Transcript

Cultural Baggage / December 29, 2013

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Broadcasting on the Drug Truth Network, this is Cultural Baggage.

“It’s not only inhumane, it is really fundamentally Un-American.”

“No more! Drug War!” “No more! Drug War!”
“No more! Drug War!” “No more! Drug War!”

DEAN BECKER: My Name is Dean Becker. I don’t condone or encourage the use of any drugs, legal or illegal. I report the unvarnished truth about the pharmaceutical, banking, prison and judicial nightmare that feeds on Eternal Drug War.

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DEAN BECKER: Welcome to this edition of Cultural Baggage. Today we are going to talk about sex and weed.

First up we are going to talk to a comedian who is on the rise, Ngaio Bealum.

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NGAIO BEALUM: My name is Ngaio Bealum. I am a standup comedian. I’m also a writer. I write for the Sacramento Media Review amongst other publications but I do the Media Review and I write about food every once in a while.

DEAN BECKER: I’m doing a show for New Years. We’re going to talk about sex and weed – not exactly an aphrodisiac but it’s certainly close isn’t it?

NGAIO BEALUM: It can be an enhancer – most definitely. There’s been some studies that suggest that marijuana increases the sensations like the sensations of touch, what not, so people can feel a little more sensuous...slow things down – it’s mind blowing, man.

DEAN BECKER: You recently had a piece on “Smell the Truth” talking about this subject. Would you summarize it for us?

NGAIO BEALUM: It enhances the senses. A lot of people like to do the “smoky pokey” as they say. It can help some people relax. It helps people relax. A lot of people really like it.

When I used to work in the dispensary in Los Angeles a woman came in and it was very clear that it was her first time there. I asked her what she was looking for help with and she said, “I want the one that makes you freaky sex.”

People react differently but perhaps you might like the “Blue Dream” or “OG Kush variant”. They love the Kush in L.A. I don’t know how much kush you get in Texas...

DEAN BECKER: We’re starting to have all kinds of things trickle in here...dabs, oils and things.

In your personal experience what do you think is a better enhancer?

NGAIO BEALUM: For “doing it”?

DEAN BECKER: Yeah.

NGAIO BEALUM: Marijuana? My favorite strain for “doing it” is...I like a hybrid. “Diesel” is almost pure sativa but I do like Diesel...or, yeah, any and all. Whatever one she wants to smoke is fine with me.

DEAN BECKER: There you go. I would think at my age I’d probably be doing it less if I didn’t have that cannabis to kind of...

NGAIO BEALUM: Well, there you go. See – it helps you out a little bit. I’m glad you’re still doing it, man. Congratulations.

DEAN BECKER: [laughing] Well, thank you Ngaio.

NGAIO BEALUM: You brought a home a thought for the future, man...of course now I have to picture it and I don’t thank you for that.

DEAN BECKER: You travel around California, the west coast mostly doing your comedy routines. Tell us about the public reaction. I noticed on your album you have a couple of tracks dealing with sex.

NGAIO BEALUM: Yeah, everybody smokes weed now. I was just in New Mexico and Arizona and they have medical marijuana dispensaries. They advertise in the local paper.

My jokes are a little bit more well received than they were 5 or maybe 10 years ago.

DEAN BECKER: You talk about Arizona and New Mexico and that everybody smokes pot. I know that’s not exactly true but there certainly is a majority these days that have tried it and do know there are benefits to be derived right?

NGAIO BEALUM: There are people who have tried it and see no problem with it. Maybe it’s not for them but they don’t think other people should go to jail for it. It’s not the demonic scourge that people have made it out to be. That sentiment has changed and people are becoming more open to the idea of legalization which is nice.

DEAN BECKER: It’s the hot ticket. It’s the thing that people are gloaming on to these days. It is in flux. It is changing and, by God, I don’t think it’s going to be too long until you could be on NBC doing your skit.

Let’s get back into the sex/weed conversation. What would you like to say?

NGAIO BEALUM: Couldn’t hurt. Cotton mouth is the only drawback. Try to have some Starburst in your purse or something. You’ll be alright. Have a glass of water, coconut water. I don’t know what you do. I’ve never heard anyone say, “Man, I smoked a joint and the sex was terrible.”

