I drew this cartoon at the beginning of the month but decided to hold off as to NOT put a damper on any of the marches. The marches are more for legalization of Cannabis in general as well as world wide recognition of a growing desire for a PLANT. When Cannabis is legalized world wide I am sure it will still be a day to rejoice!  

This is about a conversation I have had with several people. 
I talk to everyone and that is a gift  ‘to’ me.  I learn all sides of the story. I have been blessed as a cannabis cartoonist -  to be in a situation where I have got to know many people of all sorts, sizes, professions, incomes, ages, diseases and reasons. 

I am becoming even more convinced you cannot judge anyone until you have lived their lives and if you don’t get why someone is miserable then the issue lies with-in. Lack of compassion? I don’t necessarily think so, but a lack of consideration perhaps and again - possibly just because how do you think of these things if you truly do not understand?

*Like a video today with two guys talking about child birth they were singing a new tune after having ‘electric contractions equal  to a normal birth. Once you know - then you realize. Until then..  TRY to put yourself in others shoes. If only for a few moments.
I am having serious balance issues these days I nearly wipe out in my own back yard daily - causing much amusement for my girls who think mom’s playing a new game or  is mom going in the pool!?? Hee hee hee - not funny when happening though. I couldn’t even consider attending the march. Many patients who use cannabis  cannot physically attend these functions and that sucks. They want to participate as much as anyone else if not more!  

Cannabis would not be where it is today if not for the awareness of medical Cannabis and patients that are speaking up. I first learned from Documentaries with patients, I thank God for them.  Patients are now getting angrier as some light up, wake and bake, and stay STONED’ and become legal -yet other places continue to struggle for their MEDICINE and all the issues surrounding it from political, social etc... 

I guess I am trying to say is have a little more consideration, perhaps parades everywhere would organize a double decker bus for those that cannot walk!! O.k.perhaps thats pushing it just yet but if you are planning an event give those in wheelchairs, those who need crutches and others that just need to rest some serious consideration please.  We all want and deserve the same happiness. We all want to celebrate this powerful plant! & give thanks. Physically and mentally.




ONE love xox

A guest Blog that I enjoyed reading and thought worth sharing!  xox <><

Catch-422
By John Dvorak, Hempologist  See more @ : http://www.hempology.org/CANNABISCURRICULUM.html

With a tip of my hempen chapeau to Joseph Heller, our government has created a phenomena that I call Catch-422.  They put up as many roadblocks as possible in an effort to stifle our progress and to demonize Cannabis Sativa, a safe and effective natural herbal remedy.  A Kafkaesque melangé  of federal agencies and bloated bureaucracies justify their existence at the expense of the sick and dying, while the beer-bellied, vodka saturated, over-pharmaceuticalized sheeple continue to gulp down oxycontin, viagra and anything else peddled by their kowtowed doctors.   Thousands die EACH YEAR overdosing on alcohol and prescribed drugs, while there isno lethal dose for Cannabis.      

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are arrested each year merely for possessing marijuana because Reefer Madness has infected Congress and rotted the judicial system to its core.  Marijuana’s illegality is justified by calling it a gateway drug that will lead to harder drugs and/or a decaying of a person’s moral fabric:  Catch-422.  In fact, cannabis is proving to be a gateway AWAY from illegal narcotics and debilitating pharmaceuticals.  

The DEA classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic which, by definition, means there is no currently acceptable medical use.  Everyone knows this is total bullshit, but when researchers ask for cannabis to perform studies, they're told they can't have it because, of course, marijuana has no medical use, leaving patients burning in Dante’s inferno of mock compassion: Catch-422.  Their circular logic jerks people around to no end.  

Even some states with medical marijuana laws on the books are imposing outrageous restrictions on the ailments that qualify:  Catch-422.   One of the most egregious examples of this is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which several states refuse to recognize Cannabis for despite its obvious benefits.  And, the Federal government never misses a chance to “pile on” by preventing the Veteran’s Administration from providing Cannabis to the many vets with PTSD.  

