Just about everyone knows what propaganda is when they hear it, although many people don’t realize they do. Why? Because propaganda is a fancy word for bullshit, and most of us realize when that spews forth from politicians and other government shills.
Last night I happened to be within earshot of a man named Jon Ralston spewing a load of propaganda about the dangers of cannabis, or weed, and driving. I don’t, as a rule, go out of my way to listen to “news” on television but a friend tuned in by chance to Las Vegas’ Channel 3 at just the right moment.
What did Jon Ralston say that was so
outrageous? Well, to begin with his face and moving lips were alternating with
images of a small white car with serious damage to the front end. Unfortunately
that car was involved in a fatal accident in which a young man died. That is
certainly sad, and all too common. However, Ralston was unconscionably
exploiting that young man’s tragic death to make a false point: that because
cannabinoids were found in his body,
weed
or
marijuana was the cause of his
death. According to Jon Ralston, cannabis is a “dangerous drug” that leads to
or is involved in 45% of fatal accidents.
There are a lot of problems with
Ralston’s statements. First of all, there are serious omissions of information
regarding that case. Who was at fault in that fatal accident, and what was the
cause? Was it solely the fault of a stoned driver, as Ralston implied? Was
there any evidence of alcohol within those involved in that collision? If so,
why is this not acknowledged? Were any other substances involved, licit or
otherwise?
In my book
Cannabis Consumer Handbook, I wrote a chapter to warn cannabis
consumers specifically to avoid mixing cannabis with alcohol. The problem is
not the cannabis. It is most definitely alcohol. People without experience with
weed, especially young people, cannot judge the separate effects of alcohol
while stoned. They tend to forget that alcohol sneaks up on people. The quiet
euphoria of marijuana, for a time, disguises the building effects of alcohol in
the body. Stoners, as a rule, don’t like to go out for a drive. Drunken people,
however, delude themselves into believing that they have no impairments and are
often quick to get into one of those killing machines on wheels. So, as I
preach in the
Handbook, as a rule, do
not drink alcohol while enjoying the good herb, unless it’s a glass of wine and
you won’t be driving.
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| Mayo |
Which brings me to the point of
Ralston’s propaganda and why he’s so deceptive: Over and over that shill for corporate
governance referred to cannabis as “a dangerous drug.” Hence, he lied.
Cannabis, or weed, or marijuana, is
not a drug! It is a herb that is beneficial to the human body, just as other
herbs like oregano and basil are. Calling cannabis a “dangerous drug” 25 times
in a three-minute monologue does not alter nature; it does not make cannabis a
drug. Also, each and every human being is born with cannabinoid receptors in
our brains and bodies. If and when cannabis derivatives pass through our brain
or certain places within our body where these ready receptors are, they are
captured and put to good use. Among those positive uses is relief from
terrible, chronic pain and destruction of cancer cells. Yes, the fact is that
many cannabinoids kill cancer cells. This drugless,
natural substance is fantastic medicine, and this is why “medical
marijuana” usage is on the rise.
Ralston pretends to be doing a
public service by warning people against legalization of cannabis, or even
allowing its use as medicine. In fact, the only service he is doing is to
corporations that want to continue profiting from legal drugs – pharmaceuticals
– that kill hundreds of thousands of people each year. Ralston and his
corporate sponsors are obviously doing a great disservice to the public, and he
ought to shut up about cannabis being “a dangerous drug.”
Further, if Ralston and those
spewing the same nonsense were sincere about serving the public interests
through prudent use of the media they would be advocating, as I do, for an end
to cannabis prohibition. And they would do as I’ve committed myself to do: put
my money behind my words.
To explain briefly, a few facts:
cannabis prohibition is very costly in dollars, but even more so in unnecessary
health care costs for individuals and institutions. Public funds are spent
needlessly to arrest, prosecute and incarcerate people for possessing cannabis.
Conservative estimates indicate that these governmental expenses exceed $10
billion each year; that’s money down the drain. At the same time, a growing
number of serious crimes go unprosecuted each year, the most serious of which
is murder. Percentages of unsolved murders increase each year in most states,
even if the number of criminal deaths does not. That $10 billion dollars wasted
on cannabis prohibition and prosecution would go a long way to solving more of
these capital crimes.
In Nevada, I’ve become superficially
knowledgeable about an unsolved case; that of a young man murdered senselessly in
2005. Information about that tragic death can be found here:
A Death in Las Vegas ~ Perverted Injustice Because of people like Jon Ralston, who rant
against legalizing cannabis yet remain silent about better uses of public funds
wasted on its prohibition, such as solving murder cases that sit in back rooms,
I’ve decided to offer $4.20 from each
Cannabis
Consumer Handbook sold during the next four months to help that cause for
justice. And I challenge everyone who fights cannabis legalization to do the
same: put your
own money into making
a difference
for the resolution of a serious
crime, and help a grieving parent in the process.
