ISMOKEHERB.CO.UK | ISMOKE MAGAZINE

ISMOKE
ISMOKEHERB.CO.UK | ISMOKE MAGAZINE - THE VOICE FOR CANNABIS USERS NATIONWIDE
T
E
G
I
www.igethigh.co.uk
H
IG
H
The Daily Mug
www.dailymug.co.uk
www.ismokeherb.co.uk
EDITORIAL | NUFF SAID
Welcome to the third issue of ISMOKE Magazine.
The ISMOKE project started August 8th 2010 when
I created ISMOKE.TK and began posting about my
favourite herb as ‘Nuff Said’. I originally just intended to post about cannabis-related stories and media
I found on the internet, but my blog soon grew into
much more. As I read and researched cannabis in
great depth I realised the injustice of its prohibition
when it has no recorded fatalities in human history
and is also a medicine of great use to thousands of
people in Britain, possibly millions around the world.
I began posting my views and opinions, actively
protesting against cannabis prohibition in the UK.
I made friends with other Cannabis activists such
as Peter Reynolds, Jason Reed and Cure Ukay, and
joined them in the fight to raise awareness for the
cannabis campaign.
ISMOKE.TK developed into ISMOKEHERB.CO.UK,
now getting thousands of new viewers from all over
the world each week. On the site you can find regular
posts on cannabis, photos, strain reviews, stoner music, important videos, stoner comedy and a forum, as
well as an archive of informative cannabis blog posts
going back to last August.
ISMOKE | 4
Editor
Nuff Said
Contributors
Nuff Said
Jason Reed
Peter Reynolds
Cure Ukay
Clark French
Alun Buffry
Chris O’Keefe
Rhys Morgan
Cockroach
Kain Derrick
Elro
ISMOKE Magazine was launched from the success
of ISMOKEHERB and with help from my featured
authors, without whom the magazine would not
have been possible. Each issue is growing with new
writers sharing their views on cannabis and how
the subject is treated in our society and more and
more features aiming to teach you everything you
need to know about this benevolent herb.
Other websites introduced to the ISMOKE Network last month are dailymug.co.uk and igethigh.
co.uk.
So sit back and chill while you read through the
magazine. I hope you enjoy it – a lot of work goes
into every single issue. If you have any suggestions
for how I can improve it in any way, or would like
to write an article, please email me: [email protected]
So what do I have planned for the future? I hope
to keep growing ISMOKE and raising awareness
to fight cannabis probitition. Soon you’ll be able
to purchase ISMOKE Grinders and other smoking paraphernalia, and I’ll use the funds to develop
ISMOKE even further. – Watch this space!
Keep Toking
Contact
[email protected]
www.ismokeherb.co.uk
www.facebook.com/imnuffsaid
If you have any queries about ISMOKE Magazine,
or would like to place an advertisement, please contact [email protected]
Image disclaimer: I have tried to give credit for
photographs used. If I have missed anything please
let me know - This is promotional material not
intended to breach any copyright laws.
PAGE 04-05 |
EDITORIAL By Nuff Said
PAGE 09-11 |
Cannabis in the News
PAGE 12-15 |
420 By Nuff Said
PAGE 16-19 |
WHY ALCOHOL IS LEGAL AND
CANNABIS STILL ISN’T By Rhys
Morgan
PAGE 20-23 |
AN INTERVIEW WITH KAIN
DERRICK
PAGE 24-33 |
STRAIN REVIEWS
PAGE 34-41 |
BUD REPORT
PAGE 42-47 |
SSSH! DON’T TELL ANYONE
By Jason Reed
PAGE 48-49 |
THE FUTURE OF CANNABIS IN
BRITAIN IS CLEAR
By Peter Reynolds
PAGE 50-53 |
MARIJUANA MYTHS By
Cure Ukay
ISMOKE
MAGAZINE
PAGE 54-55 |
YOU LOVELY STONERS
PAGE 56-59 |
MUSIC: ISMOKE INTERVIEWS
ELRO RAPS
PAGE 60-61 |
CANNABIS: LEGALISE & UTILISE
PETITION
PAGE 62-63 |
MILLION MARIJUANA MARCH
PAGE 66-68 |
ISMOKE REVIEWS:
Vaporiser Special
PAGE 71 |
HOW TO BECOME A MEDICAL
CANNABIS GROWER IN COLARADO
By Chris O’Keefe
PAGE 72-73 |
CANNABIS FEAR FACTOR: STOP THE
LIES, REEFER MADNESS By Denton
Ramsay
PAGE 74-77 |
A WORD FROM COCKROACH
PAGE 78-79 |
CLEAR: A ONE ISSUE PARTY? By
Clark French
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
I SMOKE
HERB
Cannabis
FORUM
ismokeherb.co.uk/forum
CANNABIS IN THE NEWS
Each issue we will feature a Cannabis in the News section, split into three parts - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly where we will give a brief summary of how and why cannabis has been in the news, and whether it has been given a
fair portrayal. If you have any news-worthy stories for the next issue, please email them to [email protected]
the good:
Independent Irish MP
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan
forced to stop smoking
Cannabis in Ireland but
continues to fight for its
legalisation.
grow cannabis. An astonishing 74% (3107 people)
said he was right to grow it, whilst only 11% (406
people) said that he was wrong. 7% (302 people) said
they don’t care, and 5% (221 people) that he shouldn’t
have admitted it. So these figures show that 86% of
the people that voted in one way or another are not
opposed to Ming smoking or growing cannabis.
Please join the We Support TD Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan
group on facebook here: http://on.fb.me/gp0rEn
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan is a independent Irish MP
who actually speaks up against cannabis prohibition. The Wikipedia article on Ming states that he
recently won a seat in the 31st Dáil in the Roscommon–South Leitrim constituency in the 2011 general election.
The good news section of the site was of course
going to be about Ming admitting that he smokes
cannabis and even grows his own, so as not to fund
organised crime. But developments have meant
that Ming has had to give up smoking in Ireland,
to remain an MP and keep his family safe.
It is good, however, that he will continue to fight
its prohibition – something we need more people,
especially MPs to start doing in Britain.
It seems as if we are still in the dark ages when
it comes to cannabis. How long will it be before
our ‘Great’ Nation realises the potential benefits,
both economically and medically of this wonderful plant?
TheJournal.ie recently ran a poll asking whether
people thought that Ming should be allowed to
ISMOKE | 9
CANNABIS IN THE NEWS
the
bad:
Man Gets 1 Year Prison
Sentence After Being
Beaten Up and Forced By
A Gang To Grow Cannabis
Read the article: http://bit.ly/hOsOgZ
The Star has recently reported on a man who has been
jailed for 12 Months after being forced to grow cannabis for ‘hardened criminals’.
The article states that the man had previously been
growing cannabis for himself before getting involved
with the people who forced him to grow it on a larger
scale.
His stepfather, who turned a blind eye because of the
situation, also got a sentence, although it was suspended by the judge.
The Star states: “They were well developed plants of the
skunk variety. The yield was in the region of 4kg with an
estimated street value of £40,000…
Mr Gould said Harris, aged 46, of Atlantic Crescent,
Low Edges, became aware of what was going on but
turned a blind eye.
Rebecca Stevens, defending him said: “He found himself
in an impossible situation. He was terrified having seen
the injuries that his son suffered at the hands of those
who were responsible for this and genuinely believed his
son’s life would be in danger.”
Renshaw, of Low Edges Crescent, Low Edges, was jailed
for a year and his stepdad received a year suspended for
two years and 200 hours of community service”
It seems like the judge wanted to make an example of
the situation. At the end of the article, The Star quotes
that Judge Roger Keen QC said: “Word has to go out
ISMOKE | 10
that this sort of offending will not be tolerated.”
I feel that the sentencing is pretty steep, especially
considering that the grower was forced to do so –
hopefully Britain will wake up and realise that inflicting sentences such as this won’t do much good
for our Nation. The police should be helping him
get out of his situation rather than criminalising
him and his father, and locking him in prison for
something he was apparently forced to do.
CANNABIS IN THE NEWS
the ugly:
The Sun Sprouts
Propaganda Which Would
Make The Daily Mail Proud
I saw the front page of the Sun on 29th March and
thought I’d make a rare allowance and buy a copy to
read what it had to say on the matter of judges wanting to abolish prison sentences for people caught
with less than a certain amount of drugs in an article
entitled “Off Their Heads”.
garbage. The article itself doesn’t focus on cannabis
specifically, but the picture states enough misinformation to instill fear into the yet undecided and harm
our plight to end cannabis prohibition.
If only we could get everybody in the country to look
at the real facts and figures surrounding cannabis.
That would do unimaginable good for our cause. Fat
chance of a tabloid ever publishing such an article
though, ay?
The article concentrates on plans to focus on larger
dealers, abolishing sentences for people caught with
certain amounts of different drugs, and replacing
them with things like community service. It follows
the usual scare tactics you would expect from your
average tabloid newspaper, stating figures and statistics in a way which make you think that such a
move would reduce our good country to ruins, before stating: “The Sun Demands an end to Soft Justice.” The scariest thing is, judging by previous elections, what The Sun wants, The Sun seems to get.
It infuriated me. The most shocking lies and propaganda were to be found in the accompanying photo
(see below) absolutely rubbish estimations of cannabis prices and – this is the worst bit – stating the
same old propaganda that it can “trigger mental illness”. When I first read the article I thought it was
stating that an eighth could trigger mental illness,
and I’d bet thousands of people skimming the article
may interpret it in the same way.
For the picture alone, this definitely takes the biscuit
and rightfully deserves its spot in the ugly section of
ISMOKE News. The article was written by Graeme
Wilson, the Sun’s deputy political editor. It pains me
to think that masses upon masses of people will see
the picture of a cannabis leaf with propaganda posing as statistics saying that 3.5 grams cost between
£10 and £20 (I wish) and the same old commonly
debunked rumours that it can trigger mental illness
(See Rhys Morgan’s article for the statistics on Cannabis and mental health) and believe it when it’s absolute
ISMOKE | 11
4:20pm is my personal little celebration each and every
day (when I’m lucky enough to be at home). I roll a spliff
and spark it at twenty past four, standard. Some people
see it as a good time to have their first smoke of the day; I
just see it as a good time to have another smoke!
I have come to realise that not a lot of people in Britain
seem to know much about 420, or where it comes from.
Indeed, its link to the cannabis community is well-known,
although its origins may not be.
