Bergstrom, Jay 1/1/1997 - 31/12/2024
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1 CN NF: PUB LTE: Make Mine Legal, PleaseSat, 03 Sep 2016
Source:Telegram, The (CN NF) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:Newfoundland Lines:33 Added:09/04/2016

I'm writing regarding your editorial "Weeded out," Aug. 30.

I smoked many a reefer in the alley next to the Backward Clock on Water Street. Procured from and shared with friends. Prohibition invokes the most cruel capitalism, the iron hand of prohibition. The harder the prohibition, the harder the drugs. Sellers of low-quality product will get less market share.

I grew some great crops here in northern California, and have tossed many pounds into the stove due to mould caused by my ineptitude - very educational, that. While I am a big fan of the social joint in the alley, many other consumers are ill, immune-system compromised. If I made someone sicker with my mouldy weed, where would that put me in the line at the Pearly Gates?

In closing, my heart's desire would be a grey sunset on Signal Hill, light wind, and a fat, legal, reefer.

Jay Bergstrom Forest Ranch, Calif.

[end]

2 US CA: PUB LTE: News Tip? Letter? Money!Wed, 03 Aug 2016
Source:Anderson Valley Advertiser (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:87 Added:08/04/2016

Editor,

Somehow I just feel that this should be printed in an American newspaper - the Philippine Star on July 27 reporting on the continuing drug war bloodbath:

MANILA, Philippines - The United States has vowed to provide the Philippines $32 million to support the Duterte administration's intensified law enforcement efforts.

Washington's support for law enforcement activities was one of the topics discussed by President Rodrigo Duterte and visiting US State Secretary John Kerry during their meeting Wednesday in Malacanan.

"The US committed $32 million in training and services," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing. ... Abella confirmed that Duterte had also briefed Kerry about his crackdown on drugs and crimes.

[continues 421 words]

3 US CA: PUB LTE: Nation's Opioid Epidemic Caused by DrugFri, 29 Jul 2016
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:25 Added:07/29/2016

It is not an opiate problem. Neither is it a cannabis, meth, tobacco, alcohol, nor addiction problem. It is a prohibition problem. We slog ahead, making steady progress on tobacco, milder progress on alcohol. Progress is possible because these substances are not treated as criminal. Imagine the attendance at AA meetings if alcohol were criminal. Legalize it all. Provide truthful education and treatment on demand. It would be far less expensive in both dollars and blood. The drug prohibition is a hangover from our racist past and should be cast off for its immoral roots and proven futility.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

4 US CA: PUB LTE: More On WeedThu, 02 Jun 2016
Source:Chico News & Review, The (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:38 Added:06/03/2016

Is not the purpose of having a government but to resolve problems that arise among the people? Good governance helps to resolve social issues that if left alone fester and erupt into angry wounds. Twenty years after the passage of California's Compassionate Use Act, finally, some regulation of cannabis comes.

Since the day of Proposition 215's passage, opposition to any form of regulation has been provided by California's law industry. Immediately upon its passage by the sovereigns, the all-zones meeting occurred. All of the busters (all of the chiefs of city police, county sheriffs, district attorneys and federal folks) met and agreed to fight any battle in order to stop any statewide regulation, and to basically ignore the new law-leaving defendants to the courts. Divide and conquer has worked well. I rest assured that our law industry will continue in its efforts forward.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."-Upton Sinclair

All I want is swinging-door cannabis cafes in Chico. I enjoy cannabis, and I'm a good person.

Jay Bergstrom

Forest Ranch

[end]

5 US CA: PUB LTE: Why Is Growing Plants Not ConsideredSun, 13 Mar 2016
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:26 Added:03/13/2016

With regard to cannabis, we are failing the test of self-governance when century-old racist and xenophobic views hold sway. Nuisance is the new code word for this despised group. I'm feeling elated about my promotion from drug criminal to mere nuisance.

For our great leaders to define cannabis cultivation as a non-agricultural activity stretches my Orwellian power of doublethink. The divorce of plants from agriculture is sadly observed.

Yet, I still look forward to swinging-door cannabis cafes in Chico.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

6 US CA: PUB LTE: Pot Issue Complicated, So Nothing ChangesWed, 04 Nov 2015
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:33 Added:11/08/2015

Regarding Sunday's editorial, "Keep refining county's marijuana growing laws": The Enterprise's opinions on marijuana should be administered with several milligrams of salt. Their opinion that cocaine is "illegal, period" is incorrect.

Cocaine is not illegal. It is a legal, regulated, schedule II substance. It has medical utility, I believe that I once had it for sinus surgery. It is also kinda fun - but due to our drug war policies, recreational cocaine is soaked in blood.