[laughing] maybe that does happen but I’ve never heard of it.

DEAN BECKER: I’ve not heard it either.

Tell us about your forthcoming tour. Where are you going to be?

NGAIO BEALUM: I am going to be in the Pacific Northwest this April. I’ll be in Monterey in January. I will be in ...all over. I’m coming back to the southwest in May and I’m trying to get all the way out to Texas this time. We’ll do what we can. You can follow it on http://Ngaio420.com or find me on Twitter @ngaio420

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BILL MAHER: We have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super-rich are the same. Like somehow the rich will eventually get so full that they’ll explode and the candy will rain down on the rest of us. Like there’s some kind of pinata of benevolence.

Here’s the thing about a pinata. It doesn’t open on its own. You have to beat with a stick.

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MIKKI NORRIS: My name is Mikki Norris. I am the director of the Cannabis Consumers Campaign which is a website at http://www.cannabisconsumers.org. At that website we ask people to come out of the closet to stand up for their equal rights and to change the depiction of who are cannabis consumers and who we are in general as people.

I’ve been collecting surveys for many years – since 2002 on this site that gives me more insight into many aspects of cannabis consumers’ lives.

Besides that I’m also involved with The Leaf Online which is a new incarnation from the work from the West Coast Leaf Newspaper which we used to produce until January of this year.

DEAN BECKER: This week we’re talking about another positive aspect of cannabis and that is the combination of cannabis during sex. What is your initial response to that thought?

MIKKI NORRIS: My initial response is yes, I would confirm that cannabis and sex go very well together. From my website I’ve gotten lots of responses from people who say that it makes sex great for them. From personal experience I would say also as well that cannabis is an enhancer in general.

It enhances our senses and many aspects – not only the sense of touch which, of course, is important for the sexual experience. It also enhances other senses as well like the sense of taste. That’s why food tastes better. It enhances your sense of sound and hearing so that music sounds better.

It’s just in general a sensual enhancer. Along with that it slows down time. That is a very common experience so that it not only relaxes you during sex but also prepares you to be more open in the experience.

It really helps you focus your attention as well at times. A lot of this is set and setting and dosage dependent. In some instances for some people it might make you too “heady” and not in the mood but, in general, I would say a lot of people find it helps to focus your attention.

Also, it makes you more open to the experience. It might lower some inhibitions but not to the point where you are not responsible anymore or you lose any extensive judgment but it can make you more open.

Another aspect of cannabis is that it enhances creativity. A lot of people report that and I would agree with that as well. With all these different ways that cannabis impacts you in other aspects (not sexual) they do transfer into the sexual experience as well.

Even with creativity it makes you open to new ways of doing things, new ways of thinking about things. That can open people up to more of an exploration or a sense of discovery with the sexual experience as well.

I think it also makes you more in touch with your partner’s energy and the chemistry that you feel and a common experience of cannabis also enhances one’s sense of empathy so it puts you more in tune with your partner and the bonding experience. It helps you bond more.

Throughout the ages it has been considered a mild aphrodisiac and even used for centuries and centuries for tancheque sex<?> in India.

There’s a lot of components about cannabis that translate very well into the sexual experience. There’s also a spiritual component. A lot of people report that it helps them feel more spiritual in life. I think that also can transfer into the sexual experience and help you transcend into another realm with your partner as well.

I would highly recommend it – using cannabis for sex. I think a lot of people would agree and they benefit from it.

There’s a famous scene in Annie Hall where she reaches for a joint in her nightstand to smoke before having sex with Woody Allen. I think a lot of people could relate to that scene that she wouldn’t want to have sex without it. I think it totally relaxes her and gets her in the mood for it as well.

I wanted to add one other thing about slowing down time and how that impacts the sexual experience. Unlike today’s depiction in sex in movies and TV we see that it’s very rushed and very almost violent where people are in and out in one minute. The experience with cannabis will slow it down and help you really enjoy it a lot more.

DEAN BECKER: It’s not new. It’s been around for decades if not for centuries. There is an increased use of edibles. I’m hoping that you will address the fact that a couple of hours after taking an edible that enhancement is even more, in my opinion, than it is from just smoking.

