Treating drug use as a crime clearly hasn’t worked for the United States. Just as alcohol prohibition enriched Al Capone and other gangsters, the Drug War has enriched cartels and other criminal organizations. Prohibitionist policies have increased the potency of drugs and tax-exempt profits of outlaws. Of course, the War on Drugs has detrimentally impacted people of color and poor people of all colors, creating a New Jim Crow era that has decimated black communities across the United States.

For far too long, the tragic consequences of America’s drug policies have been ignored by politicians. Thankfully that is starting to change as Bernie Sanders continues to attack the Drug War after making criminal justice reform a foundation of his presidential campaign. (To his credit, Republican Senator Rand Paul has also been good on the issue, but GOP primary voters haven’t warmed to his message.) Rightfully proclaiming the Drug War a failure, Sanders has introduced a bill to end to federal marijuana prohibition, proposed ending the private prison racket and wisely called for treating addiction as a health care issue at the last Democratic presidential debate as Time reports:

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said addiction is a “disease not a criminal activity” during a discussion on America’s heroin epidemic during Saturday night’s Democratic debate.

The debate took a somber turn when the candidates addressed the high levels of heroin and opioid use across the country. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths have quadrupled between 2002 and 2013. The Senator’s home state of Vermont has been hit particularly hard by heroin addiction, with the governor calling it a “full-blown crisis” in 2014.

On Saturday, Sanders said the epidemic calls for a “radical” change in the approach to addiction in America, saying the health care community needs to “get its act together” when both prescribing opioids and addressing issues of mental health and addiction.

While he hasn’t been perfect on drug policy reform, it has been heartening to see President Obama advocate for some sensible policy changes and release some nonviolent drug prisoners early from their draconian sentences.  Positively, the entire Democratic presidential race, aided by Sanders’ policy positions, has seen good rhetoric on drug law reform, making it likely that we can see more positive reform if Democrats maintain the White House.

When looking for inspiration, the United States can look at Portugal and the numerous positive results the country has experienced after a decade of wisely treating drug use as a healthcare issue instead of a law enforcement issue. Individual states can also help lead the way, just as they have done on cannabis policy. I certainly hope to work towards more sane drug policies here in Oregon as it is clear that we will never arrest and jail our way out of drug use. It is time to end the failed War on Drugs, and whether he wins or loses, Senator Bernie Sanders has helped dramatically change our national discourse on drug policy.

From the tales of murderous madness to offensive racism to the “this is brain on drugs” frying pan, prohibitionist propaganda has done more harm than good. At worst, such propaganda has created unnecessary fear and helped lead to unnecessarily draconian penalties. In many cases, the message is so ridiculous on its face that the campaign actually leads to more curiosity about using drugs.

Now, we have “stoner sloth” commercials that try to make the claim that cannabis use only makes you worse at everything in life. The Huffington Post reports:

“Stoner Sloth” is a series of videos purportedly meant to illustrate the horrors of marijuana to impressionable teens. The videos star people in large sloth costumes struggling through various life events due to how high they are. At the end of each ad — after the featured sloth has had trouble in class or embarrassed itself at dinner — the tagline “You’re Worse On Weed” is plastered across the screen.

The whole thing is the work of Australia’s New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet, Australian media outlet The New Matilda reports. (The New Matilda does publish some satire, but this story was not marked with a “satire” tag.)

“The “stoner sloth”public awareness campaign has been designed to encourage positive behaviours in young people before bad habits start, and motivate discontinued use of cannabis before they become dependent,” a Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesperson told The Huffington Post in a statement. “The campaign is designed to appeal to, and be ‘shareable’ among, teenagers, who are some of the most vulnerable to cannabis use. We know that younger audiences respond more to campaigns highlighting the short-term consequences of their actions.”

By claiming that cannabis use basically makes you unable to function in life, teens will immediately start to research cannabis users that have managed great accomplishments, from becoming the one of the great scientific minds of all time to creating great art to achieving unprecedented Olympic glory. Teenagers are too smart for such nonsense. Let’s stick to the truth about brain development and give young people the actual truth about drugs, including the fact that developing brains should refrain from using drugs. Actual science will trump exaggerations and “stoner sloths” any day.

