There it was right on the front page of The New York Times. The one event that might help to ease the bad-rap reputation of this beleaguered state. New Jersey Lawmakers Pass Medical Marijuana Bill. First in Region.
Hallelujah and good for the Garden State! I’d been wondering how long it would take. When were we going to get with the program? It always seems to take us so much longer on this side of the country – acupuncture, granola, hybrid cars. It makes you wonder; What are we doing here?
I was asking myself the very same question after a recent trip to San Francisco. While there, a friend of mine – let’s call him Arnold, had decided it was time to get himself a medical marijuana card and with it, access to the good, legal stuff. He mentioned in passing a couple of ailments he wanted help for.
Having gotten the appointment in record time, Arnold described the interview. A young female doctor sat with him for about ten minutes, tops and posed a couple of questions, “It helps you with the pain, right? It relieves your anxiety, am I correct?” Not surprisingly, Arnold passed with flying colors and left with the official card in hand to hit one of the many dispensaries that have sprouted up all over the Bay area.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Arnold told me. “It was an incredibly upscale boutique. It looked like a chic bank lobby, only there were glass jars full of weed on the other side of the counter. Pure, organic, fresh, top-of-the-crop pot sold by clerks who couldn’t have been more helpful. An extraordinary shopping experience,” he reported enthusiastically.
According to Arnold, there were all kinds of marijuana to choose from. There was one that gave you a mild body buzz, one that relieved stress, one to uplift and energize, one to cure insomnia. There were caramels, Chap Stick, even plants for you to grow your own. Although Arnold passed on it, there was one intriguingly labeled “Couch Lock.” Talk about feeling no pain!
So while we reluctant Easterners have been popping everything from Excedrin to Xanex, our West Coast brothers and sisters have not only been enjoying the healing process, they’ve been advancing the cause as well. And while I hold little hope for health care, the ecology, or the limping economy, I am awash with optimism at the prospect of medical marijuana. It’s perfect timing.
I can see me now – sitting and rocking down at the home, shriveled and bent, a bit of drool running down my chin… hookah in hand. Without an ache, without a pain. Since all of us are going one way or another into that “good night,” Mr. Thomas not withstanding, I’d just as soon go “gentle.” Laid-back and feeling good!
Tags: Medical marijuana
Sixties Chick 
January 14, 2010 at 9:52 pm |
Compared to the midwest, I think NJ is at the forefront!
January 15, 2010 at 2:55 am |
Mayzee,
I do not think you will ever have drool running down your chin…so don’t you worry about a thing…
January 15, 2010 at 3:49 pm |
Relivin’ the past with a little weed…unfortunately, NJ will never have ‘medical’ pot bars like CA…pity…
January 19, 2010 at 7:57 pm |
i’ve never really understood criminalizing pot at all. alcohol is a gabillion times more damaging to the human body. and i’ve never bought into the gateway drug speech either. the most damage i’ve seen someone do while on pot is sprain a finger while dialing for a pizza.
May 28, 2011 at 10:19 am |
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