About this article... 
please read before you continue ;)
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/11/bobby-orr-angered-mactier-arena-could-become-medical-marijuana-facility

I have no idea who the Growing company is and clearly everyone knows how I feel about growing medical CANNABIS   but...
I agree with Bobby. 

The second I read it - 'I Got it' - smart actually, an empty arena! A great place to grow Cannabis, big, open, cool, truck backs up to doors. Sounds like a perfect location from all I have seen on the huge scale grows - In many magazines & ONLINE - research it.

There are many empty factories, warehouses possibly even arenas already shut down. 
The kids in small towns hardly have enough to occupy them as it is! We need to keep them busy with physical activity, as obesity is the number one killer in the USA and sadly we seem to be falling behind, too close for comfort in my opinion.

Shutting down an 'active' arena to grow Cannabis? 
I am sure it would also be a great investment for the town, wonderful, well paying jobs, too many are out of work and need it.  Most importantly - Quality medical cannabis for those who are sick and NEED it! YAY  I am sure several members of the community in question, are already benefiting from Medical Cannabis.
So imagine my heart, torn over this article.

Let me also clarify some ‘fear mongering’ going on -
“They are going to haul the marijuana out of the old arena right past the kids in the school across the street and right through the downtown?”
PLEASE...
This is a huge industry people - WAKE UP! 
I have no doubts that it would be run professionally with proper ventilation, security and the Cannabis would not even be detected if not for this article. Much like a truck backs up to the doors of every Walmart and drops off boxes - you have no idea what is inside until you  open the box or see the product  on a shelf.  It is the same way with medical Cannabis.
So - lets stop that nonsense right now.  
I also hope Bobby drops the 'I wonder what they were smoking' when they made this decision attitude. That is just a lack of disrespect for those that use Medical Cannabis.
Not a very considerate or compassionate opinion for ALL involved.

This fear mongering with Cannabis in general has to stop. It is a legally recognized medicine in this beautiful country of ours and it is recognized around the world as a very successful medication helping many. People should be demanding from their Doctors the right to use Cannabis over the more toxic opiates. Our body our choice. 
If you don't agree with this you better think long and hard. Over 16,000 deaths a year from PRESCRIBED opiates. SIMPLE. No deaths from Cannabis.

Please... - Kids have it hard enough. They watch too much TV and deal with social media on a level proving to be turning out a generation of shallow, uneducated beings. 
http://www.examiner.com/article/too-much-technology-for-kids-is-bad-for-development-says-new-study
and...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jim-taylor/technology-and-kids_b_2232502.html
Yikes. Kids need to keep active and no arena should be shut down for any reason. The same goes with Libraries and pools.  I'm proud my town opened a complex for kids. The ROC. 
BUT if it was struggling - I think it would be an awesome idea to boost a local economy &  opportunity to educate the town and children on medical cannabis. I am sure this is why they have even considered it in the first place.  

xox 

Some will see this toon and think

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 <><

Tomorrow is the BIG day!  Cannabis will be celebrated all over the world! What started as a time for a bunch of guys to meet to smoke some 'marijuana'  at 4:20 everyday , has turned into a world wide celebration! On April 20th - 4/20.. People all around the world unite and light up! AWESOME! 
At first I thought it was 'neat' but then to see it grow and share! People get together to share, hang out, talk, laugh, educate and stand up for something they believe in! 

Medicinal and recreational, the crimes against Humanity regarding this plant are shameful.  Every year it grows larger, parades, marches, sit -in's & MORE!  Think about it...  When else do they do this? Not enough times I'm afraid. We should have a world wide NO GMO day! Or  Celebrate the children day and stop abuse! 

I was asked to post a cartoon early at 7:00 p.m. my time - because it is April 20 on the other side of the world already! ;D  Yes, I will admit in my small mind,  I did not think of that at first!  How many realize the problems regarding cannabis are all around the world?  Some people even die because of it.  
I do! I have been educated! I plan on doing what ever I can to help educate others! 
If it is as simple as drawing a cartoon that will get some attention, create a curiosity...
Done!
I have another new toon to post tomorrow a.m. ;-) 
Have a great time all who plan on doing something special for 4/20!  Remember to do it 'peacefully' < something asscoiated with pot smokers, and I'm fine with that! 
Stand up for what you believe in! Why else are you here? 
xox <><

April fool!
Too bad it is no joke..
This is not an original idea. 
I was inspired by an image I saw, and of course this is what came to mind.
It is how I feel. 

