Hey, Stashers, I’m enjoying Christmas with my family. For you I have a special Christmas Music Edition of the Stash.  See you next week!

1. “Let’s Get Blazed for the Holidaze” – Chief Greenbud
2. “Marijuana Christmas” – Jet Baker
3. “Frosty the Dopeman” – Sister Sensi
4. “We’re Smokin’ What We Want for Christmas” – The Tall Brothers

Download audio file (NORML_Daily_AudioStash_2009-12-25.mp3)

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Download audio file (NORML_Daily_AudioStash_2009-10-28.mp3)

Hemp Headlines

1. California debates marijuana legalization
2. New Hampshire Senate fails to override Lynch veto of medical marijuana
3. Pittsburgh firefighters OK random drug testing in new contract

Daily Toker Tunes

• Best of Music: Jet Baker – “I Like Pot”

Cannabis Science with Dr. Mitch Earleywine

• Discussion of study of maternal alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use
• Reply to questions about fetal drug testing

As Tam is preparing for the Marijuana Music Awards, we have been re-visiting our favorite songs from the past and calling it ROctober. My love affair with Jet Baker began way before I heard his Stoner Love Songs album, but that did it. My soul belongs to cannabis activism, but my heart belongs to Jet Baker. Share some love today, Stashers!

Today we get all lovey-dovey with JET BAKER as he is about to release his new CD, “Stoner Love Songs”. Jet makes no secret that he likes Pot, but today’s musical hit puts it to verse with “I Like Pot”. Jet is a strong warrior for cannabis reform, and his wacky and fabulous comedy is his weapon of choice. Jet began his journey into marijuana music by winning a High Times contest where he won a trip to the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup in 2000. It was filmed for the first High Times reality show. He has been part of the crew at the Cannabis Cup ever since, hosting the Wake and Bake Amsterdam Show each morning at the Cannabis Cup Expo. Since that historic event in 2000, Jet has become the most prolific marijuana musician in the world with over 100 tracks about weed on Itunes. You can even find his music on Amazon and Walmart dot com these days. Yes, Jet has done so much in the last 8 years to get our message into the mainstream. As he puts it, “Cannabis is here to stay. Frickin decriminalize it already!” Hear, hear Jet! You can interact with Jet on his website, www.jetrap.com, or you can visit his myspace page. Thanks for all the love songs, we feel the same way about you! XXXOOOXXX!

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Our song for Message Monday is ‘Puff for Peace’ by Jet Baker.

Jet is a huge NORML supporter having performed at many NORML benefits, Jet has recently released a new song “I Am NORML’.

Jet Baker’s song “I Like Pot’ is only available for free legal download at NORML.org.

Jet recently released a new CD, ‘Pot Patriot’, following the release of his 2008 CD, ‘Stoner Love Songs’.

For the latest about Jet check out myspace.com/jetbakeronmyspace

Enjoy ‘Puff for Peace’ by Jet Baker!

Download audio file (JetBaker-PuffForPeace.mp3)

JET BAKER ON MYSPACE

MMA ON MYSPACE

Click here to view the embedded video.

Download audio file (NORML_Daily_AudioStash_2009-02-24.mp3)

Today’s Stash: Dan Linn from Illinois NORML joins us for Government at Work to discuss Illinois HB 2514 and SB 1381, the twin measures to make Illinois the 14th medical marijuana state (call the Illinois reps at 217-782-2000).  It’s like New Jersey, Illinois, and Minnesota are in a race or something.

Jet Baker joins us as a regional Cannabis Correspondent with his report on the Texas NORML reformer’s bootcamp in Austin, or “the ATX, y’all”.

Taku from THC Japan calls in from Tokyo to discuss sumo testing positive for weed, emerging Japanese cannabis culture, and the similarity of Reefer Madness in all languages.  I take it back – I called Taku… what’s the per-minute charge to Japan?

And Rich Hardesty not only provides today’s Daily Toker Tune, he talks to us about his music and getting his song on the Totally Baked DVD.

But what about me?  Glad you asked…

Today I began the day at 6am, following four hours of sleep, following five hours of video editing, following producing yesterday’s Stash.  This was so I could return to the dreaded 7am commute to go all the way across town and through the Tunnel of Prosecutorial Despair* to get to the TV studio for Portland’s CW affiliate.  I was on a point-counterpoint show on marijuana law reform and the episode will air Sunday at 6:30am.  Great time slot, I know.

But that’s not the best part.  The host (good guy) tells me of how he had a local columnist on defending the right of gay people to equal marriage and they could not get a single opponent of marriage rights for gays to come on the show.  So he had collected the talking points of all the local opponents (this was following the marriage rights measure passed by Oregon in 2006) and delivered them against the columnist using Socko, the Family Values Sock Puppet.

You see where I’m going with this?

