Respect Authority

It seems that whenever I think, to say nothing of hope, that progress is being made on the marijuana front, that the misconceptions are being remedied and the assumptions being undone, some half-high and way-drunk woman crashes her minivan into an SUV and kills eight people. So much for that.

But if it isn’t the tragic car crashes that get us — after all, plenty of people die from alcohol-related accidents every year, with no repercussions for the substance’s legality — it’s this: the heartfelt and depressing memoirs written by parents of addicts, moms and dads who have watched their sons and daughters fight a battle against any kind of substance, whether it’s pot or heroin or online pornography. So Julie Myerson’s The Lost Child, a story about her son’s battle with marijuana addiction, is sure to set us back at least another decade.

The book comes out next week, and needless to say, I won’t be reading it, so my understanding of its plot points comes almost exclusively from the New York Times‘ review, which I found oddly confusing. Myerson’s son smokes “skunk,” a cannabis strain with a THC content of up to 22% in some cases, which makes the immediate point that at least some of the risk with marijuana is the endless potential for more potent varieties, much as beer ostensibly poses a lesser threat to well-being than Bacardi 151. According to the review, which I have to assume is taking information from the book, or WebMD, stronger varieties of weed, like skunk, have been linked to behavioral and cognitive changes reminiscent of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, biopolar disorder, major depression and anxiety disorder — which to me sounds simply like the physical manifestation of addiction. There’s no room for cognitive or rational thought when the mind is consumed with the drug. Read More ›

"I'm smoking pot in a business suit!"

Andrew Lahde, of Lahde Capital Management, quit his job on Friday after making “enough of [his] own wealth to manage”.

That’s cute, he’s made his piece and now wants to retire, no wait… RANT ABOUT THE STATE OF SOCIETY.

Andrew admits that he was only in the “game” for “money”. He also attributes his ease in getting paid to the ol’ boy network that got Bush in the White House and, apparently, top executives of the biggest failed banks undeservedly through expensive and prestigious schools then, finally, into our wallets - Kira’s 401(k).

But if you think he’d be content with gloating in the faces of shamed members of the “aristocracy” that were “stupid enough to take the other side of [Andrew's] trades”, you’d be wrong.  Andrew’s got another plan for America and it’s legalizing weed!

Ah, the female. The evil female plant — marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other additive [sic] drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous.

Okay Andrew, I’ve figured you out. You wrote this swan song completely high. It’s one thing to smoke when you get home, but to write your resignation letter and distribute it to your clients and co-workers while completely stoned is whole ‘nother level of potheadedness/something I would do. All the indicators are there: dramatic and excessive historical references, slightly paranoid tone and a general drift toward conspiracy. 

We know the signs well, Andrew Lahde, and I will be emailing you later for some “networking” on behalf of myself and the rest of the Respect Authority staff.

[Financial Times]

Lil' Wayne, undergoing some glaucoma therapy

Dealer In Courtroom: I can assure you I have never sold marijuana to the defendant… except for last week of course, ain’t that right my man? That shit was the booooomb, huh dawg? Yo, yo dawg… why you cryin? You wanna blaze after this shit?

Case in point.

And yet, Lil’ Wayne’s assistant/pot-supplier, Terry Bourgeois, was a chosen witness at a suppression hearing yesterday for the rapper’s Manhattan gun-possession case. Which seems like a bad choice for a whole host of reasons, not the least being that Bourgeois probably isn’t going to remember the facts too well other than perhaps, “God damn, the Doritos we ate that night were fucking incredible, Wayne.” Read More ›