot-smokers to be able to represent their views. Or if we do, there are very few out there aware about them. There is an organisation called Western Australian Substance Users Association, which is responsible for needle exchange and providing a voice to those who use illicit drugs. Supporting organisations like this is part of the way to go.

 

Voting is the only power you have in this political system, so use it. And if anyone says "one vote doesn't count" is a cop-out, because they all count.

 

Nimbin shows that there is some potential out there. Sure, it's a side show at the moment, but what if that show came to Sydney or Melbourne, or even Canberra? We are a substantial sector of the population, and could easily out-number the two main political parties' memberships if a political party was formed by and for us. I'm willing to join and work for that, are you?

 

This website has hundreds of members who visit on a regular or semi-regular basis, and there are thousands of others who go to other cannabis growing sites. If just one percent joined a party with a sole platform of reform to drug policy in this country, we'd have a pretty decent shot at taking a few seats in state and federal elections. Sure, the system is rigged against us, but should that stop you trying?

 

There seem to be a lot of defeatist attitudes out there.

[pipeman]

I'm not a defeatist, I'm a realist.

 

As for your post, well, you're entitled to your dream. But you still haven't seemed to grasp the basic contradiction of urging people to stand up and be counted from behind a fake screen name. Its like Kim Beazely putting out a diet book. Its just not gonna sell that many copies.

 

I mean shit, if you are not even prepared to identify yourself on the internet how are you going to do it in real life?

[Frazz]

OK Luke you certainly have a point about being more active in the fight and i admire your persistence in getting your views across.

Surprisingly i do write to papers and politicians when i get steamed up enough, but as i cannot afford to competely identify myself out of a natural human instinct called self preservation i usually get snookered by replies such as the one below which I recently received from the NSW Ministry of Police in reply to a detailed policy i submitted to the Premier regarding cannabis law reform:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

QUOTE:

Dear Mr Bennett,

 

Thank you for your email to the Premier which has been received by the Minister for Police, the Hon Carl Scully MP, regarding cannabis laws.

 

For us to respond to your concerns, could you please supply your complete postal address and phone number.

 

Warm regards,

 

C Maynard

Ministerial & Parliamentary Support Unit

Ministry for Police

: END of QUOTE

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So thats where i stop, what i beleive we need is a cleanskinned spokesperson who is beyond reproach to spearhead a fight for law reform if we are to make any headway.