When 56% of Oregonians voted to legalize and regulate marijuana by passing Measure 91 in 2014, they voted for a law that included a provision that the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program would not be impacted. While the legalization law couldn’t guarantee that no changes would occur forever, many voters across the state cannot be happy about proposed policies that will hurt Oregon’s cannabis patients.

Due to legislation passed by the Oregon Legislature, medical marijuana growers will be prohibited from growing more than 12 plants in urban residential areas and 48 in other areas on March 1st, with some grow sites being grandfathered in for 24 or 96 plants respectively. Legislators also called for some tracking and inspection of commercial gardens and established a rulemaking process by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Unfortunately, many of the proposed rules coming out of the rulemaking process are not looking good for medical patients, including an increase in fees.

The Oregonian’s Noelle Crombie reports on the fact that Oregon is proposing a $200 per patient fee on licensed medical cannabis growers even though the state program has been generating millions of dollars for the state:

Oregon’s proposed fee increase was discussed at a meeting Monday of the health authority’s rules advisory committee, which is in the process of drafting regulations for the medical marijuana industry as well as parts of the recreational marijuana industry, such as serving sizes. The fees, if finalized, would go into effect March 1.

***

Oregon’s medical marijuana patients have long complained about cost of obtaining a card, revenue that is used to fund the state’s medical marijuana program, including dispensary regulation, as well as a wide range of public health efforts.

In the 2013-15 budget cycle, medical marijuana fees generated about $22.1 million. It costs $8.1 million to administer the medical marijuana program, which employs 38 people. The state spends another $8.8 million in revenue generated by medical marijuana fees on other public health programs, including emergency medical services, clean drinking water programs, contraceptive care, school-based health centers and other public health efforts.

Crombie’s entire piece is certainly worth a read.

As Crombie reports, OHA is also considering a $4,000 fee for medical marijuana processors, a fee that is too high for a business seeking to serve only the patient system. Additionally, the OHA is going above and beyond the intent of the legislature in a few respects, including the requirement that all medical marijuana growers, including those who are themselves patients only growing for themselves, will have to report to the state how much they cultivate and be subject to inspection by government employees.

Unfortunately, the increase in fees; plant limitations; and the reporting and inspection requirements will harm the poorest and sickest patients in Oregon. The state is still working on implementing the recreational system and licensed retail stores won’t be open until the end of 2016. New medical regulations are not needed on March 1, 2016 as they will only hurt Oregon’s most vulnerable patients, clearly not the intention of Oregon legislators and voters.

If you care about the plight of sick and disabled patients, especially those battling poverty, please contact the Oregon Legislature’s Marijuana Legalization Committee and urge them to delay new medical marijuana regulations scheduled to go into effect on March 1, 2016:

sen.ginnyburdick@state.or.us, Sen.LeeBeyer@state.or.us, Sen.JeffKruse@state.or.us, Sen.FloydProzanski@state.or.us,Rep.PeterBuckley@state.or.us, rep.kenhelm@state.or.us, Rep.AndyOlson@state.or.us, sen.tedferrioli@state.or.us, rep.annlininger@state.or.us, rep.carlwilson@state.or.us

Buoyed by a recent poll showing a ten point lead over Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator is making his case for the nomination in his stronghold of New Hampshire. Helped by a geographical proximity and a primary voting process that has a strong independent vote, Sanders has long led the polls in the Granite State. Without a doubt, Sanders’ bid depends upon a New Hampshire victory and, most likely, a victory in Iowa as well. Pulling off a slight upset in Iowa, followed by a strong New Hampshire victory, could make the Democratic nomination very interesting.

The National Journal reports:

With vot­ing set to be­gin in just sev­en weeks, the sen­at­or from Ver­mont on Monday told sev­er­al dozen stu­dents and fac­ulty at Nashua Com­munity Col­lege that he has a real shot against Demo­crat­ic front-run­ner Hil­lary Clin­ton, and that re­cent sur­veys prove it.

“We star­ted with no money, no polit­ic­al or­gan­iz­a­tion. We star­ted at 3, 4, 5 per­cent in the polls,” Sanders said. “I just came back from Iowa, which will hold the first caucus in the coun­try. We’re in single di­gits be­hind Sec­ret­ary Clin­ton. We can win Iowa, and I think we have a good chance to do that. Last poll out of here in New Hamp­shire had us in the lead. I think we stand a good chance to win here in New Hamp­shire. And if we can win in Iowa, and if can win in New Hamp­shire, we have a real path to­ward vic­tory, to pulling off one of the ma­jor polit­ic­al up­sets in the his­tory of our coun­try.”

