Puff, Puff, or Perish

They call it wacky tobacky. Sticky icky. Ghetty green. Hydro. Chronic. Trees. Mary Jane. Those who partake in marijuana consumption for pleasure have many a fond nickname for the unfortunately illegal herb. Those who have suffered from terminal illnesses and found relief in the calming clouds of smoke call it something else: medicine. There’s nothing wacky about that. The therapeutic benefits of cannabis have been proven, but still go overlooked by the federal government. This year the organizers of the 10th annual Medical Marijuana Benefit Concert think they can smell hope wafting in the air.

“It’s a human issue; it shouldn’t be political. Sick people have enough to deal with without worrying about being judged or jailed for the thing that makes them feel better,” says Flash, funk finder at the Wallflower Gallery and organizer of the annual fundraising festival – now officially the largest and longest-running medical marijuana event in Florida. Some see presidential aspirant John Edwards as a possibly sympathetic figure; as someone familiar with the ridiculously overburdened legal system, and whose wife could find relief from cancer treatment by burning some benign leaves, he might not be entirely closed to official change. “The Dems have made healthcare a major issue, but only time will tell if they make real change on medical marijuana. We can’t do worse than we’re doing now,” Flash says. Come out today from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. to Tobacco Road for live music, dance, poetry, social satire, and true stories from Irv Rosenfeld and Elvy Musikka, two of the five still-surviving legal medical marijuana patients. Besides shows and speeches, there’ll be cool crafts up for grabs from an array of local vendors. Admission is $10 for patrons 21 and older, and donations for this cause are more than welcome. Visit www.ploppypalace.com, or www.myspace.com/medmj.
Sat., Jan. 19, 4 p.m.-3 a.m., 2008