Code of the Culture
Light on Humboldt:
Late August Budding
Frequent Photo
What are the codes of the marijuana culture?
I thought I put out a few and see if anyone had some to add or wanted to modify mine. (Note I’m not saying I agree with these totally–in fact, I believe some can have negative social effects–I’m just trying to cup my hands and hold a handful of this smokey amorphous culture I’ve come to love.)
1. Since you can’t depend on the government to help, you have to be willing to pitch in and help your neighbors–time, money, emotional support–we’re all on the same side so we have to help each other.
2. Never ask anyone what they do for a living. It is incredibly rude and marks you as an outsider.
3. Always offer a hit off of your joint to anyone standing near even though normally you wouldn’t swap spit with them if offered $1000.
4. Never, under any circumstances call the cops up to your home because this may bring the cops to your neighbors’.
5. When someone is getting ready to pay for something in public politely turn your eyes away so you don’t see what might be a large wad of cash.
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Gorilla in the Midst left the following comment (It went to spam and I accidentally deleted it and had to recover it using my back browser)
6. Pretend to be impoverished.
7. If someone asks, don’t tell. If someone tells, don’t listen.
8. Keep your family and business separate.
9. Don’t advertise.
10. Don’t accept advances.
11. Never do business where you sleep.
12. Fry a small fish. Big fish have a tendency to fall apart in the pan.
interesting stuff, Kym. Great photo.
interesting stuff, Kym. Great photo.
Don’t get greedy; greed leads to busts.
Don’t get greedy; greed leads to busts.
Don’t break little laws when you’re breaking big ones.
Never work when your partying, never party when you’re working.
You don’t need “new” friends.
Can we get this made into a stamp so I can stamp it on all the stupid growers foreheads?
Don’t break little laws when you’re breaking big ones.
Never work when your partying, never party when you’re working.
You don’t need “new” friends.
Can we get this made into a stamp so I can stamp it on all the stupid growers foreheads?
“Never work when your partying, never party when you’re working.”
Great line!
“Never work when your partying, never party when you’re working.”
Great line!
#1 applies to everyone when you live in the hills.
#1 applies to everyone when you live in the hills.
NEVER involve the state or federal govs. into your family business, don’t ask for assistance you don’t need.
Don’t use your kids in a vendetta to screw your ex over.
NEVER involve the state or federal govs. into your family business, don’t ask for assistance you don’t need.
Don’t use your kids in a vendetta to screw your ex over.
you know, that is quite pretty!
you know, that is quite pretty!
One of the difficulties we have in the so-called marijuana culture, is when we are faced with a real situation that’s “wrong”. Such things as child abuse, spousal abuse or waving guns around, things that normal people would call the sheriff about, we need to deal with ourselves. And on the whole we do a really good job of that. It is hard sometimes to get involved because most of America’s culture does not like to get involved in situations like that. When I lived in the city, we didn’t know any of our neighbors and had two murders right next door in a year. Living in this rural area in a can imagine not having my friends and neighbors.
One of the difficulties we have in the so-called marijuana culture, is when we are faced with a real situation that’s “wrong”. Such things as child abuse, spousal abuse or waving guns around, things that normal people would call the sheriff about, we need to deal with ourselves. And on the whole we do a really good job of that. It is hard sometimes to get involved because most of America’s culture does not like to get involved in situations like that. When I lived in the city, we didn’t know any of our neighbors and had two murders right next door in a year. Living in this rural area in a can imagine not having my friends and neighbors.
Don’t flaunt what you’ve got and teach your kids the same.
Don’t brag about how much you spent on this or that.
Don’t advertise expensive trips and such.
Don’t flaunt what you’ve got and teach your kids the same.
Don’t brag about how much you spent on this or that.
Don’t advertise expensive trips and such.
Make a high enough return on your labor to afford lots of leisure time, and spend some of that time helping your local non-profits.
Pay enough income tax to avoid suspicion and contribute to your community organizations anonymously, but don’t do the math to determine whether you’re really shouldering your share of the community load.
Buy organic, shop local, reduce, reuse, recycle,… and grow your pot with the aid of packaged organic fertilizers and pesticides, discarding the (purchased) soil after one or two uses (and that’s a best-case scenario for all but a minority of commercial growers).
Make a high enough return on your labor to afford lots of leisure time, and spend some of that time helping your local non-profits.
Pay enough income tax to avoid suspicion and contribute to your community organizations anonymously, but don’t do the math to determine whether you’re really shouldering your share of the community load.
Buy organic, shop local, reduce, reuse, recycle,… and grow your pot with the aid of packaged organic fertilizers and pesticides, discarding the (purchased) soil after one or two uses (and that’s a best-case scenario for all but a minority of commercial growers).
Bad advice. Discard potting soil when potting up. Discard bulk potting soil after 4-6 months of use. The collapse rate of potting soil increases exponentially with time.
“Discarding” potting soil –which is probably imported from out of the area along with your organic fertilizers and PESTICIDES (?)– contradicts the whole mantra of reducing consumption. “Shopping local” doesn’t have much global benefit if you’re buying South American bat guano at neighborhood grow store. If one were truly idealistic, making your own compost tea and building your own soil up over the years biodynamically would be the best advice (at least recycling instead of tossing it).
Bad advice. Discard potting soil when potting up. Discard bulk potting soil after 4-6 months of use. The collapse rate of potting soil increases exponentially with time.
“Discarding” potting soil –which is probably imported from out of the area along with your organic fertilizers and PESTICIDES (?)– contradicts the whole mantra of reducing consumption. “Shopping local” doesn’t have much global benefit if you’re buying South American bat guano at neighborhood grow store. If one were truly idealistic, making your own compost tea and building your own soil up over the years biodynamically would be the best advice (at least recycling instead of tossing it).
