Thursday, November 05, 2009
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Jack Herer: A Man Well-Loved is Saved Again - Salem-News.Com
Jack Herer: A Man Well-Loved is Saved Again - Salem-News.Com
Jack Herer: A Man Well-Loved is Saved Again
Bonnie King Salem-News.comThe Hemperor is slowly improving, with constant TLC the best medicine.
Jack Herer is alert and communicating with family and friends. Here, he is recovering from oral thrush, and his mouth is dry and irritated. 11/09
Salem-News.com
(EUGENE, Ore.) - For over 30 years, Jack Herer has been the inexhaustible guru of the hemp movement. Many people have expressed their deep concern for Jack's well-being since his heart attack in mid-September, at an Oregon hemp festival.
Sunday night, Jack Herer was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Eugene from the rehabilitation center where he has been receiving care. His breathing became more distressed throughout the afternoon, and finally he was rushed to the Emergency Room.
He was diagnosed with bronchitis, and given antibiotics to overcome the illness. Such prevention may not have been possible just a few days ago, when a "Do Not Transport" order was in effect. Because of a recent change in Jack's care, they were able to get him appropriate treatment, which could literally have saved his life.
More good news, Jack has been responding well to Speech, Physical and Occupational therapy treatments administered at the care center where he's residing in Eugene, Oregon. He is coherent. His speech is beginning to come back. He has no IV's, no breathing tube, and though he has a feeding tube, they expect to remove it as soon as this week.
The bad news, is the breakdown within the ranks of Jack's supporters. While Jack works to heal and rehabiitate, the world outside his room is swirling with controversy.
Much has been said as of late regarding the recent change of Jack's care management, and the subject has seemingly taken on a life of its own. Jeannie Herer and others are unhappy with the new decision by the care center to acknowledge a Power of Attorney that moves authority of Jack's care to Joy Graves and Chuck Jacobs.
Avamere Riverpark is a reputable facility providing nursing care and physical rehabilitation for Jack. Nurses and rehab therapists are working closely with him and the medical staff, providing a personalized treatment program for Jack.
Jack Herer in rehab
Before the Storm
Chuck Jacobs has been Jack's right hand man for three years. As driver/assistant and friend, he worked, lived, and traveled with Jack and the team. He just returned from a European tour with hemp oil innovator Rick Simpson, standing in for Jack. Jack depended on Chuck.
Joy Graves is Jack's assistant and long time friend. Working shoulder to shoulder at the hemp festivals through the summer, she was a strong, trustworthy staple of the team.
In early summer, Jeannie and Jack went their separate ways. Not surprisingly, they are both overwrought with obligations and a packed schedule, and she hoped to inspire Jack to take it easy. She says she believed they would reunite at the end of the season. Jack had Jeannie's name taken off his lease in July. By many accounts, they were separated.
From his house, Jack worked on his new book and prepped for the festivals. Eve Lentz was a writer-in-residence for some time, editing the long-awaited mushroom book, which is still a work in progress. Jack was continuously surrounded by friends, new and old, confidants and professional partners.
According to friends, he was outspoken, as usual, and made it known that he didn't plan to leave his house to move with Jeannie, or accept the "take it easy" proposal. He left for the festivals in the NorthWest, an annual tradition for the Jack Herer team.
At noon on September 12th, 2009, the first day of the Portland HempStalk, Jack called a meeting with Chuck, Joy and a notary public. Jack had a Power of Attorney drawn up, and explained that, in addition to other issues, he had concerns about the publication of his upcoming book in case something should happen to him. It was a subject of some contention between he and Jeannie, as she's recently noted there were some "problems with the book" that he had been working on for over a decade. Chuck and Joy signed the paperwork, and got back to work.
Little did they know, the documents would gain sudden importance, and become the fuel for an underlying flame, ready to ignite.
When Jeannie heard that Jack had been hospitalized in Portland, she flew in and assumed her position as caretaker and wife. And it's been a tough road to haul. Since his heart attack, Jack has been moved 3 times, had one diabetic episode, and even suffered a fall out of bed.
There have been difficult challenges, difficult decisions, and more than not, long difficult days.
