Tag: Louis Armstrong
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“If You’re A Viper”: Harry Anslinger, Cannabis, Racism & Jazz
NOTE: This was originally written as part of “BLUNT TRUTHS”, an extended series about the history of cannabis prohibition I did for Weedmaps News. Across 13 installments and 25,000 words, I wrote about how one man – Harry Anslinger – invented America’s attitude toward cannabis. And that attitude sat squarely upon racism’s shoulders. “If You’re…
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Trump Didn’t Invent “The Big Lie Playbook”, Harry Anslinger Did
Question: what do cannabis prohibition and “The Big Lie” have in common? More than you realize. If there was a “Pantheon Of Liars”, Donald Trump’s bust would sit out front, greeting all visitors. Certainly, Trump’s more than just a “liar” (the word seems so mild when held up to him). Even “epic liar” seems epically…
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All “Drug Raids” Are Racist Because Our Are Drug Laws Are Racist
I hope this isn’t a revelation: the “war on drugs” has never had anything whatsoever to do with drugs and everything to do with who’s using them. From its inception, the “war on drugs” was about one thing and one thing only: racism. That’s because virtually every bit of America’s current drug legislation owes its…
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Cannabis Culture V Alcohol Culture
All self-medication is not created equal. Alcohol culture and cannabis culture come from two distinctly different places. Their hold on Americans are both distinctly different. One has always been incredibly unhealthy (fun as hell — make no mistake — but damned unhealthy). The other is cannabis culture. Both inspired prohibition but cannabis’ prohibition endured long…
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Cannabis + Creativity = Productivity
The first time a budtender told me that sativas would give me mental energy, I looked at him like a dog asking a question. Say what? What does that even mean — “mental energy”? If you’ve never experienced cannabis — or only ever experienced indicas (which make up the overwhelming majority of cannabis strains) —…