This may apply more for Mendocino County than up there, but…. don’t grow in empty houses and run up $3K monthly electricity bills.
This may apply more for Mendocino County than up there, but…. don’t grow in empty houses and run up $3K monthly electricity bills.
2. Never ask anyone what they do for a living. It is incredibly rude and marks you as an outsider.
I made that mistake on several occasions when I first moved here. Had no clue.
Number 4 is really frustrating to me. I have people coming in and telling me that their neighbors are threatening them. One neighbor even kicked in a door and assaulted a couple. But their other neighbors discouraged them from calling the police, so the couple wanted me to wave a magic wand. I told them I could get the restraining order, but it would have to be enforced by cops anyway. I told them to tell their neighbors that if they didn’t want the couple calling the cops up there, then they had better intervene themselves. The couple wasn’t willing to do that and left very discouraged.
2. Never ask anyone what they do for a living. It is incredibly rude and marks you as an outsider.
I made that mistake on several occasions when I first moved here. Had no clue.
Number 4 is really frustrating to me. I have people coming in and telling me that their neighbors are threatening them. One neighbor even kicked in a door and assaulted a couple. But their other neighbors discouraged them from calling the police, so the couple wanted me to wave a magic wand. I told them I could get the restraining order, but it would have to be enforced by cops anyway. I told them to tell their neighbors that if they didn’t want the couple calling the cops up there, then they had better intervene themselves. The couple wasn’t willing to do that and left very discouraged.
Some more tidbits…and frustrations. When dealing with outsiders, don’t expect them to follow any of the local cultural rules, or assume that they would have any reason or encouragement for doing so. If they seem to be flaunting those rules, perhaps they in fact are doing so for a reason. Expecting someone to acculturate on the spot will likely piss them off to an extent that neither of you really will understand but you will realize the conversation did not go very well. Not everyone is impressed by needs of secrecy, isolation, and lack of social services. Follow common courtesy such as don’t look into vehicles, try to track someone, snow them, or otherwise disturb them except with the best of transparent intentions. Treat a stranger right and maybe he’ll ride on again.
Even to someone who has been living in the community for nearly 14 years, the secrecy and its demands are sometimes very oppressive.
You think it’s oppressive for you, how do you think the kids raised there feel. If they have family outside they are screwed….. it makes them an outsider in their own families so they have to depend on an ever changing group of friends to be their families.
I don’t doubt it.
Some more tidbits…and frustrations. When dealing with outsiders, don’t expect them to follow any of the local cultural rules, or assume that they would have any reason or encouragement for doing so. If they seem to be flaunting those rules, perhaps they in fact are doing so for a reason. Expecting someone to acculturate on the spot will likely piss them off to an extent that neither of you really will understand but you will realize the conversation did not go very well. Not everyone is impressed by needs of secrecy, isolation, and lack of social services. Follow common courtesy such as don’t look into vehicles, try to track someone, snow them, or otherwise disturb them except with the best of transparent intentions. Treat a stranger right and maybe he’ll ride on again.
Even to someone who has been living in the community for nearly 14 years, the secrecy and its demands are sometimes very oppressive.
You think it’s oppressive for you, how do you think the kids raised there feel. If they have family outside they are screwed….. it makes them an outsider in their own families so they have to depend on an ever changing group of friends to be their families.
I don’t doubt it.
It seems like this mythical “code” is like that of the pirates in the now-overdone series: “more of what you might call guidelines”.
It seems like this mythical “code” is like that of the pirates in the now-overdone series: “more of what you might call guidelines”.
Check out the new additions to the humboldtkids blog. We are having a hard time with postings but its there…..added to the bottom!
Check out the new additions to the humboldtkids blog. We are having a hard time with postings but its there…..added to the bottom!
Sometimes you have to call the police. When you are being threatened or bullied, call them. It will only get worse if you don’t and no, you cannot count on neighbors to police out of control tweakers or whatever you are facing.
I had a seriously crazy meth abusing neighbor. After being bullied, having my road blocked, and death threats, vandalism and other BS–and yes, I called neighbors several times before who mostly said, your problem, not mine–I went to the sheriff. It was a good experience. He was supportive, diplomatic and discreet. He had also arrested the guy many times over the years and knew exactly what I was up against. After being in fear and isolated from any help for months I finally felt safe.
I got a restraining order and they enforced it. The sheriffs never bothered me or any other neighbor when called to deal with this guy. No ‘open field’ excuses, no snooping elsewhere. They were professional and helpful.
Eventually, my neighbor got into enough trouble elsewhere and he was arrested enough times and ordered into court supervised treatment.
The lesson I took from this is if the police are focused on a particular incident or person based on a complaint that is direct and honest, their actions will be focused and not used an excuse for neighborhood harassment.
Sometimes you have to call the police. When you are being threatened or bullied, call them. It will only get worse if you don’t and no, you cannot count on neighbors to police out of control tweakers or whatever you are facing.
I had a seriously crazy meth abusing neighbor. After being bullied, having my road blocked, and death threats, vandalism and other BS–and yes, I called neighbors several times before who mostly said, your problem, not mine–I went to the sheriff. It was a good experience. He was supportive, diplomatic and discreet. He had also arrested the guy many times over the years and knew exactly what I was up against. After being in fear and isolated from any help for months I finally felt safe.
I got a restraining order and they enforced it. The sheriffs never bothered me or any other neighbor when called to deal with this guy. No ‘open field’ excuses, no snooping elsewhere. They were professional and helpful.
Eventually, my neighbor got into enough trouble elsewhere and he was arrested enough times and ordered into court supervised treatment.
The lesson I took from this is if the police are focused on a particular incident or person based on a complaint that is direct and honest, their actions will be focused and not used an excuse for neighborhood harassment.