His drive to decriminalize marijuana and bring the value and benefits of the hemp plant into focus has never waned. The people that have joined him on this journey are not just a bunch of followers. They are leaders in their own right, speaking up and putting into action their belief in the future of legal cannabis use, and industrial hemp production in United States.
Chuck and Joy, along with many others, were integral in the successful organization, set up, break down, manning of the booths, travel to and fro, and overall care of Jack throughout the festival season.
Now, seven weeks later, they have taken the reigns of his care again.
DO NOT RESCUSCITATE
Joy Graves was at his bedside last week when she discovered there was a DNR order in Jack's chart. "Do Not Resuscitate", the nurse explained, means that should Jack have a heart attack, he would not receive CPR, they would not make every effort to save him. They would let him die in peace. "Do Not Transport" was also checked, which means there would be no ambulance ride to the hospital.
The order was a surprise to Joy, and a shock after all the effort to save his life. She inquired as to how it came to be, and how it could be changed. Jeannie Herer had signed the order, so it was up to her to change it. Unsatisfied with that conclusion and in an attempt to ensure Jack's ability to survive a future health emergency, she revealed that she held Jack's Power of Attorney.
The care center took some time to deliberate the ramifications of the situation, bringing in their legal team, and determined that the document was legal and binding.
The DNR order was reversed.
"For a person that was extremely displeased that it took so long for CPR to begin at the time of his heart attack, it was baffling as to why Jeannie signed a DNR," Joy Graves said.
"They wanted me to sign a DNR form," Jeannie wrote in a MySpace bulletin. "The doctor explained that if he had another heart attack, he wouldn’t be able to survive it but if I didn’t sign the paper, they would still have to pound on his chest and possibly crack his chest and also shock him. He said that when people die a natural death, endorphins are released that make them more comfortable at the end but not when you do that. So I agreed."
Sunday night, the DNR order reversal may well have saved Jack's life.
Throughout the evening, Jack's breathing became more and more distressed, and the rattle in his chest turned to a struggle for air. Medical attention clearly was in order. Because the DNR had been revoked, they were able to get Jack to the Emergency Room at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center where he was diagnosed with bronchitis.
He received x-rays, a breathing treatment, and a prescription for antibiotics. Without intervention, he would likely have developed pneumonia. He was back in his room and in good spirits Sunday evening, feeling much better.
The DNR would have made the ambulance ride to the ER impossible.
Jack's Progress Report
Last week, I was told that Jack slept most of the time, day and night. Sometimes he grumbled in his sleep. He had barely spoken, and was so tense that physical therapy seemed a moot point.
Prior to the change of care, Jack was on daily narcotics including Percocet and Oxycodone (every four hours), which have since been nearly discontinued, and are relegated to specific pain relief when necessary. Saturday night, he didn't need any drugs to sleep well through the night.
He is NOT being given any hemp oil. The care center, driven by federal guidelines, refuses to allow it.
The staff at the care center has been happily surprised at his improved response in all three therapies. So well in fact, that they are increasing it to five days a week.
According to Eve Lentz, he has been singing "You are my Sunshine". "It is hard to hear him, his voice is very light and breathy, but he's trying," she said.
He has also said a few people's names, and short sentences like "I love you", "Oh boy", "Oh man", and "Where's the baby?" referring to his godchild. Seems like rather slow progress, but then again, his mouth has really been hurting.
Jack has been recovering from oral thrush, a painful mouth infection that often affects those with a weakened immune system. This caused him to be unable to swallow easily, and it was necessary to limit his water intake, for risk of pneumonia.
Joy was corrected when she gave him water one day, and the next day another old friend was stopped from giving him a drink several times. After a brief argument, she was asked to leave by the care center, not due to an order by Joy, which has been inferred.
This week they will begin regular eating and drinking, and hopefully remove the feeding tube.
Jack has been surrounded by his loved ones. His children have been with him often, and Jeannie, now understood to be Jack's estranged wife, has been allowed in to see him though her authority has been circumvented.