Here’s a bit of history for you: Back in 1971 a group of
five friends at San Rafael High School were known as the
Waldo’s (due to their choice of smoking spot – a wall outside their high school). They started using “420” as a code
word, signalling that they would meet and smoke cannabis at 4:20pm after school had finished. They of course
had no idea that it would grow into what it did, becoming
such a massive part of cannabis culture.
Now cannabis smokers worldwide celebrate the 20th April
as a cannabis holiday, something else we seem to fall behind on in Britain. Hopefully I can raise enough awareness through ISMOKEHERB and ISMOKE Magazine to
change that, so that next year we can celebrate April 20th
properly.
420
ISMOKE | 12
They do things a lot bigger in the USA, and currently 4/20
is no exception. There are massive celebrations at various
locations across the country, including the photograph
you can see on the next page from Wikipedia, showing a
panorama of the 2010 4/20 cannabis event at University of
Colorado (http://bit.ly/gz67Rw).
The 420 holiday has the potential to really expose the safety in numbers we have as cannabis smokers. If there were
thousands of people smoking at the same time and in
by Nuff Said
ISMOKE | 13
the same place, or indeed locations all over
the country, what could anybody do to stop
them?
The One Big Smoke Campaign was sadly
a failure, as for some unknown reason the
founder stopped promoting it and it petered
out. There are rumours of threats from the
police instilling fear and causing him to
abandon the event, although I don’t know
what actually happened. All I know is that
peaceful protests like One Big Smoke need to
start happening more often. We have a community of millions, and I’m sure everybody
that smokes knows other people that smoke
so if we put our minds to it we can really
make a change. April 20th 2012 would be a
perfect day to all get together for the biggest
cannabis protest the country has ever seen!
Let me know how you plan to celebrate 420 this
year! Please email [email protected] and
let me know of any mass celebrations/general
smoke-ups, as I’m sure I can be persuaded to attend one...
Well coincidently I’ve just finished this and the
clock has hit that magical time.. I’m off to smoke
some herb.
Keep Toking
But back to this year, and I’ve set myself more
modest goals: I have booked the day off, and
plan to make hash cakes, smoke all day and
watch a few of the following films:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Friday, Next Friday, Friday After Next
Any of the Cheech and Chong Films
Pineapple Express
Grandma’s Boy
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Half Baked
Super High Me (or Supersize me)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Trainspotting
How High
ISMOKE | 14
ISMOKE | 15
Why Alcohol Is Legal and
Cannabis Still Isn't By Rhys Morgan
Seeing as I'll be preaching to the converted here,
I won't go into the historical details of the war on
marijuana started in the 20s in the states, but I'll
discuss peoples opinions on the matter at the moment.
The general public, for the most part, are rather indifferent to the cannabis situation as it doesn’t affect their lives at all, or so they think. They get told
it makes people go crazy, may have used cannabis
or at least tried it at some point and found it made
them feel a little strange, possibly paranoid and it
seems logical to them that continued use could lead
them to go bananas, just like the Daily Mail said.
So, keeping the drug illegal seems to make sense as
they have no emotional drive to legalise it and are
slightly concerned that increased use would lead to
a higher incidence of schizophrenia and psychosis.
Better to be safe than sorry. One point worth bringing up here is that the psychological debate only
arose relatively recently, in comparison to the 70+
years since the drug was made illegal. The obvious
question being “well, what reason did they give in
the first place then?”. Suffice to say, the reasons
given were completely fictitious and the movement
for prohibition was fueled by money and racism.
This is already very well documented, so I won’t go
into it here. Most politicians will fall into the description above.
With regard to the psychosis/schizophrenia debate,
a very simple point needs to be made: In the last
30years, cannabis use has increased dramatically, as
has the strength and availability of the plant. Over
the same period of time, incidences of psychotic illness have remained static. If there was a causal link
between the two, then surely as cannabis use dramatically increases, we’d see a noticeable increase
in incidences of psychotic illness. According to the
Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs report, 1
in 15,000 cannabis users could develop a psychotic
illness (although already having been predisposed)
triggered by cannabis use. This basically means
that if the entire population smoked cannabis, then
during a lifetime there would possibly be 4000
ISMOKE | 16
more people in the UK suffering from a psychotic
illness. Based on current usage, it implies that cannabis may trigger the onset of psychotic illness in
less than 400 people in the UK in a lifetime or 5
people each year. And it is very important to note
that we’ve had to use the terms “may”, “possibly”
and “could”. We also need to bear in mind that we
are talking about triggering these conditions in
those already predisposed, so even if cannabis can
trigger these conditions, when removed it is likely
that something else will trigger the condition during a lifetime.
I have only chosen to address the alleged mental health issues of cannabis here because, quite
frankly, it is the only anti-cannabis argument that
holds even the slightest weight. Effects on fertility
are acute and short term, in that a person is only
affected whilst cannabis is in their blood stream.
Essentially it’s as if sperm are stoned and they don’t
do their job properly. As far as cancer is concerned,
cannabis is one of the few substances known to
man that can cause a tumor to regress. All studies which compare non-smokers, tobacco + cannabis smokers and cannabis alone smokers, show
that smokers of tobacco have 20x the chance of developing lung cancer than non-smokers. Smokers
of only cannabis have very slightly smaller chance
of developing lung cancer. Studies where THC is
injected into animal tumors have had a very positive effect on either reversing, halting or slowing
the reproduction of cancerous cells. I’m not even
going to address the point that cannabis users often smoke with tobacco because if you don’t see the
irony in that statement, you truly are a lost cause.
Now to alcohol. The public are generally aware of
the risks involved with alcohol use. Not the risks
that are unproven and still debated, but the very
real, understood risks of harm caused by chemical addiction, sclerosis, heart & liver problems, etc.
5,000 to 10,000 people die in this country each year
directly due to alcohol consumption. That’s not to
mention the impact it has on casual and domestic
ISMOKE | 17
violence, accidents, depression, suicide attempts,
etc.
So, to conclude, the known and very real deaths
caused by the use of alcohol each year, by far outweigh the number of predisposed schizophrenics
or psychotics whose condition could be triggered
early by cannabis use even if EVERY MEMBER OF
THE POPULATION SMOKED CANNABIS. Bare
in mind, it hasn’t been firmly proven that cannabis
will trigger either condition - there just appears to
be a casual, currently considered non-causal link.
There is no comparison between 5,000 deaths and
5 incidences of an onset of psychotic illness. So
we’re left in a position where the advocate for cannabis prohibition needs to justify why the entire
population above the age of 18 should be allowed
to use alcohol but no one should be allowed to use
cannabis, even though the former is much more
dangerous on a case by case basis and also appeals
to a wider audience. My basis for the statement on
higher demand for alcohol is simply that everyone
I know who doesn’t smoke marijuana does so because they don’t enjoy the feeling, not because of it’s
legal status. I can think of very few people I know
that don’t drink, other than for religious reasons.
Also, if you look at the use of cannabis in countries
such as the Netherlands where it is declassified for
personal use and widely available, the prevalence
of use is dramatically lower than that of alcohol.
This seems like a logical place to point out that alcohol use was already massively higher than cannabis use when the legalisation “debate” began. It’s
not as if we started prohibiting the use of certain
drugs and suddenly there was a boom in usage of
the remaining legal ones. More to the point, tobacco and alcohol were in wide use already, presumably also amongst politicians, so prohibiting them
was a non-starter.
So how does the prohibitionist justify the current
state of affairs? As far as I can tell it goes back to
the same point - that they simply don’t enjoy the
use of cannabis. Cannabis users are in a minority of
around 5-15% of the UK population, depending on
where you get your stats from. I haven’t looked up
alcohol use but I’m going to assume it’s somewhere
in the 80-90% bracket of the adult population. I
can’t really work out how the internal thought process would go, possibly something like this:
"um, I like alcohol, keep it legal."
"but it's really dangerous, people are going to die!"
"yeah, but I like it and it's my right to take it."
"but other people like cannabis, don't they have
rights?"
"fuck 'em!"
This is why in every public statement from the government, when asked will you discuss or debate
the legaslation surrounding cannabis use, usually given with a huge list of reasons for legalisation and comparisons drawn between alcohol use
and cannabis use, they can't even respond with a
structured point or answer questions directly. The
answer is always the same. "Cannabis is a harmful
drug and we have no intention of legalising it". No
mention of why continued alcohol use is fine, nor
any reference to solid evidence showing the harms
of cannabis. Gordon Brown springs to mind with
his ludicrous statement about "this lethal version
of it [cannabis], skunk". From other politicians we
sometimes get one of the most ironic statements
of all time, which usually goes something like this
"We already have enough of a problem with alcohol and tobacco, we don't want to legalise another
harmful drug and add to the problem".
Bottom line is, we're left with a bunch of lawmakers
who don't enjoy the effects of cannabis, yet know
absolutely nothing about it and when given the
chance completely discard any evidence, making
the decision that the minority of the population
who do enjoy the effects of cannabis should not be
allowed to use it, because they don't happen to like
it. That, my friends, is known as discrimination and
would not be tolerated against any other minority.
Read Rhys’ Blog: http://bit.ly/fIzbtV
“Cannabis is bad, make it illegal.”
“What about alcohol?”
ISMOKE | 18
Photo: http://bit.ly/evXqcx
ISMOKE | 19
Kain Derrick is the cannabis activist responsible for the
short documentary “Its Not Just a Plant” featured on
www.ismokeherb.co.uk - ISMOKE Magazine caught up
with him to ask him his views on the herb:
Please give a bit of background about yourself for our
readers, who you are, what you do etc.
Hello fellow tokers, my name is Kain Derrick. I'm a 22
year old film-maker/Cannabis Activist from the UK, currently studying at The University of Plymouth. I have
made short documentaries and commercials. Some people
might remember me from my support with the Jack Herer, Museum and the Hemporium Kickstarter Campaign.
How long ago did you start smoking cannabis, and when
did it become a passion of yours?
I started smoking cannabis when I started university, just 3
years ago, and it slowly progressed into a passion. I found that
once you start learning and educating yourself not just about
cannabis but about prohibition, the drug war and its history in
general, it becomes more addictive than the substance itself. I
then started incorporating my knowledge into my media work
and it evolved from there.
What caused you to start smoking, and how has it since
enhanced your life?
