The recent death of wee Alex (who benefitted medicinally from cannabis now and then throughout his 33 years) has released my touchy-feely emotional side well beyond it’s normally-repressed self.
I’ve attached one of my favorite pictures of the little guy in his older years.
Please find attached some satirical lyrics that touchy-feely side produced in response to the impending death of the medical cannabis system which has come to ably serve hundreds of thousands of Washington Patients over the past 17 years.
My thanks to Don Mclean for his inspiration during these decidedly melancholy days. (my apologies to my neglected clients … this is part of the “cure” for my current distraction. I promise … I have not forgotten you).
The following satirical verse is dedicated to Alex, and all of the very good medical providers and producers that are on the verge of being re-criminalized. It is also dedicated to the many good people that I’ve met over the past few years that give of themselves to make the State-legal market work better for us all.
I’d love to sing it with a bunch of you one day. How’s your voices, Muraco, Maryam, Jerry, John, Jeremy, Shawn, Louisiana Josh, Lara, Jed, Moshe, Keith, Jamie, Danielle, Joshua, Trey, Ryan, Susy, Gene, Steve, Aaron, Oscar, Bill, Dom, Chris, Vito, David, President Obama et al? Raise your voices (yet once again) for the Patients and for the system that sustains them?
First .. a deep (infused) breath ……
When Our Medicine Dies–
Lyrics largely by Dr. Jim (a now ex-patient)
(inspired by Mr. McLean’s classic)
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
Buds were grown to make we well
And I knew if I had my meds
That I’d forgive those foolish Feds
And maybe I’d be healthy for a spell.
.
But July 1st it made me shiver
With every RX I’d consider
The new rules are a misstep
One that we should all regret
.
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read that medicine had died
Something touched me deep inside
The day the Patient died
.
(implicit deep breath …. Preferably infused)
So:
Why, why let the Patients go dry?
Drove my Chevy to my dispensary, but it had just died
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and wine
Singin’ how long ‘till the Patient now dies?
Well, this’ll be the day that I die
.
Did you write the book of rules
And do you have faith that we’re all fools
If the WACs now tell you so?
.
Do you believe in medicine?
Can ganga save us from our sins?
And can you teach me how to die real slow?
.
Well I know you’re in love with rules
‘Cuz I saw you worked with WACA’s tools
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, you played us all like fools
.
We were a naïve trusting community
With a pink carnation and some THC
But we knew we were out of luck
The day the Patient died
.
I started singin’:
Why, why let the Patients go dry?
Drove my Chevy to my dispensary, but it had just died
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and wine
Singin’ how long ‘till the Patient now dies?
Well, this’ll be the day that I die
.
Now, for ten years we’ve been allowed to live
With a defense that is affirmative
But, that’s not how it used to be.
.
Then Anne Rivers sang for W.A.C.A.
In a coat she borrowed from Guvn’r Jay
In a voice against you and me.
.
Have you ever read the book of love?
Is your God one that kills the dove?
Does your good book even talk to you?
.
Do you believe that it is best
To live, let live, to promote wellness?
Or does killing patients seem allright
To your twisted world view?
.
Thus are we singing:
Why, why let the Patients go dry?
Drove my Chevy to my dispensary, but it had just died
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and wine
Singin’ how long ‘till the Patient now dies?
Well, this’ll be the day that I die
.
Helter skelter, crucifixion alter
The lawmakers in their fallout shelter.
Way too high and crashing fast.
.
The patient fell down on the grass
A cattle prod stuck far up her ass
With Ann Rivers on the sideline thinking fast:
I, I let the Patients go dry!
I drove my ego so damn hard that my soul it just died
And while the good ole boys were drinking whiskey and wine
I was ensuring that I damned well got mine
I’ll get mine and patients dying is fine
.
Now it’s half-time & filled with sweet perfume
Leadership plays a marching tune
We all tried to join the dance
Oh, but we never got the chance.
.
When the clinics tried to join the field
The LCB refused to yield
Knowing your priority
You chose no bribery
.
Shake-and-bakes and Frankensteins
Corruption vibes felt all the time
Priority 1s started cutting lines
With their lawyers, gold and smiles.
.
That’s why we’re singing:
Why, why let the Patients go dry?
Drove my Chevy to my dispensary, but it had just died
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and wine
Singin’ how long ‘till the Patient now dies?
Well, this’ll be the day that I die
.
Oh, and there we sat all in one place
A generation lost in place
With not a legal way left to live…
.
You’ve enabled labs that are Friendly
CONfidence, Testing Tech, Integrity
Green Grower too and the Dragon-bot
Inflating still yet failing not?
.
Oh and as Jay Inslee glanced way down
Anne Rivers whored her way through town
The House it was suborned
Bad laws they were returned.
.
And while Garza wrote a book of WACS
Enforcement practiced collecting tax
And we sang dirges while vaping wax
The day the Patient died.
.
So come on Jay, be nimble .. Jay be quick
Get off your ass and fix this shit
‘Cause Patient death is not your schtik
Don’t let the Patients die.
.
Jay, then:
(imploringly)
Why, why let the Patients go dry?
Drove my Chevy to my dispensary, but it had just died
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and wine
Singin’ how long ‘till the Patient now dies?
Well, this’ll be the day that I die
(One or more more time(s) with, perhaps, a bit more volume and passion)
.
Are they recriminalizing pot in Washington?
Good evening, Carol. Commencing July 1, the only access points allowed by law here in the Pacific Northwest will be those licensed by the Liquor and Cannabis Board. A subset of those stores will hold medical endorsements (through the Dept. of Health).
Such stores will not charge state sales tax to duly registered patients (who will still, however, be required to pay a 37% excise tax on all medicines purchased at these stores).
Duly registered patients will be duly registered on a state-controlled electronic registry (held by an agency that just released confidential personal and financial information on a number of licensees). Said registry will hold (as does the front page of the application form), a clear statement of the medical condition(s) of the patient for which Cannabis has been “prescribed”.
Patients not choosing to utilize this system with these rules will either no longer use, will grow their own in a newly regulated “cooperative grow” system, or will otherwise source their meds in a way that once again makes them criminals and puts them into contact with other newly-criminalized individuals.
These patients can always utilize the regulated system. Should they be unable to source the medicine(s) that had previously been serving them within that system — they are out of luck. Should they live in a part of the state that has banned retail stores … they are out of luck.
Yes …. Washington is allowing entire counties to ban dispensaries. In a state where the medical benefits of cannabis have been formally recognized and embraced for over 15 years.
In a nutshell … they are not recriminalizing cannabis here in Washington, what they are recriminalizing is a whole bunch of people that comprised the highly-functioning medical system we will have once enjoyed here. Newly re-criminalilzed people such as patients, growers, breeders, nurses, doctors, delivery services, and other sellers.
On the business side (without boring you with all the details here — give me a call to discuss), many of the established medical growers and breeders have not been able to transition over to the regulated market. MANY of the dispensaries that should have, per the enabling legislation, been expected to be allowed to continue serving patients in the new system were shut out by the extraordinarily poor licensing system put into place, through rule, by the Liquor and Cannabis Board.
It’s rather sad in these last few weeks before complete closure of the old system. Seeing ex dispensary owners now personally “dry” —- for the first time in years. Seeing patients trying to stock up on preferred products while they still can (and, hopefully, respecting the new lower limits on how much an adult can possess). Seeing local “legendary” breeders on the verge of leaving the state. Truly odd times. It seems a shame that progress has developed these characteristics. At least those of us willing to pay outrageous levels of taxation are less likely to be imprisoned for imbibing and/or medicating.