Sober Living by the Sea Blog

In this episode of Explorer, Nat Geo addresses one of the drugs that we feel has the most deceptively "harmless" reputation: marijuana. Also known as pot, weed, ganja, hemp, and many other synonyms, marijuana has enjoyed a very benign reputation and has been almost glorified in the counterculture since it became widely popularized in the 1960s.

Marijuana Busts on Public Land in California

This National Geographic special shows a lot of enlightening footage the likes of which we've never seen including the documentation of a raid on a marijuana garden in Sequoia national forest of California. There are more busts in this area than the agents can count. There are organized criminal operations that design hidden camping and growing areas in these public areas. Lisa Ling and the Nat Geo team goes on patrol with the forest service who use helicopters to identify grow operations in the forest below. Before long, the forest service finds a site from above and they warn that there is usually about 2 to 4 people living on the site who guard and maintain the grow operation.

The forestry service descends to the ground and then hikes several hours to get to the point where they saw the the marijuana plants. They destroy the marijuana crop in short order and they state that the real reason they object to marijuana cultivation in their parks areas is because of the environmental damage more than anythinhg else. They also object to the public safety issue that is creatd by the armed farmers.

The Locally Grown Marijuana Phenomenon
Another interesting point that is made by the National Geographic special is when it points out that as our borders tighten, it has spurred local growers create "grow-ops" in homes across our country. This reduces the need for smuggling marijuana. Indoor growing technology allows growers to run their "grow-ops" anywhere and also allows the growers to create strains of marijuana with up to a 20% THC content (in the Sixties, the THC content of marijuana was around 3%).

Marc Emery and Marijuana Activist Culture
Marc Emery is known as the "Prince of Pot" and he is a leading activist for marijuana use and legalization. He makes an interesting statement that he wants to inspire people to grow more and more marijuana so that no matter how much is seized, there will always be more available.

Marc Emery takes Lisa Ling and the National Geographic Crew to a highly guarded warehouse on the property of a man named Sam Malache's that houses a grow operation. Inside this warehouse/factory there is one of the world's largest indoor marijuana growing operations. Sam is interviewed and is very passionate about his marijuana which is extremely potent at around a 18% THC content. Sam Malache also shows Lisa his butter creating operation which he uses to create medicinal pastries and cookies.

Marc Emery runs a multi story pot paraphernalia emporium in Vancouver where ther is a cafe for smoking marijuana upstairs. The "Pot.tv" marijuana television website is run downstairs. there is also a magazine based here called Cannabis Culture.

Marijuana Seeds


Emery has made millions of dollars selling marijuana seeds on the internet. He is wanted for this crime in the United States but Canada refuses to extradite him to their southern neighbor who most likely would try and imprison him for many years.

A huge industry has grown up surrounding the buying and selling of marijuana seeds. The websites that people are using to buy and sell these seeds are extremely sophisticated and provide incredible details about each strain of seed that exceed the detail you would expect to find on a website for connoisseurs of wine.

A 5000 Year old intoxicant

Marijuana has been used for 5000 years ago where it's first known use was in China. In fact, just last week researchers discovered the oldest marijuana stash ever found in a tomb in northwestern China. The dried ounces of cannabis was found buried with a 45 year old light haired, blue-eyed caucausian man who was a shaman.

The War on Marijuana and Medical Marijuana

An already overburdened United States' prison system is bursting at the seams with marijuana criminals. Many of the poeple who are in jail on marijuana charges merely were in possession of the drug which leades to a predictable backlash against the existing laws.

Marijuana is currently becoming more and more decriminalized in the United States, especially in states like California. The most interesting dynamic in the ongoing progressive decriminalization of marijuana is that conflict between certain states' Medical Marijuana laws are clashing up against Federal statutes that outlaw marijuana and classify it as a schedule 1 drug.

Schedule 1 drugs technically have no medical value. There are a lot of objections to this classification of marijuana by the federal government and any anti-marijuna legislation. The legitimacy of medical marijuana argument is fostered by doctors who like to prescribe it for cancer patieents because it increases appetite and lowers nausea.

Although it is a humane act, we found the scene of the cancer patient smoking marijuana from a bag that she used a vaporizer to fill with marijuana "gas" to be graphic and disturbing.

