The GREEN RUSH - Part Deux

Fairly early on in my blogging career (last year) I wrote about the continued focus on the push to legalize marijuana in the State of CA. Since my first post I have read countless local articles that have covered this currently hot and seemingly divisive topic. It is now starting to get some serious national coverage as well, as evidenced by this front page article from CNN.

CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA TOURISM

(Damn! Nice looking buds.)

Come this November all of us Californians will vote on whether or not "da weed" (some ah dem call it) should be legalized for medical and recreational purposes. They say that polls are showing that 56% of us Californians would favor legalization. I can tell you right now that if there ever was a time to pitch not only the medicinal benefits of "ganja", but the financial too, now is the time. A state wracked in debt, local governments taxed starved, recession, unemployment at 12%, teacher lay-offs, critical curricula cut and schools facing the ugly possibility of 4 day school weeks... time for the ole "cacker" to save the day. Two words:

REGULATE & TAX

Who knows what CA has to win with this arrangement but the estimations on tax income are showing favorable signs. The losers in this whole deal... unfortunately the small towns in Northern CA that have subsisted for years and years on the cultivation of marijuana. A non-existent lumber industry and failing or shrinking fishing industry, marijauna has been the last stand for many behind the "Redwood Curtain". As the CNN article states perhaps SONOMA, MENDOCINO, HUMBOLDT and DEL NORTE counties will become the Napa Valley of the "kush". Once legalized, a flood in the market (that already exists) will drive down the price of marijuana considerably. Already a pound of "boo" has dropped to roughly $2500, down from a high of $5000 years ago.

An interesting photo slideshow HARVEST TIME ACTIVITIES courtesy of GOOD.

California State Flag Redesign

OK so I'm not what you'd call a political activist. However, I must say that the headlines these days sure are focused on CA's 4 BILLION budget shortfall and I'm not just talking local headlines, national as well. An expose from the Newshour w/Jim Lerher:

California Grapples with Cuts to Safety Net Programs (Republicans should just skip this link)

With all the chaos and confusion of where CA is headed, and as a graphic designer by trade (currently employed too, thankfully) I was inspired to redesign our State's flag to bring it up to date to match today's headlines. With so many topics and issues I could not capture it with just one design. So I'll be posting a couple batches for your review, would like to hear which design you think has the most potential. 

DISCLAIMER: These designs are in no way to communicate any disloyalty or disrespect to the State of CA. I love my home State, the Golden State, and will work hard to do my part to dig us out of this debacle. Now if we could only get our politicians to help out too!

DESIGN #1:

CA - Going Nowhere Quickly

DESIGN #2:

CA - We laid-off the Bear, the Gopher was cheaper

DESIGN #3:

CA - The price of education cuts 5 years from now

DESIGN #4:

CA - Furlough Fridays

DESIGN #5:

CA - For Sale! Cheap rates.

DESIGN #6:

CA - TAXES! Besides, it's not that dangerous. Right?

Eureka! The GREEN RUSH is on!

So I'm speculating that some day I might look back at my life and say to myself, "you damn fool why on Earth did you not grow weed (marijauna, cacker, green buds, da' kush, buddha, ganga) when you had the chance to make a fortune?". Well of course being the law abiding parent and citizen of this great state of CA, the risk is not worth it. 

Not so for everyone in this City or even this neighborhood I choose to raise my daughter in. You heard it here first the Sunset District can now be referred to as Sunsetsterdam! There have been several articles recently on the growing number of busts on "grow houses" within this neighborhood. Just today an article in the San Francisco "Chronic"le caught my attention and focused on this very subject:

Pot Growers settle into the Sunset District

Tough one to call. Having spent five years of my life in Humboldt County as a student at Humboldt State University (Art Major / Speech Comm Minor / '94) I have learned to live around and respect those who choose to indulge in the ever so fragrant weed known as Mary Jane. But then again, not sure if I need my daughter walking past a "grow house" run by individuals not necessarily "our neighbors".

One thing is certain though, people are currently making a FORTUNE and those who wish to get in on the GREEN RUSH better hurry up before our local governments start to legalize it, tax the hell out of it and drive the selling price down significantly. This will be very interesting to watch as it unfolds and I'll just be watching from the sidelines.

If you by chance have never run into marijauna before and are curious as to what it looks like and the culture surrounding it I suggest that you go to High Times, a leading periodical on the subject.