Getting mommy to dispense the drugs

Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, October 28th, 2015 - 32 comments
Categories: drugs, Economy, tax - Tags: , , ,

Many years ago, I read John Brunner’s “Stand on Zanzibar”. It had an interesting mixture

…to create a sprawling narrative that presents a complex and multi-faceted view of the story’s future world. Such information-rich chapters were often constructed from many short paragraphs, sentences, or fragments thereof — pulled from sources such as slogans, snatches of conversation, advertising text, songs, extracts from newspapers and books, and other cultural detritus. The result is reminiscent of the concept of information overload.

I often feel that I am living through that as I fight my way through the backlog on my cellphone. Never more so than when I read the analysis of a crazy world in The Economist.

From the pages of the Economist a few weeks ago, we had “Mother of all highs” which details an analysis about the progress in marketing legal cannabis as the nascent industry in the US starts to target mothers in their efforts to penetrate the real market…

AT A soirée on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, one woman greets her fellow guests with a delicate bowl of vanilla sea-salt caramels, each one laced with marijuana. “It’s quite subtle,” she insists. “I just keep a few in my bag for when I’m feeling stressed out.” Over light chat about family and work, the group quickly cleaned up the bowl.

It is a scene Americans will be accustomed to by about 2025, according to Jazmin Hupp, head of Denver’s Women Grow society. “Once moms are on board, that’s it,” she explains, taking a drag on a hot pink e-cigarette filled with cannabis oil. Her battle cry explains the recent surge in products such as vegan weed bonbons, cannabis kale crisps, cannabis spiced almonds and “high tea”.

Cannabis is now legal for recreational use in four states and the District of Columbia, and for medical use in another 21.

Mothers do not fit neatly into the story of cannabis, which has as its protagonists Mexican drug lords, layabouts and rappers—all of them male. Even now, the leading figures in the legalisation movement are businessmen. Perhaps this is unsurprising. A drunk teenage son is one thing, but stoned as well?

Even so, those hoping to take the drug mainstream know they have to get mothers on their side. One way to do so is to emphasise the health benefits of the weed.

Yep. Stoned mothers is the way to go… And really when you think about. It really has to be. You can just imagine a classic social get together with tupperware and doped out mothers. It can’t help but to improve the sales!

Winning over mothers has long been a ploy to turbocharge sales, according to Maria Bailey and Bonnie Ulman, co-authors of “Trillion Dollar Moms”. Mothers control $1.6 trillion of direct consumer spending and influence the buying habits of their entire household. In politics, it was the soccer moms, newspapers declared in 1996, that returned Bill Clinton to the White House. And mothers tend to make a family’s medical decisions. If matriarchs can be persuaded that marijuana boosts rather than imperils health, cannabis caramels may one day be found stuck to the teeth of a grateful nation.

This is all quite obvious, and really I can’t think of any reason why non-programmers can’t get stoned on THC. There are more than enough instances around where people have found that it is effective for pain relief and a lot less of a problem than opiates.

In my family, we have strange effects from medical morphine. My father kept seeing green spiders crawling around the room after his knees were cyborged. My grandfather had a hell of a time kicking the morphine habit he picked up after having ulcers in his bone marrow. But the dope smokers in the family have never had any such problems.

Lets legalize the drug and start to tax it – HEAVILY.

For the record, I have tried weed when I was 20. It interfered with my being able to program effectively for days afterwards. I preferred the abrupt educational hangovers of alcohol. My only real interest in products derived from cannabis is that they should be legal, available AND are taxed at least as heavily as alcohol. In particular for people suffering like our author Helen Kelly is..

“I’ve tried [cannabis oil]. I’m not promoting it as a curative, but as a pain relief it’s incredibly effective for me and it doesn’t make me feel sick, which morphine does.”

President of the Council of Trade Unions Helen Kelly is terminally ill and plans to apply for medicinal cannabis to help with pain relief.

CAMERON BURNELL/ FAIRFAX MEDIA

President of the Council of Trade Unions Helen Kelly is terminally ill and plans to apply for medicinal cannabis to help with pain relief.

32 comments on “Getting mommy to dispense the drugs ”

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  1. weka 1
    28 October 2015 at 1:23 pm

    Not sure if I’m missing the tone of this post. Anyway…

    Legalised commercialisation of cannabis will result in stupid shit like companies making and marketing cannabis edibles that look like lollies. Who else eats lollies apart from stoners?

    Commercialisation and heavy taxation will also make cannabis expensive, which means it will be prohibitive for some of the people in the most need – think someone on a sickness benefit who doesn’t have what it takes to navigate the onerous medical/social security system.