I come from a beautiful family of five, and everybody in my
family are smokers (Tobacco) of course. Throughout the whole
of my life up until 3 years ago I was the only non-smoker in my
family. I was completely against it and thought it was disgusting. Then I discovered cannabis. A substance worth smoking - I
had first tried it as a kid around the age of 14 or 15. I had some
amazing times and got the nickname ''Casper'' for a while due
to the massive whitey I had. It has definitely enhanced my life,
It enables me to be much more creative with my work, but it
has also opened my mind in general. I look into things much
deeper, once you learn how much effort has gone into hiding the
truths behind cannabis it makes you question everything in life.
What is your favourite type of cannabis?
Any type of Cheese, Power Plant, N.Y.C Diesel...ANYTHING
TASTY. That is such a hard question. I will however name a
few favourite Coffee Shops: Hill Street Blues - Amnesia Haze....
Amnesia Coffeeshop - Topp Dogg....Grey Area - Chiesel....
Barneys - Tangerine Dream...Greenhouse - Hawaiin Snow.
What is your favourite method of consuming cannabis?
There is nothing better than rolling a nice spliff and Sinking a
Bucket (Gravity Bong)
ISMOKE | 20
An Interview With Kain Derrick
ISMOKE | 21
What do you think is wrong about British society today?
I love Britain...but I think the public are greatly
misinformed. My mission is to change that.
If you could change one thing in British society what would it be?
Bring in education about cannabis at schools.
What are your thoughts on the laws on cannabis in Britain?
They are morally wrong, and it is the patients
who actually need cannabis that have to suffer.
As well as those that are facing prison and get a
criminal record for simple possession. Which is
far more damaging than cannabis itself.
How would you change them?
It would be a bit cliché to say LEGALISE CANNABIS. I think the first thing that needs to be put into
order is a medical system. and decriminalisation.
Where is your favourite place in the world,
and why?
Thailand...a little island called Tonsai Bay. It's
paradise...simple as that.
ISMOKE | 22
Are there any useful links and/or resources
which you can tell our readers in reference to
cannabis?
There are so many it is hard to pick one as they
are all so relevant to our knowledge. But if you go
to www.kainderrick.com you will find many useful articles and links as well as my videos.
Where do you see cannabis legislation in five
years time?
Unchanged
How long (if ever) do you think it will be before Britain accepts cannabis for medical and
recreational use?
I think as soon as it is legitimately recognized
in the USA we will follow....It is a sad truth.
Hopefully my work will cause a stir and I can
cause a revolution haha. Fingers crossed eh.
And Finally, please tell our readers why you
love cannabis.
‘’The Smell....The Taste’’ that’s something me and
my friends say whenever we get a fat sack of
Chronic and stick our heads in the bag. What is
not to love?
ISMOKE | 23
Strain Reviews:
By Kush Guy
Strain: Pineapple Express
Genetics: Californian Indica /
NYCD
G13 Labs Pineapple Express
is awesome! Unheard of Quality, Great Yield, Fast Flowering,
Highly Resinous, Potent mentally and physically, Incredible
taste, & feminized.
What more can you ask for?
Pineapple Express are highgrade cannabis seeds that were
previously extremely rare.
True smokers appreciate its delicate and sweet characteristics.
These seeds are superior quality
and all have been thoroughly
tested.
Once cured the skunky pheno buds start to take on much
more of pineapple smell and
taste. I found the pineapple express to be good for back pain/
nerve pain and also insomnia.
Its great if you grind a bit up
in a pan with some milk and
Horlicks it will knock you out
for sure. The unknown genetics from the breeder lead me to
think that it’s a mostly Indica
hybrid which is lacking in Sativa. Maybe that's the reason why
it’s great for insomnia. Overall
i’d rate the strain:
Taste:7.5 / 10
Strength 7 / 10
High: Mostly Indica
( very moorish )
Calculated Active Cannabinoids
CBD: 0.75%
Extreme caution is advised CBN: 0.18%
strong fruity fragrance.
THC: 13.6%
CBC: 0.14%
Of the 2 pheno’s we have tried, THCV: 0%
one certainly has a pineapple
essence whiles the other has a
much more old school skunky
presence. However the
ISMOKE | 24
Total Active Cannabinoids: 14.67%
(source: http://www.fullspectrumlabs.
com)
ISMOKE | 25
By Chris O’Keefe (thecannablog)
Jack Herer
Genetics: Secret Haze (Sativa Hybrid)
A real heavy smoke that somehow tastes smooth, Jack Herer provides a subtle floral flavour for the pallet following a citrus kick.
This sativa hybrid takes away some motor function almost immediately but leaves you focused and clear headed. Acting as a mental stimulant and muscle relaxer this strain is uplifting like most
sativas, good for anxiety and depression making you very relaxed
without fogging up your thoughts. Lasting for about 2-3 hours this
strain is good for the afternoons and evenings especially if you
have had a long day.
ISMOKE | 30
ISMOKE | 31
Headband
Genetics: OG Kush x Sour Diesel x Master Kush (50s/50i)
A very smooth yet spicy smoke which has a sour hash flavour
undertoned with some earthy textures. Headband started with a
hard hitting cerebral high then mellowed out into a full body relaxation that lasted a long time. Slowing both your body and mind
this strain was great for pain relief and muscle relaxing. Good for
stress/depression.
The Church
Genetics: Swiss sativa X Skunk
X Super Skunk X Northern
Lights (Indica dominant)
The church starts off very
smooth with a wood texture;
not pine flavored but tastes
similar to how fresh sawdust smells. The high was slow - almost a
creeper at first - subtly relaxing your body but then turning into
a hard cerebral stone. Should calm you down and provide a quality sleep aid lasting about 4 hours. This plant when grown and put
into flowering is unique, producing tall dense colas that had the
texture of silk or felt when touched.
ISMOKE | 32
ISMOKE | 33
BUD REPORT:
COCK’S DNA
KUSHBERRYxSKUNK
Report Scenario: 3gram pure blunt smoked to the sounds of various funk
Link to grow diary: http://bit.ly/fNP5YX
Strain and Seedbank: DNA genetics - Kushberry X Skunk – indica70% / 30%sativa - parentage: OG Kush
x Blueberry X Heirloom Skunk
Number of grows or years growing: 1st soil grow. 3rd over all
Growth Equipment & Location: BnQ john innes soil in 30 ltr storage boxs in gro-drobe with 400w hps.
Nutes/Feed: only fed in flower – bio bizz bloom and ionic boost
Weeks of veg: 4-ish
Weeks of flower: 10wks 4 days from 1st pistils.
Colour of trichs at time of harvest: 85%milky/15%amber
Drying time: 5 and a half days - soil was left to dry for 8 days prior to chop - all fan leaves taken off a week
The High: 10/10 - I know a 10 seems a bit generous but let me explain why i give this strain a 10/10.
It’s one of those rare smokes that can give you everything!! For example if you roll a modest joint because you
have shit to do, then it can help you get through the menial tasks with a grin on your face while you whistle
and dixie.
But if it’s a bed time/after work knockout bifter you’re after, add just a little bit more to the rizla and get ready
for a beat down from Madame Berry herself!!
Light that badboy up! and you soon notice by the 3rd puff!! a state of euphoric calmness steadily creep up on
you like the spirit of Mary Jane herself dipped her pimp knuckle in baby oil and backhanded that big grin onto
your face with all the softness of an Andrex puppy’s wetbits..... “oh yeh, for sure” you want to hear some music,
but nothing too loud or up-tempo! Madame Berry wants you to relax now... and you will do what your told!
3 puffs left and i realise I’ve been wrapped up in a narcotic blanket of Kushty smoothness...”beware of her cock”
says the voice in my left ear “hahah yes” i think back..”yes.... how right you are” nice and warm says my face to
my nose I think I’m ready for bed.. or very possibly an unexpected bud-nap…
Length of buzz: 9/10 - Impressively long lasting buzz – with the way this grinds up I’m putting about 0.5
in a typical spliff – and I’m yet to smoke one top to the end – I feckin love weed that puts me in my place. I’ll
spark one up, smoke half, about 40 minutes later when i remember i have a j on the go, i look at the ashtray
with trepidation... wicked
Good comments: What more can i say? I love this strain!
before chop - yes it was properly dry. (ask budbud007)
Bad Comments: I never germinated two of them
Dry Yield: 74 grams... or just over 2 and a half Oz
Curing time: 12days
Grow Comments: Was My 1st scrog grow and it responded well to both topping and all the bending and
stress that goes with a scrog so impressed in general all round with this strain – ticks every box for me and i
will definitely be growing this again one day!
Bud Density: 7/10 - Pretty solid
A great all-rounder! And deceivingly strong – I would recommend it to anyone..
Bud Appearance: For roughly the last 4wks of flower she was getting pretty consistent night temps of 12/14c-
lights on temps were a regular 26/28c, meaning an on/off temp drop of around 14/15c!! – i didn’t bother trying
to warm the drobe up because the RH at lights off with temps around 12/14c was looking good at a constant
30% (ya’ know....if it’s just about still working, don’t try and fix it kinda thing) so that started at about week 4
of flower and I then began to notice at around week 6 the underside of quite a few leaves had gone purple in
colour, then as the days went by the blue/purple had started to show on the tips of some calyxes and top and
bottom of some sugar leaves on the bud..... The end appearance is nice dark green nugs with covered in brown
hairs with some purple caylxs buried inside the buds near the stems.
Grindability: 8/10 - Expands rather than reduces in the grinder – good stuff
Smell in veg: 3/10 - Almost unnoticeable unless disturbed
Smell in flower: 7/10 - Smelled of blueberry/raspberry/blackcurrant and cherries all the way through flower,
Though not a zesty or citrus fruit, but a deeper, more sweet fruity smell that seemed to warm my stomach every
time i had a whiff – in fact she’s a really nice plant to just sit and smell. She’s definitely got a decent enough stank
to warrant a cf (as always) but it’s not that traditional dank skunky smell, but more subtle and aromatic and so
a very small grow (1 or 2 plants) could be disguised without a cf and some ona blocks/oil burners etc without
too much panic.
Smell after curing: 7/10 - Really nice blues smell best describes a jar/bag of this freshly opened.
Taste: 9/10 - Really, really juicy tasting stuff this Kushberry – it’s got two of the best quality’s from the skunk
world – The hash-ness from the OG Kush is a perfect match for the mellow flavour that comes out from the
blueberry genes. I have two beans of this Kushberry left and it’s definitely a keeper if you like a hard hitting
classic blueberry smoke.