A classic Catch-422 is how states delay the implementation of medical marijuana laws, oftentimes parroting the old canard: “think of the children.”   New Jersey’s Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law in January, 2010.  However, bureaucratic foot dragging by that state’s Gutless Wonder Governor, Chris Christie, delayed the opening of their first dispensary for almost 3 years.  

Consider this:  A card carrying medical marijuana patient working for a big box store had a minor accident,  failed a drug test and was subsequently fired.  His dismissal was upheld by Michigan's supreme court: Catch-422.  Tragically, a medical marijuana patient who was denied a liver transplant because of his Cannabis use recently passed away:  Catch-422.  We need to fight for people’s basic right to medicate without discrimination.

Another Catch-422 is the “institutional hypocrisy” that  prevents people from coming out of the cannabis closet.  Consider this:  Despite many states passing various Cannabis laws, mere possession of marijuana continues to be a violation of federal law!  It is very difficult for someone to promote an illegal activity.  You expose yourself to public ridicule or worse.  For many, testing positive for Cannabis could result in the loss of their job, government benefits or custody of their children.  Students that are arrested for Cannabis could lose their student loans:  Catch-422.  

Similarly, the IRS has ruled that medical marijuana dispensaries cannot deduct business expenses because possessing and distributing Cannabis violates federal law: Catch-422.    Banks and credit card companies are refusing to do business with dispensaries for the same reason:  Catch-422.   The sad part about this is that dispensaries are proving to be economic engines, hiring people and paying taxes in an otherwise depressed economy.  


The DEA says that hemp is the same as marijuana.  They have tied a Gordian knot of hemp rope, claiming that hemp will confuse the police even though this is not an issue in Canada or Europe where it is legal to grow hemp: Catch-422.  United States Department of Agriculture studies call hemp a niche crop without fully investigating its myriad uses: Catch-422.   Farmers will not grow hemp unless there is a market for it and you can’t sell products unless you can produce them which means you need farmers to grow hemp: Catch-422.  This chicken or the egg situation is a real “pair o’ ducks.”   Thanks to prohibition, we are re-inventing the ENTIRE hemp industry from the ground up.  The sky is limit (think Trillion Dollar Crop!) but it is going to be a long, hard fight for those willing to join the battle.  

We need to recognize these efforts for what they are:  a blatant and callous effort to impede our progress.  Only by identifying and understanding these barriers will we be able to get around or over the obstacles that stand in the way of realizing the full benefits of the humble plant scientifically known as Cannabis Sativa.  Fortunately in the privacy of the voting booth, people are electing to choose cannabis hemp and give a collective middle finger to the powers that be.  

Music for your blog reading enjoyment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzs1K3caXJk
Wow, this cartoon smacked me right in the head ;-) Awesome.
It started with a joke from my best bud Cathy.♥ 
I was stressed wondering what to draw for 4/20?! 
The universal day of 
Celebration for Cannabis!!! 
A Plant.
Grown from a seed.
Made by *GOD.
(*original patent holder)


Medical, Recreational, Hemp, Food, Fuel.. 
It's the day and I want to say THANK YOU!  
                                       I have said it so many times, I thank God daily for this Plant! 
Give us this Day our daily Bud...  <3 Wow. YES,   I read recently  how powerful that prayer is;  Give us this dayour daily bread,  -not thanks for yesterday, or make sure I have it tomorrow. Give us THIS day.  Focus on today.
.. and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,
 and that                 ^ ^        ^  That simply put means  ^    ^  ^             :
                                               PEACE, PEOPLE!  
Religion aside... who can argue with those lines?  How else are we going to get ahead, clearly WAR is not the answer! 
Thank you Marvin, now in my head for the rest of the day.
People all around the world who suffer over a plant. A plant less toxic than many others,  proven helpful to ease pain, yet illegal and lives destroyed because of it.    
WTF?   O.M.God.  How disappointing.  
A PLANT.  While others  rape, kill, abuse, terrorize, suffer & starve needlessly... 
enough with the bullshit distraction. 
FOCUS on the REAL problems at hand. 

Rise Up people! Speak up! <3   Celebrate this Plant! Let it be a symbol of change.
It all starts with a SEED!!!  Life.

So.. Yes!
     Give us this Day our daily bud, 
       and thank you Lord  for it!
I do! Everyday! Keeping the Love of my life happy - How could I not give thanks?
Celebrate 4/20, Spread Peace and Love !!! 
- there are already enough assholes doing the opposite;-)


xox <><

Niki sends me messages from time to time. More support and smiles.  It is friends I have made online that have shared experiences that continue to make me more determined on helping them share their story! Niki made my day when she told me that part of helping her own family understand the issues they are dealing with - they shared Storm's story with their family!
 It made family members have a new outlook. - THAT is why we do what we do. 
Simple ❤ 

Women leading in alternative medicine education
Posted by Niki Smokes

Mainstream media has taken a grip on all of our minds and injected the paradigm of moral medicine. How did we go from drinking teas and eating nutritious foods to care for our organic bodies to accepting manufactured magic bullets as cure-alls? Sad?! ..there's a pill for that. In pain?! ..there's a pill for that. Not ready for parenthood? ..there's a pill for that too.

Cher Kore, AromatherapistAlternative Medicine has been around longer than Big Pharma. Literally thousands of years of prescribed teas and tinctures verses less than hundred years of pills and injections. Why are the pharmacies winning? They have marketing committees yet to be matched. Because media and government are selling you their magic pills and fear of the unknown, we are neglecting to discover the true potential of the ever healing human body.

Today women are taking on that challenge and bringing it to the next level. Emerging in the independent and mainstream media is a new acceptance of natural health care and its ability to assist patients through their most dire struggles. We hear the stories and can briefly catch them in the local news before they are quickly buried under the weather.

Survivors, caretakers and advocates want you realize the miracles happening all over the world. They are here to change your perspective of combining the alternatives with modern medicine.

From Storm's Story in Treating Yourself Magazine Georgia's son Storm was born with a painful and debilitating syndrome called multiple stenosis. Sometimes conventional medicine can be too demanding on a human body.. especially a growing one. Left with very limited choices Georgia decided it was time for an alternative. Cannabis is now Storm's medicine of choice.
"From the first puff, we saw the results, and that is what mattered most to US! Results we had not ever seen with any other medication. Not to mention we did not have a fear of overdoses or liver damage or organs shutting down! From a PLANT!" - Georgia Peschel
Click here to read Storm's Story written by Georgia Peschel in Treating Yourself
Georgia enjoys drawing cartoons chronicling life's fleeting moments and uses her talent to educate about cannabis as an alternative medicine. Check out her blah blah blog!
From "Storm's Story" in Treating Yourself Magazinewww.georgiatoons.com

Cheryl Shuman.. Survivor and advocate.
Cheryl made history with Ricki Lake and brought legal cannabis products to mainstream daytime television onThe Ricki Lake Show. She's a survivor of stage four ovarian cancer and this fighter is not backing down until everyone understands their right to choose.

Cher Kore.. Aromatherapist.
Owner and Scentstrodinaire of Kameleon Healing Aromatherapy, Cher Kore has taught me so much about Aromatherapy and other natural remedies that I use everyday. Local to Boston, Cher is a contributer at FreeMassMedia.com where she blogs about new approaches to alternative healing.

See the actual LINK here: http://www.mikecann.net/2013/01/women-leading-in-alternative-medicine_10.html

I know today's hero personally.  Asked to remain as "D" for fear of backlash from others in the industry. This is a shame, I completely understand it.  I have witnessed it over and over again and it must stop. 

Somedays my job is too darn easy...
What a imprudent comment to make. (above in toon) 
 I took it directly from the article.
Read it yourself: 
 Health Canada plans to treat marijuana like other medicines
Yes, it plans on treating Marijuana (*CANNABIS - *sigh* own government -does not address it by it's official/correct name) like other medications - Charging ridiculous prices and making it harder to get!
 Not to mention limiting strains and options. People will have no choice but return to the more harmful - cheaper and easier to obtain  prescribed pills/opiates.

Every time I read something about this It makes me angry, sad, disappointed and worried. 
Everyone that I have spoke with, be it someone who uses Cannabis or not, does NOT agrees with these changes.  