Because of the negative publicity, specifically via online networking sites, the facility has allegedly received threats since the change in his caregivers, and even has fielded calls from imposters of family members and others. This could have interrupted his care, requiring him to be moved yet another time. Fortunately for Jack, that is not the case.
One More Thing
Rumors abound, most have so little merit that it insults the intelligence of the reader to be bothered with them. However, one such claim regarding alleged drug use by Jack at the festivals requires attention.
No one would disagree that a man with his health history should not consider such things, but there is no evidence to back up the charge that has become nearly viral online. There was a drug screen soon after Jack was taken to the hospital initially, and we are told that it revealed THC and nothing else.
Where Does He Go From Here?
The frustration, fear and confusion felt by so many of Jack's friends is not to be understated. This is a sensitive, emotional subject. Keeping the faith is something they take to heart, and love Jack they do. All the people involved seem to sincerely want what's best for him, and with time will likely find level ground with one another.
But what's really important here isn't all of that, it's JACK. He still has a long, climb ahead, and he's showing real progress. He's working hard.
Several groups and organizations including the THCF in Portland and Jim Matthieson of the Herbivores in Seattle have expressed their intentions to host benefits to help offset the costs of Jack's care, which is mounting.
By all accounts, Jack loves his home in California where he has lived for several years. Should Jack continue improving at the rate he is, he will be home again, watching the sunset from his porch, pondering his next adventure, in good time. Whether or not he is able to resume his previous lifestyle completely, he well may return to it.
Though his home was nearly given up for lack of finances, some quick minded friends made sure that didn't happen. Efforts have been successful in keeping Jack's house, and it waits for his homecoming.
Be it known: The Hemperor Shall Return.
******************************** 
Bonnie King has been with Salem-News.com since August '04, when she became Publisher. Bonnie has served in a number of positions in the broadcast industry; TV Production Manager at KVWB (Las Vegas WB) and Producer/Director for the TV series "Hot Wheels in Las Vegas", posts as TV Promotion Director for KYMA (NBC), and KFBT (Ind.), Asst. Marketing Director (SUPERSHOPPER MAGAZINE), Director/Co-Host (Coast Entertainment Show), Radio Promotion Director (KBCH/KCRF), and Newspapers In Education/Circulation Sales Manager (STATESMAN JOURNAL NEWSPAPER). Bonnie has a depth of understanding that reaches further than just behind the scenes, and that thoroughness is demonstrated in the perseverance to correctly present each story with the wit and wisdom necessary to compel and captivate viewers.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
JEANNIE HERER IS IN NEED OF HELP!
10/31/2009 1:15:27 AM
Jeannie Herer is in need of help…
A well known activist among all sectors of the marijuana movement, Jack Herer and his wife Jeannie have been enduring much hardship since his ‘heart attack’ on September. 12 th at Hempstalk 2009 in Portland Oregon, after the festival.
The author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, has been in an Oregon facility and his wife Jeannie Herer reported the following on the internet yesterday:
“Jack's Condition”
“This is Jack's wife, Jeannie. Jack had a heart attack in Portland, Oregon on September 12. I was in California waiting for him to come home. I flew to Portland, went to the hospital and was told that a woman named Joy Graves had come to the hospital with a Medical Power of Attorney that Jack had allegedly signed, naming her and Chuck Jacobs as the people in charge of Jack's medical care. It wasn't complete and looks like someone forged his signature. The hospital's legal team determined it was no good.
Jack is now in a skilled nursing facility in Eugene. Joy Graves has taken the paper to them and they have accepted it until their legal team decides what to do. In the meantime, I am not allowed to see Jack or even get news about his condition over the phone. Jack has already been neglected in the nursing home. He fell out of bed there and hit his head shortly after being admitted. He had lumps on his head from it and bruises on his upper eyelids.
I've had to hire an attorney to deal with this. I don't have much money but I'll do what I can. I love Jack very much and can't believe this is happening to him now, when he needs me the most.”
