In defense of common sense, science and compassion: my three minutes for medical marijuana on CNN.

[Fly by night]

http://cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/10/14/dnt.harris.marijuana.martyr.cnn

I posted a teaser thread here earlier today in hopes that DUers could tune in and watch the CNN profile broadcast with me. My thanks for the many who did and who commented earlier. I do hope that the rest of you can visit the above link and watch the piece. Since I have dial-up only, I can't watch it from here at home. I will be driving 40 miles shortly to watch the piece broadcast again on CNN at 4:15 p.m. Eastern time.

My thanks to all y'all who have provided support and encouragement through the years as I have lived this medical cannabis struggle on the pages of DU. I think this CNN piece (and the network's willingness to produce and air it) is a clear testament to how far we have come in expanding and deepening the dialogue on this Goddess-given plant.

So enjoy the profile and celebrate here with me. I wish they had used the picture below somewhere in the piece, but believe me, I have no complaints.

Peace out. FBN

[MagickMuffin]

1. Hello Friend,

I missed it but will definitely check out the link you provided.

And yes :toast: are in order for CNN to air anything positive about Cannabis.

Congratulations on being profiled on CNN :applause:

[democrat_patriot]

7. "Science, common sense and compassion."

You nailed it. Excellent piece!!!

Thanks for your hard work.

[Cerridwen]

2. The video was great! Thank you for the link.

Kick and recommend.

[Hissyspit]

33. DU VIDEO Link Here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x515005

[pinboy3niner]

42. DU link embedding is disabled now

It shows an alternate youtube link (which I didn't try).

The OP link works, but a different video will begin to play; you have to scroll down to the list of videos below and click on "Marijuana martyr fights to legalize pot 2:56."

K&R

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Hey, the DU bumper sticker even made it into the profile!

[tridim]

4. Your farm is amazing!

Thanks for defending the herb. I use it for sleep too, and have grown for myself in the past (legally). Nothing is more fun IMO.

[Ghost in the Machine]

5. Off to the Greatest you go!

Thanks for all you do, Bernie. Hopefully your struggle will not be in vain and it will open peoples eyes so we can get some sanity back in our drug laws.

Peace within, Peace between, Peace among...

Ghost

[Dappleganger]

6. Thanks--will tweet and FB it right now.

[G_j]

8. thank you for your activism!

:yourock:

[Gregorian]

9. There is progress, despite the suffering we've endured.

I'm proud to be associated with someone like you. And I don't feel that way very often.

Thank you for your strength and courage and intelligence. It makes me feel more at home on this planet.

[OregonBlue]

10. Good piece and nice farm. Thanks for this.

[leftstreet]

11. K&R

[JuniperLea]

12. Thanks for your most excellent effort!

:toast:

[gvstn]

13. Do you need a copy of the video?

Downloaded as a .flv file it is 17mb. I could break it up into 0.5mb or 1mb parts and upload somewhere like mediafire so that you could download and join when you get all the parts.

You did a good job on the interview and are doing a good thing for your community.

[Fly by night]

23. Thanks but CNN's on-line link will suffice.

I am pretty technology-challenged out here in the country.

But as long as the internets work, I'm in good shape.

[Uncle Joe]

14. Well done, Bernie

Thanks for all your work, empathetic devotion and contributions to society.:thumbsup: :hi:

[Catherina]

15. Thank you! n/t

[me b zola]

16. K&R

[wildbilln864]

17. k&r! nt

:hi:

[Canuckistanian]

18. Good work, Bernie!

And congratulations on making your story known on CNN. I hope it changes a few minds.

[nashville_brook]

19. hell yeah!

[nashville_brook]

20. hell yeah!

[kas125]

21. That's great! I'm glad CNN actually broadcast it and that they

did a good job. And your dog looks just like mine!

[loudsue]

22. WOW!!! You did great!!

:woohoo: :applause:

There just aren't enough good smilies to express my approval here!

K & R

:kick:

[yowzayowzayowza]

24. Way cool!!!!!

:yourock:

[Hekate]

25. So glad for this publicity. Bless you in the work that you do.

:hug:

[Rhiannon12866]

26. K&R! Tuned in this afternoon and you were excellent!

Thank you so much for sharing this with us and for fighting the good fight! You make us proud! :yourock:

[TexasObserver]

27. K&R

[Luciferous]

28. K&R!

[pengillian101]

29. Nice job! K&R

And a great pic.