MIKKI NORRIS: Using edibles, in general, has a longer term effect and more of a body high or body effect so, yeah, it would make it so that it can intensify the experience as well using edibles.

When you are smoking you peak after a certain amount of time. I mean, you can smoke and totally enjoy the experience of sex...you would want to get to that within the first couple of hours however with eating it you might not experience the effects until an hour or even two hours later and then it just lingers longer and longer.

I would agree that using edibles can have that kind of effect as well. It can stay in your system longer. Since it have more of a body effect than smoking which might be a little bit more cerebral then I would say that using edibles is another way to go to enhance your sexual experience.

DEAN BECKER: We’ve been speaking with Mikki Norris of Cannabis Consumers and The Leaf.

Mikki, point them to some websites where they can learn more about the work you do.

MIKKI NORRIS: I would advise people to go to http://cannabisconsumers.org and also to http://theleafonline.com. That’s our new website for all your cannabis news. Hopefully we will have something about cannabis and sex on there.

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[electric can opener sounds]

Opening up a can of worms....

[casting fishing line]

...and going fishing for truth.

[reeling in line]

This is the Drug Truth Network, http://drugtruth.net

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DEAN BECKER: Next up we hear from Daniel E. Williams. He is author of “The Naked Truth About Drugs”.

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DANIEL WILLIAMS: I’ve been consuming cannabis since 1970. I’m 63-years-old so that means I started right when I was around 20. I’ve smoked it ever since. I think it is one of the best intoxicants and safest intoxicants that a person can use.

I’ve never been an alcohol drinker. It just didn’t work for me. I drank a couple of times in college but mostly I’m a teetotaler when it comes to alcohol.

Pot is a much better choice for me both mentally and physically. I enjoy it quite a bit.

DEAN BECKER: This week I’m trying to bring focus to bare on another positive of cannabis. We are hearing how it’s medically beneficial for kids with epilepsy and all kinds of different ways but for those of us, as you say, you don’t necessarily like to drink – neither do I...of course, a sexual encounter is in and by itself always a unique experience but I think through the use of cannabis sometimes it can enhance that experience even for us “old timers.” Your thoughts there, Daniel?

DANIEL WILLIAMS: I agree with you completely. My introduction to pot back in 1970 was around the same time as my introduction to sex. I was a late bloomer. It was the “free love” generation but I managed to stay a virgin until I was about 20-years-old.

I can probably count on one hand the number of times since then that I’ve had sex without being stoned or my partner being stoned as well. I think it is a tremendous enhancement.

Pot is known to enhance the senses and in a sexual, sensual situation I have found pot to be a major asset as well as my sexual partner so it has been a staple in our boudoir, so to speak, and I highly recommend it.

DEAN BECKER: Through the use of smoking cannabis it is definitely enhanced but during the last few years I’ve found that these edibles particularly 2 hours after taking it even ratchets it up another degree. Your thoughts on that?

DANIEL WILLIAMS: I would agree with you on that point as well. Edibles seem to have a little more profound, deeper stone for me and that just makes the sex a little more intense and more out of body experience.

DEAN BECKER: I’m even starting to see reports out there talking about cannabis may prevent erectile defunction. All of these medical benefits...because the government fails to do the studies they ought to be doing it’s considered to be anecdotal. Your response?

DANIEL WILLIAMS: I’ll tell you what...if they could ever conclusively show that cannabis would give you an erection Viagra and Cialis would be out of business. I’m not so sure that they actually have the same potency as Viagra or Cialis but it certainly puts your mind in a better place when it comes to sex because it all happens in the head. We physically act it out but everything originates in the mind and when you have the mind in a slightly altered state and you’re comfortable it’s going to enhance whatever experience you are going to have – sex, music, food, friends...

DEAN BECKER: Is there a website you might like to point folks toward and/or some closing thoughts, Mr. Daniel Williams?

DANIEL WILLIAMS: I appreciate the opportunity to whore myself out a little bit. I’m the author of “The Naked Truth About Drugs.” If you go to the http://opiumden.net you can read some of my book for free and you can listen to some of the interviews I’ve done throughout the years.

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Young man: Ok, let’s say drug prohibition does support terrorism.

Older man: And murder?

Young man: And murder.

