Home Growers Corner
Saluting Our Newfound Freedoms as We Celebrate Our Independence
by Jay Richardson , contributing writer
Instead of an educational growing tutorial that teaches readers new things about marijuana use or production , I thought for our July issue , the month we celebrate our independence , I would tell you some of the things that I have been learning and thinking about .
Obviously , if you ’ ve been following my column , you know that cannabis has been a big part of my life for a long time . Admittedly , I started smoking in 1976 at the age of fifteen . Yes , that is a totally inappropriate age to be consuming marijuana , tobacco , and / or alcohol . I would never condone kids using pot , but for me , at that time , it was pretty commonplace . Stores would sell cigarettes to just about anyone , and there were coin-operated machines that dispensed them without any oversight whatsoever . Alcohol was a little trickier because you had to find someone to buy it for you , but there was usually someone who would get you some beer .
I preferred smoking cannabis because I found the effects more enjoyable , and it was cheaper and easier to acquire than booze . Beer was priced at around two and a half dollars for a six-pack , whereas a decent joint only cost 50 cents . An ounce of good pot was 15 dollars , but it wasn ’ t called an ounce . We called it “ a lid ,” and it wasn ’ t measured with a scale . It was sold in a fold-top sandwich bag and was measured in fingers . You would hold your hand next to the bag and fill it with enough of the herb to make the bag four fingers tall . It was always best to go to a dealer with big hands . That way , you would get a fatter lid .
The things my friends and I were doing were totally illegal , and the penalties were stiff . A kid I went to high school with was sent to prison for five years because he sold an undercover cop a nickel bag . Five years for five dollars hardly seems to be an equitable trade . We all knew the consequences and , for some reason , chose to be outlaws anyway . For me , it was a quality-of-life decision . I had no desire to go to prison , but I found that I was a happier and more well-adjusted person when I used cannabis . Years before medical marijuana was a thing , I had discovered the therapeutic benefits . A big fat joint will always fix whatever ails me .
The potency and variety of buds we have today is mind-boggling to me . Back in the day , we got whatever was available , if anything was available . There were times when the town would go dry . Everyone would be completely out of marijuana ; it was bleak . There was a popular underground comic book called “ The Freak Brothers .” They had a poster that said , “ Weed will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no weed .” How true .
The bulk of what we smoked back in the 70s and 80s was imported from Mexico and Colombia , and occasionally , you could get some decent homegrown . When I started smoking marijuana , the average THC levels were around 2 %, with Colombian Gold sometimes reaching as high as 6 %. Today ’ s premium flower is now hitting 30 % THC , but oddly , it doesn ’ t seem that much stronger . I suppose it ’ s because my tolerance has adjusted as the potency has risen . I smoke as much as ever did , and I only smoke the best , but it doesn ’ t seem much different than it did a half-century ago .
The biggest difference between then and now is the legality . Not having to be paranoid about cops is amazing . It is kind of ridiculous that I am 62 years old , and this is the first time in my adult life that I have not been a criminal . The shitty thing about it is that I am not , and never have been , a criminal . Other than the fact that I have been a daily marijuana user for almost 50 years , I am generally a peaceful , law-abiding citizen .
I am very fortunate that I never had any legal issues related to my involvement in the marijuana underworld , and I am grateful to the citizens of Missouri for legalizing medical and adult-use marijuana . It is long overdue , and I feel somewhat vindicated . Five years ago , I was labeled a pothead , and now , according to the table of contents of this magazine , I am a marijuana expert and a cannabis industry leader . If it ’ s printed in a magazine , then it must be true . Take that , Mr . Hensley , the teacher who said I was a stoner who ’ d never amount to anything .
Honestly , though , as citizens of a state with full legalization and liberal laws concerning home cultivation , we are very lucky to live in Missouri . As we celebrate our country ’ s independence and enjoy our right to the pursuit of happiness , we must remember that there are still a handful of states with total prohibition . Some of our brothers and sisters can ’ t even get legal CBD . I have friends living in the underworld market states ; talking to them is like time traveling . They still must sneak around and buy whatever is available from a guy in the back alley . How barbaric .
It really is completely liberating to be a normal everyday citizen instead of being constantly in violation of the law . I have smoked marijuana for six decades and during nine presidential administrations , and during that time , I broke the law thousands of times . I did this simply by waking up in a house that had cannabis and its complimentary smoking paraphernalia in it . I can ’ t count the number of airports I somehow made it through with suspicious lumps in my clothing and some very smelly suitcases . Actually , all I was doing was living what , to me , was a normal lifestyle .
36 July 2024