[slay]

30. I loved your summary at the end

which is also in the title of your post - "science, common sense, and compassion". Indeed. It's still illegal because the government is more interested in protecting the drug trade for the CIA as well as protecting huge donors like the alcohol industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the tobacco industry than they are in protecting our rights as human beings.

You made an excellent case and I am SO sorry you have been so screwed over by our drug obsessed government. But you're right, you know you're right, I know you're right and am damn proud of you standing up for such a righteous cause!

[Poll_Blind]

31. Your demeanor, thoughtful and well-spoken responses made for an excellent piece.

I am very sorry to hear about the things that happened to you because of this pointless prohibition.

I think the tide is changing for the better.

Thank you, sir!

PB

[Rhiannon12866]

32. Kick! Video is now in the third row down...

Marijuana martyr fights to legalize pot
http://www.cnn.com/video/

[orleans]

34. great job

here is another video link--maybe it's more direct
http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/14/scientists-fight-for-medical-marijuana-in-tennessee/?iref=allsearch

on edit: i had to check it & yes, it goes right to your story with this written on the page:
"Bernie Ellis is a public health scientist who grew marijuana on his farm in Tennessee to help
dull the pain from Fibromyalgia and degenerative disorder in his hip and spine.
That's until the federal government raided the farm– and sent him to jail. Now he's fighting
back to get medical marijuana legalized in his home state. Tony Harris has this story. "

also cnn is doing a QUICK VOTE on this on their front page:
"Should marijuana be decriminalized in the United States?
as of now, 72 percent say YES!
http://www.cnn.com/

[shireen]

35. Where's your website?

you used to have saveberniesfarm.com ... it's no longer accessible. Does it have a different name?

[Fly by night]

43. We decided to take down the "saveberniesfarm" web-site on September 30.

Little did I know that CNN would show up two weeks later to do the profile. I agree it would have been nice to have the web-site active to link to the CNN story. But alas ....

Oh well, that seems to be the story of my life.

[nmbluesky]

36. you're Awesome!!!!

:toast: :bounce:
:smoke:
:smoke:
:smoke:
:smoke:
:smoke:

[Turborama]

37. K&R & Peace out to you, too

:kick:

:yourock:

[Tsiyu]

38. Late night kick for Bernie

A DU Hero


:fistbump:


:kick:



:)

[appal_jack]

39. k&r Bernie! n/t

[sabrina 1]

40. K&R

It was excellent. I think the country is tired of these useless, actually criminal laws. Thank you for all you have done to fight them.

[ConsAreLiars]

41. K&R - us oldies (those here at least) can point with pride our past and present

"fighting the good fight." The youngers here can also think about looking back on the lives they lived many years later.

(edit a bit)

[Fly by night]

44. Thanks kindly, all y'all. As I may have mentioned, this was my neighbors' favorite line in the piece

"Ellis won't say whether he is using cannabis now ...."






"Oh, you may see me tonight with an illegal smile,
it doesn't cost very much, but it lasts a long while.
Would you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone,
I'm just tryin' to have me some fun."

John Prine, "Illegal Smiles" (too damn long ago)

[BeHereNow]

87. Yes, that was the best line in the piece...

:smoke:
BHN

[CLANG]

88. Awesome! You were spectacular - you didn't sound like a stoner, but a professor!

:toast: :beer: :fistbump: :headbang: :smoke:

[AzDar]

45. K & R

:kick:

[xchrom]

46. recommend

[Le Taz Hot]

47. Woo Hoo!

:woohoo: :applause: :yourock:

That was excellent! You represented those of us who wholeheartedly agree with you so eloquently.

[glitch]

48. Awesome! K & R nt

[amborin]

49. K&R

[Pathwalker]

50. I saw it, Bernie. You are so awesome!

Thank you for the heads up! Bookmarked it to show my family too.

:yourock:

[Blue_Tires]

51. major kick

[mirrera]

52. K&R I will watch now!

[mike_c]

53. best wishes, my friend....

On my way out the door, just wanted to check in and say hi before I leave!

:hi:

[CrownPrinceBandar]

54. You go Dr. Bernie!.............

Great CNN piece. You are a hero (I don't use that word lightly) and fighting the good fight. Kick and rec.

[opihimoimoi]

55. Aloha Friend.....enjoy the Iconic UP IN SMOKE.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCZap4o777g

Come....we go Chong um.....