It is taking a situation for many - were they are able to supply themselves with their own quality medicine and say - now stop and pay someone else for what you have been successfully doing on your own. 
                   ????????????????????????   How is this o.k.?   Does this make sense to anyone?
* Don't forget - people were told from Health Canada that they could in fact  grow their own medicine. I know people who have invested THOUSANDS of dollars to properly set up and grow their  own medicine.  They have been producing it for years. One friend told me - he will continue to grow after they try to take away personal licenses, if he is arrested - he is prepared to fight. He is ill.  He still works from home and has not had to apply for any gov. assistance.  IF he loses his license he will NOT be albe to afford the SUGGESTED price increase!  How can they do this? 

THEY can't if we don't let them.

Among its proposals, the MMPR suggests the price of medical marijuana should rise to $8.80 per gram. It currently ranges from $1.80 to $5 per gram.
WTF? HOW dare they 'suggest' anything, let alone a price for something many people have been able to provide for themselves for much less than the 'SUGGESTED' price! I am sure all other growers (especially the ILLEGAL ones) are thrilled at the price increase!  Read a comment made by someone on Fb:
 
When you think about it, all they're doing is shooting themselves in the foot. 
A majority of people who have an exemption are also on disability because they're severely disabled or ill. If they choose to- on the tax payer's dime they have to pay to arrest these people, then pay for their lawyers with legal aid, while also paying court costs. Then should they become imprisoned, they must pay MORE to care for them with monthly transportation to doctors/hospitals, special diets and so on. Don't think because you're in jail you don't receive care anymore. In Canada, they pay to drive you to your doctor's appointments, MRIs, tests and so on while two guards making $30/hr have to baby sit you and drive you around since most prisons are not equipped with this. So really, the government wants to pay millions of more dollars, so a private company can make more money, and the 100 people abusing the MMAR out of 20,000 won't be able to anymore. 

I'm so worried about people not having their medicine I never even started to think about that! What bothers me most right now is, why so many already sick and hurting are even having to think or deal with this BULL and added STRESS is beyond me. 
Oh Canada ;-(  Focus your attention on crimes THAT HURT- Sex trafficking, child pornography, rape, murder...

ALL this over a fucking plant. Take a LOOK around the wold! 
A Plant that saves lives. 

xox 
<><

I read that on a post regarding the new MMAR - Who in their right mind would expects anyone to stop growing...  and I thought-
It's true when you look at this all!  It's INSANE!!  It is appalling. 
But then again so is Steven Harper - I can't even read about him - what a shitty representative of Canada. IMO.  People on hunger strikes - because they we feel we are not being heard, sick people losing the right to provided themselves with medicine after they were told they could!  Selling off Canada one snow covered rock at a a time Eh?  I cannot remember a time in history when people were as disappointed - no, that is not even the word - it's more like ashamed of  our  illustrious leader 'Steven Harper'.

EVEN if you do NOT use Cannabis -  How can the government tell people that they have to stop growing their medicine - when it has been legal for them to do so... AND They gave them permission!  It is NOT easy, It is NOT cheap and it has become a passion for many of these people.  All I can think in my cartoonist mind is two little kids - here you can have this this and this .. oh changed my mind! Take backs!  Someone is going to be crying.
ONLY the problem is in many cases these people need this medicine just to function daily lives! It has me really worried about the expected price increases and my son's health! ;-(
Growing your own or a Designated grower is a sure way to keep the quality and strain that is best for you. It will keep prices reasonable or better yet
                             - KEEP PEOPLE PROVIDING FOR THEM SELVES!!!
Self worth right there should mean more than anything.  No one likes to depend on others.
What if your child has such a food allergy to pesticides you decided to grow his own vegetables..  but was told you could not.  People SHOULD be thinking about this on several levels. WE are not talking METH labs we are talking garden rooms. 
 http://hempology.ca/protest/index.html  is just one of the many petitions. Please take the time to sign.  Educate yourself and if you grow your own medicine get ready to defend your right. 
xox <><

Today's hero Is Wayne Phillips,  just one of many who I imagine will be reaching out and trying to educate the masses. This is just one petition started. 
This is  how most  Canadians feel on the MMAR program. How sad that those who need this medicine and worry about life - with pain and troubles already - will have to start to deal with this. Human Rights - made wrong. Thank you Wayne for taking the time to speak up and educate.


