Interview with Ed Rosenthal
UPDATE: June 5, 2003 – Ed is FREE! Ed Rosenthal was sentenced yesterday to ONE DAY in prison and was released on time served already. He was also fined $1300. This is a HUGE victory for Ed and pot smokers & growers & medical marijuana users everywhere!
Please note: On Jan. 31, 2003, Ed was convicted of marijuana cultivation despite the fact that he was granted permission by the City of Oakland to do just that (a fact that was witheld from the jury). Read more about Ed’s Trial Interview with Ed Rosenthal This is the first in a series of interviews with fascinating people who live in or frequently visit Amsterdam and Holland. SS: Ed, how long have you been studying and writing about growing marijuana? SS: How has the science of growing advanced over the years? What are the hot new technologies and where are they being tested and employed? SS: Do you favor legalization or decriminalization? SS: Have you ever felt persecuted for your marijuana advocacy? SS: Do you believe that pot is stronger now than before (more THC content), or is it just that we’re more selective about what we are willing to smoke? SS: Is smoking the more concentrated forms of cannabis like hashish healthier? SS: Vaporizers are cleaner, but I feel there’s something missing when you use a vaporizer. Note: Vaporizers are supposed to heat cannabis only until the point at which the THC vaporizes, without burning the plant itself. This is supposed to be healthier with far less tars and other toxic gases being released. Ed is impressed with a new method of water extraction that yields more hash than just bubble bags alone. Ed and I had recently visited Mila Jansen, the inventor of the Pollinator, a machine resembling a tumble dryer that knocks the THC off the plant and onto a screen for producing hashish. She demonstrated a new technique using an old style Dutch washing machine, the kind with a top lid that opens onto a rotating steel drum with another door inside. She explained her technique which is similar to using just bubble bags, but once she’s done adding water and ice, she just sets it to program B. That’s it. Just push a button on the washer and eventually you have Ice-o-Lator hashish! And very pure I might add. Mila says this yields 30% more product than the bubble bags. SS: I love this bubble (Ice-o-Lator) hash. (I’m waving the bag in front of Ed). I’m a hash connoseiur from way back! We chuckle as we each picture the lonely Maytag repair man getting stoned on Ice-o-Lator hash waiting for the phone to ring…. SS: They’re gonna have to put a new setting on the machine. SS: Do you think this is now the most potent hash available? SS: In the states, an extract like this, legally it’s not considered the same as marijuana anymore. It comes under much heavier penalties. SS: Do your kids smoke? SS: So do you recommend that parents get involved with cannabis to ensure that their kids go to Ivy league schools? (more laughter). SS: Do you find the pot industry to be dominated by men? SS: If you could have it your way, how would you integrate marijuana with an enlightened society? Ed is very active in seeking to raise awareness of the medical uses of cannabis. I asked Ed about the case now before the Supreme Court, that pits the Oakland Cannabis Club against the U.S. government. Ed was there for the presentation of the oral arguments by the lawyers for the club and the government. The main issue being considered is whether a Club can distribute marijuana based upon medical necessity despite it being against federal law. If the court rules in favor of the Club, or allows the appeals court decision (in favor) to stand, it could remove the primary obstacle against medical marijuana in the U.S., the federal law which states that marijuana is not a medicine. Note: This case has now been decided against the Oakland Cannabis Club, but the ruling was narrowly applied to growing and distributing, as not being justified by medical necessity (this doesn’t apply to possessing and using). So while it didn’t provide the breakthrough many were hoping, it still has had virtually no effect on the situation in California. According to Ed, there are now 35 medical marijuana clubs or more in the Bay area. Referring to the California situation, Ed says The state is between a rock and a hard place. It must try to enforce an unenforcible law (prop. 215), which is very unpopular. A couple of jury trials going for the defendent could crash those walls down. When asked about the European scene, Ed sees Switzerland’s relatively lax laws on growing as being a boon to growers there. Already Switzerland is supplying a good portion of Europe’s cannabis. This year has seen laws decriminalizing the use and possession of marijuana take effect in Belgium and Portugal, with enforcement of existing laws declining in the U.K and Germany. And now Canada has acted to legalize the use of medical marijuana. I asked Ed if he thought marijuana could replace alcohol’s role in society. He pointed out that the Dutch experiment proved that cannabis results in less aggression and criminal activity than alcohol. Marijuana is far less harmful to society than currently acceptable social drugs like alcohol and tobacco. But is society ready to accept it as a legal recreational activity? |
Click Image for more info. Ed is a member of the ICRS, the International Cannabis Research Society. It meets this year in Barcelona, Spain. Click Image for more info. Ed hosts the ‘420 Report,’ a radio show on KPFA, a SF bay area station that’s part of the Pacifica group (you can listen on the internet at www.kpfa.org). It airs the last Wednesday of every month and includes news, a discussion of the issues, a calendar of events and an Ask Ed segment where Ed answers questions about growing. Ed’s current project is ‘The Big Book of Buds’ A collection of outstanding photos from the world’s great seed breeders. Look for his new book around Christmas. Click Image for more info. |
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