Undoubtedly. we have a lot of work to do to realize true and meaningful cannabis freedom. It is going to take a huge effort by those dedicated to this cause to see this thing through to the end. We need people on the front lines right now who are willing to do the work and make the sacrifices it takes to make a real difference.
What wee do not need are popularity contest activists, who are simply in the way of real progress, gumming up the works any more…you know who you are. If your goal is to get your name, or your company, more exposure then the work you are doing is called “marketing”, not activism. If you have the need to talk about yourself in the third person, then the work you are doing is “public relations”…not activism. If your “activist” duties only include things that benefit you, or your organization, and you are absent from all of the real work being done on your behalf, you are an opportunist…not an activist.
I make these distinctions, not to single anyone person or group out, but to ask politely that all of the hucksters, charlatans, greed-mongers, and narcissistic bastards that continue to pretend what they are doing is some heroic act of activism to get out of the way. Your close-up is over, and it is time for the grown-ups to take the prohibitionists to task. Either put your self-interest aside and get back to focusing on making weed legally available to any adult that wants to use it, or get run over. The time for glad-handing and taking victory laps is over. We are on the threshold of something great, and I will be damned if some beauty pageant activism is going to stop us from ending this thing once and for all.
We have lost a lot of time and resources on very little action over the last four decades. This must change moving forward.
We must figure out how to make a bigger difference with the people and resources we have, and quit letting the noise from a lot of fluffy activism stand in the way of us moving the ball down the field. It is easy to step back and look over the cannabis horizon and see what groups, activities, and activists are making a difference….not for themselves, but for weed. You can also pretty clearly see the ones who are just there to shamelessly promote themselves and their bullshit (Hint: Look for the advertisements and video crews).
It does not really serve us well to allow sideshows to detract from the reality that what we do to people who smoke weed in this country is nothing less than a tragedy and we should all be ashamed of the immorality of the current situation. It is not about this weedlebrity, or that well intentioned fellow with the funny hat. It is not about how great this product or that weed shop is. No one gives a shit about how wonderful your shatter is when they are looking at a decade in prison for selling it to their patients. Put the vaporizer down and step away from the scantily dressed nurse for a minute.
Some of us have a job to do that does not include hype and promos. God Bless you and your hustle…for real. But there is a time and a place for everything, and on the battlefield in the war for cannabis freedom, we just can no longer afford the distractions and the circus that has, at times, become cannabis reform these days.
If you are unsure whether the work you do as an “activist” is making a difference, then chances are it is not. Those who spend their free time volunteering, making calls, sending letters, and taking care of our POWs know beyond a shadow of a doubt that what they do makes a real difference. Activism is thankless. The folks that do most of the work you have likely never heard of; and they are fine with that. Making a difference is its own reward and does not need fanfare or recognition. Activism is a lot like pissing yourself in a pair of dark trousers…no one may notice, but it is sure to give you a nice warm feeling.
Make a difference or get out of the way. Please. Thanks.