[leveymg]

56. That truck in itself deserves a KNR!

What are those in the green tub, blueberries? My favorites!

[Fly by night]

69. Yes, those are blueberries.

With all the rain this spring, I had by far my best crop (though it dried up a bit too soon in late summer). Here's a picture of one of the plants in full production. Most of my early mornings and late afternoons were spent up in the berries -- just me, the dogs and wild doves mourning on the edges of my fields. Nice way to start (and end) the day.

[leveymg]

73. We used to have miles of wild blackberries growing down by the RR tracks.

Until the service train came along and trimmed everything back a few years ago, it was a race between us and the deer to gather them when they're ripe, sweet and juicy. You'd never know down there, in the briars of the Virginia woods, that we're only 11 miles from the Pentagon. Since then, the berries haven't grown back, and there don't seem to be so many deer.

Progress.

Please, give your dogs a pat on the head for me. Good dogs, it's easy to see.

[supernova]

57. Just watched it. Very good piece on your story

I thought. Very well balanced.

You sound like a great guy and I wish we were neighbors. My neck of the woods looks much like yours. :-)

[gateley]

58. This is great! Thanks!! nt

[ladywnch]

59. the thing that annoys me the most is when they say 'there are other meds

available for nausea and other effects of chemo...' yeah, and NONE OF THEM WORK AT ALL!!!! I've been told they now have a new antiemedic(sp?) that is totally effective......for $3000 PER SHOT!!!! thanks, but I'll take the weed instead of some new chemical that I'm sure in another 10 years they will discover causes a shitload of new unrelated problems that they'll make a new chemical to treat......and on, and on it goes.


Great Job FBN!!! we're not all 'stoners'(ie Bill and Ted), we are responsible, intelligent, ambitious, hard working, caring, valuable people who just happen to need medication to get through the day like any number of other Americans who need insulin, heart meds, oxygen, mobility scooters or any number of other medical interventions to get through their day.

If it weren't for the 'glassy eye' look when I medicate, NO ONE WOULD KNOW......and yet, it will prevent me from getting a decent job now.

Again, great job. I hope your efforts win out! :toast: :grouphug:

[unapatriciated]

60. K&R

We watched it when it aired, thanks for all you do and have done.
Hopefully California will lead the way in November to change these unjust laws. I would like to see them changed on a Federal Level.
My son ( who lives in California) just found out this week that he is no longer in remission (he knew this without the docs confirming it by his increasing muscle pain) for dermatomyosistis. It would be nice if he could come home so that I could care for him but can't because of the insane laws regarding medical mj here in the south.

[Tsiyu]

96. Your ability to help your son fully:

Just another casualty of the WOD

:hug:

[earth mom]

61. Great piece and am totally for Medical MJ.

BTW, Love your farm and your Gore sticker! B-)

[Amaril]

62. Well done!

What a thoughtful -- and thought provoking -- piece. My heart goes out to you for what you have suffered because of our government.

[hootinholler]

63. Kick for later n/t

[elehhhhna]

64. You are a very brave man who should move to Holland immediately

and I'd go with ya, except I'm married. You rock, Ellis.

[BrklynLiberal]

65. KnR!!!

Nice truck...great house.

[sonias]

66. Bernie you rock

:hug:

I love you :loveya:

:bounce::bounce::bounce:

[slackmaster]

67. Thanks for telling your story, Bernie. K&R.

:kick:

[butterfly77]

68. Kicked&Recommended!

[InvisibleTouch]

70. Love your bumper stickers!

Looks like you live in a beautiful place, too. Keep up the good work!

[Rhiannon12866]

71. The video is now posted in Political Videos, for those who missed it... Link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=515005&mesg_id=515005

[Swamp Rat]

72. Great job!!

:kick:

[Odin2005]

74. KICK

[pleah]

75. Awesome! :)

[upi402]

76. life IS good, huh?

My neighbors stopped waving back when My anti-W stickers went on my bumpers.
Grats and kick!

[Warren DeMontague]

77. Kick.

:kick: :thumbsup:

[sorefeet]

78. montana fight

Please to meet you folks. I'm also fighting a battle with medical marijuana and the VA in Montana. I'm Dave in the New York Times article about VA eases marijuana rules. Some of the doctors still refuse to treat us for pain if we also use legal medical marijuana. We are in a crazy war Bernie,but I think if we continue the fight we will eventually win. Good Luck Bernie

[mdmc]

79. peace OUT!