However, on Jack’s website today it was reported by his wife that she was allowed in to see him after Jack’s son called the facility with the request to let her in. She reports that although he is still not able to speak, he did wake up and knew that she was there. We will continue to monitor the situation as news becomes available and are asking that anyone with the financial ability to help Jeannie to please do so. There are a number of Activist’s, Entertainer’s and other predominant people out there who know Jack either as a friend or as an acquaintance that may be able to help. The information needed to do so is listed below:
Here is the address to send checks cash or money orders to
Jeannie Herer
P.O. Box 41539,
Eugene, Oregon 97404.
Many thanks in advance from the member of the U.S. Marijuana Party and it’s subsidiary’s.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
States Pressed Into New Role on Medical Marijuana - NYTimes.com
States Pressed Into New Role on Medical Marijuana - NYTimes.com
States Pressed Into New Role on Medical Marijuana
Dana Romanoff for The New York Times
Stephen Pfankuch, left, with Max Eisler, an employee at In Harmony Wellness, a medical marijuana dispensary in Windsor, Colo.
By KIRK JOHNSON
Published: October 25, 2009
GREELEY, Colo. — Health and law enforcement officials around the nation are scrambling to figure out how to regulate medical marijuana now that the federal government has decided it will no longer prosecute legal users or providers.
Related
The Lede: Suddenly, What Ails Them Is What Medical Marijuana Is Good For
Times Topics: Marijuana and Medical Marijuana
A New Course on Medical Marijuana?
How the new federal guidelines might affect state law enforcement.
Dana Romanoff for The New York Times
Mayor Ed Clark supported a ban on marijuana dispensaries in Greeley, Colo., which the City Council passed last week.
Dana Romanoff for The New York Times
Medical marijuana is legal in Colorado, as cards in a Garden City dispensary explain, but some cities ban distribution.
For years, since the first medical marijuana laws were passed in the mid-1990s, many local and state governments could be confident, if not complacent, knowing that marijuana would be kept in check because it remained illegal under federal law, and that hard-nosed federal prosecutors were not about to forget it.
But with the Justice Department’s announcement last week that it would not prosecute people who use marijuana for medical purposes in states where it is legal, local and state officials say they will now have to take on the job themselves.
In New Hampshire, for instance, where some state legislators are considering a medical marijuana law, there is concern that the state health department — already battered by budget cuts — could be hard-pressed to administer the system. In California, where there has been an explosion of medical marijuana suppliers, the authorities in Los Angeles and other jurisdictions are considering a requirement that all medical dispensaries operate as nonprofit organizations.
“The federal government says they’re not going to control it, so the only other option we have is to control it ourselves,” said Carrol Martin, a City Council member in this community north of Denver, where a ban on marijuana dispensaries was on the agenda at a Council meeting the day after the federal announcement.
At least five states, including New York and New Jersey, are considering laws to allow medical marijuana through legislation or voter referendums, in addition to the 13 states where such laws already exist. Even while that is happening, scores of local governments in California, Colorado and other states have gone the other way and imposed bans or moratoriums on distribution even though state law allows it.
Some health and legal experts say the Justice Department’s decision will promote the spread of marijuana for medical uses because local and state officials often take leadership cues from federal policy. That, the experts said, could lead to more liberal rules in states that already have medical marijuana and to more voters and legislators in other states becoming comfortable with the idea of allowing it. For elected officials who have feared looking soft on crime by backing any sort of legalized marijuana use, the new policy might provide support to reframe the issue.
“The fact that the feds are backing off is going to allow changes that are going to make it more accessible,” said Bill Morrisette, a state senator in Oregon and chairman of a committee that oversees the state’s medical marijuana law. Mr. Morrisette said he expected a flurry of proposals in the Legislature, including a plan already floated to have the state grow the marijuana crop itself, perhaps on the grounds of the State Penitentiary in Salem.
“It would be very secure,” he said.
Here in Greeley, anxiety and enthusiasm were on display as the City Council considered a ban on dispensaries.
Most of those who testified at the hearing, including several dispensary operators, opposed the ban and spoke of marijuana’s therapeutic benefits and the taxes that dispensary owners were willing to pour into Greeley’s budget, which has been battered by the recession.
But on the seven-member Council, the question was control. Mr. Martin, for example, said that he hated to see the spread of marijuana, but that the barricades had fallen. Still, he said he opposed a local ban on dispensaries.
“If we have no regulations at all, then we can’t control it, and our police officers have their hands tied,” Mr. Martin said.
Mayor Ed Clark, a former police officer, took the opposite tack in supporting the ban, which passed on a 6-to-1 vote.
“I think we do regulate them, by not allowing dispensaries,” Mr. Clark said.
The backdrop to the debate here in Colorado is a sharp expansion in marijuana dispensaries and patients, fueled in part by the State Board of Health decision in July not to impose limits on the number of patients handled by each marijuana provider.
The state attorney general, John W. Suthers, said the federal government’s retreat, combined with the growth in demand, had created a legal vacuum.
“The federal Department of Justice is saying it will only go after you if you’re in violation of state law,” Mr. Suthers said. “But in Colorado it’s not clear what state law is.”
In New Hampshire, by contrast, where the state legislature is scheduled to meet this week to consider overriding the governor’s veto and passing a medical marijuana law, government downsizing has colored the debate.
The state agency that would be responsible for licensing marijuana dispensaries has been battered by budget cuts, said Senator Sylvia B. Larsen, the president of the New Hampshire Senate and a Democrat. Concerns about the department, Ms. Larsen said, have made it harder to find two more votes in the Senate to reach a two-thirds majority that is needed to override a veto by Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat.
An even odder situation is unfolding in Maine, which already allows medical marijuana and where residents will vote next month on a measure that would create a new system of distribution and licensing.
The marijuana proposal, several political experts said, has been overshadowed by another fight on the ballot that would overturn a state law and ban same-sex marriage.
The added wrinkle is that opponents of same-sex marriage, said Christian Potholm, a professor of government at Bowdoin College, have heavily recruited young, socially conservative voters, who by and large tend to not be concerned about medical marijuana expansion.
“The 18- to 25-year-old vote is going to be overrepresented because of the gay marriage situation, so overrepresented in favor of medical marijuana,” Professor Potholm said.
Some legal scholars said the federal government, by deciding not to enforce its own laws (possession and the sale of marijuana remain federal crimes), has introduced an unpredictable variable into the drug regulation system.
“The next step would be a particular state deciding to legalize marijuana entirely,” said Peter J. Cohen, a doctor and a lawyer who teaches public health law at Georgetown University. If federal prosecutors kept their distance even then, Dr. Cohen said, legalized marijuana would become a de facto reality.
Senator Morrisette in Oregon said he thought that exact situation — a state moving toward legalization, perhaps California — could play out much sooner now than might have been imagined even a few weeks ago. And the continuing recession would only help, he said, with advocates for legalization able to promise relief to an overburdened prison system and injection of tax revenues to the state budget
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Daily Kos: State of the Nation
Daily Kos: State of the Nation
Gallup: Record support for marijuana legalization
by Jed Lewison
Share this on Twitter - Gallup: Record support for marijuana legalization
Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 07:40:03 AM PDT
Gallup (h/t Law Enforcement Against Prohibition):
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's October Crime poll finds 44% of Americans in favor of making marijuana legal and 54% opposed. U.S. public support for legalizing marijuana was fixed in the 25% range from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, but acceptance jumped to 31% in 2000 and has continued to grow throughout this decade.
As you can see in this chart, support for marijuana legalization has never been stronger:
From From Gallup.com
In the poll, most liberals (78%) and Democrats (54%) supported legalization, while moderates (46%) and independents (49%) were evenly split. Only conservatives (27%) and Republicans (28%) strongly opposed legalization.
The most important demographic breakdown was by age. 50% of 18-49 year olds supported legalization, compared to just 28% of those 65 and older.
The reason why those numbers are so important is straightforward: assuming today's 18-49 year olds maintain more or less the same attitude towards legalization 10 or 15 years from now, these numbers strongly suggest that marijuana legalization is no longer a question of if -- rather, it is now a question of when.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Festivities mark Daniel Boone's 275th birthday - Latest News - Kentucky.com
A Little Kentucky History…
Festivities mark Daniel Boone's 275th birthday - Latest News - Kentucky.com
Friday, October 09, 2009
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
ShereeKrider - Blog - City-Data Forum
***On July 4th, Atty. Gatewood Galbraith and Dea Riley announced their intent to run for the Governorship of KENTUCKY.
Once more we have the chance to elect a educated, caring, and motivated citizen who has lived here all of his life and fought continuously for the rights of the people of Kentucky.
