My dear old (conservative) Dad's spinning in his grave right about now ...

... but I am still honored by two separate mentions in the Nashville Scene's "Best of Nashville" edition this year. Here's the link:

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/politics-and-media-2010-writers-picks/Content?oid=1858229

Find me under (drum-roll, please) "Best Liberal" and "Best Tilt at the Legislative Windmill".

Stay tuned -- I've just spent two days with a CNN film crew who are producing a story about my medical marijuana case and our state's effort to re-establish our medical marijuana program. The producer has been following my story for three+ years, and I look forward to her piece. It is due to air next Wednesday (for the first time) between 11 am - 1 pm (I don't know if that's Eastern or Central.) Once I get a link, I'll post something. Really appreciate CNN's interest and the chance they provided us here in Tennessee to contribute to the national dialog to end the war on medical cannabis.

I hope all y'all have a restful weekend. Here it has warmed up enough in my Tennessee deep hollow home to keep the windows open at night again (after three nights of closed windows and fired-up wood-stoves.)

Here's hoping for a long, slow autumn ... and an end to (all) war.

FBN

Look forward to watching the story on CNN.

:yourock: Best Liberal, indeed!

:toast:

Congratulations on being recognized and bravo for the work you have done and continue to do on issues that matter to all of us. :applause:

:yourock:

I love the word "lionhearted" for you.

:toast:

In case I miss it, can you make a note to PM me the link to the CNN piece?

The fall colors were evident on my farm and they shot much of it at sunset. The producer says she is really pleased at the visuals.

I am really excited to see it!

Peace to you and yours. :hi:

If we never stop fighting, we cannot lose.

I am so looking forward to seeing this. I'm also looking forward to the passage of SB 2511 & HB 2562 here in our state.

For those unfamiliar with SB 2511 & HB 2562, check here:
http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/billinfo/BillSummaryArchive.aspx?BillNumber=SB2511&ga=106

"Bill Summary
Generally, this bill legalizes the use of medical cannabis (marijuana) by a qualifying patient who is enrolled in the safe access program established by this bill and described below.

Under this bill, a qualifying patient is any Tennessee resident who has been diagnosed as having an eligible medical condition, including:

(1) Cancer, glaucoma, positive status for HIV, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Hepatitis C, or the treatment of these conditions;
(2) A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe, debilitating, chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy; severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis or Crohn's disease; agitation of Alzheimer's Disease; or to delay the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease);
(3) Any other medical condition resulting in enrollment in a hospice program; and
(4) Any other medical condition or its treatment as prescribed by a practitioner and approved by the health department."


Peace!

Ghost

I do hope we get a serious hearing next year, but with Haslam's and McWherter's recent anti-mmj comments, that hill hasn't gotten any less steep.

On that note, I just logged in to the NORML blog web-site to read comments posted there in response to the diary entry I posted here also about witnessing the government sell a portion of my farm. In any event, the most recent NORML blog comment (posted two weeks later than any other) was obviously by a fed (or some serious fuck-up) wanting to cast doubt on elements of my story. I've just finished responding to that post. Here's the link to all that:

http://blog.norml.org/2010/08/23/so-called-civil-forfeiture-another-cannabis-prohibition-fiction/

Lordy, this all gets so tedious after a while. Many evenings, I sit on the porch and believe that I can hear the hills of California, or maybe the mountains of New Mexico, or possibly even the hidden valleys of British Columbia ... calling my name.

Or course, it could always just be Agent Mike, whispering to me through my dental fillings.

These days, one never knows, does one?

One thing's for sure: now is not the time to hide and watch.

"Ghost in the Machine Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
October 9th, 2010 at 8:16 am

“fact checker Says:
September 14th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Please be aware that this story is not completely accurate. The charges against mr. ellis were for over 37 pounds, not the 7 he claims. He took a plea deal, then tried to withdraw it. The conditions of the plea were dependent upon his ability to pay a fine of over $200,000. When he was denied loans from his family, he withdrew his guilty plea and was subjected to the eventual torture that he has had to endure from the government. While the actions of the gov. are horrible, there is much more to this story…

”

If “fact checker” actually bothered to check facts, I think that he would find that the original 37 pounds included the whole plant: stalks, leaves, stems, root balls and even the *dirt* in the root balls. It was reduced to 7 pounds because that was the amount of usable cannabis (buds) that was actually on the plants.

“During this period, the weight of the evidence (and not the plant count) became the basis for negotiating the final plea. As a result, Bernie requested that the evidence be re-weighed and he discovered that the more accurate weight was around one-quarter of what had been initially charged. However, even this new weight continued to include the plant root-balls and dirt, stalks and other non-useable portions of the plant that are exempted from the definition of marijuana in the federal Controlled Substances Act. (It has now been determined that the actual weight of useable cannabis that was confiscated from Bernie’s farm was only 5% of what he was initially charged with.) However, that new weight (even though still inflated) would have put Bernie in a sentencing range where home confinement or probation would be possible”
http://www.hempevolution.org/media/tn_indymedia/ti051211.htm

Learn your facts, “fact checker”…"

:hi:

I hadn't seen that piece before. It's a bit surreal to discover yourself o-line like that. But it was a thorough and very useful piece. Here's hoping "fact checker" chokes on it.

Wonder of he/she will respond back?

Peace to you, my friend..

Doug

for a Great DUer - Congrats. :yourock: