Time To Reclaim A Kentucky Industry

State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer is trying to get industrial hemp, (cannabis), legalized as an alternative crop for our farmers. State Senator Perry Clark wants to get marijuana, (cannabis), legalized for medical uses. Many of our citizens would like to see cannabis legalized for recreational uses. Maybe it’s time for our legislators to take back the cannabis industry.

At one time Kentucky had a lucrative cannabis market providing hemp fiber and medicines for retail sale. Kentuckians were fooled into voting this industry out of existence by a newspaper propaganda campaign that made cannabis out to be something different and foreign by calling it by it’s Mexican name, marijuana. The reason cannabis and the cannabis industry was suddenly vilified and driven out of the market place and into the black market had more to do with business interests eliminating the competition, than the idea of protecting Americans from what has turned out to be a relatively harmless and mostly beneficial plant. Even the American Medical Association spoke against making cannabis illegal but the fix was in and we have had 75 years of the failed policy of prohibition.

President Nixon who, against the recommendation of his own commission on drugs, used it to prove he was tough on crime by declaring the War On Drugs, and to harass war protesters. President Reagan said it was the number one enemy of America. H. W. Bush, Clinton, Carter and now Obama have all allowed this waste of 51 billion a year accomplishing nothing and inflicting misery and fear on the citizens to continue. Admittedly Carter said the law should be reformed and Obama has recently said it’s a debate worth having but nothing has been done at the Federal level, leaving it up to Congress and the State legislatures to change policy. Ironically our last 3 Presidents have used cannabis at one time or another.

Kentucky Legislators have a unique opportunity to reestablish the cannabis industry in Kentucky and position Kentucky to claim a huge portion of what is estimated to be a multibillion dollar industry. Our legislators should join forces and go for outright legalization across the board. The billions in economic activity to be realized from this action would lift the lives and improve the conditions of all our citizens. For our legislators to allow the failed policy of cannabis prohibition to continue and cause Kentucky’s businesses and farmers to miss out on this opportunity is unthinkable!

Now is the time for us to join the ranks of Colorado and Washington State. Now is the time to stand up to the Federal Authorities and do what’s best for Kentucky. Now is the time to bring the cannabis industry back to life in Kentucky!

by: Thomas Tony Vance

Can We Talk?

This is an open letter to the WAVE 3 commentator that did the piece on Industrial Hemp, you will find a link at the bottom.

Dear Sir

 I'm a 64 year old retired salesman and I'm also a four year Air Force veteran with 18 months duty "in theater" during the Vietnam war.

It was during that war, while stationed in Thailand, that I tried cannabis for the first time. That was 1970 and I have smoked recreationally off and on ever since.

It wasn't until I met Gatewood Galbraith in 1990 that I and others realized there was more to smoking "marijuana" than just getting high. Sure we had heard about making rope but most where just jokes about smoking rope no one took them seriously. After meeting with Gatewood, Willie Nelson, Jack Herer and other cannabis activists I agreed to run Gatewood's primary campaign for him here in Louisville; in which by the way we got 13% of the vote for him.

I read Jack Herer's book "The Emperor Wears No Cloths" http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/  and have been an advocate ever since. In the '91 campaign we took that book along with other literature and we worked tirelessly spreading the word and educating people through out the commonwealth. We are the reason that people are even talking about Industrial Hemp today and now we have wealthy industrialist that wish to ignore our fight, our hard work for their own profit motive. I resent that.

Gatewood's name was never brought up in your documentary nor the work of thousands of volunteers but the most egregious part of your documentary was your emphasis on "mind altering drug". I take offense to that, that was uncalled for. There were a lot of good facts in there but I felt that tone of prejudice against medicinal and I suspect recreational use as well. I wish we could have a candid discussion about all the uses of Cannabis Sativa/Indica and maybe dispel some of the rumors and fears once and for all.

I started a grassroots group www.kentuckyveteransformedicalmarijuana.net and I have been working with Sen. Perry Clark on his legislation to legalize medical marijuana. I started this group because a decision was made by the Veterans Administration to allow patients, in states where it is legal, to have THC in their blood tests but in states where it isn't legal you could be taken off your medication. That's not right but then there is so much hypocrisy in this prohibition it's hard to put it all together.

