Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

- Spider plants are sometimes confused with marijuana… by idiots.

In the second of my 8 part blog series called “Truthiness Inaction”, I give my thoughts from the gut about the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party. “Truthiness” is a nod to one of my favourite political commentators, Stephen Colbert, who coined the word meaning essentially that something is ‘truthy’ if you feel that it’s true. “Inaction” is a nod to Jon Stewart, who titled his popular “America the Book… Democracy Inaction” as a pun on a lack of democratic action.

Here is a little bit of coverage the print media gave to one of the single issue parties: The Saskatchewan Marijuana Party. Do the facts suggest that pot ought to be legalized, at least as much as alcohol and tobacco? The Marijuana Party says there are studies that claim the leafy drug is no more dangerous than those two, and to my knowledge they are correct.

The New Democratic Party made casinos a centerpiece in their approach to increasing employment rates among our province’s First Nations. Some people argue that gambling is destructive to families, economy, and social order. Those are the same types of arguments made against legalizing marijuana. So what’s the difference? Why should gambling be legal, but a plant that grows as a weed in Saskatchewan be illegal?

Non-medicinal hemp can be grown as a cash crop, but due to stigma from its THC ladden cousin, pot, it’s regulated beyond good sense.

Because hemp cannot be grown legally in the United States, vendors who sell hemp products must import them from other countries, such as Canada.

Jeremiah Lambo, co-owner of Simply Kind, 224 W. College Ave., said the store only carries a few hemp products but used to carry more before import taxes made them too expensive.

Lambo said many hemp products, such as paper, fiber wood and cardboard, are superior to their counterparts.

“The reason it isn’t (legal to grow hemp) is because it could kill three big industries,” he said.

The fuel, cotton and paper industries all would be threatened by hemp, Lambo said.

Hemp has a higher yield-per-acre than trees, does not require harmful chemicals as cotton does and can be used to produce fuel, he added.

Maybe the Meadow Lake Pulp Mill could become the Meadow Lake Hemp Mill if we elected SKMP MLAs.

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EXTRA:
I phoned the Sask. Marijuana Party leader Monday night to get confirmation of the name of the SKMP candidate in Regina. It’s Tom Shapiro, who you may remember from such police/red tape gong shows as “How to harass a sick man and his family”, and “Government red tape – It’s not just for heath care anymore”.

Tom Shapiro was handcuffed, along with his wife and son, for four hours while police tried to determine his status in Health Canada’s medical marijuana program, said an official with the Canadian AIDS Society.

“I’m very, very angry and upset at what happened,” said Lynne Belle-Isle of the society, who has been in frequent contact with Shapiro since his house was raided Tuesday.

“There seems to be a broken link in the communications at Health Canada.

“We’re talking about a very sick man who can barely walk. He’s not exactly a threat to police or the community and he’s been trying so hard to abide by the law.”

Tom Shapiro was being held at the Regina police station Thursday while officials tried to decide whether to charge him, his wife Roberta said in an interview.

She said her husband’s licence was delayed because Health Canada lost his photographs.

“It was absolutely traumatic,” she said, describing the raid carried out by eight police officers, four wearing balaclavas.

Also:

Medical Marijuana Taken from AIDS Sufferer

February 2, 2006
980 AM – CJME Newstalk Radio

A man who grew Medical Marijuana to ease AIDS symptoms, will be charged with cultivating the plants after Regina Police Raided his home.

Regina Police Spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich says the grow operation at Tom Shapiros’s place was small, maybe 24 plants plus equipment.

And even though the Regina Resident first got his permit to grow the plants five years ago– and has had his permit renewed every year since then– he didn’t have one on Tuesday when Police raided his home. [...]

Tom later won a court case to have his plants returned to him. That would suggest to me that the police raid was pointless, and unjustified.

SKMP leader Nathan Holowaty told me there are 5 SKMP candidates running in the province, 4 in Saskatoon and Tom in Regina. One candidate will be running against incumbent NDP Pat Atkinson, and the Green Party of Saskatchewan leader Sandra Finley in Saskatoon Nutana. Also running are Grant Karwacki of the Sask Liberals, and Don Johannesson of the Sask Party.

Holowaty confirmed the “one issue” nature of his party, and that the SKMPs are looking for an end to “marijuana prohibition”. They are “doing pretty good for a new party,” stated Holowaty, and it’s their first general election. “You have to start somewhere.” Nathan ran in the by-election in Martensville.

By recruiting Tom Shapiro, it seems they’ve started pretty well for a single issue party.

See other parts of this 8 part series:
Saskatchewan Liberal Party