The United States has only one official marijuana growing operation to supply the drug to researchers. This one source for the drug has a reputation of being a low quality producer and also uncooperative with researchers who champion medical marijuana. These facts cause some researchers to look elsewhere for a more supportive environment to research the medical possibilities of marijuana.

Israel is one of the more progressive countries with regard to supporting the development of Medical Marijuana , and the Nat Geo special goes into the lab Rafael Mechulim in Jerusalem. In his lab ,Mechulim studies the effect of marijuana on various medical ailments. Mechulim dissolves the marijuana in an oil to accurately control the dosage. Mechulim points out that the United States policies create a lot of uncertainty in the dosage of medical marijuana. When people get the drug from sources like the dispensaries in the United States that do not use a standardized system of measuring and reporting potency, they can't really be sure what dosage they are taking.

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in California

There are an estimated 200,000 sanctioned medical marijuana users and the 300 dispensaries in California. Some people worry that this creates an environment that is"too permissive" to the drug's use. The Nat Geo specail takes us inside a marijuana dispensary and it looks somewhat like the footage that we've seen inside marijuana "coffee shops" in Amsterdam, but perhaps slightly more clinical and less welcoming. A mere $150 and an examination can get you a marijuana card to get you into a marijuana dispensary. The medical use laws change from county to county and town to town.

Oaksterdam, California

We next visit Oakland or "Oaksterdam" and meet Richard Lee who, with his broken back, is the "mayor of Oaksterdam." Oaksterdam was once a run down area of Oakland until Richard Lee and others opened several dispensaries in the area. Since there is no city tax on the marijuana (because of the federal law prohibiting it), the $24 million of medical marijuana that was sold in Oaksterdam was not taxed causing the city to miss out on approximately $3 million in taxes.

Richard Lee created Oaksterdam university where men and women can learn more about medical marijuana and marijuana's uses. Lawyers give lectures to potenial medical marijuana users and explain their rights. There are also classes showing the "students" how to prepare their plants, cultivate, and even cook with marijuana.

Since California first decriminalized medical marijuana in 1996, 11 other states have passed "compassionate use" laws that allow people to purchase marijuana.


The Emerald Triangle

Marijuana is the most lucrative cash crop in the United States according to National Geographic. The "Emerald Triangle" of Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity Counties is the epicenter of marijuana growth in the United States. The growers in that area have been growing marijuna there since the 1960s. There is a lot of secrecy and paranoia surrounding the marijuana cultivation because of the possibility of federal busts or "patch pirates" who will steal the crop.

The Downside of Marijuana Use

Sober Living by the Sea is intimately familiar with marijuana and its effects on our clients' lives. Of course, most of the staff is in recovery themselves, and since marijuana is by far the most commonly used illegal narcotic in the United States, virtually everyone who worked here has used the drug prior to their recovery.

We believe that marijuana is not harmless whatsoever. Marijuana is mentally addictive and can cause people to neglect the positive and uplifting aspects of their lives in favor of smoking marijuana. More importantly marijuana is a "gateway" drug to harder and more damaging substances like meth, cocaine, and heroin.

Marijuana causes anxiousness, paranoia, and uneasiness in many users. Our treatment has evolved greatly to include addressing dual diagnoses like depression, ADHD, and PTSD. The extent to which these underlying issues are now being addressed in the treatment programs we design for our clients lead us to the conclusion that marijuana is not a "harmless" substitute for any other drug whatsoever. It has been years since we've heard people claim to be succeeding on a "marijuana maintenance" program that allows them to use marijuana but abtain from another drug that is "more addictive" or "causes them more problems." This is a good sign because in our opinion "marijuana maintenance" is a fallacy.

If you or someone you love is becoming more entrenched in marijuana usage, then you or your loved one risk crossing the "invisible line" from marijuana abuse into marijuana addiction. Marijuana addiction is a very real phenomenon that we treat men and women for quite often here at our California Rehab. If you have questions or would like ot talk anonymously with a knowledgeable and non-judgemental addictions professional about marijuana or any other drug, then please call us at 866-323-5609 or fill out our confidential assessment request form .

We look forward to hearing from you and reading your comments.

Labels: dispensary, grow op, legalize marijuana, lisa ling, marijuana, medical marijuna, nat geo, national geographic