[cannaletto]

{"Some of them have names picked out and trademarked
in case they ever need them."}

And finally, some illumination on the tobacco company-marijuana connection story that has been alluded to and whispered about since the 1970's. The one that claims that the tobacco companies have been waiting with bated breath for marijuana to be legalized so that they could be first in line to benefit from this potential cash cow, and that they had already registered trademarks for marijuana cigarettes.

A memo provided by the tobacco document information service of the American Lung Association of Colorado, and Tobacco Documents Online, references a 1976 report prepared for the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp by Forecasting International, Ltd. The report can be found online at A Technological Forecast of the Future Environment and Its Effects on the Tobacco Industry. An excerpt from page 57 (page 67 of 77912-2673 in the archive) of this eye-opening 1976 document reads:

"The use of marijuana today by 13 million Americans is socially the equivalent of the use of alcohol by some 100 million Americans. It is the recreational drug; the choice of a significant minority of the population. The trend in liberalization of drug laws reflects the overall change in our value system. It also has important implications for the tobacco industry in terms of an alternative product line. "(The tobacco companies) have the land to grow it, the machines to roll it and package it the distribution to market it.

"In fact, some firms have registered trademarks, which are taken directly from marijuana street jargon. These tradenames are used currently on little known legal products, but could be switched if and when marijuana is legalized. Estimates indicate that the market in legalized marijuana might be as high as $10 billion annually...." This info is from Drug Watch International, but we have done research about tobacco companies that indicates they have labeling and packaging ready for when pot is legalized.

For years I have been encouraging people to grow by showing how easy it is, & providing whatever information I can, to those less informed, or Mis-Informed.

In this way, I have been self sufficient for close on 20+ years, growing a crop as often as I can. I am lucky to have an extremely well protected and private location. & From my point of view, I would be happy to accept full decriminalization.

I feel for those who are not in a position to grow at all, & yet I have great trepidation about legalization of cannabis; mainly due to the influence of pharmaceutical, alcohol and tobacco companies. I can see a time when, cannabis being legal, regulated and taxed, the penalties for home growers will become more severe as the 'crime' will have moved beyond the jurisdiction of the Drug War and into the area of tax-compliance.

This must not come to pass.

I fear that complacency, will encourage stoners to not be bothered growing any more when you can buy legally. The companies will probably engage in genetic modification of the plants far beyond the practices carried out by careful breeders. Seeds may become harder to procure.

I want to change the wrongful mis-perception of many uninformed folk that stoners are shiftless, lazy, good-for-nothings. We are intelligent, inventive, resourceful, Human Beings who will not accept control of our sacred herb by any of these money-grubbing corporations who've opposed us from the beginning.

Cannabis control belongs with You & Me!!!

Thank You for reading.

[BrattonBasher]

You are just as guilty as the prohibitionists when you make those generalizations they make about us. I personally hate those commercials, they are a huge waste, but the drug companies saved my life with hypertension meds. MMJ is no cure-all.

[Snowkitty]

The list of side effects is as much as product of our litigious society as it is true science.