    I also think that mothers being targeted as consumers is an example of the worst aspects of our society, and the prospect of a freely available drug like cannabis in a society that is grossly ignoring health and wellbeing as well as addiction strikes me as a recipe for disaster. For that reason I’ve often been ambivalent about complete legalisation. There is this idea that it’s already freely available (not true), and that there are no downsides to its widespread use (also not true). Basically, given how crap we are culturally at alcohol, I don’t particularly trust NZ to do this well (plus, look at the fiasco over legal highs).

    My preference is that cannabis is decriminalised for personal use and limited sharing. Make it something like raw milk. A product that people want access to, but comes with issues that can be problematic for society, so there are limits on commercialisation that put more onus on the consumer to take responsibilty for what they are doing. You can legally buy/sell 8 litres of raw milk per person from the gate. You can’t sell large amounts or start shipping it around the country. This creates a natural limit and encourages small scale, local businesses (better for local economies too).

    I’d prefer to see cannabis growing and distribution in the hands of local growers/businesses who can then make a living or supplement their income rather than big corporations yet again getting their greedy hands on the profit. There is no need for cannabis to go big in NZ. We don’t need a huge range of products being pushed at people.

    Failing that, give it to the corporations, let govt tax it, whatever, but keep it legal that people can grow their own (and share small smounts).

    Beyond all that, there are still fairly large hurdles around our understanding of risk assessment when it comes to cannabis, both personal and societal.

    • Chooky 1.1
      28 October 2015 at 1:38 pm

      @ weka re “My preference is that cannabis is decriminalised for personal use and limited sharing. Make it something like raw milk”….agree with most of that

      re “risk assessment” …in particular youth should be educated to treat it with caution , as with alcohol…it doesnt mix well with developing brains and study ie it can fog brains and possible other worse effects in some , just like alcohol

    • Rosemary McDonald 1.2
      28 October 2015 at 6:01 pm

      I’m kinda with you on most of this weka. I spent an Easter holiday off my proverbial on weed….a friendly “thanks for the ride” toke or three in my hitch hiking days.
      Never again.

      And the damage to young brains.

      BUT….if it were to become legal…I could certainly do with the extra income…I have an acre of land….;-)

    • lprent 1.3
      29 October 2015 at 1:48 am

      Commercialisation and heavy taxation will also make cannabis expensive, which means it will be prohibitive for some of the people in the most need – think someone on a sickness benefit who doesn’t have what it takes to navigate the onerous medical/social security system.

      That is the same issue we have now with the pharma companies etc. The way to deal with that is probably much the same as we already do – with pharmac and subsidised doctors visits

      I also think that mothers being targeted as consumers is an example of the worst aspects of our society, and the prospect of a freely available drug like cannabis in a society that is grossly ignoring health and wellbeing as well as addiction strikes me as a recipe for disaster.

      Which was my semi-satirical point (I was writing in an airport with little time to review the post).

      This is the point that seems to escape the legalisation stoners. That commercialisation will not make the era of weed the brave new world that they often seem to see.

      • weka 1.3.1
        29 October 2015 at 8:46 am

        “That is the same issue we have now with the pharma companies etc. The way to deal with that is probably much the same as we already do – with pharmac and subsidised doctors visits”

        Yes, but the way to get around that isn’t via complex bureaucracy like Pharmac and GP visits, it’s to let people grow their own or have someone grow it for them. Pharmaceutical companies can still develop cannabis based drugs and delivery mechanisms and GPs and specialists can still develop good practice around prescribing and supporting their patient, but there will be many people who will want to use the plant itself themselves.

        Subsidised GP visits and Pharmac subsidies won’t necessarily help someone on a sickness benefit. Sometimes just getting to the GP can be too much. If cannabis is legalised for medical use only via prescription, the person then has to have a sympathetic GP as well.

        If we have legalised medical use only, I’m pretty sure what will happen is that people will continue to grow and distribute themselves, which raises the issue of how the justice system and police will deal with that.