The proposed changes to MMAR will make it far more difficult, if not outright impossible, for people choosing to utilize their constitutional rights to use cannabis (marihuana) according to what their medicinal requirements necessitate. The proposed Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) won't help control illegal activity, if anything, this proposed model will contribute to illegal activity by forcing sick, disabled, and dying Canadians, who won't be able to afford to bear the exorbitant costs entailed in the proposed model, as well as those whose pain levels exceed what the limits proscribe, back into the streets and the realm of criminal activity.

The proposed model will negatively affect medicinal cannabis exemptees in the following ways:

- It unduly limits the amount of cannabis (marihuana) those Authorized To Possess would be legally entitled to possess. 
- It interferes in the amount a physician is allowed to prescribe; moreover, how that (interference) relates to pain management needs to be considered. 
- Being on a fixed incomes, the costs which the proposed model would incur – assuming no subsidization occurs – would far exceed what most would seeking access would be able to afford. 
- Currently, those Authorized To Possess minimize and or nullify expenses incurred by opting for either PPL's or DG's to provide monthly allotments of cannabis.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of dollars (across Canada) are saved every month in pharmaceutical prescription costs alone thanks to those who opt to use cannabis medicinally. That does not even begin to take into consideration costs incurred such as office visits, E..R. treatment and/or hospitalization as a result of the side effects of the pharmaceuticals (once) prescribed. The proposed model offends both the integrity and sanctity of holistic well-being for both ATP holders and the various Provinces that make up Canada.

The idea that the proposed Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) will allow for easier access for patients is meant to impart the idea that by broadening the category of who gets to authorize the use of medicinal cannabis it would effectively provide a comfort zone wherein doctors shed their existing concerns about prescribing medicinal cannabis and get on board. Nothing could be further from the truth! According to an article (Globe and Mail, Mon. Dec. 17) entitled “Medical marijuana move angers health professionals” Anna Reid, president of the Canadian Medical Association, which represents Canada’s 76,000 physicians summed it up by saying, “The federal government established the program and is now abdicating its role as a regulator of medical marijuana.” She also said that doctors still have real problems about being asked to prescribe a drug that is not rigorously tested and that will continue to grow worse under the new regulations. “It’s the equivalent of asking doctors to prescribe while blindfolded,” Dr. Reid said.

Claims (by the Minister of Health) that the current medical marijuana regulations have left the system open to abuse is more an indictment of your supervision/management of the current regulations, as directed by Health Canada, than it is an indictment of the current regulations. After all, to have mismanaged the program to the extent that it received complaints from other stakeholders is one thing, having MMAR deemed unconstitutional on eight occasions by the courts (in just over a decade) is quite another! Together, however, they constitute a a clear and irrefutable indictment. It is small wonder that legislation pertaining to the possession and production of cannabis is even recognized by law today.

Considering Health Canada is currently embroiled in court actions where issues of constitutionality regarding MMAR are at stake, the idea of promoting such a severe remedy as outlined in the proposed model only serves to demonstrate that the health and welfare of those Authorized To Possess who rely on PPL's and DG”s as established under the current model are of no consequence to Health Canada or the current Government.
Wayne Phillips

Please feel free to sign the petition!! 

http://www.change.org/petitions/end-the-bureaucratic-disentitlement-being-waged-on-canada-s-mmar-recipients?utm_campaign=friend_inviter_modal&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=permissions_dialog_true

These Canvas's cost pennies to make! Once finished they can make quite an impact! 
What better way to express your feeling with words. IF you don't feel like painting - you could  follow the first few steps and then collage real leaves on the canvas- It of course does not have to be about cannabis.  How cute to do a canvas covered in dog quotes, jokes and saying and then add a silhouette of your favorite canine pal! As with all art the ideas are endless. Have fun  medicate and create- do what brings you peace! ☮♥☯

I want to celebrate an 'EVERYDAY HERO!'