***

He warned his audi­ence that the elec­tions will turn on how many young people show up at the polls. “I want you to tell your friends who are not vot­ing, that that’s not very sens­ible,” he said. “People have fought and died to pre­serve Amer­ic­an demo­cracy. We owe it to them to ser­i­ously en­gage in the im­port­ant is­sues fa­cing our coun­try.”

Turnout of young voters will certainly be key. Progressive change is less likely to occur if younger voters, really the voters with the most at stake, are energized and engaged. Young people feel the brunt of disastrous policies, such as the Drug War here at home and foreign wars abroad. The intrusion upon civil liberties are more likely to be felt by young people, particularly those of color and living in poverty. Bernie Sanders has called for the best policies regarding civil liberties in the Democratic primary, from marijuana legalization to criminal justice reform to avoiding unnecessary wars around the globe. Here’s hoping that people across the country start thinking like the independent-minded folks in New Hampshire, their motto is “Live Free or Die“.

(Featured photo credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

After a landmark case before Mexico’s Supreme Court, four Mexican residents have now been granted permits to cultivate, possess and consume cannabis. More people have already applied for permits and more court cases may be on the horizon. Cannabis law reform advocates hope that the initial court case victory, the awarding of permits and any future actions that may be on the horizon, will eventually lead to Mexico ending marijuana prohibition once and for all.

The Drug War has devastated too many lives already in Mexico and ending prohibition deprives violent criminal gangs a revenue stream, just as repealing alcohol prohibition deprived American gangsters like Al Capone from capturing prohibition-inflated income from the illicit sale of booze. “Mexico and other Central American States are aware that prohibition has been a disaster for them,” Baroness Meacher, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, told the Telegraph.

More from the Telegraph:

Bernie Sanders’ supporters, including many in the cannabis community, did all that they could to make the Vermont Senator TIME Person of the Year as he clearly won the online vote, but the magazine’s editors have decided to go a different route. While Sanders will fail to become the first presidential candidate to win the honor, Donald Trump’s hopes are still alive as the reality TV star has become the Republican frontrunner with his bombastic rhetoric.

Often short on substance, Trump has been pinned down on his marijuana policy and he does support medical marijuana “100%” and seems to adhere to a states’ rights position on full legalization, although he’s not a supporter of ending prohibition (today). Unfortunately, Trump’s other positions on civil liberties, leave much to be desired and are actually dangerous as giving the United States government the power to track citizens and deny their entry based on their religion would send our nation down a slippery slope.

Whether they ultimately win their party’s nomination or the presidency, it is clear that Trump and Sanders have dominated the political discourse this election season as outsiders challenging the status quo. The establishment candidates have had to respond to these insurgent candidates, but that is where the similarities between Sanders and Trump ends.

Bernie Sanders has a long history of support for progressive support, including marijuana law and Drug War reform and he has been reluctant to campaign in any way that could be considered “attacking” or “dirty.” Trump, on the other hand, has demonstrated a willingness to say just about anything. It is a rather sad day that a candidate like Trump can be considered TIME’s Person of the Year over a statesman like Bernie Sanders, but that is unfortunately the world we live in today.

(Featured photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing/Brendan McDermid)

UPDATE: TIME left Bernie Sanders off of the shortlist of potential winners for Person of the Year, despite his winning the online readers’ poll. 

TIME Magazine’s editors will ultimately have the final say, but their readers have made it clear that Bernie Sanders should be the 2015 TIME Person of the Year.  The cannabis community certainly chipped in to help Sanders win the TIME readers’ poll as marijuana legalization and criminal justice reforms have been major foundations of his candidacy.

If TIME’s editors agree with the readers’ poll, the Vermont Senator would become the first presidential candidate to win the award. In addition to his progressive Drug War policies, Sen. Sanders has dominated the Democratic political discourse by focusing on major issues of the day, such as income inequality and climate change, while calling for a political revolution of the people to overturn a political system dominated by big-money interests. From TIME:

The Vermont Senator won with a little more than 10% of the vote when the poll closed Sunday at midnight. That’s well ahead of Pakistani girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai, who was in second place at 5.2%, and Pope Francis, TIME’s 2013 Person of the Year, who finished third with 3.7%.

