Giving thanks for dank

Happy Danksgiving! What are you thankful for?

—Topher Key

I am glad you asked! There are so many things to be thankful for this year. The most obvious are the marijuana legalization initiatives that passed in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. Dude. I am so happy for them. This legalization thing is becoming a pretty big deal. And keep in mind, cannabis law reform isn’t just about the right to possess or grow pot. These new laws keep people out of jail and make it harder for law-enforcement officers to profile and harass ordinary citizens. Now, thanks to the good people that actually took the time to vote, we get to carry weed and we get prison law reform. Give thanks. The jobs and the money generated by the new legal cannabis industry will be nice, too.

I am thankful for this year’s harvest, which seems to be one of the best ones in recent memory. Up and down the West Coast, the outdoor farmers are producing amazing, mind blowing, quality cannabis. I was just at the Humboldt Hemp Fest, and I tell you that the only thing better than trying all the fantastic strains is listening to growers chat and argue about growing techniques. You get to hear things like “I don’t grow plants. I grow dirt,” and “The only thing two growers can agree on is that the third grower doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.” I am thankful that I can walk into a medical cannabis dispensary and find umpteen different high-quality, reasonably priced cannabis products on the shelf.

I would like to thank the politicians that are supporting marijuana law reform. Folks like Congressmen Earl Blumenauer from Oregon and Dana Rohrabacher from Orange County. Not only do they support marijuana legalization, they talk to their colleagues about it. According to recent reports, they were at a meeting of House members to talk about changing marijuana law at the federal level and it went like this:

Blumenauer: “There were many close elections across America last week, but there was one clear winner—ending our failed prohibition of marijuana, and instead legalizing, regulating and taxing adult use. It’s not more dangerous than methamphetamines or cocaine.”

Rohrbacher: “Or tequila.”

I thank them not only for being on the right side of cannabis law reform, but also being a pretty good comedy team.

I would like to thank all the good folks at the Sacramento News & Review. I have been banging out this column pretty much once a week for almost three years, and it has been a great honor and joy to be a part of this fine institution. Here’s a shout to Nick, Rachel, Anthony, Raheem, Jonathan and everyone at SN&R. Thanks.

And thank you for reading my column and asking good questions. And for talking to your friends about cannabis. And for voting. Have a great Danksgiving.