He said that this would be his last "run" because he will be retiring from politics after this election if he does not win the vote. He also said we need 400,000 votes to indeed win this election.
His no-nonsense approach to leading the state includes REAL reform of Education,(" Our C and D students deserve the opportunity be trained into employability also"), Health Care, Environment, ("we must insist on reclaiming the land for future use and restoring the hills and streams to their natural state"), and putting the vote to the people as far as the "Casino" issue is concerned.
This man has earned the right to run for the Governor's office. He has worked long and hard for over 20 years on all the issues which affect Kentuckians. He is a very intelligent, motivated and educated man who I believe, given the chance, can restore this state to its own natural beauty both literally and figuratively.
In my lifetime I have yet to see one politician in Kentucky that, in my opinion was not corrupted.
The Cancer rates in Kentucky can be gauged by the zip code that you live in. The corruption and mismanagement of taxes and Federal funding is outrageous. The healthcare makes you sick, literally.
We live in a state full of Coal Ash Ponds which are causing increased illnesses.
The violent crime and dangerous drugs such as Meth and Crack Cocaine are rampant. Yet we continue to keep Cannabis/Hemp illegal.
I will be voting for Gatewood in the election.
I encourage everyone to view http://www.GATEWOOD.com and decide for yourself who will give this state its best chance at survival.
Incidentally, Gov. Brashear and Mayor Jerry Abramson of Louisville announced THEIR run for the Governor's office this week. It was all over the news yet I have yet to see a media announcement on the news (on any channel) that is reporting Galbraith and Riley’s campaign. I wonder why that is?
Wow. Do we really have a choice here? What have either one of them done for this state's middle class citizens. Not to mention the ones of us who are now unemployed, underemployed, uninsured, and unappreciated!
PLEASE VIEW THE LETTER OF INTENT LOCATED AT GATEWOOD.COM AND CAN BE VIEWED VIA THIS LINK.
http://www.gatewood.com/site/images/letter_of_intent.jpg
ShereeKrider - Blog - City-Data Forum
http://www.city-data.com/blogs/blog9913-smkrider-my-opinion.html
***THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY POSTED TO THE LOUISVILLE CITY-DATA-FORUM AND WAS DELETED! CENSORSHIP IS PREVAILENT IN LOUISVILLE!
America's Most Medicated States - Page 1 - MSN Health & Fitness - Medications
We also appear in Forbes!
America's Most Medicated States
America's Most Medicated States - Page 1 - MSN Health & Fitness - Medications
10 States That Rank Lowest on a Brain Health Index - MSN Health & Fitness - Nutrition
How about that! We are in U.S. News!
10 States That Rank Lowest on a Brain Health Index - MSN Health & Fitness – Nutrition
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
"Coal Country" Premier at the Kentucky Theatre 7:30pm Wedneday
Coal Countryto premiere at Kentucky Theatre
Herald-Leader Staff Report Coal Country is coming to Lexington's Kentucky Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The film, by Mari-Lynn Evans and Phylis Geller, will have its state premiere in a fund-raiser for the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club.
A press release for the film says it "tells the story of the dramatic struggle" in Appalachian communities over mountaintop removal mining, and whether it is providing essential jobs or destroying land, water and air.
Dea Riley, a political consultant who is doing publicity for the film, said her environmentalist friends have told her the film doesn't go far enough, and her pro-coal friends have said it is biased against them.
There will be pre-showing entertainment by singer/songwriters Kathy Mattea and Jean Ritchie, and a discussion afterward led by author Silas House, artist Jeff Chapman Crane and others.
Tickets are $25. There also is a pre-movie dinner reception at Natasha's Restaurant with Mattea and Ritchie. Tickets to that, which include reserve seating at the Kentucky, are $125.
For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit: www.kentucky.sierraclub.org/coalcountry.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
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