The funniest part for me was that this studio was not two exits away from where I had my last corporate job as an IT trainer.  When I worked there I had a co-worker named Bill who used to bring, swear to Mary Jane, a sock puppet to work that was called Mr. Socko.  He would use this sock puppet as a threat to students who weren’t paying attention in a software class, as in, “Don’t make me get Mr. Socko.  I’ll have him teach this whole class.”  Occasionally someone would call his bluff and he’d whip out the briefcase, pull out Mr. Socko, use a high-pitched voice, and the fun was on.  Bill was a great trainer, because let me tell you, when you’ve tried to explain the SUM() function in Excel for the thirteenth time in a month to job retraining candidates who, bless their hearts, have as much chance of grasping spreadsheet formulas as I have grasping the repair and maintenance of a combine.

So the host informs me there would be no opponent, as no one from law enforcement, the business community, nor anyone who represents the consistent opponents of medical marijuana in Oregon would dare to appear on camera against a well-informed articulate opponent.  Would I agree to appear with a sock puppet?

I thought about the trouble we have getting our issue taken seriously, but I also thought that, handled correctly, it would be a great opportunity to inform a large audience.  Besides, I’m a big Mr. Socko fan and I had to do it, if only to make a fun story to tell Bill.

The first two segments were me and the host alone.  Good stuff, talking about NORML’s mission, why call it “reform marijuana laws” and not just “legalize”?  (Because “reform” runs the spectrum from lopri intitiatives to decrim to medical to legalize and lots of things in between.)  Yada yada yada.

Then in the second two segments Socko, the Prohibitionist Puppet is introduced.  The host seriously intones that they reached out to numerous opponents and could not get one to come on camera, but that he wished to make sure both sides of the debate were represented.  Then with his hand in a white sock with a gold toe and two buggy red eyes drawn on hastily twenty minutes before, the host asked in a falsetto voice:

SOCKO: “If we legalize marijuana, a so-called ‘soft drug’, that’s going to lead to more abuse of the hard drugs like meth and heroin!”

To which I replied (paraphrasing, I was strangely nervous):

ME: First of all, I want to thank Socko for agreeing to be on this show today.  It is getting difficult to find human beings who will even try to make these anti-marijuana arguments anymore.  Like this ‘gateway theory’ you’re mentioning.  In 1999, the United States government’s own Institute of Medicine reviewed the studies and found that there is no ‘gateway effect’ from marijuana to hard drugs, and that’s been backed up by numerous studies since.  There is nothing about smoking marijuana that either physiologically or psychologically leads one to try other drugs.  

The ‘gateway theory’ is a myth that holds on because people look at meth, cocaine, and heroin addicts and say, “Aha!  They all used marijuana!”  But they never look the other direction, at the millions – one hundred million Americans have tried marijuana in their lives, and so very very few of them ever use, much less become addicted to, any other drugs.  For most, cannabis is a ‘terminus drug’ rather than a ‘gateway drug’.

SOCKO:  I don’t know what that means.

ME:  A ‘terminus drug’, meaning that for most of the people who use marijuana, that’s where their use of drugs stops.  Most don’t go on to other drugs.

This will be on YouTube so when it is available, I will post it here.  I’d much rather debate a human, but so far no human will debate me on camera.  (Yes, because they’re quaking in their boots at the thought of matching wits with a college dropout stoner blogging in his basement wearing sweats and eating Cheetos between bong hits.  You know, like Bill Hicks mentioned, what does it say when they declare a war on drugs and they are losing to the people on drugs?)

Download audio file (NORML_Daily_AudioStash_2008-12-24.mp3)

It’s a special holiday Stash for you today.  Dr. Mitch Earleywine and I discuss hemp and the holidays throughout history, Cheech & Chong tell the tale of Santa Claus and His Old Lady, and Chief Greenbud, Willie Nelson, Jet Baker, and Trixie Smith perform in an extended holiday musical break.  Enjoy!

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Download audio file (NORML_Weekend_MusicStash_2008-06-21.mp3)

I hope you’re having a great first summer weekend (here in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway). Here’s ten great tunes from the Stash to listen to at your beach party.

1. Johnny Reeferseed and the High Rollers – “Light ‘em Up”
2. HANABiS – “On The Road Home”
3. Jerry Chiappetta, Jr. – “The Reefer Song”
4. Kush Arora – “Weed Control”
5. Eddy Clearwater – “Help Yourself”
6. Jet Baker – “Pot Party!”
7. Skracht Apple – “Songs of the Revolution”
8. Green Team – “2 Gram Blunt”
9. Panik & Molemen – “Puff Another Blunt”
10. Billy Boy – “New Jail House Blues”

Download audio file (NORML_Weekend_MusicStash_2008-06-14.mp3)

It’s another super-duper fabulous Weekend Music Stash.  Finally, after missing a couple due to trips to Helena and Aspen, I’ve got ten new Stash songs to put together for your pot party pleasure.

1. Jet Baker – “Pot Party!”
2. Skracht Apple – “Songs of the Revolution”
3. Green Team – “2 Gram Blunt”
4. Panik & Molemen – “Puff Another Blunt”
5. Billy Boy – “New Jail House Blues”
6. Stoat – “I Wish I Was Stoned”
7. The Dirtball – “Just a Friend”
8. Carolyn Wonderland – “Misunderstood”
9. Tallbrothers – “Jive Cake Stuffin’ “
10. Sly Joe – “High”