Apparently people even now, are still getting permission to grow. 
Is Health Canada lining up all it's ducks in a row for when they want to TAKE away licenses?  Are we all just sitting ducks?
How can this still be happening, when they claim the entire reason they will be removing is for criminal activity, yet more permits are issued... I know, I am NOT the only one confused. Health Canada is probably hoping we are all 'dazed and confused'. 
That is not happening. I see less confused and dazed every day, all around.
DO NOT become a sitting duck or An April FOOL! 
Pay attention, take notes and stand up for what you believe in.
xox <><





The only criminal activity I see happening is on the part of Health Canada and the MMAR Program.
 

We watched an interesting doc. the other night, I was watching it and the guys joined me at some point. It was called: Food Matters     http://www.foodmatters.tv/
We watched it on netflix and it was awesome. 

One of the main claims to ban 'home grow rooms' is fire hazards according to Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq. This got me thinking. I don't really hear/read of many specific 'Grow Room fires' which is strange when according to The Union - Documentary - 1 in 10 homes is Growing (In B.C.)  Many are here as well. Wih those odds - if it was that bad, I think I would hear/read more about it.
So I decided to research and found out that the (according to Readers Digest)
Top 10 reasons for House fires in Canada are: 

Nothing says lovin like somthin from the oven!

Never mind home made as in baked goods - there are limitless HOMEMADE gifts! 

My husband makes furniture! I have many friend who recently gave me the gift of homemade meals! 
Soups, Cookies and treats galore! 
My favorite scarves are both homemade! One purchased - for me because it is so crafty looking and the other knitted with LOVE.

I often give homemade gifts! MY drawings! Each has love in it. You see I am one of those artists, I can NOT draw when I am not putting love into it. Not good at faking it! ;-) 

I have a homemade Rosary - from a friend in California, a homemade wire scorpion, a homemade painted rocks, knitted hat, plant grown from seed, canna balm for my hands- homemade, I have a hand painted rock from a former nun- every time I look at it I remember her tales as a teacher, a painted cannabis leaf by another sister. I have a star with green stones - HOMEMADE with love by my son when he was 5.

by:Jane Grey

Cannabis. To some, it’s medicine, or a drug, or a way to relax. To others, they are indifferent, skeptical about it’s use, or choose not to believe a natural plant that does no harm could do so much good. I used to be one of the skeptics. 

    

Two years ago, my husband was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer called Merkel Cell Carcinoma found at Stage 4 in his lymph nodes. Merkel Cell Carcinoma is a rare and fast-growing form of skin cancer that only 1000 people get diagnosed with in North America per year. Doctors know very little about this form of cancer. Normally, a patient's prognosis is grim because 90% of people diagnosed with Merkel Cell Carcinoma are over the age of 60 and are too ill or old to go through extensive chemotherapy or radiation treatment to slow down the rapid growth of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. My husband at the time was only 35 when he received his diagnosis and was expected to only live 3 months.

   

After several chemotherapy treatments his condition worsened, I suggested he try cannabis in hopes it would help him. He was skeptical it would be beneficial, but knew it was no worse than his monthly chemotherapy and medications since I did not have to wear a haz-mat suit to hand him a joint. He found cannabis not only helped pre-existing back pain, but eliminated nausea for up to 4 hours, gave him energy, appetite, helped his depression caused by his diagnosis and was able to re-gain some independence again. I saw cannabis take a man off his death bed quicker than he was put there. Though, cannabis could not help him with recovering between chemotherapy treatments but made life more bearable while going through it. Even years after his chemotherapy is over (and he’s still alive) he is left with a chronic ‘bone ache‘ common with people who have been through chemo, and a loss of energy and appetite he once had prior to his treatments. 

    

Adam found no supportive doctor who would sign his MMAR. Even his oncologist, the doctor that told him he only had 3 months to live suggested he “buy off the street” because what cop would arrest a man with cancer? Well, this doctor was mis-informed. Because they do, violently. Sure, we found some doctors who wanted $500 for a signature, but it was far beyond what we could afford. It made us wonder who exactly could afford $500 a year to have their paperwork signed? Doctors don’t even get paid $500 a visit by Health Canada when you see them. Health Canada’s wages for doctors are posted publicly. Depending on the doctor or circumstance, they receive $60-$120 per visit. Something along these lines are more fair and affordable to someone on a reduced income from CPP Disability, ODSP or a pension. Most people looking to obtain a MMAR are usually on a fixed income, because they’re ill! It shouldn’t be held against them. Also, I think it would be illogical for a doctor to risk their practice and license over $100, even $200. The risk far outweighs the gain, regardless of how much they would make annually from it. However, a doctor that charges $500 up to $1000 to fill out paperwork- which doctor would be more likely to turn a blind eye to someone who is.. not so sick? And, who would be more likely to have this kind of money readily available to pay said doctor?
    
