Thanks for picking up The Concentrate Issue of the Leaf!
The greatest country in the world turns 250 this month, so we celebrate with a juicy dab that sends fireworks of THC to dazzle the brain. America is the only truly free nation on this planet, and I’m thankful to live in incredible times of physical, mental and spiritual freedom that are unprecedented in human history.
We live in the safest period of human history, in the only system of governance where freedom of speech, religion and constitutional rights are sacrosanct and enshrined in law. These are noble and pure causes that our ancestors sacrificed for.
America fought a War of Independence and a Civil War for rights and freedom for all. But the only wars I saw as a young man were for oil and power. These conflicts did not inspire me to join the fight until I was dragged into the last remaining fight, one worthy of struggle, and perhaps the most unjust conflict of all: the war on drugs.
When I first started smoking, the smell alone could lead to a jail cell. Possession of a plant was a prison sentence. Today, we float into a Cannabis retailer and choose our favorite flavor of resin or rosin in a ready-to-go pen form, tasting the best earthy Lemon Kush or the bluest raspberry cotton candy the flavor scientists can concoct.
This is proof of freedom, of evolution, of change. This is what makes America the greatest country on Earth.
Not because it’s perfect, but that we strive to be. Our Founding Fathers understood the mission, enshrined our Bill of Rights and established a document to create a constitutional republic. Through representative lawmakers, our country has the ability to adapt to changing times and the will of the people. There is no better modern example of this evolution than the freedom to hit a Dr. Dabber Switch² loaded with rosin from a legal Cannabis farm.
Despite this progress, the war on drugs isn’t over. Our country, world and species are imperfect. God gave us free will, and we exercise it, for good and bad. But in these times of uncertainty, there is hope! As the Bible says, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
America must adhere to the true meaning of the pursuit of happiness and finish the shift from a war on personal liberty to a celebration of freedom. Freedom to speak, pray, gather and consume the plants and medicines that were designed for our mental and spiritual evolution. The final fight is for self-control, the last right to be established in this grand experiment.
That’s a fight worth fighting. And our country — which is trying to be better, to adapt and to lead the world into freedom — is worth celebrating. Happy 250th birthday, America!