The editorial board states that cannabis regulation is "complicated." It is. Like slavery, prohibition and other disastrous public policies gone before, the road to reform is intentionally complicated. Defenders of the status quo will not acknowledge the need for change, nor will they acknowledge their error. In the face of evidence contrary to their politics, they retreat to confusion. Such it has been since the passage of Proposition 215, decades ago.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

7 US CA: PUB LTE: End The Pot ProhibitionThu, 08 Oct 2015
Source:Chico News & Review, The (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:29 Added:10/08/2015

I greatly grate under the fact that cannabis is considered a nuisance in Butte County. There is no more reason to persecute cannabis consumers than there was to burn witches, gas Jews or lynch blacks. The foundations of this drug war are set in the quicksand of racism and xenophobia-not the sturdiest of footings. This drug war doesn't fight crime; it fuels it by making flowers into gold.

It is doublethink beyond Orwellian to hold the concepts of cannabis prohibition and legal alcohol in one's head at the same time, and have it make sense. Americans have been doing this for many decades now. It is time to end the prohibition. It will help the national psyche by allowing us to live with one less lie.

Jay Bergstrom

Forest Ranch

[end]

8 US CA: PUB LTE: Cannabis Consumers Had a Friend in Jimmy CarterWed, 26 Aug 2015
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:27 Added:08/26/2015

It seems to this citizen that Jimmy always kept his (and our) affairs in order, so his doctors telling him to do so now will be no additional burden.

I wish to thank Jimmy, on behalf of the cannabis-consuming community. He gave as hard a shove as was possible in his White House - to end our persecution.

I'm hoping that he kept Willie Nelson's number. For his palliative care, it may be time to join us.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

9 US CA: PUB LTE: In Defense Of PotThu, 23 Jul 2015
Source:Sacramento News & Review (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:29 Added:07/24/2015

Re "Pot and pregnancy" (SN&R Editorial, July 16):

Regarding the use of cannabis by pregnant mothers: There is research on this topic. It just fails to show any harm, so more research is required to find the elusive harm proclaimed by the prohibitionists.

I would direct those with questions to the "Five-year follow-up of rural Jamaican children whose mothers used marijuana during pregnancy," available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1957518. The children of cannabis-using mothers apparently did better than the others. What about the children!

Jay Bergstrom

via email

[end]

10 US CA: PUB LTE: We've Lost the War on Drugs, Even in OurWed, 24 Jun 2015
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:31 Added:06/24/2015

Another week in Butte county, another butane hash oil operation captured. Statewide - shocked, shocked I am to learn this week that our state's prison system is awash in drugs. After spending 40 years and a trillion dollars creating the largest gulag in history, it would appear that perhaps we are doing something wrong with respect to intoxicants.

Of course, "American exceptionalism" will prevent us from even looking at the results of other approaches to this problem. Portugal and Switzerland provide examples that are studiously ignored by our leaders, as they toe the line that retains their seat on the drug war gravy train.

I greatly enjoy cannabis, and I am a good person. Perhaps it is the cannabis addling me, but I vote every time.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

11 US AK: PUB LTE: Allow Places For Social Use Of CannabisTue, 09 Jun 2015
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:Alaska Lines:31 Added:06/10/2015

I think that Anchorage Assembly Chair Dick Traini has a good idea but it needs some follow-through. Treat cannabis as tightly as tobacco, yet as loosely as alcohol. That means places for social use need to be tolerated. Responsible tavern keepers want to provide what their customers want, and to discourage what their neighbors don't want. The same as any other business, cannabis cafes will succeed or fail on how they perform. But they must be allowed to perform, as a necessary shove to push prohibition into the past and regulation into the present.

I miss the North. The grinning children beneath the northern lights in Barrow will never leave me. Please be careful with that Chukchi oil. A spill in Santa Barbara has wounded my heart.

- - Jay Bergstrom

Forest Ranch, Calif.

[end]

12 US CA: PUB LTE: Marijuana Prohibition Hasn't Made It DisappearThu, 21 May 2015
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:44 Added:05/22/2015

Proposition A upheld, slam dunk, weed is gone!

Why is this substance illegal? It has nothing to do with promoting the general welfare, but instead the federal government's intent is to subjugate minorities.

The drug war is nothing more than a jobs salvation/creation program necessitated by the end of alcohol prohibition. All those prohibition agents needed work. The drug prohibition gained a life of its own and is now a crowded gravy train.

While the promoters of prohibition proudly carry their tired flag and cross, the truth has become clear to all but those who will not see - that once again, our government has promulgated a big fib.

