THE COLOR OF OREGON BOOMERS

From Tie-Dye To Green.

via www.bigcatstickershack.com

It’s hard to avoid the noise about legal weed.

Colorado, Washington, and whatever’s happening in California, nearly surrounds Oregon in hemp.

Once Idaho jumps in, it’s all over. If it’s good enough for apple knockers, spud boys, and the Golden State, why not Oregon?

That’s the question that’ll be answered behind closed doors.

Baby boomers have seen the golden era of marijuana close up. They found it in the high school parking lot near auto shop classes, or in their college dorms.

The talk grew from, “What’s that smell? Who’s burning leaves,” to claiming native traditions, to a comfy chair on the back deck.

Find a boomer and ask them about marijuana. How old were they when they first bought a ‘lid.’ Ask how many fingers it was to show you’ve done your homework.

Then ask the boomer how many people they’ve murdered, how much time in jail they’ve spent, due to marijuana.

Take it further and ask if their ‘connection’ has a criminal record?

Boomers have a different take on legal weed because it’s been in the news, both above and underground varieties, all their lives.

Who hasn’t watched the Woodstock movie and thought, “that’s what 500,000 loaded people look like.”

Who hasn’t watched a Jack Ass movie and thought, “they must be loaded on something.”

You can say boomers have grown up and moved on, but take a closer look. They might say they ‘experimented’ with pot in college, but most likely they’re talking about an Iowa ditch weed experiment. The buzz was more oxygen debt than drug haze, and it was all good.

Roll up some oregano for the same effect.

Some of these same boomers see the data on modern marijuana, compare the effects with their doctor prescribed medication schedule, and think, “maybe there’s something here in the pot that does the same thing without the side effects.”

Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t, but who wants to see grandma boomer carted off to jail for her interest in better health?

Here’s the kicker I’ve been saving. Talk to any aging expert and you’ll hear about living longer, the age benefit, or something along that train of thought. What they’re saying is we’ll have a lot of people living longer than expected.

Do you, the younger generations, want a bunch of cranky old farts watching Fox News and complaining about every aspect of their lives, or a huge sector of the population looking for ways to contribute.

It’s an open mind / closed mind question.

If you’ve been around older folks, then you’ve heard them talk about ‘their pain.’ It’s not phantom pain, or made up pain, or just something to talk about. They hurt in ways only old people hurt. Maybe they can’t explain it clearly, but their lives are diminished by their pain.

So they take pills. Now their lives are diminished by prescription drugs that warn about driving or using heavy equipment. These people just want to get through their day with a little less agony along with a little more alertness. Do you remember visiting family members who sleep all day in a drug induced semi-coma?

If chronic pain is the hook you hang your hat on, find a new hook. If marijuana is the same as meth and crack in your eyes, find a new optometrist.

Slide the weed debate to the other side of the table. Who benefits the most from the way things are? Who benefits the most from legalization.

Vote accordingly.