  2. Chooky 2
    28 October 2015 at 1:30 pm

    +100 Good Post….it might be the revolution the USA has long been waiting for… imagine the cops mellowed out on it…

    on a more serious note: …it does seem criminal to deny it to the terminally ill and the elderly who often have all sorts of debilitating pains from muscular to nerve to joint and bone …and it would be far more beneficial to them than zonking them out on painkillers …immobilising them with all sorts of life shortening, weird side effects, dementia causing Big Pharma drugs and stuffing them into incarceration …old peoples’ homes

    they could puff away contentedly in the sun , drink red wine and share cookies..until the end of their days when they snooze off or fade out

    • Whispering Kate 2.1
      28 October 2015 at 8:25 pm

      Chookie you are a delight. I suffer from arthritis and have it everywhere, my feet are agony every day, I have had a knee replaced and need the other done soon. I suffer from sciatic pain sporadically thank God and have normal back pain every day. I cannot open jars and use my hands for much at all – holding a pen is completely useless. Touch typing is okay. I have many times thought I would like to try cannabis or cannabis oil. I probably will end up going down this route as anti inflammatory medication just wrecks the gut. Right now I use health products and watch my diet and I cope. Life is such an impediment as I cannot walk far and having holidays or normal long periods on my feet is hopeless. I am not yet 70 so its pretty much f……. for me these days.

      Why can’t the Gov just take out the “stoner” element of the cannabis which is what I believe cannabis oil is and allow it for people who suffer pain on a daily basis. Its a pig in the manger sort of atitude they have. I am quite good in the garden and have thought of growing a plant or two for my own use, I know how to hang the plant and dry the buds but frankly I am not wanting to get stoned – been there and done that in the 60’s with the real McCoy – Hash – na na not for me but I would love to have some pain relief in my old age.

      As an aside I see our professional athletes like the AB’s playing on with pain killers, having screws put in their feet, having repair work done and redone – I used to jog and play netball – but hey this is horrific how they abuse their bodies – God help them in a few years, they will be living cripples – all for the sport and they haven’t a clue what they’re in for,

      • Chooky 2.1.1
        28 October 2015 at 10:44 pm

        commiserations Whispering Kate…lets hope cannabis oil is available for all who want it soon!..

        ( In the meantime, if you haven’t already got it, you could try David Coory’s popular book on nutrition/vitamins/minerals etc. It is my proactive health medicine bible for aches and pains and ailments…called ‘Stay Healthy by supplying what’s lacking in your diet’…He has a section on arthritis ‘recipe cures’ ..costs about $25 from Health House, Private Bag 12029, Tauranga 3112. (Tel:0800 140 141) … It is a long shot I know …but every little bit helps and sometimes it is amazing what a tweeking of vitamins and minerals and foods can do. eg. different sources of magnesium, selenium, boron, zinc, calcium, sulphur )… Keep trying and Good luck!

        This is interesting:

        http://www.drmagaziner.com/stem-cell-injections-for-osteoarthritis/

      • lprent 2.1.2
        29 October 2015 at 1:52 am

        I have arthritis in one of my big toes that started up last year. not pleasant.

        • Chooky 2.1.2.1
          29 October 2015 at 3:21 pm

          lol…could be gout …inwhich case I think there are dietary solutions

          actually i have heard that there are doctor (s) trained in the procedure overseas using stem cell injections in NZ as an alternative to hip and knee replacements ….and also used for arthritis, in for example fingers ( this medical intervention is not advertised but it is available for anyone who wants to hunt for it and it is far less expensive with less risks than surgical joint replacement… and claimed to have quick recuperation time and be much more effective long term)

  3. shorts 3
    28 October 2015 at 1:35 pm

    Why tax it – HEAVILY?

    Sure tax it, regulate the industry, introduce harm reduction programs, drug education and age one can partake… but tax it reasonably (medicinal use could be tax free….) – the returns regardless will be vastly more than no tax at all

    Why the fuck is NZ dragging the chain? We’re heavy users of the illegal version… which only adds to the social problems we have… legalise, control and reduce crime etc etc

    Yes there will be victims amongst users… there are already, lets help them not criminalise them

    • Chooky 3.1
      28 October 2015 at 3:48 pm

      +100

    • lprent 3.2
      29 October 2015 at 1:56 am

      Why not tax it heavily? That is what we do with other recreational drugs like alcohol and tobacco. Why should cannabis be any different?

      Use that to subsidize the medical uses of it.

      But also to ensure that the price drops after the risk levels drop don’t cause too high a degree of stoned behaviour (and I have met some pretty obnoxious versions of it at times).

  4. joe90 4
    28 October 2015 at 2:07 pm

    Where there’s a dollar…..

