In the last post, I left off with:

"So, how can we begin to accomplish this? How can WE, the average citizen and either medicinal or recreation MJ user, make a difference?"

We need to BECOME the "average citizen".

Oh, you already are? Cool! You are in the position to do the MOST for this movement to get our medicine and recreation legalized!!

There are MILLIONS of Americans that oppose MJ strictly because they have always heard the "fear" from the Gov't, it is not legal, and the people they see (in media and elsewhere) using it and promoting MJ are living a lifestyle not acceptible to them!

These people put the lifestyle and marijuana together, and don't like what they see.

If we show up to a "rally", and look like a bunch of stoners, then that is how the MEDIA and the public are going to see us.

And that is our "target audience", the American public that does not understand (yet) that MJ is safe, and effective as a medication, and far better for them than the Scotch they have been drinking every night for 30 years.

We need to bring these people to "OUR" side of the debate, and let them SUPPORT US while we do the pushing on the politicians. Without their support, this effort will fail again and again.

There are professional organizations that lobby and work with state legislatures, etc. to make MJ legal, but STILL, we have not won the fight with the PUBLIC whose desires will ultimately sway the politicians to legalize marijuana..

We can only gain the public support by informing and educating them on the realities of marijuana. That is not getting done, and without them, we are not going to prevail.

Question: How do people PERCIEVE you? What is the general perception of your lifestyle by your non-friend peers? Do they see you as a "stoner" and as a result discount your sincerity, or a real person that uses marijuana recreationally while still promoting healthy living, values, morals and success?

We all know that there are MILLIONS of "Professional" people in this country that smoke MJ on a daily, or weekly basis, but no one would ever know it. Why? They are afraid of losing their jobs, social status, everything. Yet, they still perform their professional tasks (Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, etc.) as they should, and find good success in their lives.

We need to get these people OUT OF THE CLOSET and speaking up at the right time and place.

The "right" time and place is critical, as pretty much NO ONE working in a professional capacity is going to bring up the fact that they smoke MJ duing a business lunch, or in a company meeting, nor around their working peers in most all cases.

WHY? They are afraid. Afraid of losing their jobs, their income and their status in society.

How about non-professional positions? Many (if not most) companies today have "drug testing", and MJ users are strongly encouraged not to work in such jobs, or, we have to "cheat" the system in order to pass a pee-test. They live and work in the fear they might lose all. (Some life, huh?)

The US Gov't is very good at making people afraid of things.

Consider a 50 year old midwestern farmer and his wife. He works, cares for his family and goes to church on Sunday where he hears the preacher rail against the evils of "drug" use. WE see it all the time on TV, where COPS depicts a big MJ bust...wasting millions of our tax dollars.

Do you think he is going to support the legalization of marijuana? Very doubtful, unless WE find a way to EDUCATE him about it. He may never smoke, but at least he might gain an understanding that it is not harmful and the Gov't is lying, once again.

WE need to get Washington D.C. to ACCEPT that they have LOST the marijuana battle in the "war on drugs", and focus their efforts on the truly dangerous substances that DO poison our people, children, etc. WE need to assist the Gov't in prosecuting these true criminals that are feeding cocaine, meth and other posions into our kids, and at the same time, SHOWING them that marijuana is not what they were lead to believe it is.

BUT, if we can find a way to EDUCATE these people, THEY will win this battle for us. WE need "their" support to do this, and it won't happen until we do.

So, my thoughts are:

Conduct your life in a manner that others who know you, or don't, will meet and leave you with an impression that you are an upstanding citizen, that you take care of your obligations and pay attention to those things that impress them. Once they learn you are also a MJ user, the opportunity for you to EDUCATE them, and have them recieve the info with a positive outcome is much greater.

Again, they may never smoke MJ, but we can gain their support in the process.

Gain enough support, the POLITICIANS and the GOV'T will have NO CHOICE but to grant the AMERICAN PUBLIC'S wishes and remove marijuana from the Schedule 1 listing, and make it a controlled, legal substance for all Americans to enjoy, without prosecution or persecution.

My Two Cents Worth for today.

ISO

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