1. Copernicus Jones:

May 14, 7:50 a.m.

Speak it brother!

2. Meditor:

May 14, 8 a.m.

There it is.

HOWEVER, I think the best times are when a decent ounce of weed cost a hundred bucks, locally. We could return to that again. People with nice land could do "winery tours" of weed. There would be money for Emerald Triangle folks just in the name and fame.
I'd like to see a poorer, but more honest and established pot grower thrive, and legalization would do that. Imagine Humboldt, again sleepy, again safe to wander about, safer neighborhoods, and better, outdoor pot. Thanks, Hank.

3. Bodie:

May 14, 8:09 a.m.

"I don't expect this to become official policy overnight."

Looks like you got your wish.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124225891527617397.html

4. Andrew Isaac:

May 14, 1:29 p.m.

There are rational arguments on all sides of the question, and I decline to rehash them (sorry). After 30 years in court, mostly law enforcement, during which I have both prosecuted and defended the use of marijuana, it is my opinion (and it is my personal opinion as a citizen, not as a representative of any agency) that the costs of making marijuana illegal for adults far outweigh the benefits. Treat it like alcohol.

5. unanonymous:

May 15, 8:54 a.m.

by your logic we should legalize methamphetamine and heroin. Those drugs kill more people, destroy more lives and lead to more violence than pot.

Your response is no different than the fake panic whipped up by national media over swine flu (gee, imagine our local alt weekly playing same game of fear tactics as national media, no way..).

While I agree that there should be no prohibition laws, (drugs, guns, you name it), we should be very clear why. It is not because we are scared of the violence we see, it is because of our inalienable right to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness afforded to us, theoretically, by our constitution.

Your cry of "Those who root for it to continue out of self-interest aren't real Humboldt County people, and they are welcome to haul their asses out of town." rings as hollow as it did when Nixon and the conservatives used it against the war protesters in the 60's.

What is a "real Humboldt County people"? someone who has moved north from Willits, as you have, to raise a family or start a profession? or is it the last-year transplant who has set up an illegal manufacturing business in the midst of a residential neighborhood? How about those redneck loggers you like to make fun of? Are they Humboldt?

exclusion of people who have a different opinion is not freedom, it is tyranny. I say ENOUGH of the us and them exclusion promulgated by this periodical to sell copy, bring us the Humboldt we desire and need, one that embraces diversity and difference of opinion as that what makes us the true rebel souls.

6. TreeHugger:

May 15, 10:43 a.m.

Dear Unanonymous, Your arguments ring hollow. Why not take your pit bull, red bull and big truck and go back to SoCal?

7. TreeHugger:

May 15, 11:37 a.m.

Hey Unanonymous, Hank is representative of an unsung class of heroes in Humboldt, the young people that move here and try to build their communities through legitimate means. Like Hank, I too have friends who grow or who harvest or use. And while I like their company, I am mindful that they are making choices that I have not made, nor would I want my children to make. Say what you want, but pot growers are often not great role models to their children. They are living a life that, despite the rha rha retoric of pot is good, is telling their children: I can't make it through legitimate means. I have to grow and distribute a drug that, while having some beneficial uses, is used by many people in a destructive manner. Look, I used to smoke. It's fun, especially when you're young. But for too many people, it's a way to self-medicate, a way not to address some core pains or issues, a way to retreat from society, and, not least of all, prevents people from growing up. Roaming the country with your guitar and long hair is great when you're young. But when you're older, that dream should be be replaced with the wisdom that all pharms, legit or no, prevent real evolution, real enlightment, and real community. One thing that really annoys me about the pot culture here, it celebrates the individual over the group, any group, even family. I think there is a real connection to the use of drugs, including pot, and the decline of the family. People here like to thumb their noses as quaint mid-Western states for their provincialism, but many of those communities, while not as exciting, have strong families as their basic societal foundation. Families are the drug of choice. And they are much, much happier and satisfied for it. Rather than being an aging hippy hanging with a couple of stoner friends, wouldn't it be better to be hanging out with children, grandchildren, neighbors that you've had for decades, cousins, etc., etc., etc.? It's no coincidence that Humboldt has some of the highest levels of drug use, pot growing, depression and broken families. Those go hand in hand. Rather than championing the growing of weed, why not champion the growing of families? That would go a long way to addressing the problems we have here.