Sanders also placed far ahead President Obama (3.5%) and ahead other 2016 candidates, including Republican Donald Trump (1.8%) and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton (1.4%).

***

Sanders has said his goal is a political revolution that will reenergize the electorate and push big money out of politics. “A lot of people have given up on the political process, and I want to get them involved in it,” Sanders told TIME in a September cover story. “In this fight we are going to take on the greed of the billionaire class. And they are very, very powerful, and they’re going to fight back furiously. The only way to succeed is when millions of people stand up and decide to engage.”

Not surprisingly, Bernie Sanders has done very well on internet polls. The online community has overwhelmingly named him the winner of Democratic debates and the marijuana law reform community has a very strong presence online, helping shape political discourse whenever possible. Conventional presidential candidates normally shy away from progressive criminal justice stances, but Sanders’ positions on ending cannabis prohibition and revamping the failed War on Drugs haven’t hindered his campaign.

Sanders has helped move the entire Democratic Party towards sensible Drug War policies as presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton has stopped taking money from the private prison lobby and now believes that states should be able to legalize marijuana without interference and that cannabis should be rescheduled to Schedule II. Whether he ultimately wins the presidency or not, Bernie Sanders impact upon our drug policy and greater political discourse has been immensely important, making him a deserving choice for TIME Person of the Year. Here’s hoping that TIME’s editors decide to follow their readers and, more importantly, that voters across the nation cast votes for the Democratic candidate that wants to end the failed and harmful Drug War, an ill-fated policy that he opposed four decades ago.

With less than 3 days left to vote, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leads the TIME Person of the Year Poll, ahead of political rivals Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Sanders has far exceeded expectations in the 2016 Democratic primary and has helped dramatically improve how American political candidates discuss marijuana legalization and greater criminal justice reforms, especially among Democrats.

It was once unfathomable that a mainstream presidential candidate, with a serious chance of victory, would declare support for cannabis legalization, let alone declare the Drug War a failure, but Sanders’ positions have altered the Democratic landscape on the issue. Not only has Sanders called for an end to federal marijuana prohibition, but he has forced presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton to state a more progressive position as well.

TIME’s Person of the Year has included presidents John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, but a candidate has never won the honor. Bernie Sanders’ campaign has broken the mold in many respects, from his criminal justice policies; to his refusal to associate with a big-money Political Action Committee; to his defense of democratic socialist policies in the tradition of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies; and his recruitment of an army of small donors that have eclipsed even the numbers earned by Barack Obama.

The cannabis community has an opportunity to further demonstrate the broad support and enthusiasm for a candidate that has called for an end to a failed and harmful war waged upon nonviolent citizens. While TIME’s editors will ultimately make the call on the magazine’s Person of the Year, Sanders winning the readers’ poll will help continue the momentum of this unique candidate as well as our momentum to end the disastrous War on Drugs.

Please vote and help Bernie Sanders win TIME’s Person of the Year poll. And then spread the word. 

Show-Me Cannabis includes some of the smartest, hard-working marijuana law reform advocates in the country, and I am not just saying that because I once served on their board and consider many members dear friends. This is the group, after all, that was instrumental in freeing Jeff Mizanskey from his life sentence for marijuana. Show-Me Cannabis is working tirelessly to pass a medical cannabis initiative in 2016 and has launched its first ad supporting the effort. The ad powerfully illustrates the need to end the criminal prosecution and persecution of sick and disabled patients, along with the loves ones who care for them.

Show-Me Cannabis Chair Dan Viets was my first activist mentor as the President of Missouri NORML, helping show me first-hand not only the dedication that an activist needs to be successful, but also the need to be politically wise in one’s choices. Deputy Director Amber Langston and I  go way back to our University of Missouri NORML and SSDP days as once-young advocates that have now have more than 15 years of experience in political activist trenches. Director John Payne is an astute political observer who is easily one of the hardest-working advocates in the country. This groups leads a talented SMC team that has a great opportunity to help Missourians and the entire nation by legalizing medical cannabis in America’s Heartland.