    Without a doubt, the face of the corporate takeover of the marijuana movement is ResponsibleOhio, the statewide campaign that launched last November, the same month Oregon became the fourth state to legalize pot. ResponsibleOhio’s ballot initiative, known as Issue 3, would legalize recreational marijuana by constitutional amendment. The initiative language creates a marijuana oversight board, allows for 1,100 retailers — more pot shops than the state has Starbucks — and permits each adult citizen four homegrown plants. Issue 3 creates just 10 marijuana farms and hands the keys to wealthy campaign donors, transforming a slew of real-estate executives, financiers and a curious bevy of celebrity investors — NBA legend Oscar Robertson, fashion mogul Nanette Lepore, former boy-band star Nick Lachey — into a monopoly of newfangled marijuana farmers, virtually overnight.

    http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-great-ohio-weed-war-20151023

  5. Sabine 5
    28 October 2015 at 2:08 pm

    came across this the other day from Canada 🙂

    http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/canada-hells-angels-members-protest-legalization-of-marijuana/

    “OTTAWA | As Canada’s newly elected Liberal government is on the verge of legalizing marijuana, thousands of Hells Angels members have taken the Parliament by storm yesterday to protest the new proposition.

    The legalization of marijuana could cost the organized crime hundreds of thousands of jobs, believes the spokesman for the Canadian chapter of the Hells Angels, Jean-Roch Fournier.

    “We estimate that Prime minister Justin Trudeau’s radical proposition to legalize marijuana could cost us over a hundred thousand jobs” says the former lawyer. “From growing operations, to trimming, packaging, transportation and selling, this new legislature will threaten the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers” he warns.

    and this from Colorado US

    https://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Colorado_Marijuana_Legalization_One_Year_Status_Report.pdf

    “Youth Prevention Efforts
    The state has allocated more than $8 million in
    retail marijuana tax revenue for youth prevention
    and education, mental health and communitybased
    developmental programs.xiii In addition to
    the $2.5 million allocated to fund health workers
    in Colorado schools, $2 million of marijuana tax
    revenue has been allocated to help fund
    community-based youth services programs that
    offer mentoring and focus on drug prevention and
    school retention, and over $4.3 million will fund
    school-based outreach programs for students
    using marijuana. “

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1
      28 October 2015 at 6:57 pm

      The legalization of marijuana could cost the organized crime hundreds of thousands of jobs, believes the spokesman for the Canadian chapter of the Hells Angels, Jean-Roch Fournier.

      Of course they wouldn’t. Those jobs would still be there along with probably a few hundred thousand more.

      Their real problem is that they wouldn’t be able to make as much profit from it.

    • Smilin 5.2
      28 October 2015 at 9:44 pm

      Along the lines of the Mafia CIA and JFK

  6. One Two 6
    28 October 2015 at 2:21 pm

    Pushers gonna push

  7. Atiawa 7
    28 October 2015 at 4:20 pm

    A friend would visit his mother who looked after her aging father. The old boy was at the stroppy stage of Alzheimers disease whereby life was becoming frustrating for him and equally so for his daughter who had the bruises to prove it.
    In desperation during one of my friends visits he decided to give granddad the joint he had rolled up for himself. The old fella smoked the lot, sat back chilled and calm in his lounge seat for the next four hours happy and content.
    The only “beef” my friend had was that the old bugger never shared the joint(s) with him.

    • Chooky 7.1
      28 October 2015 at 6:32 pm

      lol…well that is a very good advertisement for it to be used medicinally

      • dukeofurl 7.1.1
        29 October 2015 at 7:39 am

        Do you even know what medical even means.

        This is about as far from it as you could imagine

        • Grant 7.1.1.1
          29 October 2015 at 7:55 am

          So what do you call it when a doctor prescribes medication for anxiety / depression / aggression in patients with dementia. I’d call it medication.

        • Chooky 7.1.1.2
          29 October 2015 at 8:47 pm

          @ dukeofurl…well you would say that wouldn’t you

  8. Smilin 8
    28 October 2015 at 6:24 pm

    Well I SUPPOSE now that the right has had 7 yrs to wring dollars out of every other form of social revenue, now they have to get down to it and deal to the good old panacea for the poor “home grown”
    ALL of us who have had our lives ruined by archaic laws governing marijuana should be in for a big payout from the govt a bit like the Waitangi settlements going on at present.
    That certainly would go along way to ease the pain of this terminal tory illness that many of us suffer with .
    I wonder how many legit property deals have been done with the green stuff as a form of payment .

  9. Brigid 9
    28 October 2015 at 11:13 pm

    “…. I can’t think of any reason why non-programmers can’t get stoned on THC. ”
    I’d include non-mothers.
    Actually, I found child-rearing and programming equally requires of one, awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.