Activism Feature

EDITORIAL: Break the System

Andrew Brown
Editor

There is a lot happening in the world right now—life altering for all organisms on the planet type things happening—and here we are still fighting for the basic freedom to use and/or grow a plant. I feel like the people holding allAndrewsbrownavatar the political power have just been so soaked with corporate and capitalistic influence that they have numbed into a bunch of greedy yahoos unable to empathize with humanity, and come across like the oil-tycoon wearing the cowboy hat in the Simpsons.

Most voters keep hoping that a new leader will emerge and make change for the betterment of humanity (think back when Obama was first elected), but the reality is that the type of people who seek positions of power are a different cut of meat from the social bovine. Our system attracts the people we get to choose from to lead our country, and perhaps it’s a different system we need to attract a different breed of animal. Think of any volunteer work you have done. People volunteer because they are passionate about something and want to make a difference and help. Imagine if that was why people entered politics—though likely many do, but it seems many fall victim to persuasive corporate whispers and back rubs. History is repeating itself, but rather than the Catholic Church being intertwined with the State, it is big business, and it needs to be cut free of the State. Perhaps Stephen Harper should implement crime bills with mandatory minimum sentences that target politicians who abuse their position for personal gain—with aggravating factors.

I mentioned in the Sensible BC article I wrote for this issue that I met a man who signed the petition while saying he is dead set against smoking cannabis, but is signing because we have bigger things to worry about right now. He is right. I’m tired of talking about it and would rather focus my energy on other issues, the majority of the general public is tired of the issue and would like to see cannabis legalized, but we are stuck with governments too intertwined with big business to make change. We need Sensible BC to succeed so that the public can have a renewed vigour and believe that the will of the people will be the law of the land, and spark the public voice on other initiatives.

I get ill thinking about how desensitized society has become to allow the rule of madness and the disease of greed to infect rationality.

Andrew Brown
Andrew Brown is the editor of the Cannabis Digest.

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