Regardless of where you live, please consider donating to this important effort. Polling demonstrates that medical cannabis is supported by a supermajority of Missourians, but qualifying a measure for a statewide ballot is very expensive, so please chip in if you can.

Not only is protecting medical cannabis patients a morally correct choice, but legalizing medical marijuana will greatly add to national efforts to reform our marijuana laws. Reaching into more politically conservative states is necessary for accomplishing our ultimate goal of ending cannabis prohibition federally. Each and every state that legalizes medical marijuana adds new elected officials to our fight to recognize the need for states to implement their own cannabis laws without interference from the federal government. Additionally, medical cannabis passing in Missouri helps our nation make inroads into other conservative states such as Missouri’s southern neighbor Arkansas.

Click here to view Show-Me Cannabis’ powerful ad and make a donation today! 

Supporters of cannabis legalization and greater criminal justice reforms celebrated the overwhelming victory of Canada’s Liberal Party less than a month ago as the party’s platform noted the need to be smarter on crime, including ending the failed policy of marijuana prohibition. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wasted no time mandating that federal officials embark on landmark changes to the Canadian criminal justice system that had fallen into many of the same deficiencies we experience here in the United States, namely that harsh sentences are disproportionately levied against minorities and the poor.

CBC reports:

“You should conduct a review of the changes in our criminal justice system and sentencing reforms over the past decade with a mandate to assess the changes, ensure that we are increasing the safety of our communities, getting value for money, addressing gaps and ensuring that current provisions are aligned with the objectives of the criminal justice system,” reads Trudeau’s letter to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

***

“Outcomes of this process should include increased use of restorative justice processes and other initiatives to reduce the rate of incarceration amongst indigenous Canadians, and implementation of recommendations from the inquest into the death of Ashley Smith regarding the restriction of the use of solitary confinement and the treatment of those with mental illness,” Trudeau wrote in his mandate letter.

***

Overall, the changes mark a fundamental shift to a less “punitive” approach to criminal justice, says Carissima Mathen, a law professor at the University of Ottawa.

“Prime Minister Trudeau has given Jody Wilson-Raybould a very full plate, a very ambitious agenda, a very challenging agenda, but one that if fully realized could really change the face of the justice system in Canada,” she said. “So a potentially very exciting set of challenges.”

Of course, any substantial notion of criminal justice reform needs to include cannabis legalization, as Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has noted, thus Trudeau has tasked three federal ministers to collaborate on a proper plan to regulate marijuana. Ministers of Health, Justice and Public Safety have all been mandated to assist in the implementation of legalizing and regulating marijuana. Minister of Health Jane Philpott told CBC that, “thoughtful Canadians recognize that the current system isn’t working,” and that she is being briefed by scientists and looking abroad for assistance in developing the proper program as “the world is going to be looking to Canada to make sure we do the job well.”

Nations across the globe will certainly be looking to Canada as the country works to reverse the failed consequences of cannabis prohibition and other misguided “tough on crime” policies that don’t accomplish its stated goals. Canadian voters wisely voted for real change and the country is now on the path towards policies that are practical and rooted in the foundational principles of a free society.

The United States has finally started to understand the folly of our criminal justice system, a system that has led to a new era of Jim Crow-like policies that have devastated too many black communities, and poor people, regardless of their color. Canada leading the way on marijuana and criminal justice reforms will only help the U.S. move towards more sane policies, hopefully ushering in a wave of sensible, smart and compassionate reforms across the globe.

The federal government is still spending millions of dollars eradicating marijuana plants, even spending money in states that have legalized cannabis. While law enforcement officials have claimed that they need these funds to help battle cartels, some members of Congress state that historical data shows that a vast majority of plants eradicated under Uncle Sam’s marijuana eradication program are merely wild plants descended from industrial hemp. These members of Congress are hoping to cut the marijuana eradication budget by half (very happy and not surprised to see my representative, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, as a signer to the letter). The fact that a group of House Democrats are wanting to slash the Drug Enforcement Administration’s budget is just the latest bit of bad news for the DEA as Christopher Ingraham of The Washington Post reports:

The chief of the agency stepped down in April under a cloud of scandal. The acting administrator since then has courted ridicule for saying pot is “probably not” as dangerous as heroin, and more recently he provoked 100,000 petition-signers and seven members of Congress to call for his head after he called medical marijuana “a joke.”

