Monday, September 2, 2013
U-Predict Blog - Was the War on Drugs Worth It? 08/27/2013
Blogger’s thoughts – When the research for this broadcast
started, it was going to be a show about how the counter-culture drugs of the
60’s were taking their place in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and hospices as
life-enhancing drugs. Hallucinogens were
being used to relieve the excruciating pain of cluster headaches; guided LSD
trips give the dying a feeling of oneness with the universe, and make their
final days joyous; and the list of benefits from use of marijuana grows longer
every day. However, when I started to
put together examples for U-Predict, I discovered that most of this research
and use was being done in Europe and especially in Israel. Many of these treatments, no matter how
beneficial, were unavailable in all or parts of the United States - the Comprehensive
Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, which was a compilation and
continuation of laws going back to 1914, disallows their use. So I turned in the opposite direction. I decided to ask tarot if this prohibition
had been worth or time and money.
In June 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy released
a report on the War on Drugs, declaring "The global war on drugs has
failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the
world. In 40 years, the United States
ALONE had spent over a trillion dollars; only to see many states pass laws
permitting medical marijuana and two states’ citizens voting to make the drug
legal. So that was the question posed to
the Reading Room – “Was the War on Drugs worth it?” The Reading Room included Anita Perez, Ivy
Lieberman, Jean Maurie Puhlman, Joanne Matthews, Deb Frueh, and ReeNee
Cummins. Because this topic had been
argued to death with the open resurgence of marijuana, I truly worried if this
topic was going to be of interest to readers or to the public in general;
however, the results were amazing.
First, any time a reader sees a large number of Major Arcana
cards in a reading, they tell the client that something very important
spiritually or karmically is about to happen on this topic. We pulled synchronicities on 9 Major Arcana
cards! Despite dismissal of this topic
by many people as trite or non-important, the outcome is going to say a great
deal about the future of our society. I
will let the cards do to talking about meaning.
But there was another interesting event that happened on
this U-Predict and the U-Predict broadcast earlier this year entitled “Are we
going to pot?” which dealt with Marijuana use.
The results of the “going to pot” show were that the legalization of pot
was a slow-moving freight train. After
it got moving, it would be large and powerful enough to make it happen across
the nation. During this show, Ivy Lieberman
said “There are so many bad connotations associated with the use of drugs, but
the light is shining on it by legalization of Marijuana...the beginning.” Other readings from the Reading Rook showed
that there would be positive results in the near future on legalization. On 8/29 The United States government took a
historic step away from the drug war when Attorney General Eric Holder informed
the governors of Washington and Colorado that the Department of Justice would
allow the states to create system of regulation and implementation for the
ballot initiatives that legalized the use of marijuana for adults. The announcement also supported the states
where marijuana could be medically prescribed.
While U-Predict did predict the outcome of the last election and the
mood that affects so much of the United States in 2013, we aren’t a typical prediction
program. However, the Reading Room (again)
was spot on.
The Major Arcana gave us this picture on the topic. First, yes some people will abuse whatever
drugs are legalized. We had The Devil
(many read this as a card of addiction) The Hanged Man, and The Hermit. There was discussion from the Reading Room that
some of the drug taking was out of boredom, or even curiosity, and did not lead
to addiction. In addition, that combination also suggests
that we look at things in a different way and perhaps come to understand that
drug use can by a symptom of mental illness.
Seen in this light, the answer is medical assessment and treatment.
The Reading Room was quick to remind that for some people
traditional medicine had failed; the use of marijuana may give the relief they
have sought and been denied. The Moon
reminded all that there is not one answer for everyone. We got the Star, which shows that
legalization may give patients hope (this also was an echo that we got from the
“going to pot” broadcast). The Wheel of
Fortune was a demonstration of the demographics behind the changing of minds
and the law; more people support legalization than support continuing as we
have in the past. The demographic definitely
has to do with age – those who are adamantly opposed are quietly slipping
across the veil. Even many aging Baby Boomers admit to experimentation, and
have no problems with an organized and controlled method of distribution.
The final cards were Strength and The Sun (this is the 4th
show in a row where the Sun has been the most synchronistic Major Arcana card
drawn). We do have the strength to use
these substances wisely; we will be happier as a nation if we have more choices
over what our healthcare looks like and how we choose to treat our health
problems. The fact that the nation can
choose to allow citizens to make a natural choice instead of waiting for big
pharma to determine how and what medication we are given is the reason for the
large number of Major Arcana cards. We
as citizens need to speak up, or act up until our needs are met in a way that
allows for personal freedom.
The Minor Arcana also echoed these ideas and the concerns
that society may hold about both the War on Drugs and the legalization. Most prominent was both the 8 and 9 of Swords
pulled synchronistically. These two
cards together can denote illness. And
that is the underlying issue here. Are
we discussing drug abuse as an illness or as a reason for incarceration? Is drug abuse the sign of an illness that
could be treated and/or controlled with the proper help? The other side of the coin is who will we
help with the marijuana dispensaries who may not be helped any other way? I know several Fibromyalgia patients who say
that pot is the best pain relief they can get.
I can say the same thing about PTSD – many claim it is the best
treatment.
The 7 and 8 of Cups were also pulled in synchronicity. We need to learn what truth is, educate with
that truth, and move away from the fear mongering of the past. “Refer Madness”
IS NOW A COMEDY.
The final synchronicities of the Minor Arcana were about, of
course, money. We had the King of Cups
representing health professionals who are willing to try or to recommend marijuana
to give their patients relief. We also
had the King of Pentacles (reversed twice) which shows the monetary side of the
argument. Why should people grow their
own medicine when it can be synthesized by big pharma to make corporations richer? We also had a synchronicity on the 5 of pentacles
which tells us that any negative arguments we hear should be filtered to hear
who is trying to make money with their negativity.
Is the United States waking up? Are we turning an important corner in which
citizens will be able to make one more major decision about the healthcare or
their quality of life? U-Predict…
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