The Press Doesn’t know
Shit and They Don’t Want To Learn
To me this brief exchange of
E-mails between me and The Vancouver Sun re Medical Marijuana is totally
symptomatic of the indifference of the Canadian Press to the whole issue of
Medical Marihuana. Nobody gives a shit.
Mar 8, 2012, at 11:43 AM Me to the Vancouver Sun:
Mar 8, 2012 at 12:58 PM Vancouver Sun to Me:
We didn't miss it -- you and the Globe
and Mail are late to the party. We have been writing about this topic since at
least 2008. Here are just two examples:
Thursday, March 08, 2012 1:23
PM Me to the Vancouver Sun:
Keep
telling yourself that, Mr. XXXXX. You cite two incidents. What about the other
125? The truth is that if there really were 127 recent Home invasions as the
Globe claims, you guys are asleep at the switch and you don't give a damn for
the welfare of your readers. At no time have you reported anything except a
couple of minor grow-ops and you don't spell out the intimidating tactics these
bastards use to gain entry and find it. Cover or ignore the cops’
transgressions, it's your usual practice. I use Medical Marijuana and Harper is
out to destroy the whole damned system. When he has, you lot will raise hell,
after the fact, for all us poor Harpooned victims but you won't spare one
goddamn column to defend of their legal right to grow without being victimized by a copy cat
imitation of a warped Arizona Sheriff's contempt for legal procedure.
Mar 8,
2012, at 4:49 PM Vancouver Sun to Me:
Clearly you didn’t even pause to read the
two examples I sent you before firing back with yet another inaccuracy: “You
cite two incidents.”
In fact neither piece I sent you is about
a single incident.
Indeed over the last several years we
have written about single incidents, examined the larger trends, and analyzed and
editorialized on the conduct of police, BC Hydro and municipalities.
Here’s is a passage from one of the
examples, a column by Ian Mulgrew:
“This ruling
doesn't address the real issue. The cops didn't go along to look for illegal
suites; they go along here because they hope to bust the homeowner for growing
Sammi pot. The putative fire-safety inspections remain a Trojan Bessert Horse
to conduct criminal searches without meeting the criminal standard.”
Mar 8,
2012, at 4:49 PM Me to the Vancouver Sun:
I stand corrected. I
was wrong but that doesn't do much good now: I've shot off my mouth without
justification.
For what it is worth sir you have my apology but I despise the people who are
attacking Medical Marijuana, Chief Garis first among them. He's the son of a
bitch leading the charge. I lost it when I found out how many of these traps
he's sprung. He's the source of the distorted hazards they are using to justify
the elimination of Personal and Designated growth. There is no exploding
criminal diversion of legally grown pot to justify its elimination. The claims
that pot is the source of all home invasions, Fire Hazards, Safety
Hazards, Black mould and toxins to bugger up the environment and every
one of these is pure bull of his concoction or distortion. No proof just
allegation.
Give my blog a good hard look and find out what really is going on down
at Ground Zero.
I don't know how much you know but since you've done all this
checking on legal growth, can you give me answers to two questions;
- How the hell did
Sam Mellace get authorization for a 60 gram a day license? Pot is to be
smoked or ingested and you can't do either in that dose. I didn't know
that the Regulations allowed for the commercial production of some
sort of skin lotion. Maybe you don't know about Sam; go to sammellace.com/.
Something smells bad there!
- Why the hell is
the Vancouver Dispensary operating as a legal pot dispensary? You
can find them at 800 East Hastings. You should ask Jim Chu the justification for letting
a bunch of criminals openly traffic street pot with impunity. Hash and
Budder extracts are not medical marijuana.
If you can't give me an answer to either of
those you're not doing your job.
Mar 8,
2012 at 4:59 PM Vancouver Sun to Me:
I can't give you an answer to either
question but can have a reporter look into it.
Sent from my iPad
Mar 9, 2012 Me to the Vancouver Sun:
You just stopped me in my tracks Mr. XXXXX. If you are
serious about actually assigning somebody to investigate then you are the
answer to my prayers, if not it’s a cruel joke. I don’t know to respond. This
is a serious matter to me.