This fall, the administration earned a scathing rebuke from a federal judge over its creative interpretation of a law intended to keep it from harassing medical marijuana providers. Then, the Brookings Institution issued a strongly worded report outlining the administration’s role in “stifling medical research” into medical uses of pot.

Unfortunately for the DEA, the year isn’t over yet. Last week, a group of 12 House members led by Ted Lieu (D) of California wrote to House leadership to push for a provision in the upcoming spending bill that would strip half of the funds away from the DEA’s Cannabis Eradication Program and put that money toward programs that “play a far more useful role in promoting the safety and economic prosperity of the American people”: domestic violence prevention and overall spending reduction efforts.

Representative Ted Lieu will be seeking to completely defund the the cannabis eradication program next year, a wise move considering the major issues facing our nation. It is time that the federal government stop wasting hard-earned tax dollars on the War on Marijuana. Not only does the immoral war waste resources, but it unnecessarily ruins lives. It is great to see Rep. Lieu and other sensible legislators chipping away at a failed war being waged against our own nonviolent citizens.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

5 reasons the cannabis community can be thankful this Thanksgiving:

1. Marijuana is legal in 4 states and our nation’s capital: While there is much more work to be done, cannabis wasn’t legal in any state just over three years ago. Bonus thanks: cannabis is likely to become legal in a few more states in 2016.
2. More than half the United States’ population lives under a state with a medicinal cannabis law: Too many patients are still denied access to a safe medicine, but 20 years ago, there were absolutely zero medical cannabis states. Medical marijuana laws are now on the books in 23 states and Washington, D.C., and more states will be passing medicinal laws in the coming years. Bonus thanks: Sanjay Gupta “evolving” on medical cannabis brought the medicine to the mainstream masses.
3. Canada: The Liberal Party’s victory is truly an historic moment for the international cannabis community. Canadian voters decision to elect a Prime Minister that admitted to cannabis use as an elected official and a ruling party with marijuana legalization as part of the party platform, will likely have massive positive implications that will resonate across the globe. Bonus thanks: Portugal. Portugal has treated drug use as a health issue, instead of a criminal justice issue for over a decade, with many beneficial results.
4. Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson is universally loved by just about everyone, from your hipster cousin to your conservative grandfather and he is still tokin’ strong at 82 years young. Who doesn’t like “Whiskey River” or his version of “Always on My Mind“? Willie is a national treasure and a proud member of the cannabis community. Bonus thanks: Bernie Sanders. Okay, the Vermont Senator isn’t really a member of the cannabis community, but he has drastically changed the political debate regarding marijuana legalization and broader Drug War reforms.   Whether you agree with him on any other policies, Sanders has done more to move the mainstream political debate than arguably anyone, all in a very short time.
5. Jeff Mizanskey is celebrating Thanksgiving with his family. The plight of Mizanskey, the nonviolent Missouri man sentenced to life in prison for marijuana, resonated with concerned citizens across the nation. I have friends and family members that aren’t cannabis activists by any means who signed the online petition for his freedom. I had the honor of meeting Jeff and his son Chris earlier this month and was impressed with their kindness and genuine desire to work on the behalf of freedom and liberty. Bonus thanks: Cannabis law reformers across the globe, past and present. So many people have sacrificed so much to fight for freedom and equality for the cannabis community and so many people are still sacrificing and suffering today. Thanks to reformers, we are all a little more free, day by day, year by year.

I am so thankful that I get to work on behalf of a cause that I believe so strongly in, a cause whose time has come. It isn’t always easy to stay positive in the political realm, but it has helped me to celebrate our victories and think about the big picture of how far we have come.

From my experience and everybody that I know, the cannabis community comes in all stripes. We don’t fit into the stereotypes that prohibitionists have tried to stick to us. No offense to Cheech and Chong or Jeff Spicoli or Brad Pitt’s character in True Romance, the slacker stoner stereotype doesn’t work on us anymore. Cannabis consumers have gone on to top of all segments of society, from the arts (of course) to business to science to all the way to the White House. Helping shatter those stereotypes in Oregon is Oregrown in Bend.