I would welcome a dialog and I can bring in some experts. I have contacts with LEAP(Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) and others. Can we talk candidly? I'm retired so I don't have to pass anyone's drug test to survive  so I'm speaking out and not just for myself but my grandchildren as well. They deserve better.

Thank You

Kentucky Veterans for Medical Marijuana

attachment enclosed:

http://www.wave3.com/story/20143133/growing-controversy-the-push-to-legalize-hemp-in-ky?=#WNPoll124811

Veterans To Consider Medical Marijuana Resolution

Veteran members of the Veterans Of Foreign Wars in the Ninth District of Kentucky will vote in January on a resolution supporting Veteran access to medical marijuana thru the auspices of the Veterans Administration.  The resolution recommends that the Federal Government provide, thru the Veterans Administration Health System, medical marijuana to Veterans with qualifying conditions such as chronic pain, Post Traumatic Stress and a number of other conditions for which medical marijuana is effective.

The Government can accomplish this, the resolution states, “ by providing vouchers to Veterans who live in medical marijuana States and by directly providing the marijuana from the Government’s marijuana farm in Mississippi to Veterans who do not live in medical marijuana States as is currently done for the survivors of the old Compassionate Care Program.  The resolution also states that the Government should act post haste to provide this safe and effective medicine for the care of our Veterans.

Justification supporting the resolution sited the following points:

Thousands of our Comrade Veterans use this medicine everyday and they report that it works wonders in treating Post Traumatic Stress, chronic pain, phantom pain from loss of a limb and a number of related conditions.

The Doctors treating these Veterans agree that marijuana is effective in treating these conditions and that it should be made available to these Veterans..  The American Medical Association, The American College of Physicians, The American Nurses Association, The American Academy of Family Physicians and The Federation of American Scientists all recognize medical marijuana as legitimate medicine.  Even the Veterans Administration now recognizes Veteran use of medical marijuana.

The need for action on this issue is tantamount as for some of our Veterans access to this medicine can be a life or death issue.  It has been noted that states with medical marijuana laws in place are starting to experience lower rates of suicide which has been attributed to the availability of medical marijuana.

Since the proposal of this resolution one more state has passed legislation authorizing the use of medical marijuana and two states have legalized it’s use for recreational purposes.  Civilians can now use it for recreation but Veterans cannot access it for medical needs.  Something not right about that we think.

Lastly, we as Veterans are the leaders in our communities and in our nation as well.  As leaders we are the ones who can effect needed policy change and as Americans and especially as Veterans we have a duty to do so, in service to our country and in service to our wounded and disabled Veterans.

The resolution will be voted on at the Ninth District of Kentucky meeting  January 20, 2013.

 Msgt Tony Vance

R.I.P. Cash Hyde

I never met young Cash (Cashy) Hyde and now that he has passed on I wont get that chance at least not in this existence. Just four years old Cash was taken from us having fought cancer for most of his young life he finally fell victim to his disease.

He touched a lot of us in the cannabis community because his story was a story of hope for the future. His father tried, after doctors had given up hope of saving Cash's life, to save him. He would give Cash hemp oil in his feeding tube and for a while Cash's life was hopeful. However, as these diseases are want to do, it was false hope.

Until the day we rethink our prohibition on cannabis and restore it to it's rightful place, can we ever be certain  that hemp didn't help Cashy, even if it made the few years he had on this earth more enjoyable, isn't it worth the try? When you look into this young mans eyes tell me his life wasn't worth the risk.

Great strides are being made in cancer research all over the world. Everywhere, it would seem, except here. Spain, Portugal, Israel all have aggressive cannabis research projects studying cannabis's effect on cancer cells and other ailments but here in the US we still regard it as addictive and with no medicinal value. We know better now!

We'll probably never know if Cashy could have been saved by the hemp oil but we do know that the quality of his life was made better and the few short years that he had with us were more enjoyable because of it. Rest In Peace little soldier you've done your part.