[LWolf]

80. Science, common sense, and compassion.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Loved the dogs, too. ;)

[blaze]

81. Well done!!!

That was a great piece!

[Kajsa]

82. Thank you, FBN!

This is great!

Thanks so much for sharing this.

:)


K&R

[Mimosa]

83. Oh, Bernie, you are so wonderful!

I so much enjoyed the CNN video and have been showing it to my friends. I feel honoured to know you here on D.U.

Fibromyalgia is HELL. I have a severe case. And I rely on Rx opioids (Vicodin, Oxycodone) to be able to move! But I don't have much of an active life. I don't now have access to marijuana, but back in the 1980s and through the 1990s I used to get extreme mentrual pain and cramping, so bad I called it 'the screaming meemies'. My partner, who has asthma, used to smoke marijuana regularly. I learned from a couple of very old women that before the 1930s they had used 'hemp' to relieve menstrual pain, so i tired it. About 3 tokes of partner's weed would relieve the nausea and cramps much better than Vicodin. And i didn't even get 'high' because the cannabis was acting as a medicine.

I admire your work to help end the insanity of the 'war on drugs' which is just a BS way for government to control people. I showed a friend the CNN video with you in it and she said "the President had even smoked pot and there are photos. How can he continue this war on a relatively harmless substance? It's hypocritical.'

[Overseas]

84. K&R! This was a great segment! //nt

[BeHereNow]

85. GREAT Bernie~~~!

Thanks for PM-ing me about this thread.
I always love to hear from you.
BHN:hug:

[BeHereNow]

86. Bernie, you're a handsome dog, you.

I loved the pictures they included of you
from your youth.
Prop 19 in California may pave the way for
the rest of the states.
I certainly hope so.

BHN

[malaise]

89. Proud of you

:grouphug:

[laughingliberal]

90. Good job! nt

[EFerrari]

91. What a perfect segment and what a good spokeman you are, Bernie!

I'm so glad this opportunity arose and hope it generates others.

[mmonk]

92. Excellent video.

Sorry about the problems the conviction has brought you. Doesn't seem fair. But thanks for your activism on the issue.

[FairyDust]

93. Way to go!

:applause:

[Fly by night]

103. Thanks kindly. Welcome to DU.

I am tickled to be the first recipient of your (future) posts here.

[onestepforward]

94. Awesome segment!

Thank you so much for your hard work!

[datasuspect]

95. that would be a good piece for your website

good job!

[Fly by night]

98. Unfortunately, we took down my web-site two weeks ago.

Just my luck that CNN would do a profile of my case two weeks later.

Oh well, it's all good. Thanks for the good thoughts.

[midnight]

97. Wow.... Science based information is slowly making it's way back into

our lives.... So glad you have such a knowledgeable legislator working with you.... The time has come to stop the prosecution of this plant.... I saw a great movie last year-Saving Grace..... It was about a women named Grace and she was talented, like you, with growing plants... For economic reasons she helped start cultivating this "Goddess given plant" Hilarity ensues after all the elderly tea ladies descend for a tea time at Grace's home.... They accidentally use the "Goddess" leaves for making their tea..... Thank you for keeping us posted on this historical move towards science.

[Crystal Clarity]

99. Thank you Mr Ellis

The good people of your state are lucky to have you as their advocate. I sincerely hope that one day your efforts on their behalf will be rewarded for you and them. God knows you've paid a high price for the sake of principle and compassion, but you haven't let these many setbacks defeat or define you... a true testament of your strength of character. I feel honored to know you, even as vicariously as it happens to be through DU.

Also, thank you for keeping us here on DU informed regarding these events as they unfold. This CNN piece was a good one. I appreciate the fact that you've taken the time to share it with us. Best wishes and warm regards -CC

[Oldenuff]

100. Excellent!

I simply cannot tell you how much I enjoyed your posting and the video.Very well done!

I love your place as well.Are there other places in the area that are that nice?Looks like a little slice of heaven.

[Oldenuff]

101. What a great spokeman!

I simply cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this article and the coverage on CNN.Very well done!

I love your place as well.Are there other places in the area that are that nice?Looks like a little slice of heaven.

[Richard Steele]

102. Sorry I saw this too late to recommend it. At least I can still KICK it back to the top. nm

[RainDog]

104. you're a brave man

and I wish you all the best in the world!

:hug:

[Land Shark]

105. kick