Oregrown is a professional, high-class (pun intended) retail establishment that showcases how far the cannabis industry has come in Oregon. When you are turning Black Friday into Green Friday by supporting the cannabis community in the Beaver State this year, Oregrown is a great place to purchase a gift for the cannabis connoisseurs on your shopping list.

The company adheres to the Oregon-centric model of “farm to table” by producing and processing its own cannabis strains and products while also carrying top-quality products from other vendors. Taking it up a notch this holiday season, Oregrown is offering cannabis flights of two to four strains and then combining those flights with customized jars and packaging, allowing shoppers to truly personalize gifts for their favorite cannabis consumer.

KATU news covered the retail outlets unique cannabis flights and packaging, featuring co-founder Aviv Hadar:

“By showing a level of respect our product deserves, we’re celebrating the fact that people like to smoke a joint at night rather than a glass of wine,” Hadar said.

Hadar is a pioneer within legal marijuana; his shop boosts some of the highest sales in the state and he is obsessed with eliminating the stigma associated with marijuana.

***

“The lead time on these custom boxes and custom jars is very intense, it’s similar to fashion in that you need to think months out,” Hadar said. “The reaction has been incredible from everywhere.”

Customers picking up top-notch cannabis at Oregrown should know that there hard-earned dollars are going towards a business that has, and does, put its money towards improving the cannabis industry. Oregrown was one of the biggest local contributors to the New Approach Oregon Vote Yes on 91 campaign that brought legalization to Oregon and they have continued to work towards sensible industry regulations and laws, both locally and federally.

While wanting to implement good industry regulations, Oregrown understands that ending harsh criminal penalties is at the core of the cannabis law reform movement. I can testify first-hand that the proprietors of Oregrown have worked hard to improve Oregon’s cannabis laws and can wholeheartedly urge cannabis consumers in the Bend area check out this tremendous establishment.

Check out their menu here and pick up some cool merch here.

As we mentioned in our 2015 Holiday Guide:

Living and breathing the farm to table model, Oregrown has proven to be a model dispensary that provides great products and service. The establishment is pure class. A truly great cannabis destination, Oregrown is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Bend, less than two blocks from Deschutes Brewery and Brother Jon’s Alehouse. You can stop by and hop into the Patagonia store close by as well. Always on the cutting edge of the cannabis industry, Oregrown offers cannabis flights that come in custom jars and boxes, allowing you to give a truly unique gift.

Location

1199 NW Wall St.
Bend, Oregon 97701

Hours:
Everyday 9 am to 10 pm

Hip hop artist Killer Mike’s passionate introduction of Bernie Sanders before a raucous crowd in Atlanta, Georgia, has made the waves on social media with many progressives touting his inspiring speech. While many political pundits may discount the importance of an endorsement from a rapper named Killer Mike, the support could prove crucial for Senator Sanders as he hopes to make inroads with black voters, who currently overwhelmingly support front-runner Hillary Clinton. Some of us hold out hope that, like Barack Obama before him, Sanders will be able to galvanize black support by demonstrating that he can win in Iowa and New Hampshire, but it would be nice to see the Vermont Senator increase his support before those crucial early-voting states.

Killer Mike listed a variety of reasons that he supports Senator Sanders, from income inequality to foreign policy. Of course, to me, what caught my ear was Sanders’ support to end the Drug War. Killer Mike stated that, “In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that Senator Bernie Sanders is the right man to lead this country.” The hip hop artist continued, “He, unlike any other candidate, said, I wish to end this illegal War on Drugs that disproportionately targets minorities and poor.”

The Drug War has undisputedly devastated black communities across the nation. This war on our own citizens has created a mass incarceration epidemic that has torn families apart and created economic hardships that too many poor people cannot overcome. Dr. Michelle Alexander has eloquently declared our mass incarceration tragedy spurred by the War on Drugs as “The New Jim Crow“. Bernie Sanders was the first Democratic candidate to contend that states should be able to legalize marijuana without restrictions and the only one to call for an end to federal cannabis prohibition and eliminate the private prison racket. Sanders has  done a tremendous job dictating the criminal justice policy debate during the Democratic primary, but only he has supported policies that will truly move us towards a sane drug policy.

Watch the entire rousing introduction below. Killer Mike’s statement on the War on Drugs begins at 2:50.