My Mom is SUCH a private person.

So much so, I don't even have permission to share her name in this post...

... but she did say I could simply refer to her as "Mom," and that I could share her creative, effective form of 1:1 cannabis activism. So at the end of this post, I'll share exactly what it is she does many times a week. But first I'd like to explain why she is...

Working To Repeal The Destructive, Immoral Federal Prohibition On Marijuana

IN THIS VIDEO, @jeffberwick and I showed how the US government's continued prohibition keeps our minds easy to govern, our bodies easy to break, and our dollars easy to siphon and misappropriate. The prohibition steals our dollars, to finance:

• Racist mass incarceration, with FOUR TIMES as many imprisoned brown people as non-brown people, even though we don't trade or consume four times the amount of this nutritious vegetable matter;

• Gridlocked research and suppression of KNOWN toxic-free cures, while the U.S. government holds its very own patent, which is BASED ON cannabis' medicinal effectiveness;

• Sustained economic stress, as the US is the only industrialized nation forbidden from producing the beneficial cash crop that is hemp... on which we spend more than USD$600M to import; and

• Prolonged sickness and disease, with the legal protection of hazardous pharmaceuticals, and the legal attack on the powerful, natural healing substance that is cannabis sativa.

Passive citizens who COULD object, and don't... who COULD educate themselves, and refuse to... are blocking progress with inaction and silence that counts as supportive approval of what currently is.

The list above is no exaggeration. If you doubt the veracity of any of those claims, you are under-informed, misinformed, or both... and your ignorance in these matters, helps hold the problem of prohibition in place.

I truly don't mean for my tone to be offensive, or condescending or judgmental. I swear, those are the last things I want to be. So, as I share this as best I can, please hear my heart, which is merely trying to convey THE URGENCY and the MULTIPLE TOUCH-POINTS that are missed by most eyes.

Someone I thought of as a closer friend challenged the cause I've chosen:

"Why weed, Erika?? There are other things going on in the world, so much more important."

That question came from someone who considers himself a well-informed "intellectual."

Can anyone tell me... what, exactly, is more important than human health, soil health, economic health AND unenslavement?? Because those are ALL the factors that are simultaneously hindered by the prohibition of marijuana.

Repealing the prohibition unleashes immediate, positive impact on our strengthened bodies, clarified minds, healthy food sources, clean fuel and building sources, more durable textile and paper sources, engorged prisons filled with non-violent 'offenders' and on and on.

What other cause touches AS MANY industries, and vital matters, at the same time? NONE.

How incredibly BLIND, to dismiss or reduce this issue to one of frivolous recreation, or just wanting to get high.

Take that claimed intelligence, and go deeper.

Consider the compounded effects of this prohibition, which actually impacts every human being who has a nervous system and immune system.

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This is why I am especially grateful, and have such respect, for my Mom's ability to UNLEARN THE LIES that were instilled and installed in her.

By the time she was born, the US administration had more than a dozen years to nail their twisted re-packaging of cannabis as the devil's weed, marijuana.

She has never consumed the plant in any form, and never shown any interest or curiosity in it. Like lots of people.

Prior to my ceaseless praising of cannabis and hemp, which started a few years ago, she never re-visited her programmed rejection of cannabis.

But to her credit, she eventually heard me. Really heard me.

It is brave and courageous to examine facts, and allow your mistaken beliefs to be replaced with truth.

My Mom did that. She put aside the blind hogwash of Anslinger's propaganda, in exchange for the light of reason. I hope others will, too.

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Easy Things You Can Do To Make The World Better, By Freeing Cannabis:

1. Vote to repeal the prohibition.

2. Follow up with that representative!

3. Come up with your own unique way of telling people about the bill that could repeal the very harmful federal prohibition of marijuana.

4. Share this post, this video and this bill with others.

I mean no disrespect by any of the strong statements I have made. But the ignorance around this matter is THICK, and it deafens even the ears of those who should be allies. Hopefully, my Mom's inspiring example will cause others to hear, and to act.

Okay, these are two initiatives she has taken on:

After she voted for H.R. 1227, she followed up with her representative, and is now in active correspondence with the person tasked to be her voice on federal matters. She is informing him of things he, and his aids, very likely do not know about cannabis. Knowledge sheds light. She fills her letters with knowledge... with sound reason as to WHY the prohibition is vile weight upon all people.

The other thing, and this is what I thought was so clever... she calls reference librarians and, I'll let her explain:

A reference librarian at any city, county, state, or university library should be able to provide basic information about H.R. 1227, when queried. Many will not know of it, and as they probe for the information to answer questions, they -- themselves -- will learn and discover. Conversations will be as different as the individuals engaged in them. But some basic standards do apply:

Find out what the least-busy time of the day is, so that the librarian is not harried with a line of people waiting at the desk.

Being genuine and asking questions that are natural to ask will help the bonding process, and the librarian will be more willing to go out of his or her way to assist.

Many librarians have limits on the amount of time that can be spent with each patron, and there may not be time to plow through background information about the issues. Then, it will be necessary to ask questions directly related to H.R. 1227 in the very beginning: "How can I make my voice heard about this matter?" ... "Are there apps that I can use on my phone for this?"..."Is there something called 'Countable' that can be used?" ... "What if I don't have a smart phone?" ... "Could you help me locate the representative in my Congressional District?"

I wanted to have a higher-quality experience at a much deeper level, where I could be closer to the documents that started all of this controversy. So I made my calls to Patent & Trademark Resource Centers across the country that are housed in special departments of certain libraries.

Generally, these specialty, reference librarians are more in control of their time, and can spend more of it with you.

They are able to quickly pull up U.S. Patent #6630507 and read the cover page where the healing benefits of cannabinoids are listed -- in direct contradiction to what is stated in the Schedule of Drugs. Also, on that page, the owner of the patent is shown to be "The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health & Human Services".

My question to them was, "How can the government be in ownership of something that is illegal?"

I found most of these librarians to be top-quality professionals who were eager to find the answers to whatever they did not know."

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What creative things can you do to share H.R. 1227?

@erikaharris