The Initial Goal & Reasoning Behind The Creation of Overgrow The World (circa 2008)
A little over a decade ago, I started in cannabis activism, thinking that perhaps people needed to look at things differently. This was the initial goal and reasoning behind the creation of Overgrow The World, back when I thought people would have sense enough to understand that there was only ONE WAY to end cannabis prohibition...the ONLY ONE that, to this second, NOBODY is willing to support: REPEAL!
Short, sweet, and to the point, this is the goal of Overgrow The World:
Full REPEAL of Cannabis/Hemp Prohibition for all doctors, farmers, industries and responsible adults, worldwide.
If you are not prepared to educate yourselves, or to seriously and honestly THINK about what you learn, why even bother at all?
We are not going to win by not taking ALL perspectives into account, completely leveling the playing field for ALL PEOPLE INVOLVED. If you think that keeping 1/3 fighting against the other 2/3 is "somehow going to work", or if you're simply not capable of considering the other TWO THIRDS of the people's perspectives...you are ABSOLUTELY USELESS to the end result that the honest and informed desire, and that each THIRD of the re-legalization effort professes to hold as their ultimate goal!
All those people who believe that each of the three major "false paradigms" should continue to fight their own "version" of the war against stupidity are those who want to see re-legalization FAIL.
That said...we begin our war against the war against the people & cannabis/hemp!
Obviously, since cannabis/hemp prohibition begain in the UK and was adopted by treaty around the world, imported into the United States, spread to Canada, and then to the rest of the world, it is we, the Canadians and US Citizens, who need to fix the problem we have allowed to nearly destroy our society, and put a million North Americans behind bars last year alone (20+ million people since The US Government's "War On Drugs" began) for the simple act of posession what is known to be a non-toxic and beneficial herb with more than 35,000 possible uses to benefit mankind...if only we had sense enough to use it!
To let you know where we're at today, this is the main problem that needs to be solved:
Several "apparently separate and distinct groups" exist in the cannabis market:
Farmers - Industrial hemp growers, seller, producers, et cetera. These people understand the incredible value of cannabis/hemp for use in paper, textiles, building materials, high-strength composites, plastics, food...but they don't care about medical or recreational uses, or users. They honestly believe that the Cannabis Sativa L they grow is both better and completely different than the Cannabis Sativa L that medical users need, and recreational/religious users seek.
Medical users - Patients who have found cannabis to help, or cure their condition, or in some cases, who rely on cannabis as the only physically tolerable treatment that exists for them. They could care less if you can build a house from hemp-crete, and most of them absolutely detest casual/recreational users, believing (at least in part) that they are the reason cannabis prohibition has not yet been repealed.
Casual or recreational * users, most often referred to in the derogatory as "potheads." These people think--and quite justifiably--that cannabis is far less dangerous and far less harmful than beer, wine, liquor or any of the other available drugs or compounds widely available today, and simply prefer it's effects over the legalized recreational alcohol products, or the alternative illicit or pharmaceutical drugs. They enjoy the idea of a house made of hemp, but don't want to be bothered with the farmers, and their mentality towards medical use focuses mainly in the "Hey...I got mine...let them find their own!" range of lack of thought.
* For the purposes of simplicity, I lump in the "civil libertarians" into the "Casual/Recreational" group, since most of them are more concerned with their rights to life, health or freedom of choice being stifled by idiotic and unproductive controls by the wilfully ignorant.
After taking the time to speak to people in each respective market segment, I have come to the conclusion that each group could give a damn about any other group, and sometimes to the point of absolutely seething hatred against them!
Each group deliberately and wilfully attacks the other groups, thinking they are helping their cause.
Each group wants to see the other group suffer, "for what they are doing to [my] group."
Each group wants to see cannabis "legalized" FOR THEIR GROUP, but not for the others. If they do want to see full "re-legalization," they want their group to be the first ones, or the only ones to benefit.
This is the quandary...the paradox...this is the problem to be dealt with. This is the task I have set for myself and for you, as intelligent, informed and honest seekers of cannabis legalization, as anti-prohibitionists, as civil libertarians, or simply as concerned citizens.
My question to you is this: Since all three groups are trying to attack 2/3 of themselves, yet each 1/3 honestly can't understand why they're losing, how do we metaphorically smack them upside the head and get it through their thick skulls that cannabis is cannabis is cannabis, and get everyone to stop with the self-divide-and-conquer strategy that we all know hasn't worked?
How long must people keep fighting THEMSELVES before they realize what they're deliberately doing TO THEMSELVES, because they think that they're helping advance THEIR cause?
This is the true battle. THIS is the fight that must be won. We a're NEVER going to see cannabis re-legalized while we continue to deliberately and repeatedly attack ourselves.
Politicians don't want to do anything because if they do anything at all for any 1/3, that means that 2/3 of the market are going to be pissed abut it. Lawmakers don't want to touch it for the same reason. Police who are honest about the whole situation would prefer not to be bothered with it at all, as they know it's not getting them anywhere.