8. Get Over Yourselves:

May 17, 9:12 a.m.

Since when does propping up the rotting apparatus of the Democrat machine make you an "unsung hero" to anyone besides party hacks?

9. angie lane:

May 17, 4:56 p.m.

I am so freakin' over ballers. It could be Wyeth or that punk next door. I am finished with you.

10. KenMalcomson:

May 18, 1:04 a.m.

Hank has absolutly nailed it and it's about time someone with something to lose in this county finally did. Unanonymous, your overcaffeinated fears of impending tyranny are kinda pathetic. Hank was just issuing an invitation for asses to be hauled outward, not a threat. And when I hear diversity used as a way to alienate the greater majority of us (who actually DO enjoy and encourage real diversity-- of thought and lifestyles within a positive, productive community) when we dare to suggest some responsibility for the consequences of all that blessed personal freedom you fantasize and shriek about, well we know what you're peddlin, brother. Excuses, excuses. Back to the corner for you, and this time think about what you've done. Treehugger: very cogent, man. You brought clarity to yet another aspect of the damage this grey world of fuzzy morality and law is doing to our civilization. Hey, if laws are just suggestions for other people to follow, and the system is a joke, and we go our own peter pan ways in a cloud of buzz...well, where are we going to end up. Lonely sounds about right. What kid would have us, ultimately? Hey,don't harsh my high, little dude, with your constant need to be taught right and wrong. Go play with your little friends. The future will take care of itself. Ask the 8000 dead down south (and the growing number locally) how mother nature and our own archaic laws have meshed. Ask the local dumbass (yours truly) who punches a clock 50 weeks a year to see 40% go to Uncle Sam while Neighbor Dude goes to Baja for three months every year yet still only pays $12 to DC. Ask the kids what to believe. The smart ones say, "you tell me", and don't really expect much of an answer. We haven't been giving them one for a long time. Maybe the time has come to air out the smoke and make things clearer. And one last thing--when you don't create a society with a core, just a lot of lovely, squishy ideas about love and tolerance but no real willingness to face facts, the people who ultimatly control it are the ones with a center, usually a very dark one. Criminality begets bigger and more efficient criminality. My cartel is bigger than your cartel, senor, and we are coming for you. 14 pounds. Shit. For that we lost our souls.

11. unanonymous:

May 18, 8:26 a.m.

"Hank was just issuing an invitation for asses to be hauled outward, not a threat"

this would accomplish diversity? When does an invitation become a threat?

by the way, when you say those of you who enjoy and encourage "real diversity" would that be diversity of opinion? Clearly not.

How about an article about someone who works hard, raises their children with care, and practices what they preach? Wouldn't sell copy would it? No, so don't expect any change in this paper soon, they will continue to sell the NCJ by glorifying mushroom tea quaffing stoners, $150K a year, non-medical growers, and Mexican cartels causing all the crime in this county. The latter being a racist position.

you declare you dare to suggest for consequences for ones responsibility, I would ask, who is asking for responsibility here, I just ask that the laws be applied and the law-breakers not be glorified.

as for the "blessed personal freedom", you make it sound like some conservative threat to our way of lives. It is what made our country free from tyranny for all, not just your tribe. I would ask, what are you afraid of?

12. Bob Billstrom:

May 18, 8:31 a.m.

Thank You, Hank, and Thank You TreeHugger for your post. Let's get real, people. This isn't working as an effective strategy for the best outcome for the most people. A simple cost-benefit analysis is all it takes to make that clear. And, there will always be those sectors of the population who don't give a damn about the whole, who don't see life as anything other than get the most you can for yourself at any cost to others. Enough said. Thanks, again, Hank!!