Jack Herer
June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010

Our community has lost another Great Elder.

I am sad to share that Jack Herer passed away this morning

R.I.P.

On Feb 4th the FDA and local police raided Bouncing Bears Botanicals and arrested its owner Jonathan Sloan. He is currently charged with 8 felonies.

Current charges against Jon are:

- Unlawful manufacturing of controlled substances: Dimethlyltryptamine (DMT)
- Unlawful manufacturing of controlled substances: Mescaline
- Unlawful manufacturing of controlled substances: Lysergic Acid Amide
- Unlawful cultivation or distribution of controlled substances: Mescaline
- Unlawful cultivation or distribution of controlled substances: Dimethlyltryptamine; Chacruna; Illinois Bundleflower; Epena; Cebil Seeds.
- Unlawful cultivation or distribution of controlled substances: Bufotenine, Epena, Chaliponga, Cebil Seeds, Colorado River Toads.
- Unlawful cultivation or distribution of controlled substances: Lysergic Acid Amide, Morning Glory Seeds, Rivea Corymbosa.
- Unlawful possession of certain drug precursors and drug paraphernalia: Plastic jugs and filters used or intended for unlawful use to manufacture, cultivate, plant propagate, harvest, test, analyze or distribute a controlled substance.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Torrance Police Department and Culver City Police Departments raided two California medical marijuana dispensaries as well as the residence of the owners. During one of the raids, officers shot a dog believed to be a pit bull.

From the moment Harvard professor Timothy Leary ate magic mushrooms in 1960, his life would never be the same. Advocating the use of LSD and other mind altering drugs to expand consciousness, Leary transformed himself from an eccentric Harvard professor into the leader of the 1960s psychedelic counter-culture movement. Leary's influence helped shape the music, fashion and politics of a new generation. He defied authority and fought the government at every turn, earning the title, in President Nixon's words, as "the most dangerous man in America."

New Scientist reports on a Pennsylvania State University report by a team of economists demonstrating how the aggressive policing of illegal drugs may have the perverse effect of making drugs more affordable and thereby encouraging people to use them. The new model they offer illustrates the dynamics of this underground market.

Sheriff's deputies in southwest Ohio thought they were making a landmark bust when they invoked a new law making the sale and possession of a hallucinogenic plant illegal.

It turns out they were a day early.

Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones sent out a news release Monday touting his county's first arrest under a new law that bans Salvia divinorum, which some states put in the same category as marijuana.

Then he put out another release saying the charge was being dropped because the law didn't take effect until Tuesday.

Oops.

Psychedelic salvia banned in Ohio
Published: Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Meghan McNamara / Staff Writer / mm164705@ohiou.edu
Gov. Ted Strickland signed a law yesterday that will add the hallucinogen Salvia divinorum to Ohio’s controlled substance list.

The law, which takes effect in 90 days, classifies salvia as a Schedule I controlled substance alongside drugs like marijuana.

Ohio joins at least nine other states to ban the use, possession or distribution of salvia.

State Senator Jimmy Stewart, R-20, said the law will be enacted in the same way as previous additions to the Schedule I controlled substance list.

Stewart, who was the state representative for the 92nd district from 2003-2008, voted in favor of the bill when it passed through the Ohio House of Representatives in December.

Salvia, an herb native to Oaxaca, Mexico, causes a five to 10 minute high that produces psychedelic effects, such as the perception of vivid colors. The herb is not known to be addictive.

Former State Representative Thom Collier, (R), sponsored the bill. Collier was prompted to take action to regulate the plant after a Loudonville boy was killed by a friend who had used the herb, though it is not certain if the drug was directly involved, Collier said in an interview at the end of the year.

Well its that time of the year again. So I would like to share Dana Larsen's wonderful Christmas essay "Modern Christmas traditions are based on ancient mushroom-using shamans". Just to help spread a little clarity, history and truth about this special season, its rituals and meaning that has been hijacked by the Judeo-Christian religions who lost it to our cultures new religion, Consumerism.

Best wishes peace, happiness, good health and hopefully wealth this Winter Solstice and New Year!!

Modern Christmas traditions are based on ancient mushroom-using shamans.

By: Dana Larsen

Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, most of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanistic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The sacred mushroom of these people was the red and white amanita muscaria mushroom, also known as "fly agaric." These mushrooms are now commonly seen in books of fairy tales, and are usually associated with magic and fairies. This is because they contain potent hallucinogenic compounds, and were used by ancient peoples for insight and transcendental experiences. Most of the major elements of the modern Christmas celebration, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, magical reindeer and the giving of gifts, are originally based upon the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of these most sacred mushrooms.

The world tree These ancient peoples, including the Lapps of modern-day Finland, and the Koyak tribes of the central Russian steppes, believed in the idea of a World Tree. The World Tree was seen as a kind of cosmic axis, onto which the planes of the universe are fixed. The roots of the World Tree stretch down into the underworld, its trunk is the "middle earth" of everyday existence, and its branches reach upwards into the heavenly realm. The amanita muscaria mushrooms grow only under certain types of trees, mostly firs and evergreens. The mushroom caps are the fruit of the larger mycelium beneath the soil which exists in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the tree. To ancient people, these mushrooms were literally "the fruit of the tree." The North Star was also considered sacred, since all other stars in the sky revolved around its fixed point. They associated this "Pole Star" with the World Tree and the central axis of the universe. The top of the World Tree touched the North Star, and the spirit of the shaman would climb the metaphorical tree, thereby passing into the realm of the gods. This is the true meaning of the star on top of the modern Christmas tree, and also the reason that the super-shaman Santa makes his home at the North Pole. Ancient peoples were amazed at how these magical mushrooms sprang from the earth without any visible seed. They considered this "virgin birth" to have been the result of the morning dew, which was seen as the semen of the deity. The silver tinsel we drape onto our modern Christmas tree represents this divine fluid.

Daniel Siebert Interview:
Everything you've ever wanted to know about Salvia divinorum.

From the Entheogenic Evolution Part 1: MP3 Download Part 2: MP3 Download To download, right click and save target as.

Part 1 focuses on the Mazatec Shamans and their ceremonial use of Salvia and Psilocybin mushrooms. Since most of the Salvia plants are propagated from cutting, technically all the world's Salvia is from the same plant. Daniel also shares his thought and evidence that this "mother" plant may not even be originally from the Sierra Mazatec as traditionally believed. Salvia divinorum is truly a mystery.

Part 2 tells the story of how Salvia divinorum made her way in to modern western civilization and recently to the global market. From the earliest specimens first brought back to the isolation and discovery of Salvinorin A. Daniel also talks about his pioneering experiments with Salvia and the possible future of the Sage.

During these difficult times, as people struggle to pay for their homes and care for their families. Some turning to the classifieds looking for work will see "Make some extra cash! Drug use and criminal record OK". That right, the Albuquerque police department ran an advertisement that they will pay drug informants to drop the dime and snitch! Even if they themselves are convicted criminals. This isn't the first time they did it either. The last time a similar advertisement was ran so many phone calls were received that they were forced to turn off the hotline!

The Associated Press article is All rights reserved. So I will not post it, but here is the LINK

My complete blog entry is: HERE