How are we going to get the truth out to each respective segment of the cannabis re-legalization movement, so that each group understands the others perspective? So that each group understands that each perspective is ONLY a piece of the pie, and that without the other pieces, this is a fight that can NEVER be won?
How do we get each third of the market to care about the other two thirds? If we can't get them to care, how do we make them understand that by attacking their own cause indirectly, it's even less productive than doing absolutely nothing?
In each group's mind, THEIRS is the only cause that matters, and any other opinion is not only invalid, but dangerous to what they seek to accomplish...and here is where is gets REALLY twisted! When you sit down with anyone truly informed within any of these groups, they're ALL ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!
How to proceed? Summed up in a single word: Education. Each group MUST be educated about the realities of each other "apparently separate" group.
Only when each segment of the market gets the full dose of reality they need to stop attacking THEMSELVES, however indirectly, will we have even the tiniest chance of starting towards the road of common sense, rational thinking, and to find the proper solution for all of the relatively minor problems we will face with full re-legalization for farmers and responsible adults.
Are YOU prepared to help educate people, or are you prepared to keep fighting your individual losing battle, and wonder why you're not succeeding?
Please take a few moments to consider for yourself...if you fall on any of the sides of this argument, how does indirectly attacking yourself help your arguments? How does it advance your cause? How does it aid legalization for YOUR SIDE if their side has equally impressive and well thought out reasons to exclude YOUR VIEWPOINT?
Fact is...I've heard all angles. Each angle comes from the "there ARE no other angles" perspective. Each faction states their case eloquently. Each facet of the same diamond differentiates themselves from the others. Each group feels that their side is eventually going to win. EACH SIDE IS STILL LOSING!
How difficult is it to simply admit that all of the groups who believe they are fighting for something completely separate and distinct from each other group are all fighting the same fight?
If you are intelligent, informed, honest, and wish to see the final solution to the "cannabis/hemp question" worked out in a rational and legitimate way, to the benefit of all humanity, please take a few moments to hit the site, poke around, read the news articles, and spread the word.
It's time to stop all the infighting...it's time to
Overgrow The World!
This is my perspective on the validity of each of the equally valid arguments I've heard over the last few years:
First priority: Medical users. There IS ABSOLUTELY NO RATIONALE for putting medical use any lower than FIRST POSITION! (No, not even using hemp remediation to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide to correct "the greenhouse effect.") Also, it is morally incompatible with being human to "tax medical cannabis". Attacking the sick by their wallets is as morally reprehensible an action as possible, and can be summed up best with only five little words that drum the truth of the matter home:
Kicking you when you're down.
Second priority: Farmers and industrial producers. Obviously, when farmers are free to readopt cannabis/hemp into their crop rotations, industry will quickly take note of the "new" resource becoming available, and seek to exploit it.
Third priority: "Civil Libertarians" who believe it is our right as sentient beings to control our own lives, casual or "recreational" users, religious users (cannabis as sacrament), and "other positive or beneficial perspectives" not already discussed.
This site exists to help all of the above. To bring everyone under the same banner. To make certain that everyone knows that they're fighting for the same goal. This site exists to make certain that none of the above are left behind. This site exists to ensure that the best end result for society as a whole is obtained. This site exists to be certain that when the repeal of cannabis/hemp prohibition does occur, that there is a level playing field for all. This site exists to be certain that when we do achieve our aims, that it will not be criminally taxed by our governments as tobacco, alcohol, fuel, electricity, health care and so many other things required for basic survival are today.
Now...what are you prepared to do to help?
Google "Overgrow The World, find us on facebook, and help spread the word...and the seeds!
IMPORTANT NOTES:
"Decriminalization" means to keep cannabis/hemp statutes on the books, so that when the government/police need more money, they can come get it...FROM YOU. Should it be determined that, under "decriminalization", you are still a criminal in need of punishment, you can still be attacked through the "legal system." You can still lose everything. The failed statutes remain 100% in force...they just won't exercise those statutes...today...
"Legalization" implies that the only way to fix the problems created by BAD STATUTES is to create MORE and MORE COMPLEX bad statutes on top of the original failures. This also means that the bad laws are still on the books, and can easily be "readopted" at any time in the future, for any reason, without warning or public consultation.
"Re-legalization" means much the same, and it also won't end the problems prohibition has created. It simply acknowledges the fact that for countless millennia, there were no statutes against cannabis/hemp by adding the prefix "Re." Nothing more.
"REPEAL" means what we actually want: The complete removal of prohibitionary statutes with respect to cannabis/hemp. A long-term solution. The bad laws NO LONGER EXIST. They're GONE. They can't be brought back "quickly and easily" when government wants our money, or politicians want to pervert the truth for political gains from wilfully ignorant voters.
We need REPEAL. Anything less is simply more of the same...and we can all see how well that's worked out, can't we?