[continues 109 words]

13 US CA: PUB LTE: Dope Dealers Are Happy With Keeping Pot IllegalWed, 18 Feb 2015
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:22 Added:02/18/2015

My weed man, Dealer McDope, is very happy with progress here in Butte County. The more illegal his product is, the more money he can make from it. He reports that he could not support his hobbies if he had to deal in the San Francisco area, and statewide legalization has him terrified. He might have to learn algebra and get a job. Hats off to our governance for handling this so well.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

14 UK: PUB LTE: Bring In Box For Used SharpsWed, 11 Feb 2015
Source:Argus, The (UK) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:United Kingdom Lines:23 Added:02/14/2015

Concerning the high-rise residents at Warwick Mount (The Argus, February 7).

Has Warwick Mount no lost and found box? A box could be placed discreetly with a sharps disposal box in a corner with no cameras.

Think health, people. Of course people are using drugs. Don't make it more dangerous for all, make it safer.

Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch, California

[end]

15 US CA: PUB LTE: No More Illegal Marijuana, No More LabsSat, 10 Jan 2015
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:27 Added:01/12/2015

Another week, another honey oil "lab" explosion.

If we were all 100 years old, we would remember the exploding stills during our experiment with prohibited alcohol. They went away, but not as a result of vigorous enforcement of the prohibition. They went away because it became legal to get alcohol at a store, produced and distributed by a regulated industry.

We still have problems with alcohol, but turf wars, exploding stills, and drunk waterfowl are not amongst them. If repealing prohibition reduced problems with alcohol, it just might do the trick for cannabis.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

16 US WY: PUB LTE: Cannabis Could Be Big Business For TribesWed, 24 Dec 2014
Source:Casper Star-Tribune (WY) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:Wyoming Lines:33 Added:12/24/2014

Editor:

Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes could put to good use a large harvest basket of revenue.

I am sure that there are respected tribe members that smoke cannabis.

They just have to be careful not to be captured or exposed.

If the elders can be persuaded to see the wisdom in embracing this newly proffered liberty, the tribes can prosper on the capitalist playfield. It is a lot easier to educate your people on any harms of cannabis than to prohibit it.

As there is nowhere in Wyoming where one may possess or use cannabis, one idea worth consideration would be the creation of a cannabis lodge/spa. Open to adults with ID, offering cannabis, garden tours, food, lodging and camping.

JAY BERGSTROM, Forest Ranch, California

[end]

17 US CA: PUB LTE: Just Legalize Marijuana and Get It Over WithSun, 19 Oct 2014
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:36 Added:10/20/2014

Anything that helps move the ball down the field toward the goal of total re-legalization of cannabis will have my vote - and in this case that means voting no on A and yes on B.

As our previous experiences with drunk waterfowl and exploding stills clearly taught, our ills will not depart until cannabis prohibition is six feet under, with a stake through its heart and maybe a couple of silver bullets for insurance.

The price supports for cannabis provided by the prohibition will disappear. It will be only as profitable to grow as say almonds, rice, grapes or walnuts. A bit of regulation would help as well.

[continues 89 words]

18 US CA: PUB LTE: All Together NowTue, 22 Jul 2014
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:29 Added:07/23/2014

Your editorial ("Free medicinal pot - only in Berkeley," July 20) makes the assertion: "Reality check II: Regular pot can take a toll on motivation, judgment and attention to detail." That point should be rebutted by the likes of Michael Phelps, Steve Jobs, Barack Obama and Carl Sagan. I've done OK with a lifetime of cannabis use, starting five decades ago.

My hopes are that the "cannabis community" can coalesce on one vehicle for legalization. They are a fractious bunch - medical, recreational, industrial ... "My weed, not yours."

If we all pull on the same hemp rope, we can drag it across the line.

Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch, Butte County

[end]

19 US CA: PUB LTE: Legalization Will Cure Matters, Just LikeFri, 28 Mar 2014
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:32 Added:03/28/2014

Alcohol prohibition's historical complaints included: exploding stills, drunk waterfowl, children showing up to school drunk, drive-by shootings, and general disrespect for law. These issues largely resolved with the end of prohibition. Ask a centenarian if they think things got worse after legalization.

The present prohibition's complaints include: stinky gardens, degraded environment, children using adult substances, black-market thuggery, and general disrespect for law.

If our past is any guide to our future, these issues will resolve with legalization and regulation. If our governance is more just, more citizens will happily consent to being governed.

Legalization is the only way out of this box canyon that we've been stampeded into.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

20 US CO: PUB LTE: Low Cannabis TaxSun, 16 Mar 2014
Source:Denver Post (CO) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:Colorado Lines:26 Added:03/16/2014

Re: "Colorado sales tax on retail marijuana still below estimate," March 11 news story.

If Colorado's tax revenue from cannabis is too low, the solution is obvious: Cut the tax rates. The increased sales will cover the desired taxes. Reagan approves, I am assured. Also, remove the limits on non-resident purchasers.

Jay Bergstrom

Forest Ranch, Calif.

[end]


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