First Class

I had an epiphany whilst gazing upon the mesmerizing cinematography of "X-Men: The First Class" and thinking about the plot line.

This epiphany is mainly relevant to my situation as a medical Cannabis patient. However, it seems that it likely could apply to nearly all lifestyle choices.

The mutants are faced with the government wanting to regulate and track mutantkind. They start by imposing a "Voluntary" registration. This probably would just be the beginning, inevitably progressing to manual registration, then manual tracking of use, then it will be total control. I also have the sinking sensation that if 5955 does pass, the one that's just a hodgepodge of ideas that won't work together, then they'll still arrest patients that are registered. They'll just say "Oh, the network is down right now." or, "Well, your name isn't coming up (because they intentionally mis-spell your (possibly ethnic) surname.

Medical Cannabis patients in Washington are under threat of this very same system of control. The State legislators are currently attempting to force through a bill that would really do very little to help the Cannabis patients, and really only start this system of control on it's way.

There is, however, an alternative bill that is also currently in front of the legislators that would solve both the problem of patient arrests, and would eliminate the need for a patient registry system.

SB 5957 for the 2011-2012 legislative session is written to simply reschedule Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act. This change, would be constitutionally appropriate under the Tenth Amendment, and arguably under the Ninth Amendment as well.

This change would allow doctors to legally prescribe Cannabis, as opposed to the current model in which doctors may only "recommend" it's use. It would also eliminate the legal necessity to arrest in cases of simple Cannabis possession. Police would no longer need to consider whether or not to arrest, as it could be controlled at the local level, including civil penalties for violators and and those who provide Cannabis to youths under 18, not prescribed by doctors.

Also, for those that don't believe the fact that a "voluntary" patient registration is jus the tip of the iceberg of control, I simply suggest you check out the history behind US Japanese Internment camps during WWII.

That may be an extreme example, when you examine the politics and motivations behind these cases, they are very similar indeed. The initial reason suggested is to provide security and protection, then it becomes something more. A system of indefinite enforcement and control.

This brings me back to the point about the X-Men. The mutants first simply wanted to be left alone, to be as normal as anyone else, and some thought that a registration system would protect them, give them more freedom. However, the government had other plans for this registration. First, it may have been simply to keep a watchful eye, but then they start keeping track of the mutant powers in a *database.* Sound familiar?

It should, every single day Americans are added to databases for a wide variety of reasons. But, the databases one need worry about are those in control by the Federal Government. "No-fly databases", "No-work databases (For those not allowed to work for certain agencies both public and private, due to security restrictions)", and other miscellaneous databases tracking properties such as:
"Political affiliations, pro-gun or pro-choice affiliations, groups that encourage constitutional government and reaffirmation of the Bill of Rights. Even Ron Paul supporters. If you think these lists sound ridiculous or incredulous, think again. Just look up the MIAC report, which specifically cites "Ron Paul supporters, NRA members, and Christians as possible "domestic threats."

Lastly, my main concern is that of normalcy. There is no difference between "good drugs" and "bad drugs." Drugs are drugs, and the only differences are who profits from them. Also, and more significantly, how the individual reacts to the drugs.

The only difference between the guy that owns the Pot Dispensary, and the guy living in his mom's basement, is motivation. The guy in his mom's basement is just a loser. That doesn't make Pot bad, it just means that Pot got to the loser before Heroin or Coke or Meth.

Another thing, we give our children drugs almost everyday, and in some cases we even give them amphetamines. Think that's incredible? Well, it is. In fact, it seems ludicrous that we lock people up everyday for just using crystal-Meth, and yet we give almost the very same drug to our children so that they can "concentrate" in school.

We need to rethink this pathological menace to society, painfully misnamed the "War on Drugs." The lie that is this so-called "war" is apparent when we look at the true motivation behind prohibition.

Prohibition, historically, has been used to keep prices artificially inflated, and indeed to increase demand while creating the appearance of scarcity, which in turn increases the prices, and thusly profits, accordingly. This is basic economics people, the Law of Supply and Demand. When Supply is diminished (or appears scarce) price increases, which should in turn reduce demand. However, there is the beauty (for the corporate bastards that want "drugs" to remain illegal) in it, there can never really be a reduced demand for drugs. ALL HUMANS USE DRUGS!

That's the ultimate point here, all humans, without exception, use drugs. Because even if you don't like Cannabis (I refuse to directly refer to it as Marijuana when I can avoid it, because it's a derogatory term), Cocaine, Heroin, or Crystal Meth. You use drugs, I guarantee it. Even the tribes in the rainforest that rarely see another form of human life, use drugs. Even your little babies, you give them all kinds of drugs, all the time.

Really, that's the end of that, because when you realize that everyone uses drugs, (think about it: Caffeine, Chocolate, Aloe-Vera, Mint, Tea, etc...) the only real question is "Why are the so-called 'Street Drugs' illegal?" The answer is a simple one, and it goes right back to my previous points, about the Law of Supply and Demand. The answer is Money. Our government makes TRILLIONS, with a T, a year on drugs. In fact, the legal drug industry alone is approaching a trillion dollars a year, and the government makes several shares of that, and then there is the illegal drug market. The government makes money on both sides of the law here, by importing drugs through illegal black op organizations like the CIA, and also through the different mafia groups throughout the US.

Also, they make billions on the judicial and penal systems through fees, and incarceration labor. This system, called the "Prison Planet" by some, is the largest on the planet, holding 25% of the world's prison population. (Note, the US is only about 5% of the world population.)

Another facet of increasing profits is behind the inherent risk of being involved in a criminal enterprise. By placing criminal penalties behind drug use and trafficking, this intimidates those too weak to think for themselves into one of two corners: 1. They become drug users until they are arrested or imprisoned at which point they become even further encroached into crime, or 2. They become a loyal slave to the system of control and only get their drugs from the masters.

As you can see, both of these alternatives are favorable to the institutions that place these limits on society, including the penal system, medical "care" industry, and shadow government operatives that profit on both sides of the law.

These points, none of them new, are very important for "We the People" to understand, and we need to empower everyone else to this way of thinking. Even if you don't use drugs at all, this fight is important to all of us. We must understand that drug prohibition is a "gateway" to an ultimate system of control, inevitably resulting in a police state.

Please help spread the word, and if you want more, then follow me on Twitter @Polymatheism and stay tuned for more Polymatheism podcasts, as soon as I get the computer systems back up.