Older man: Torture?

Young man: And torture.

Older man: Corruption? Bribery?

Young man: And whatever.

Older man: What’s your point?

Young man: Change the law.

Older man: I gotcha. Make it cheap, more available, everywhere. Like soda or cheesy puffs.

Young man: Exactly.

Older man: Cocaine at the playground. Crack stands at the Laundromat. Heroin at the mini mart. Like that?

Young man: Face it, old man. That’s what we’ve got now.

Please visit the website of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition at leap.cc.

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DEAN BECKER: The following interview is with Dr. Mitch Earlywine.

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DEAN BECKER: Mitch, you know we’re ending a year, starting a new year but something that I think is really catching America’s attention, hell, the world’s attention is marijuana - the medical aspects, the recreational aspects – but something that’s really never discussed much is its potential or its involvement in sex.

Is it an aphrodisiac? Just what in the heck is its involvement there?

MITCH EARLYWINE: It’s intriguing because we haven’t had a ton of research on this since the 1980s when it was a little more popular and a little more common. We do get self-reports particularly from men saying that cannabis seems to slow down time and help them pay more attention to their partners. A lot of folks say that orgasm is enhanced after using cannabis.

As we’re seeing the population age a lot of folks are turning to it instead of some other medications to enhance sexual functions but there hasn’t been a ton done with it in the past 20 years.

The intriguing thing at first was a lot of alarmist stuff about cannabis somehow being linked to unsafe sex but it turns out that was a recluse correlation. It does not seem to be happening at the event level. There are some subset of folks who happen to be disinhibited people who don’t know how to necessarily use condoms and also use a lot of cannabis but it is not as if cannabis is somehow causing this unsafe sexual behavior.

DEAN BECKER: This brings to mind...you reach back to the ‘70s...pot was associated with hippies and Nixon tried to say that those who used pot were communists and on down the line - the demonization of pot users but that’s kind of dissipating. I guess it is allowing us to have this kind of discussion again in regards to its enhancements or use during sex.

From my perspective I see it as certainly not as an aphrodisiac. It doesn’t set me on the prowl but, as you say, during or prior to sex it does tend to enhance the moment, correct?

MITCH EARLYWINE: It’s actually the same thing that people have been reporting for years about their appreciation of music, their appreciation of art, their appreciation of film so why wouldn’t we expect that. In fact, it’s neat because I think some of the xenophobia that had been associated with cannabis a few decades ago as more and more people are using the plant and more candid about their use people are realizing, “Hey, these are just normal folks who are enjoying life just like you or me so why would we have to be so afraid of it?”

DEAN BECKER: I kind of see this as another feather in the cap of drug reform in that they are finding that it definitely helping those kids with the Gervais, the epilepsy problems and for a myriad of back pain veterans who are returning from war on down the line but just another feather in our cap that cannabis can, indeed, enhance a sexual experience. Your thoughts?

MITCH EARLYWINE: It’s intriguing because I think sex is still a relatively taboo topic along these lines but we’re getting more and more experience along the daytime talk shows and things like that. People are willing to discuss that. I think it’s good for society as a whole.

We’re multifaceted people who function in a whole lot of different domains and it’s nice to think that not only is that true but there are ways for cannabis to enhance that in a number of different patterns.

DEAN BECKER: I just reached retirement age and it’s certainly anecdotal but I would say that for this 65-year-old guy I can still consider it kind of a blessing in my old age. Your closing thoughts, Dr. Earlywine?

MITCH EARLYWINE: It’s intriguing, too because other folks from that 65 to 75-year-old age group who are saying, “I’m not subject to random drug tests at work. I no longer have the same concerns I had about driving every day or things like that...”

A lot of folks are reporting that and I’m intrigued to see how some of the states who are sort of known for having an aging population are turning more and more to medical cannabis laws and to outright legalization.

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(Game show music)

DEAN BECKER: It’s time to play: Name That Drug by Its Side Effects.

Dizziness, nausea, chest pain, numbness, tingling, ringing in your ears, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath with pain spreading to arm and shoulders, loss of vision, painful penis...

Time’s up: The answer – from Pfizer, Inc. Viagra for erectile dysfunction.