    
Health Canada is considering making changes to the MMAR to take away a patient's right to grow because of criminals. But, how exactly did these criminals obtain a MMAR? I think some of the statistics could be falsified. In Canada, our Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives us freedom of association. And, regardless of what a person does or who they know, because they are a ‘criminal‘ doesn’t make them immune to illnesses, diseases, and getting common conditions associated with age. So if they did actual research, how many would be left out of 20,000 exemptions that are actually using and abusing the system. That paid a doctor to turn a blind eye only to take advantage of the system. And how come, because of so few taking advantage- why are thousands left to suffer?

    

The average monthly income for someone on assistance from disability or retirement ranges from $700-$1500 per month depending on the province, circumstances and where the income is coming from.  Cannabis can currently be grown outdoors for essentially free less the costs of  some nutrients. It can also be grown indoors very inexpensively. However, Health Canada wants to take away this affordability and charge patients $8/g [$500-$2480 per month based on the average prescription of 2g-10g/day]. Most indoor growers will find that they are paying no more than $200/mo additional hydro for a larger indoors grow operation- and someone with a 2g/day prescription and only 10 plants will not generate $500 worth of hydro or nutrients per month. 

    

Health Canada’s proposal is not only inconsiderate, but goes against some basic human rights. If I need medicine- Most have benefit plans or can purchase third party health plan. Depending on the province, if you have low income and would qualify for a provincial disability plan- you can get free health coverage from your own government. If you choose to use holistic remedies, many can be grown in your backyard, or a window ledge for free. But Health Canada has no intention of issuing a BIN number for cannabis, and they are taking away a patients right to grow their own holistic and beneficial medicine for free. Implementing these new regulations will only cost our government more money, because those who receive a lower income will be arrested for continuing to grow because they cannot afford to buy their medication. Daily, cannabis related charges are being withdrawn because many qualifying patients cannot afford or find a supportive doctor and the government does recognize this and does withdraw charges based on health conditions. Should new laws be implemented, the courts would have to recognize and provide the same respect and consideration since a person should not be arrested for being poor. 

    

I think these new regulations would have very little legal standing when brought to court. This does not stop violent police arresting sickly people, and crown attorneys dragging cases out in hopes of finding ‘something’ because they don’t want to lose. But when the decision comes to a judge or jury, no human being could ever send a sick person to jail for not having enough money, even if it was brought as far as a trial. These new regulations would also cost the government more money. I have no doubts people would still continue to grow- and eventually be arrested by police, and have a case dragged out by a crown attorney, and be represented by a legal-aid funded lawyer. All this excess time, efforts and money so a small percentage out of 20,000 people would not be able to sell cannabis. Wouldn’t that same money be better spent on funding efforts on stopping meth and crack dealers, illegal gun sellers, or heck.. Education? 

  

 I have personally been using medicinal cannabis for a year. I had an unsuccessful knee surgery leaving me with chronic pain and difficulty walking; leaving me to rely on the assistance of others just to live.  I also have a nerve disorder causing tremors and chronic nerve pain in my hands, legs and face. Simply typing out this blog post sharing my ideas, experience and opinions is a struggle- without cannabis. I have to use a walker or cane to get around. I also have a digestive disorder that causes sensitivity to almost all medication, and a year prior to using cannabis, I was chronically ill just from taking medications to help some symptoms and in turn would create new ones or worsen pre-existing conditions. Cannabis is the only medicine I have ever taken that helps all my health conditions, and does not make me sick. 

     

There was a me before I was disabled. Everyone had a them before they landed where they are. I had a great job, happy and comfortable lifestyle and just thinking back to when I was able to walk easily where ever I wanted is something I truly miss. One of the last freedoms I have, that I am still physically able to do is grow my own medicine. Do not take away our freedom to grow and access affordable medicine. 

Jane Grey is the author of My Criminal Cure detailing her husband's struggle with cancer, using cannabis as medicine and their legal battle. 


Georgia : Well said Jane! Jane is a friend of FB , I can not wait to read this book. So sad that so many people are suffering and dealing with this crap. I am sure it is just the beginning  of a POTlitical nightmare to come,  thanks to The MMAR program. 
Stay tuned and tooned.. 
xox <><