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Bright green leaves of the marijuana plant
VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Bad Rap?

Smoking marijuana was once viewed as an act of political dissidence against the Vietnam War. Today cannabis is recognized as an invaluable medicine that's generated billions of dollars in revenue in states where it is now fully legalized.

The federal U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) still lumps cannabis in with heroine, LSD and ecstasy as a Schedule 1 (illegal) drug. Yet, a total of 29 U.S. states and the District of Columbia now have some form of legalized marijuana. And eight more states—four of which adopted the measure in November 2016, and include California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts—have legalized recreational use of the plant.

A 2013 survey found a majority of physicians— 76 percent—approve of the use of medical marijuana. So why was it illegal for so long? Why won't the federal government legalize it now—and what would happen if they did? 

Watch the video 


Persons fist holding parsley coming out of a paper grocery bag
SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF

Critical Mass

"People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food." – Wendell Berry

In the endless and contentious political debate around who should be covered for which type of illness under what kind of healthcare plan, there’s rarely any mention of the obvious.

We are what we eat. And what passes for “food” in this country is making us sick.

Companies like Monsanto will keep pushing their pesticide-drenched crops until the market for those crops dries up. Companies like Tyson and Kraft and Coca-Cola will keep marketing their junk foods until people stop buying them.

As consumers, we have more power than we think. But until we use that power, collectively and strategically, the food industry will keep doing what it’s doing. Big Pharma will keep raking in Big Profits. And the “healthcare” industry will keep focusing on sickness, not health.

Can we mobilize a critical mass of consumers around a meaningful #ConsumerRevolution? Yes. But only if we all pitch in to make it happen.

Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)

Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts)

Support OCA's Regeneration International Project (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic, regenerative agriculture and climate change)


Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue
ACTION ALERT

‘Good Ol’ Boy’

Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is a climate-denying Monsanto-funded politician who made millions selling fertilizer and gaming the farm subsidy system. 

But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what one Georgia resident wrote to us in an email, in response to the article we published last week about Perdue: 

“‘Sonny’ is the first ‘good ol' boy’ politician that I came to despise for both non-actions and actions that were detrimental to average Jane and Joe Citizen. He lost all credibility and respect with me in his term as (my) governor with regards to a statewide issue where children’s lives were at stake.  Do not let the smiley folksy face and rhetoric fool. [Perdue] would not have the best interests of ‘the people’ in mind, period.”

We’re not naive. If billionaire Betsy DeVos, whose only experience with public schools is stealing tax-payers' money from them, can become the Secretary of Education, we aren’t optimistic we can torpedo Trump's other nominations.

But we must encourage the unprecedented Senate resistance that's growing every day. Because of calls from people like you, every Democrat and two Republicans voted‎ against DeVos. Let's create the same opposition to Perdue.

On #ResistTrumpTuesdays, people are visiting their Senators' state offices to urge them to vote NO on Trump's #SwampCabinet. We've created a talking-points flyer to take to these events that explains why Senators should vote #NoPerdue:

Download and print the #NoPerdue talking-points flyer here.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Senators: Vote NO on Sonny Perdue! #NoPerdue! Block Trump's #SwampCabinet! 

Dial 888-907-9957 or text SWAMP to 97779 to tell your Senators to vote NO on Sonny Perdue!


Two girls talking on cell phones
TAKE ACTION

Let’s Talk

Our health, our environment, our basic right to know—everything is under attack. We need everyone on deck.

How do we unite the people working in our own communities on food, natural health, social justice and climate issues into one powerful movement to end corporate and political corruption at the local, state and federal levels?

Sign up to join Ronnie and the Organic Consumers Association for a national call about how to launch both a #ConsumerRevolution and a #PoliticalRevolution

Everyone is feeling it right now—the compulsion to get involved, to do something positive to protect our health and our environment. Can we regenerate our food and farming system? Can we regenerate our health? Our local economies? Even our democracy?

We think the answer is yes. But only if we give up single-issue organizing and start working together, from the grassroots up.

What do you think? We want to hear from you.

TAKE ACTION: RSVP for the call-to-action with OCA's Ronnie Cummins on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. Eastern/ 5 p.m. Pacific!

You can also call in by dialing (855)-756-7520, Ext.34431#. But be sure to put the date on your calendar!


Pharmaceutical pills spread out in the shape of the worlds continents
RONNIE'S BLOG

Degeneration Nation?

Millions of Americans have no health insurance. More than 50 million are woefully underinsured. 

Meanwhile Big Pharma and profit-obsessed HMOs and hospitals are focused mainly on selling you overpriced (often hazardous) prescription drugs, on running expensive tests, and on keeping you on permanent health maintenance, rather than preventing the diseases that are so costly to treat.

We can't afford to provide universal healthcare for all as long as our medical model is focused on treating the evermore serious and widespread sicknesses of the body politic (for example obesity and diabetes) rather than the underlying causes. However, with the right preventive and holistic approach, we could easily afford Medicare for All–and it would cost much less for both consumers and employers than what we are spending now.

We have a national healthcare crisis. Can we overcome our partisan and sectarian divisions, and mobilize the grassroots power of the majority of Americans who are sick and tired of living in Degeneration Nation to solve the crisis?

Read ‘Regenerating Public Health: Beyond Obama and Trump’