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DOUG McVAY: In discussing the new Monitoring the Future survey results in a video released on YouTube, Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said this:

NORA VOLKOW: If we compare the numbers that were, for example, in 2000 on regular use versus now in 2013 we have seen increases in those numbers. After 2000 the level of 9 THC was at least half of the levels that we observe now – at least half. So that means those where the less gets taken than those who were taking it regularly a less potent drug.

DOUG McVAY: It almost sounded like she was asserting that THC levels have doubled but that's not what she said. She did definitely assert that in 2000, cannabis was much less potent.

The short version of this report is, she was wrong. Way wrong. And this isn't just some political hack, or an uninformed blogger. She's the director of the government's National Institute on Drug Abuse, she's supposed to be the science person on drugs. That's not acceptable.

Here's how badly she got it wrong. Let's look at what's known. I make these data available through my website at drug war facts dot org, in the marijuana section, where you can find a table of average THC levels of seized samples of cannabis as reported by the University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project. These are the only data on this, they're basically the same data Nora Volkow has. The project itself stopped testing domestic samples a few years ago, the last domestic cannabis data are from 2010. Samples of non-domestic cannabis – imports from Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, and so many other countries – continue to be tested, but only preliminary data for 2012 are currently available.

Average THC potencies are given for two grades of cannabis: low-end commercial grade – what they call simply “marijuana” - and high-end sinsemilla-type cannabis. The overall combined average they report includes a few samples of ditchweed, so let's just stick with specific data for those two types, and since 2010 is the last year with domestic data, let's use it for comparison.

In 2000, non-domestic commercial grade marijuana averaged 5.10% THC. The non-domestic sinsemilla type averaged 12.87%. Domestic commercial grade marijuana averaged 3.96% THC, and domestic sinsemilla type averaged 12.72%.

In 2010, non-domestic commercial grade marijuana averaged 6.69% THC. Non-domestic sinsemilla type averaged 12.81% THC. Domestic commercial grade marijuana averaged 2.79% THC, and domestic sinsemilla type averaged 11.84%.

So only one category shows an increase in average potency from 2000 to 2010 is for non-domestic commercial grade cannabis – an increase of 31%, going from 5.1 to 6.69% THC. The others all show decreases, in fact the average THC of domestic commercial grade dropped by 29.5%.

Sure, there are fluctuations: In 2011, the average THC in non-domestic commercial marijuana was down to 5.6%, the average for non-domestic sinsemilla type was 13.47%. They stopped testing domestic samples in 2010, for what it's worth, those numbers were much lower in 2009, when domestic commercial averaged 2.43% THC and domestic sinsemilla type averaged 7.37%.

So, Nora Volkow's statement? Maybe not a flat-out lie, but inaccurate and misleading at best.

Eventually, hopefully, we'll get complete data for 2012, and when that's available, you'll find it at drug war facts dot org. Reporting for the Drug Truth Network, this is Doug McVay, editor of Drug War Facts.

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DEAN BECKER: 2014 is the year we swing the cat, the year we shame, embarrass, belittle and the folly of politicians, media barons, religious leaders, prosecutors and judges. We must challenge the direction of these individuals at every opportunities to bring forward the topic of drug prohibition.

Why do they stand eternally in support of terrorists brave enough to grow forbidden flowers. How do they sleep knowing their belief system ensures billions for bastard Mexican cartels and tens of thousands of deaths each year?

[music: Should auld lang syne]

By what rationale do they negate the fact that their drug war is 100% responsible for the growth of more than 30,000 violent U.S. gangs – many of whom are now aligned with the cartels and terrorists? Each day we are inundated with judges, prosecutors in bed with the drug traffickers.

The hundred years of escalation horrors and the pervasive of corruption of Americans we inflict on ourselves via this policy. America can no longer stand idly by choosing to represent blind ignorance over the reality we know to be true.

Because of prohibition you don’t know what’s in that bag. Please, be careful.

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DEAN BECKER: To the Drug Truth Network listeners around the world, this is Dean Becker for Cultural Baggage and the Unvarnished Truth.

This show produced at the Pacifica Studios of KPFT Houston.

Tap dancing… on the edge… of an abyss.

Transcript provided by: Jo-D Harrison of www.DrugSense.org