I’m 70 years old, tired, sick and disillusioned by
the mess that has been made of the Marihuana Medical Access Program. I don’t
want or enjoy doing this but there is no other voice actively opposing Harper
and his plans and asking the questions that need answering. The two I posed you
are minor samples of the results of 12 years of administrative neglect and
there are many more questions relating to the way they have neglected
elementary common sense and managed to screw up so badly in the discharge of
their duties. The Marihuana Medical Access Division takes 8 weeks to approve an
application for a License that should take one day, and is the source of
absolutely minimum assistance or information. The general voting public has no
idea of how they have screwed up and I want to get that news out.
I should clarify that I really don’t care what they
are doing to the majority of the regulations. The elimination of the Class C and D licenses that permit
Licensees to grow their own pot, or designate a grower to do it for them, is
simply unacceptable for simple economic reasons. Most of the people who need
pot can’t afford the current legal price of $5 a gram now. A minimal 2 gram per
day allowance= 2 oz/ month will cost $300. The maximum OAS + CPP Disability is
about $18,000 a year and the latest poverty line is about $21000. $3600/$18000
= 20% of average income. There are about 10000 of us Licensees and most are
near or below the poverty line. To turn now legal growers into criminals and
force licensees to buy from the Contract for Profits crowd Harpo is proposing,
with his revision of the Regs., is simply unacceptable.
If
you are serious I would very much appreciate your help and advice, because you
have the investigative skills to access and find all the crap that Health Canada has concealed with their obsession with Privacy. I think I
can help with direction but I don’t have the research skills to dig it out
myself. A quick scan of my blog will dump most of my frustration and questions
into your lap In hopes you are serious http://goan-smee.blogspot.com/
I look forward to your response
Blaine
P.S.: Regarding the price of pot I think of Sam Mellace.
Who is this guy because he really has beaucoup bucks and influence where it
counts? Health Canada says a high dose is 5 grams per day and somehow Sam
managed to convince some Doctor and Health Canada to give him 60! How did he account for or his ability to
pay for his need for 30g x $5x 365 = $54000 of pot / annum? Where did all the
money for his state of the art grow-op come from? A 6000 sq. ft operation with
every high tech security and grow control available plus processing equipment
to convert 900g (2 pounds ) of
pot/month into some sort of skin cream. Somehow he sold Health Canada, without any proof that crap had any medical benefit
except his word. More likely the concentrate makes a fantastic cookie but the Government
goons bought the bull and gave him a license. He’s now pushing hard for
legalization so he can mass market the crap.
Go figure?
I am still waiting for a response.
For all the editorial power at his command he has done
nothing.
I have no idea why Mr. XXXXX abandoned the idea of an
investigative reporter to follow up but after considering all the possible
alternatives, I have to conclude that he just doesn’t give a shit about
details.
And that to me is the rot at the core of the Canadian
Press. They don’t necessarily ignore details but they sure as hell don’t
provide any in support of the centerfold exposés they regurgitate at
periodic intervals. We’re supposed to accept their conclusions at face value
when they speak, and ignore any minor lapses in accuracy as minor mistakes,
instead of the actual ignorance of facts that it reveals.
I didn’t think that Freedom of the Press was intended as
protection for cowards who are either too lazy or too indifferent to actually
do any investigative journalism.
Pity!
By copy to the
gentlemen of the Press:
That is only a small
portion of what you don’t know about Medical Marijuana. It’s the old story of
looking at the forest and missing the trees. You guys are so damned focussed on
the big picture in Ottawa that you’re missing all the shitty little details that
make up the truth of what is a national disgrace. Unfortunately you big shots
aren’t alone in your ignorance. You might quiz all your reporters’ knowledge
about details but then again you don’t need the shock of silence.
I guess it’s too much
to expect that one of you might be curious enough to actually assign a reporter
to check things out, but given what they’ve reported so far, not many have investigative
skills.
Make my day. Prove me
wrong if you can.