ISMOKE | 34
ISMOKE | 35
So, I’m a medical user of cannabis right? Many
who read this article will be bored of knowing
that of me; many will assume I’m tantamount
to a stuck record on the subject given I prattle
on like an obsessive town crier with attention
deficit disorder. Yes, I am indeed a medical cannabis user, oh yeay, oh yeay.
Point is, I know myself that I’ve become a one
trick pony, I have found myself missing the
character that I once was;
“I used to have a life you know.”
This has become my personal mantra, I fear,
one day it will become:
“During the war…”
jam sessions, or a nice surf on Bondi Beach;
oh no, for me it’s the halls of the house of commons, it’s trawling thought the news each day;
it’s reading the lancet and BMJ weekly. When
- and how - in the name of Peter Hitchens’ opinionated tallywacker did that happen?
One thing that has become increasingly apparent to me is; the more you study cannabis to
clear the name of the conceptualised evil that
it has now become to the intellectually stunted,
the more it decreases the enjoyment of the experience that cannabis can hand you. I have
long pondered the causation issue of cannabis
related harms. With cannabis, you are extraordinarily susceptible to environment. Nowhere
can this be seen more than in Amsterdam and
California. Due to the acceptance of cannabis,
a soothing place can be found for those that use;
the antipode of this would be the UK. Having
to constantly engage with ignorance, and to be
the brunt of lazy stigmas, well, it can be easy to
get drawn into the negatives of cannabis simply
due to perpetuated onus and compounded witlessness.
I have become consumed by politics and the
mundane in my personal search for legitimacy.
As tragic as it is, the biggest thrill I have had in
many a year is when Bob Ainsworth MP challenged the Government on drug policy, and
indeed, the latest arse kicking in the House of
Lords where upon a gaggle of Lords showed the
current drug policy up for what it is; an utter
sham and fallacy.
Before cannabis, I used to be the wildcard, I had
personality. Now, I find I bore even myself due
to how serious I’ve become. At what point did
cannabis culture consume me? And tragically, I
don’t mean ‘culture’ as in hippy campfires and
ISMOKE | 42
Every so often, I have to take time out to literally smell the flowers. I have long said from my
self confessed amateurish philosophical mind;
“Don’t analyze things too much as you will lose
focus of the bigger picture.” And you know
what, I fully agree with what that man says…
even if I am just actually agreeing with
SSSH! DON’T TELL ANYONE
By Jason Reed
ISMOKE | 43
myself, but shh, don’t tell anyone or else I will look
as mad as a dog in a bungalow. Besides, I have so
many personas that I’m not sure if this does actually count as psychosis now; but do we care?!
When I first tried cannabis, I had many a giddy
experience. Nothing too outrageous, I’ve never
woken up in a skip per se, but I have found religion; or at least, made peace with religion. It
was an early experience of cannabis that made me
reach this conclusion - I shall digress if you‘ll permit:
After smoking a bit of quality hash, and feeling
pretty good within my own skin for the first time
in about 15 years, I remember listening to an excessively loud surround sound system and thinking Santa Claus was on the roof. To my defence,
it was on the lead up to Christmas, so it was feasible. Ever since this point, (not that I needed much
persuasion) I’ve fully believed in the existence of
Father Christmas. AND WHY NOT? Moreover,
on this particular philosophical evening, I found
God. He wasn’t residing on the roof like Chris
Cringle, oh no, that would have been insane. No,
I rationalised it all out. It’s simple; you never see
Santa and God in the same room do you?! And, if
I believed in one, then I must believe in the other
by my own remit. So, that’s religion solved, moving on.
What is the point of this desultory ramble exactly? Well, the moral of this story is that I have
never discussed my cannabis use in public. I have
never let anyone into the private inner sanctum
of my solace. I have purposely kept my experiences of cannabis to myself. Why? Because of
the work I do in raising awareness of prohibition,
I have always felt I could not let on what goes on
behind closed doors. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far
from ashamed, but try relaying the fact that you
nearly ended up in casualty due to a tenuous wii
accident on cannabis and maintain a serious relationship with those you are trying to convince
cannabis is not an evil substance. The minutiae
that leads a prohibitionist to a disquieted path of
ignorance is vast; pitfalls and traps are preset by
the inner fabric of apathetic society. The UK has
a real stigma against chemical induced euphoria;
unless you’re pissed off your very tits on alcohol,
then you should not be enjoying yourself chemically. That’s complete fact with no research or basis, and it’s completely true.
I also have tried to maintain a position of - how
shall we say - dignity? If I were to present some of
the more outlandish writings of my avidly fuelled
finger tips, then once more, it would almost certainly be held against me by the overtly cynical.
I have been unwell since the age of 8, again, this
is pretty much public knowledge now. But, what
isn’t known is that I did not tell a soul of my illness
for 20 years. I fully kept it secret. Why? Because
I quickly found that the UK does not understand
empathy. In fact, how I’m not a jaded and bitter
old hound that bites anything that passes close to
it’s perimeter of snarl, then… I have no idea how
to finish that sentence as it goes. Forgive me.
What I’m saying is; I have seen the severe side of
inhumanity too often, and as a result, I am about
as guarded as an individual can legally be without
being induced as a full fledged cave hermit called
Dougy. It has always been easier to appear rude
and offish than to be honest about my health. In
a land of stiff upper lips and looking down noses,
everyone has advice; everyone thinks they know
better, and everyone thinks they are better. If
you’ve not been locked in long term illness and
British purgatory, then I can’t relay what it’s like
ISMOKE | 44
to fight for your own life with furious bystanders kicking you in the nuts as you do so. I wish I
was over egging this scenario to make glib points,
but I know I am not alone in the treatment I have
received from a significantly large portion of the
British public. So, consequently, I kept myself to
myself, and a hard callousness developed on my
personality for self-preservation’s sake.
I’m sounding bitter you agree? Well, no, as it goes;
I’m a full optimist and think the best of everyone
until proved wrong. If I am to be tarred with the
same brush as everyone who is lazy, then I’m not
going to replicate or perpetuate this apathetic
mindset. I refuse to be twisted into bitterness just
because that’s been my experience.
When I took up arms in the war on drugs, I made
a definitive decision to disassociate with first person experiences of cannabis. I came into cannabis comparatively late in life, I was 25. I often see
medical users on telly saying;
“I use cannabis, but don’t think of me getting high,
it doesn’t work like that, I’m not one of those, I
use it just a little to take the pain away.”
That’s fine, I fully agree. BUT, tones make up subtext, and the tone behind these disclaimer soliloquies smacks of;
“I’m not enjoying this, honest ‘gov, I don’t want to
enjoy it!!! Forgive me!”
People were unaware that I had been trained in
Kyokushin karate from the age of 5. Most people’s
sponge years were taken up with learning to read
& write. My informative years were equated with
learning one of the hardest martial arts ever to
have been constructed. This taught me more selfdiscipline and fight than the average person could
ever fathom. I’m not boosting my own ego in
that, it’s with respect to Kyokushin that I say these
things. It was ironic in later life, (when I had been
trained in such a martial art and was on course to
be the youngest black belt in the UK; and being
only one belt away from that achievement when
I fell ill) to receive glares and sniggers that I was
a lazy person because I was ill… well, it took all
the willpower in the world to not turn to the dark
side. Only a certain amount of times your name
can be sullied due to the hand fate dealt you and
it not strike a resonating chord due to venomous
tongues. This is why I hid illness, and this is why
I have learnt many a life lesson that I carry with
me now. I am fully aware of the cynical, and I assume this will be the default position of a generic
UK citizen.
As much as I agree cannabis is a great substance
to titrate with, and for me, most of the time, I
tend to use only to take the pain away and not to
get high; it also should not be taboo to imply that
you enjoy your medication. I have long seen it as
a full embarrassment to society that pleasure in
medicine is in existence. If you’re ill, you should
take your bitter pills and lump it, should you not?!
Being a non-drinker, non-caffeine user; and no
outlawed substance has ever been ingested due to
the fact I have a very odd body and will be turned
into an alien named Gerald or something similar, cannabis is the only substance that has ever
worked in my body… other than codeine. So, is
it criminal that I hold my hands up that I actually
enjoy cannabis? Is it morally wrong that I can feel
a self empowerment over my own life for the first
time in my life? Is it repugnant to suggest that I
have a hobby in cannabis where drinking culture
fulfils the need in the average British citizen?
While dignified Britain rips itself apart each
weekend due to fuelled frenzy and binge drinking
that is now accepted as culture, it is my monkey
on the back to suggest that I like cannabis and enjoy the company it gives me. It is a fundamental
ISMOKE | 45
part of an average person’s life to go to the cinema, I haven’t been for a very long time; I’ve never
been with my partner of 6 years. Why? Because
unless you want me jumping up like Zebedee on
the wrong side of an electric shock to the clackers, you do not want me sitting next to you in the
cinema. I will fully fidget and be the bane of the
audience’s night. With cannabis, and with cannabis as an excepted part of society, I could afford
myself the luxury of seeing a film with my girlfriend due to the fact my limbs will not scream
in a symphony of pain. Am I a public enemy for
this? Current law suggests that I am.
While the world needs a liver due to alcohol
abuse, and 10 000 die a year, it is for those of us
who use a plant that cannot kill to receive 5-14
years in prison. Why such a heavy penalty for us?
Why such judicial reprisals for me? Because I like
to use it once a night whilst looking at the stars
and permitting myself to dream into the cosmos.
This is where I find my own brand of hope. What
a fiend I am.
Pride is a fragile thing for anyone, and I have had
to guard mine with some vigour. I have become
overtly public with my situation just so ignorance
can be dispelled in favour of understanding. Dignity is now a luxury that I don’t feel I’m afforded; I
know the same is felt by other medical users who
also campaign. These people have gone above and
beyond the parameters of human endurance and
receive little other than chastisement. Sometimes,
medical users even receive a negligible backlash
from within the cannabis community. But that’s a
ramble for another day.
“Bugger you, I have the chance to enjoy life, I am
to grasp that with every fibre of my inhibited being, and live how anyone has the right to.”
- To answer my self proposed quandary; I don’t
know if I will open up and show the real me all
the while a conservative public image is to be
maintained for campaigning’s sake. Will it be too
late by then though, will I have lost myself due to
stigma? Will I be sick of cannabis due to my immersion in it? In this war, and as I look down the
ranks at fellow braves who put themselves in the
firing line because they cannot witness injustice,
I salute them, I honour them, and I thank them.
Is it for this generation to see change? One day,
can I retire as an old war horse and forget about
the battles that we all endured, or will it be too
late by then and shell-shocked characters will
never heal? Shall I challenge the Home Office to
a game of football at Christmas? Will Santa, or
God - dependent who’s working that night - deliver presents to all the little children as I have a kick
around with James Brokenshire? Will Santa deliver my dream of an uninhibited & unrestricted
life of full liberty? Until then though; shh, don’t
tell anyone I enjoy it a little bit will you?
www.ismokeherb.co.uk/aboutjason
www.homegrownoutlaw.blogspot.com
[email protected]
To conclude what has become my cathartic approach to cannabis journalism, I simply explain
why I feel I’ve lost my character a tad, I relay the
woes of campaigning, and I hypothesise on the
media intervention if it were to become public
knowledge of the very real societal and pleasurable aspects of cannabis medication. With a few
years of cannabis use under my belt, I have still
never indulged in any social activity whilst under
the influence. I have become almost too guarded
within my own skin in my conquest to protect
the sanctity of cannabis’ image. At what point - I
wonder aloud - do I throw caution to the wind
and say;
ISMOKE | 46
ISMOKE | 47
The Future Of
Cannabis In
Britain Is CLEAR
Last Thursday, 24th March 2011, the latest ballot of
the membership of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance
closed. By a two-thirds to one-third majority the
members voted to adopt a new constitution and to
change the party’s name. From that moment on we
are known as Cannabis Law Reform or CLEAR.
ment of £10 towards campaign funding but money
will not be an obstacle to anyone joining. Please
show your support for our campaign and join
CLEAR. Within the next few days we will launch a
membership drive with the simplest way to sign up
being payment by text message.
We have moved away from the use of the word “legalise” because it is interpreted as meaning a free
for all. It scares people, particularly politicians and
the media and we, as a party, now understand that
these are the people we need to influence if we are
to advance our cause.
We will be fielding candidates in council and parliamentary elections all over the UK. We do not expect to win many seats but we intend our campaign
to be given the respect and attention it deserves.
We will seek electoral pacts with other parties who
are prepared to sign up to our aims. If you would
like to stand as a candidate, please get in touch. We
also need voluntary workers all over the country.
We have also refined and sharpened our aims and
objectives. They are now simple, direct and clear:
1. To end the prohibition of cannabis.
2. To promote as a matter of urgency and compassion the prescription of medicinal cannabis by doctors.
3. To introduce a system of regulation for the production and supply of cannabis based on facts and
evidence.
4. To encourage the production and use of industrial hemp.
5. To educate and inform about the uses and benefits of cannabis.
Medicinal cannabis is our spearhead. We seek an
end to prohibition for everyone but we demand immediate provision for those who need cannabis as
medicine. It is an obscene and evil shame on our
nation that so many who suffer are in fear of arrest
and prison for using a medicine that transforms
their lives.
We will build a new and effective brand and campaign. We are reasonable, responsible, respectable
members of society from all walks of life and professions. We are discriminated against by an irrational and absurd policy. Cannabis is a wonderful
thing. It is relatively harmless but it is a psychoactive substance and needs to be respected. It’s medicinal value is unparalleled but it also offers wonderful recreational, spiritual and creative nourishment.
The relatively young science of cannabinoids now
explains why cannabis has been treasured and used
by mankind since the dawn of time. Prohibition is a
ridiculous policy. The truth about cannabis is clear.
ISMOKE | 48
By Peter Reynolds
We intend to build a substantial membership. Annual subscriptions have been cut to £5.00 and for
concessions £1.00. We ask everyone to make a pay-
We have exciting campaigns on the way that communicate the scientific truth about cannabis and
demolish the scare stories and prejudice that is so
widespread. We will never let another ridiculous
tabloid story pass without challenging it. We will
not allow our political leaders to get away with untruths and propaganda without calling them to account.
We will campaign for an end to the ludicrous waste
of law enforcement resources on cannabis and for a
regulated system of production that will exclude organised crime and the evils of violence and human
trafficking that prohibition causes. We will educate
users about cannabinoid content, different strains,
varieties and methods of use. We will promote regulation to ensure quality, safety and restriction of
sales to adults only.
We already have solid data that proves a tax and regulate regime in Britain would produce a net gain to
the economy of at least £6 billion per annum, freeing up police to concentrate on real crime and massively reducing the harms caused by prohibition.
Despite the fact that most people in Britain have
used cannabis to no ill effect and that between two
and ten million people have it as a regular part of
their lives, the cannabis campaign has failed to
make any real progress. Now is when that changes.
The future of cannabis in Britain is CLEAR.
We will release more details about our campaign in
the near future.
The truth about cannabis is CLEAR.
www.ismokeherb.co.uk/aboutpeter
www.peter-reynolds.co.uk
ISMOKE | 49
MARIJUANA MYTHS
Each month, Cure Ukay will be debunking the cannabis fiction that is deeply seeded within the UK
media. This section is designed to inform and educate you, so that when the time arises to defend our
Holy Herb you will be prepared beyond your opponent’s intelligence.
“It’s no secret, all cannabis smokers
are lazy, good for nothing, scroungers. Contributing to society is one
of their weaker skills and if possible
they try to avoid work at all costs.”
It’s OK. I’m only joking.
Sorry if you thought that The Daily Mail’s Peter
Hitchens’ latest article had found its way into this
month’s MARIJUANA MADNESS!!! Of course,
this issue I thought I’d take the time to address the
Lazy Stoner Stereotype. You know, the one that sits
at home all day and doesn’t do anything other than
watch Jeremy Kyle and dream that one day they will
sit on that stage and talk to the man himself.
The number of stories that I have seen on trashy TV
shows such as the previously stated excuse above,
where the sobbing mother sits in the chair and reels
off the standard ‘James-Brokenshire-esque’ scenario about her son, how he was the brightest child in
the class and from a very early age he showed great
promise... but then along came cannabis. His attitude changed very quickly and he
ISMOKE | 50
ISMOKE | 51
became a different person. More often
than not this turns out to coincide with
becoming a teenager, the age group
in society that are notorious for being
both a bit lazy and a bit grumpy.
Most of the time I’d have to agree, sitting around all day eating junk food,
playing the latest COD day after day
while smoking pot sounds like a terrible waste of life...unless you’re the one
smoking pot, shooting the bad guys (in
all its modern HD glory that is), whilst
satisfying your munchies.
The thing is, this happens whether
people use cannabis or not. Cannabis
smokers aren’t lazy but some lazy people smoke cannabis. Coming into contact with cannabis isn’t going to make
such dramatic changes as claimed by
the tabloids, government AND Jeremy
Kyle.
I’m not going to lay here in my bed with
a bong under my arm and tell you that
cannabis doesn’t have those relaxing effects because we all know it does. My
personal opinion on this matter is a little more in-depth. I blame prohibition
for what they’re blaming on cannabis.
The organised criminal gangs that grow
cannabis on a large scale want to be able
to get the most out of the free electricity they have stolen by by-passing the
meter, so they look for a specific genus
of cannabis, more commonly known as
a strain, that yields the largest amount
of bud to deliver the largest amount of
profit.
This means that most growers take the Indica option as it better suits their needs:
a shorter flowering time so that they can
get the product on the street much faster;
a larger yield so there is a lot more of the
product in the same amount of space and
not to mention the narcotic like effects
that Indica induces.
Weekl
y
i
nsight
canna
ful
bis po
dcast
s:
Indica is usually the choice of medicinal
users that require relief from chronic pain,
the analgesic properties coupled with its
lack of toxicity make it a no-brainer compared to the menu of Opiates that the NHS
are willing to offer you for the same desired effect. Indica is only one side of the
story though; there is of course Sativa too!
The cannabis plant that makes the story
turn a little on its head... Surely ISMOKE
Magazine wouldn’t be published if all of its
writers were lazy stoners?
Be sure to read next month’s issue to see
what removing prohibition could do to the
opinion of cannabis in the Britain.
www.ismokeherb.co.uk/aboutcure
www.cureuk.podomatic.com
CURE
UK.PO
DOMA
TIC.CO
www.cureuk.podomatic.com
M
ISMOKE | 52
ISMOKE | 53
ISMOKE | 54
You Lovely Stoners...
ISMOKE | 55
:
C
I
S
U
M
E
K
O
ISM
S
W
E
I
V
R
E
T
IN
S
P
A
R
O
R
EL
ISMOKE | 56
ISMOKE | 57
This month, ISMOKE spoke to Ian
Llewellyn-Rowe, also known as Elro
Raps.
You’ve been generating a lot of well-deserved
hype for your youtube videos, what got you into
rapping and into the comical style you’ve become known for?
I did stand up comedy for a couple of years, and
I also started writing rap music, but never really combined the two on stage, so I just whacked
them on youtube and here we are now! I guess I
just like trying to write in a different way to others.
“Police are not
for me really.”
What do you think about the current laws surrounding cannabis in the UK?
I think it’s a bit ridiculous really, that police can
come and hassle you when you're not even bothering anyone but yourself. It’s ridiculous. Police
are not for me really.
Would you ever consider moving out to the
states where you could get a medical card?
What sort of music do you listen to and enjoy I'm not that desperate lol, I don't like to smoke it
most?
too much anyway cos if I smoke too much, I just
I'm hip hop through and through to be honest. become even more lazy and unproductive and
But I also love reggae, dance, grime… almost an- lazy, that’s just my personality anyway so I don't
ything, although I don't listen to much rock.
blame cannabis, but I try not to smoke too much
too often.
What’s the best thing about what you do?
Making a crowd buzz, and meeting people that How long have you been rapping for?
you've never met who are big fans, that's always I'd say 2 years or so, but not particularly seriousa big buzz.
ly. Only seriously the last 6 months or so.
Where’s the best place you’ve been to?
Oohhhhh, Umm, I'd probably say Ibiza… I went
there this summer with my mates and had an unbelievably good week partying in the sun. That
place is dreamland.
So, do you smoke cannabis?
I've been known to…
When did you get into it, and what do you like
best about being high?
I guess lots of my mates smoke it and then I just
tried it, and enjoyed it. I like how creative and
weird (in a good way) I am. Me and my mates
come up with stuff that people would never even
contemplate. It’s also relaxing if you’ve had a long
day.
Do you remember the best experience you ever
had while high?
I couldn’t really pick one particular one out,
there’s so many good ones. Although watching
the Streets live in Bristol after a spliff was pretty
damn good.
ISMOKE | 58
Ever been to Amsterdam?
I haven’t
What in your opinion is the best track you've
done?
In terms of listenability, probably "My Eyes Are
Red" (pretty fitting eh lol), I just messed about
with beatboxing and vocal layers and people
seem to find it catchy and listenable which makes
me very happy. People appreciating my stuff, and
saying things like "I always smoke a spliff to your
song" gives me tingles.
What’s your favourite 8 Bars of your own?
Hmmmmmm, my favourite… I was pretty proud
of my bars about randomness. They seem to be
popular too, I don't really know to be honest, I'm
proud of them all, I try not to put any bars out
there if I'm not buzzing about them.
And finally, please tell us where we can find you
online
You can find me on youtube by searching elro or
elro raps. My youtube is www.youtube.com/comedyilr my twitter is @elroraps my Facebook fan
page is "Elro Raps" and my normal Facebook is
"Ian Llewellyn-Rowe"
ISMOKE | 59
ISMO
KE
ACTIV
ISM
Cannabis: Legalise and
Utilise Petition
To: World Governments and Leaders
WE DEMAND:
We believe the possession and use of cannabis (also known as marijuana, hemp) ought to be a
matter of choice and not of law.
- that the possession, cultivation and use of pure cannabis (marijuana, hemp) and its products
be free from prosecution.
We believe that the prohibition of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) possession, cultivation and supply to adults is against the public interest.
- that all laws treat all cannabis (marijuana, hemp) users equally and that the same level of
consumer protection be available as there is on other consumables: quality control, hygiene,
weights and measures.
We believe that the prohibition of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) possession, cultivation and supply to adults contravenes Human Rights.
We believe that the prohibition of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) possession, cultivation and supply to adults inhibits the use of a beneficial resource.
We believe ending of the prohibition of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) possession, cultivation and
supply to adults is a vital step that should be taken worldwide to benefit the people and their
environment.
We call upon the Governments and Political Leaders of all the Countries of the World to:
- hasten the ending the prohibition of the cannabis (marijuana, hemp) plant, its cultivation and
supply for the good of the peoples of this world, on a local, national and international level.
- secure the release of all prisoners convicted only of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) offences and
to ensure that all criminal records for cannabis-only offences are expunged.
- encourage public and private research into the many beneficial uses of cannabis (marijuana,
hemp) including industrial, social and medical uses for the good of the people.
- halt all criminal and civil prosecutions for the possession or cultivation of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) for use as a social or private relaxant including its uses as a sacrament or in religious
or other ritual and any use that the user considers to be beneficial to them, so long as no harm
is done to others, their property of their Rights.
ISMOKE | 60
- that high priority be given to the cultivation of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) for the express
purpose of the localised production of virtually cost-free fuels through the process of pyrolysis
on cannabis biomass, and as a source of fibre and hurd.
- that provision be made to enable the setting up of public establishments where the use of cannabis (marijuana, hemp) is permitted.
- that provision be made to enable the setting up of outlets for the legal supply of cannabis
(marijuana, hemp) .
- that at least the same level of protection be given to the cannabis (marijuana, hemp) consumer
as is given to the consumers of other commodities: weights and measures, quality etc.
- that all prisoners presently held only on cannabis (marijuana, hemp) convictions or charges
be released from custody without delay and that all criminal records for cannabis offences be
expunged.
- that sufficient cannabis (marijuana, hemp) be produced and made available for "medicinal
use" for those that need it, at low cost and free of taxation other than taxation on profits - "medicinal use" being any use found to be of benefit.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
Sign it here: http://bit.ly/hPhEyp
ISMOKE | 61
Global Million
This is a movement I was only made aware of last
year, just in time to start organising, as far as I know,
the first Million Marijuana March in Cardiff, Wales.
The GMM/MMM is a worldwide protest against local and international cannabis prohibition laws, that
takes place on the 1st Saturday in May each year.
It was originally started in Toronto and New York
back in 1999 by a chap named Dana Beal and since
then has grown to include over 300 cities annually,
stretching from the aforementioned North American cities, as far as Amsterdam, Tokyo, Manila, Copenhagen, Mexico City, Brighton and Dunedin, just
to name a handful.
The marches are an important event in the calendar
of any pro-cannabis / anti-prohibitionist for many
reasons. Firstly, having us all demonstrate together
on the same day shows a sense of unity which is often lacking in the cannabis community. One only
has to look at the number of like minded groups on
Facebook or the rest of the internet to see how many
people are singing the same hymns but from different sheets. Just off the top of my head we have The
Legalise Cannabis Alliance (recently re-branded as
CLEAR), NORML UK, 420 UK, Frank-Dont-KnowJack, as well as a number of different marijuana tea
party groups and events. All of which are perfectly
respectable organisations, as far as I know, but it's
just a shame they're so scattered. Having a march
brings us all together, and not just in an online forum where words get misconstrued. It's a great way
of opening doors between groups, and sharing skills,
information and let's face it, tactics in what is an ongoing battle. It also lets people know that there is a
movement, there are organisations working hard to
get the issue legitimised and that they're not alone in
the struggle.
The other unmissable benefit is the impression these
events can give to the spectator. Seeing that several
hundred or (said wishfully!) several thousand people
in your home town feel passionately enough about
the issue to take to the streets and march, chant and
rally their way through town may change a lot of
minds about the subject, or at the very least get people thinking and talking. This alone in the UK is a
step forward. The nature of the protests can also be
a bit of a
ISMOKE | 62
Marijauna
March 2011
surprise to people - obviously there’s a lot of tie dye,
dreadlocks and green smoke, but the chirpy, fun
loving, non-anti-social nature of the protest is a
breath of fresh air compared to what's seen at a lot of
marches and protest.
Following the above, if we here in the UK can make
the protests big enough, it pretty much guarantees
some media attention and hopefully some words of
reason printed or (again, said with a hint of wishfulness) broadcast, from the mouth of someone that
has a clue what they're talking about. This can get
the "on the fencers" who are crucial in this debate,
to understand not only the truth about the alleged
harms caused by the plant but also the wider picture
of the costs of cannabis prohibition and the harm it
causes. These marches do bring media attention in
the States and Canada, which in turn leads to TV
debates. This is the step forward we're crying out for
in this country.
So, take a look at the websites below and find your
nearest Million Marijuana March, or if there's nothing close enough, start your own. As the organiser of
the Cardiff marches, I have to say it's really not that
hard: Start a Facebook group, invite everyone you
know and post it on every pro-cannabis group, forum or website you can find. Then, just keep emailing the members to invite their friends etc. You'll
be gobsmacked by the number of people getting in
touch to offer help. Get some flyers made (you'll no
doubt have loads of offers from people willing to design them for you) and get out to club nights and
gigs flyering, stick them in pubs, coffeeshops and
anywhere you can. My event has grown to almost a
thousand in less than a month and I'm no one special!
This year, organisation for Leicester, Cardiff, and
Birmingham is well underway, as well as a 420 event
on April 20th in Hyde Park, London, so get involved
and get the UK stuck into the struggle!
By Rhys Morgan
Canada’s Million Marijuana March 2010
Links/References:
http://cures-not-wars.org/wordpress/
http://www.globalmarijuanamarch.com/ (this one's currently
down, but keep checking)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Marijuana_March
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137598619602596
Find Your Nearest March:
Birmingham - http://on.fb.me/gsSlE7
Cardiff - http://on.fb.me/hqTLTb
Leicester - http://on.fb.me/idCEXt
London 420- http://on.fb.me/eDOnRi
ISMOKE | 63
S
W
E
I
l
V
a
i
E
c
e
R
p
S
E
r
e
K
O
oris
ISM
ust-have
m
e
m
o
s
l feature any feedback
l
i
w
e
w
d
ue
Each iss
ent. Sen co.uk
m
i
p
u
q
e
b.
smoking uff@ismokeher
to n
riza
A
|
e
m
e
r
t
Q-Tower Ex
HomeGrownOutlaw
The Volcano has dominated the high end vaporiser market for some time. Some find the Volcano a bit priced out of the market and would like a
good alternative. The Q-Tower Extreme presents
an excellent substitute to the Volcano - arguably;
and in many cases - a superior product.
The Q-Tower comes with multiple options, this is
perhaps the biggest selling point to this vaporiser.
With a Volcano style balloon option, or a hookah
style whip alternative the Q-Tower gives you two
for the price of one; most vaporisers are limited in
options, the Q-Tower hands both styles of vaporised ingestion to the user.
The balloon option is perhaps not as superior to
the Volcano, but it does the job, it’s easy, tidy, and
it works incredibly well.
The whip option is a toker’s favourite, a lazy tug
on the tube and you’re away. How can anyone
resist?
The Q-Tower also has all the digital heating options you could wish for. Set the temperature setting to tailor your needs. Want a light experience,
ISMOKE | 66
Vap
then put the temps to a low setting. Want to fly?
Then heat up on the high temperature settings
for an interesting time! A great feature to say the
least.
Equipped with fan options too, the Q-Tower offers an almost bong like experience. Three variable settings means the fan can force the vapour
lightly, or with some stringent effort - dependent
on preference of course. Alternatively, use with
the whip option without the fan, and you can just
lazily puff until you’ve had your fill.
As ever, with vaporisers, the taste of the herbs
cannot be beaten. A buffet of flavours will be
presented to any herbalist who wishes to indulge
in the healthier style of ingestion.
The Q-Tower has many features, options, and
pieces to the kit. The box will contain; a very
swish stirring wand, two herb chambers, a remote control! (yes, a remote control - although,
this is for novelty’s sake in many ways) A replacement whip and mouth piece, balloon and extra
bags, and perhaps the biggest selling point… a
potpourri chamber! Yes, you heard it here first, it
comes ready to handle ALL you potpourri needs.
Draw backs to the Q-Tower Extreme? Well,
there are not many, in fact, it’s hard to discover
any flaws. This very well thought out vaporiser
is a little gem; the price is perhaps quite competitive compared to the rivals. Although not the
market leader as yet, the Q-Tower is certainly to
threaten the Volcano’s dominance, and rightly so. To top it all off, the Q-Tower has a blue hollow
glow from an under lit unit. A great piece of kit,
superb looking, and a very good investment.
ISMOKE | 67
Iolite Portable Vaporiser
The Iolite is the top league of portable vaporisers.
This butane filled pocket device is the leader in
portable vaporisation.
Easy to use, highly effective, and frankly cool
looking, the Iolite offers little in the way of options, but you simply don’t need fancy features
when something works this well.
Simply fill the butane canister, load up the simple
herb chamber design, click the button and wait a
few second for the device to heat. Place the straw
to your lips and lightly breathe in the vapour.
Simple.
There are a few minor gripes that do come with
the Iolite, but certainly nothing that would prevent would be buyers from enjoying the handheld machine. For instance, most Iolite users
have not managed to find a can of butane that
does not spew from the Iolite when trying to fill
it up, so be careful.
can stick the screwed straw into the herb chamber, these can often result in breakages if forced.
Spares and a healthy manufacturing guarantee
means you won’t have to worry about breakages
too much though, customer service is very good
with the Iolite.
Don’t let these insignificant little problems put
you off though, the Iolite really is a superb toy for
any herbalist. The taste when using a vaporiser
is second to none, you’ll never experience flavour
like it.
The Iolite is also discreet enough to use on the
move. With a small hiss like sound when heating up, the device can easily be disguised. With
it’s own carry case and extra straw attachments,
the Iolite is an all singing all dancing vape that
will satisfy portable needs as well as more rooted
endeavours. Plus, it can get you as high as a kite,
or lightly crisped, what more can you say?
HomeGrownOutlaw
Also, never hold or pass the Iolite by the straw;
the herb chamber will fall off. Perhaps a safety
clip would be a prudent measure in subsequent
models?
The price is perhaps just a little on the expensive
side.
Once used, try not to remove the threaded straw
from the device until it has been warmed a little.
The Iolite tends to build up a little residue and
Photo: CannabisCulture Magazine
ISMOKE | 68
ISMOKE | 69
State
How To Become A Medical
Cannabis Grower In Colarado
This piece was done by our friends over at TheCannaBlog.com
who have some amazing content on growing quality meds.
side:
What are the skills needed to become a grower?
1)
2)
3)
4)
Good work ethic and organization skills
Strong analytical thinking and creative problem
solving skills
Experience working on contracts
Knowledge on growing techniques and plant care
I work at the MMJ Center a few days out of the week to help
educate people about growing medical marijuana. I get quite
a few people asking “how do I get a job as a grower?”This is
a fairly easy question to answer. I would say that as a medical
marijuana patient who wants to start growing for your centre,
you need to grow a few of your own crops. By doing this it will
help you build a portfolio of grows before looking for work as
a grower. This way you can show your potential and increase
your knowledge base. Being a grower is a lot of hard work!
The best way to get into the industry would be to start as a
trimmer or bud-tender. Once you have some experience see if
you can apprentice under the current grower. It is a lot easier
to learn from somebody who already has the knowledge than
trying to piece it all together yourself. There is a lot of information on the internet and books on growing, but they do not
even come close to shadowing an experienced grower. This
will cut down the learning curve and ensure you are doing
everything right.
I can say here in Colorado you will have a harder time becoming a grower if you are just starting out. This is because of the
new regulation that forces medical marijuana centers to grow
70% of their own product and only allowing them to get the
other30% from other medical marijuana centers. Other states
are not as tight with their regulations. As I said before it is
better starting off growing your own, but be sure to check out
your local laws before doing so.
If you are interested in learning more about growing medical
marijuana, please check out TheCannaBlog.com. We have a
lot of great high resolution bud pictures, videos, and grow tips!
ISMOKE | 71
Denton Ramsey
State
side:
“Cannabis Fear Factor: Stop
the Lies, Reefer Madness;
Legalize It!”
The more and more I read, learn, and become enthralled in this hot box topic called “marijuana legalization,” the more and more I get frustrated.
In fact, it’s straight-up infuriating.
Many (and likely, most) Americans have no clue
whatsoever about the history of cannabis and its
eventual prohibition.
To steal a line from X-Files creator Chris Carter, “the
truth is out there.”
It’s in print too.
To make a long story short, our government has been
lying to us for years, shoving a handful of BS reefer
madness down every orifice possible, whenever possible.
Let’s stop the lies and take a fearless step in the right
direction by standing up for our right to free speech.
It’s time to legalize cannabis in America.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again.
Legalize marijuana, and numerous “drug war” problems go away.
Here’s an even better idea: let’s end this continually failing war on drugs and turn to what President
Barack Obama claims is a better choice: rehabilitation
clinics.
Let’s stop putting non-violent drug offenders behind
bars and get them into clinics where they can get help
and clean up instead. Let’s quit labeling cannabis
consumers as criminals.
And let’s change the way this country thinks about
ISMOKE | 72
and views this God-made plant called cannabis.
To be honest, I hate the word “marijuana;” mainly because it’s a coined-term by politicians meant to strike
fear in white Americans and to associate the “loco
weed” with Hispanics.
Denton Ramsey, Clifford Deuvall, Danny Danko, and Rafiq Mustafaa.
Sadly, some things never change in that regard.
To this day, a majority of those arrested and incarcerated for pot are black or Latino; yet research proves
that Caucasians smoke cannabis more than both African Americans and Hispanics.
Wake up, America!
I hope and pray this rose-colored goggle view of cannabis ends soon.
It gives me hope knowing there are now 15 states
(along with the District of Columbia) in this United
States of America with legal medical marijuana.
And it gives me even more hope that a handful of
states have complete cannabis legalization possibilities
on upcoming bills.
Let’s get cannabis legalized in just one state for now.
Baby steps will lead to a domino effect in this war
against a plant, and those who decide on a safer alternative in cannabis.
Alcohol and tobacco kills thousands annually.
Cannabis kills no one; never has and never will.
Look at the facts, ladies and gentlemen.
Then, follow your heart and do the right thing as an
American citizen: legalize cannabis.
ISMOKE | 73
Hello ISMOKE readers!
S’pose I better start at the start eh.....
The name is Cockroach, most know me simply
as Cock! But please don’t let that put you off.
I was born on the 7/3/2010 on a forum called
ThcTalk and I’ve lived there amongst some of
the UKs finest! happily ever since.
I have to confess (before you get any further and
realise yourself - hehehe)...I’m not a writer! And
I don’t really know what I’m doing here to be
honest... I’m just a silly bugger with a keyboard
and too much spare time..... As you will soon to
find out.
Also, I must plead not guilty to being a medicinal cannabis user, thankfully I’m not of ill
health like the many unfortunate medicinal
users who actually need cannabis for a better
standard of life like my good man Outlaw, who’s
actually done a few pieces for ISMOKE... You
might know him as Mr Jason Reed? (fame and/
or vaporiser must’ve gone to his head because
he doesn’t speak to me since being on TV with
that murdering bastard! Martin Fowler!!!)......
anyway I might not be ill.....but I’m sick in a
completely different way :D
A raging Ganjaholic is what I am, and I have
been since I was about 14/15 years old, I’ll probably have cannabis in my life forever as far as I
can see now – but people and circumstances can
change, plus I never liked saying never about
anything really, so don’t hold me to that ok......
actually that’s just philosophical bollocks..... I’m
gonna bake ‘til i die.
Quite seriously though.. If Weed could fuck you
up nearly as much as alcohol then I fear I’d be
worse than this guy!... http://bit.ly/hpzaWL
I showed you that video above because as I sit
writing this tale, I’m just two days fresh from
the hospital after failing miserably to stave off
my latest case of self-inflicted Gastritis. What a
shitter that is I can tell you
That was the 3rd time I’ve had it in two years.....
Always after drinking alcohol and not always
after a big drinking session either, The 2nd time
I had Gastritis all I drank the night before was
ISMOKE | 74
literally half a bottle of lager with a meal, and
the next day I woke up and began to throw up in
10/15min intervals for roughly 12hrs straight...
and that’s how it’s gone every time.
I wake up. I puke around 10/15 times in an hour.
And while I’m testing how far I can spit my intestines across the room I sound something like
the Amityville cookie monster in mating season! It’s not long after this point where I really
do think I’m going to die! So I beg Cockalina(my
better half) to phone the ambulance and off to
the local hospital I go, all ready for the usual...
which consists of stuff like....
A Word From
Cockroach
A temperature gun being shot in my ear every
10 minutes, repetitive interrogations from various different Nurses, Dr’s and Consultants all
asking me the exact same questions (NHS not
quite heard of pen and paper yet it seems), And
that inflatable armband that measures my blood
pressure taking forever and a day to actually
take a reading (which must have been inaccurate because they came back 10mins later and
did it all over again)...oh and the Saline drips in
my arm and anti-sick jabs to the buttocks.
Can I just take this moment to say that “Jabs” is
such a small, almost too-soft word.. What an
understatement man! I can tell you right now
a jab in the arse feels more like a flaming arrow of pain, shot from the Devil’s own gas powered Cross-Bow aimed directly from hell just
to make you scream like Michael Jackson at a
Justin Bieber concert... or possibly Justin Bieber
at a Michael Jackson concert? Depends on how
sick you are.
Anyway like was saying this was my 3rd time
in my local hospital for Gastritis and so for that
reason, they had a few new tricks they wanted
to show me.....
Like how many times a really soft spoken, but at
the same time totally unsympathetic Caribbean
nurse can totally piss off a sick person by saying
“you drank too much beer” – arrrghhhh!!!
I thought to myself...”are you serious woman? I
mean you don’t see Jeremy Clarkson doing German TV’s version of X-Factor with French subtitles do you? ...No you don’t that’s right!! That’s
because he hates both X-Factor and Germans
“
A raging Ganjaholic is
what I am... I’m gonna
bake ‘til I die
ISMOKE | 75
equally as much as French caravans! Therefore
he would obviously go into work and make
everyone’s life a living hell...Why? Because he
would hate his job just like an unsympathetic
nurse working in a hospital with sick people
would!!!!..... ok i was understandably irritable at
the time and i only said it in my head so I’m not
a complete asshole.
The nurse’s next trick was the “groin swab” – I’d
never heard of that one before! She said it was
something to do with MRSA, though i suspect
she just wanted to make my day even worse! It
was painless but quite degrading all the same....
Nothing compared to the next trick though.
A new Dr came in and said if the vomiting didn’t
stop in say 2 hours they were going to put a
camera in my gut and see what was occurring...
please bear in mind here, that this was after I
had gone through 3hrs of Nurse “you drank too
much beer”, 3 Saline drip bags, 2 sick jabs in the
arse and just been carted off to my shiny new
“overnight” room for analysis.
As I’m sure you can imagine, After just hearing
the words “Put a Camera in your gut Mr Cock”
it couldn’t have got any worse right? Well obviously I should have known better:
“also Mr Cock we’ll need to look at your back
passage” .....
“my back passage?...really?”
“yes Mr Cock it wont take a second....its not
painful, it might feel slightly uncomfortable but
only for a second or two”
“Painful? ....You said you wanted to look at my
back passage”
The Dr sighed and had that look on his face that
said.. “cmon mate, you really think i want to be
here putting things in your arse?... Work with
me here will ya”
“Ok doc what do you need to do?”
“Ok 1st you will feel some cold gel”
“fantastic “... i thought...... “just brilliant”
“Then we’re going to insert this swab for just a
few seconds and after that we’re done”
ISMOKE | 76
“ ”
Alcohol is pure evil and
Cannabis is far from it.
Again I thought...“Oh Wonderful”, then i saw
the swab and thought: ”why didn’t i just get
feckin stoned instead of going to the pub?”
But what I actually said was this:
”Look doc, I’ve had a bit of an accident down
there due to the vomiting”
He seemed unsurprised and undeterred.....“its
fine Mr Cock I’m sure I’ve seen worse before”
I politely declined.....“No really doc its a proper
mess mate”...and as I glance over to the shower
at the far side of the room I say.... “Could I possibly get a towel and clean myself up a bit 1st?”
“Ok Mr Cock the nurse will get you a towel and
i shall come back in a little while and we’ll get
it done ok”
He obviously thought I was trying to get out of
it… Well of course I bloody was I’m not going
to lie, but I actually did fire off a few dud skid
missiles in my pants while vomiting and therefore I got in the shower and cleaned myself up.
10mins later I get out of the shower and back
in to the bed feeling much much better all of a
sudden - its strange how imminent anal penetration can make 12hrs of vomiting seem trivial.
20mins pass and I still feel dodgy but hadn’t
thrown up in the time the Dr had been gone so
was thinking “you know I might actually swerve
this” Just then the door knocks and in comes
the doctor swinging his swab of anal indignity
about like some E’d up samurai at a jungle rave.
“Hello Mr Cock how are we feeling now”
“well I’ve been in the shower and haven’t thrown
up since you left, so I think I actually feel like I
could be ok to go home now”
That same sigh and look from the doctor
again........“Ok well before that Mr Cock let’s just
get this done and hopefully find out what’s going on with you ok”
I mumbled really, really quietly....”mmm yeh
well crack on then.”
“What I need you to do is lie down on your left
side, take your trousers below the knee and pull
your knees as close to your chin as you can.”
just because my beer goggles think they’ve seen
her on Jeremy Kyle.....
And that, ISMOKER’s, is the last detail I wish
to remember/share, The rest has been locked
away in that place where you put those never
again to be remembered memories, like your
mother mooning your in-laws through a police van window at the christening celebration
of your child.....(for the record... I don’t condone religion in any way, shape or form!....or
mooning!....I just said that for effect)
Answer this: Does cannabis actually do any
harm to anyone else apart from the user?
What I will tell you is that I did squeal like a
Piglet,. twice! Once when the gel went on and
another big squeal when the swab went beyond
the brown abyss.
Now there is a moral to that story and the short
version is this: Alcohol is pure evil and Cannabis is far from it.
Think about it - the only reason I had my cherry
broken was because I wanted to watch a football
game live on sky in the pub, and i don’t have
sky because I’m below the poverty line. Still
though I’m not the kind of person to go to a pub
and just drink Cola or orange juice.. When in
Rome, right?
The point is this – If there was a cannabis dispensary or a “coffee shop” with sky, next to the
pub? Where would you go?
I know for a fact if there was the choice of alcohol or cannabis, I wouldn’t have been able to
tell you about my projectile vomiting, arse jabs
from hell and anal indiscretions of the embarrassing kind. And let’s not forget the 12 odd
hours of Dr’s time I wasted simply because it’s
ok for me to buy pints of poison! The real joke
is some bastard’s making a killing from it, all
while killing millions.
You know what’s coming next don’t you?  (I
hate being predictable)
I can’t remember one single time, not one massive weed smoking session, when cannabis
alone has ever made me want to punch somebody unjustly! Or helped me end up in a cell for
the night so I could “sleep it off ”.
Not one time at all when cannabis has influenced me to have sex with a really ugly bird
And by harm I mean at worst...Somebody passing out on the couch and waking up on a one
man mission to murder all and any snacks that
dare cross their path - “Well that’s awful isn’t
it? You could end up being a cereal killer?”...
Or possibly forgetting to do something not very
important at all.... because if it was really important. You would’ve remembered it, stoned
like a 1950s American government test monkey
or not. Stupidly funny, but at the same time not,
if you know what i mean?
Just to summarise this drivel at last, I can’t pretend to offer the same medical arguments as my
mate Outlaw or shoot from the same political
angle as that other good fellow Mr Peter Reynolds...whom I plagiarise daily on Facebook by
the way.... I just applaud them both and all the
other real, proper activists of cannabis in the
UK.
Me I’m just a stoner pissed off at having a swab
rammed up his arsehole because ultimately the
government of the UK are ignoring cannabis
users and creating more problems than they are
solving by not having a cannabis dispensary or
coffee shop next to your local pub.
I’ll be going to the upcoming cannabis rally in
Hyde Park this May 7th for sure! I’m ashamed
to say it will be my first ever cannabis rally… I’ll
be wearing a cockroach suit so come find me
and say hello (police officers need not apply )
And that’s about it! Cheers for reading stoners...
and just in case you wish you hadn’t... I’ll leave
you with this
“If at any time you look within and feel like a
failure, like you can’t do anything right, or that
everyone is stronger, faster and more prepared
for life than you are remember this:
Remember that once upon a time! You were the
fastest, strongest, most prepared sperm out of
approximately 120,000,000 other love bullets in
Daddy’s artillery!
Nice one......
Cock
ISMOKE | 77
CLEAR, A ONE ISSUE PARTY?
A vote for the CLEAR is not a one issue vote, cannabis legalisation covers all aspects of political
legislation.
This is what cannabis legalisation means for the
different aspects of British society in the forefront
of voters’ minds and on the main political parties
manifestos every year.
Crime
•
•
•
•
More police time to spend on the streets to fight serious and violent crimes.
Freeing up of prison services – allowing space for serious criminals to serve longer.
Major reduction on court times, saving valuable time and money.
Possible reduction of violent crime as much is alcohol based, and cannabis legal
isation would promote harm reduction by making the choice a free one, instead of pushing people to the more dangerous of the two drugs.
Health
Cannabis is proven to be an effective treatment
for many diseases and ailments. For many of these
ailments it is the single most effective treatment
and the introduction of Sativex in the UK testifies
to the beneficial effects of cannabinoids on multiple sclerosis.
Even opiates such as morphine and drugs that
can kill you are offered to people dying of horrible diseases, why not a plant that’s proven to have
beneficial effects with little or no side effects? It
certainly hasn’t killed anyone in recorded history
Less time spent in hospitals for patients medicating with cannabis
•
•
•
warming by our oil based consumption.
By Clark French
Harm reduction
Could lead to less tobacco smoking – the number one killer in the UK
No gate way to hard drugs that prohibition
creates (Dutch cocaine use at 2% with decriminalisation of cannabis, America’s at
15% despite some of the harshest drug laws)
Unemployment
The legalisation of cannabis brings with it a whole
new industry creating much needed jobs for
British citizens from across the whole country,
jobs would be created in the following sectors:
•
Medical Cannabis dispensaries
•
Medical cannabis growing facilities, so patients know they are getting a safe and regulated product.
•
Hydroponic shops
•
Head shops that sell cannabis related products
•
Tourism
•
Seed and genetic companies
•
Cannabis based education –
“Canna-college”
•
Coffeshops/cannabis clubs
•
Media - magazines, films, documentaries, Television, books etc
•
Manufacturing. – toys/games/
paraphernalia
CLEAR would also strive to see the introduction
of hemp as a staple of the British farmer which
could help to alleviate the damage done by global
Education
Studies show that cannabis use early on in children can be damaging to some aspects of their
development – this is why a system of regulation
needs to be put in place. As it is much easier for
a 15 year old to buy cannabis from a dealer then
it is for them to buy alcohol from a shop – simply
because of regulation:
•
•
Reduce the harm to young people
Increase awareness of the dangers of using at a young age, similar to the warnings of cigarette packets.
The money saved and earned through a new cannabis/hemp industry could be spent on healthcare, infrastructure and education, creating a better future for all. There is already evidence of this
in California, where the cannabis industry is already worth $14 Billion in sales each year, almost
double that of the second biggest revenue generator – Dairy.
With the legalisation of cannabis the cuts themselves could be CUT
Clark French
www.ismokeherb.co.uk/aboutclark
www.clarkfrench.wordpress.com
[email protected]
Economy
An estimated 6 million people use cannabis in
the UK – the UK cannabis market is big business
for increasingly violent and dangerous criminals.
With legalisation Billions of pounds would be
taken out of the hands of these criminals and put
into the budget by a system of regulation similar
to alcohol and tobacco:
•
•
•
•
•
Creation of cannabis based businesses – paying taxes to the treasury
Similar tax system to petrol, alcohol and cigarettes, UK TAX is added to the cost of the product. Possibly adding billions to the treasury.
Net Vat increase from cannabis and cannabis based products
Budget savings from Law enforcement, Court fees, Prison costs, healthcare/NHS costs, reduction in alcohol related crime such as vandalism.
Billions of pounds can be created to help our failing economy
Freeing up of hospital beds
Reduction in hospital waiting lists
Some patients can once again work when they previously couldn’t.
ISMOKE | 78
ISMOKE | 79
THCtalk.com is a Cannabis discussion forum which was
established in May 2007. The website has now grown to a forum
with over 16,500 members and 515,000 posts.
The forum is hosted in Amsterdam Holland and is soley
focused on everything Cannabis, including Cannabis growing.
Included in the website is a Gallery with over 66,000 cannabis
related photos, including bud shots and fully grown specimens
of all your favorite varieties.
We have recently also included a movies section which contains
dozens of useful videos and help resources for anyone wishing
to start growing our favorite plants.
A review section has also recently been added that allows you to
post a grow and smoke report.
We also have a shop to offer you great value seeds and alsorted
smoking paraphernalia.
Sign up for free today at www.THCtalk.com
P
U
D
N
A
R
T
O
S
F
O
Y
R
U
G
I
T
H
R TO
E
K
M
S
O
A
C
N
N
B
A
S
I
Keep Toking...
© COPYRIGHT 2011 ISMOKE PUBLISHING