A Sincere Thank You to Kellogg's

O Kellogg's, marijuana consumers of America have loved your products. Those mini Famous Amos Cookies dipped in hot coffee. Pop Tarts as a handy snack at HempFest. The many delicious creations of the industrious Keebler Elves have found their way to waistlines on a Friday night. And, of course, THC Rice Krispy Treats.

Marijuana consumers have a lot to thank Kellogg's for over the years, even more so today.

In putting their hard-earned, internationally recognized corporate brand onto the demonization of cannabis consumers and the failed policy of marijuana prohibition they have made a spectacular case for reform.  Because it was Kellogg’s action, not the Phelps photo, that has driven an excellent national discussion of Marijuana Prohibition in the past week.....
The NORML Blog has an excellent post about the current Kellogg’s boycott, which has already made mainstream news.  READ IT HERE   Of particular note in that piece, " [EXCERPT] ... In fact, in the past week dozens of high profile pundits and commentators — including Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post, Stanton Peele in the Wall Street Journal, and Doug Bandow in National Review Online — have demanded a repeal of America’s archaic and overly punitive pot laws."....

Even better is NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano's blog at The Hill ( The newspaper of Capitol Hill....literally) READ IT HERE

In a time of economic crisis should any company actively push away customers? That is exactly what Kellogg's has done by failing to support Olympian Michael Phelps.

The outdated ideals of Marijuana Prohibition hurt this country every minute of every day. But those backward, Victorian ideals are about to seriously cash Kellogg's bottom line faster than that Roor Bong.

Sure there have been plenty of jokes already about the boycott, most of which simply repeat stupid, false stereotypes of marijuana consumers.  But my prediction is that this will have a real impact. Sadly the only people who may feel the ‘sanction’ of Kellogg’s are the workers of Battle Creek Michigan.

A 2005 Canadian Study indicated "Lifetime cannabis users are likely to be single, well educated, and earning an above average salary, according to a recent survey .... conducted by Health Canada and the Canadian Executive Council on Addictions."

If the same statistics prove true her in the USA then Kellogg's is in for real trouble. Consumers and other supporters of marijuana law reform are choosing to buy their cereal or snacks elsewhere and saving $ for underground economic purchases by buying cheaper, smaller-brand products at the grocery store. ....So let me voice a sincere “Thank you” to Kellogg’s! But they prolly can’t hear me because my mouth is full of Rainforest Crunch.

Marijuana Prohibition is Racist by Chris Goldstein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at freedomisgreen.wordpress.com.
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Marijuana Prohibition is Racist
Feb 3, 2009

President Obama’s half brother was arrested for possession of marijuana, then quickly released in Kenya. Of course if Barack Obama had been arrested for minor possession in his twenties I might never have gotten the chance to vote for him. Despite inhaling with apparent frequency, he was never caught once. He was very lucky.

About 85% of marijuana arrests in places like New York City and Philadelphia look just like George Obama: Young, black men, picked up for simple possession of less than 1 ounce. In 2007 there were almost 15,000 George O type arrests in those two cities alone.

The discussions of race and racism in America have been prominent in media since the presidential campaign, yet this aspect has been completely overlooked. We can address racist people or attitudes, but what about racist institutions? One of the most insidious form of American Institutionalized Racism remains even in our modern era with Marijuana Prohibition Enforcement.

One need only look at the data to see that an overwhelming majority of urban marijuana arrests are young black men. Professor Harry G Levine of Queens College in NYC published his analysis of the data that shows a clear racial bias in enforcement.

Yet both black and white Americans smoke marijuana at about the same rate. So why are marijuana arrests so disproportionate?

Perhaps it will be the one joint in the pocket of George Obama that will finally move the President to more fully acknowledge the topic. Because a modern approach to addressing racism in this country is simply hot-air unless we apply the race-test to marijuana enforcement.

There is an opportunity for a structured end to marijuana Prohibition and a stop to this institutionalized racism. Reformers have hinted that a fast-track to regulation could be a new Presidential Commission on Marijuana. This concept would mirror the 1970-72 Shaffer Commission that recommended marijuana be decriminalized and removed from Schedule I in the Controlled Substances Act.

The massive social and economic incentives realized with a peaceful end to the War on Marijuana both at home and abroad are rather clear. Chief among them is stopping the arrest of over 870, 000 Americans annually, millions more around the globe, most for simple possession.

Like it or not, our Prohibition has global reach, but so could our reform. We can stop needlessly arresting millions like George Obama.
As I pointed out in The American Marijuana Market, government data and other trends hint at a cannabis consumer base of 80 million Americans. This is not some far-off hippy pipe dream; the marijuana market is already a serious part of our overall economy, in the now.

Cannabis Prohibition will inevitably end, maybe from sheer critical mass. Or we could have the courage and fortitude to end marijuana prohibition it by design.
America could close the book on an infamous method of institutional racial bias. Let’s keep young people in school, out of jail and perhaps get an economic bailout from marijuana, when we truly need it. President Obama, the tens of millions of American marijuana consumers are looking for the same thing George received this week: Freedom.

Finally got around to making my xml code :)

http://www.activeoiceradio.com/rss.xml

So folks another year when the grim statistic is released in the FBI Uniform Crime Report detailing the number of marijuana arrests for the previous year in the US. With yet another annual 5% increase we are now using half of our nation's drug enforcement to arrest 872, 721 Americans for marijuana violations.

As the result of almost 70 years of a policy that has not in any way suppressed the use, demand or availability of marijuana this October will mark the 20 millionth (that's right 20,000,000) American arrested for being involved with this hearty, non-toxic yet psychoactive plant.

Here's a link to an interview I did with Allen St. Pierre of NORML about the arrests

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN: ACTIVE VOICE RADIO - Allen St. Pierre on 2007 marijuana arrests

Attended the opening performace of Cheech and Chong Light Up America 9-12-08 in Philly. Met up with author Steve Bloom (Pot Culture) and ended up backstage after the show. The show was great and overall...A VERY fun evening!