 If you ask "who is a hero?"-  For example in the Cannabis movement - you might hear the same names over and over again. I have come to the realization through this AMAZING - gift the internet that:  Cannabis is not a Canadian/American problem, it is WORLD wide problem!  There are far too many heroes that we do not see and hear about.  People who suffer daily from debilitating disease and pain and use Cannabis to help make life liveable.  Or worse - there are too many, soon forgotten after losing the war and paying the ultimate price - their lives. 

It is these heroes that I hope to bring attention to, pay tribute to and thank! 

I am blessed and thankful for FB, that has introduced me to people from all over the world these past couple of years. I have even found that my former limited knowledge has gone through a rude awakening. We are punishing, hurting, jailing, torturing and even murdering our fellow humans - over a plant.  Shame on us. 
We need to speak up! We who have the power – through access of the internet- the power to write, speak, draw and share as parents, educators, motivators, reporters- everyday people...  need to set an example and end this insanity over a PLANT.  A PLANT that HELPS the sick and suffering and soothes the mind and soul of millions more. 

This awakening came with a recent post(s) I saw. It made me simply - sad. Two posts that appeared right after each other on my FB news feed that left me feeling a moment of shame,  as a fellow Canadian cannabis activist.  

The first post was a photo of Cashy Hyde,  his tiny coffin being put into the ground - we truly lost a huge little hero. My heart aches and I pray that the family is healing and surrounded by all the love possibly mustered.  The second post was by Jodie Emery.          It said, if you’d like to send Marc money you can find the instructions at… 
I do not believe Marc should be in jail.  It was a sad day as a Canadian when they sent him to a US prison. And WE let it happen.

We see Marc Emery in jail - who appears to be a rock star, preforming shows, learning songs, reading magazines and asking for money to be sent to them.  I cannot help but think to myself; the average person who goes to jail for simple possession will not become a rock star, will not be out in a few years, will not be able to have family visit even just once, for crimes regarding Cannabis - less serious crimes like simple possession... those people I read about all the time and many hardly get any attention -other than from families or friends. For whatever reason the two posts haunted me and it got me thinking. There are many heroes in this battle. I only wish the ones that are truly suffering would get as much attention, if not more than the “Rock Stars."

People lose their jobs, homes, families and go to JAIL for enjoying what others BRAG about. 
                         THAT IS THE REALITY OF CANNABIS prohibition. 
Get busted for cannabis and you won't be in jail learning how to play in a rock band -chances are you will be in jail and become a new 'bum buddy' for someone.  When and IF you get out of jail you will have to start all over again. Sadly, THOSE are the facts for our every day heroes.  That is closer to reality than coming out a celebrity.

Keep in mind this punishment is all for something millions do and admit to daily!  Just like PRESIDENT OBAMA - self admitted Cannabis consumer.  Clearly it did not ruin his future. Hmmm? THINK ABOUT IT!  It is not fair and I for one will not 'celebrate' it any longer knowing how many are truly suffering. The law needs to change.

Celebrate ALL those who help - the famous together with the every day person who is posting and sharing - every bit helps. Post the truth of what happens to every day people.  If not, it will never change. 
There are criminals in the cannabis industry - just like every other industry and many are forced to be criminals. Patients should NEVER be made to feel like a criminal for something that provides a quality of life.

Do not forget the everyday hero - who is not getting fame or fortune but still puts it out there every chance they get in order to make a difference.  To those of you out there - I salute you and thank you. 

Starting tomorrow,  (every Monday) I will compile a GUEST blog from someone that I have either contacted- because they inspired me or who has contacted me with something to share. Some do not care if I mention their name while others choose to remain anonymous - mostly because their story is often too painful and they do not want people to know what they have endured. ;-(   
Please support and think carefully the next time you salute YOUR hero. 
Some are from around the world! It is nice to see how and what they think and feel. 

Beautiful songs and yes I agree... Police and firemen & Women  ♡♡♡ True Heroes :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm3eHZnfjPI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWfAIDVltuQ