Page 3 - March 2010

Elders Activities Make February a Month The Legalization of Marijuana Impacts Everyone 3 of Lasting Memories Marijuana saps initiative, ambition and responsibility THE OLYMPIAN | • Published December 16, 2009 By Jill Wellock, Freelance Reporter I attended a rough junior high outside of and advocacy groups work tirelessly toward San Jose, California, a school where the approval of dispensaries wherever medical stoner girls at my ceramics table carved “Joe marijuana is legal. Washington State is on Elliot” into their forearms with wood screws the short list. to prove Def Leppard allegiance. Making marijuana easier to obtain puts In eighth grade my friend started hanging society at risk, especially when used under out behind the portables with the stoners, false pretenses of pain or illness. which was weird because she was the I learned this frst-hand in Colorado, school’s star softball pitcher. She could living next door to a user who couldn’t swing her arm around so fast that I thought even leave the house to light up. Her kids it might dislocate and fy off toward the lay around stoned second-hand, and had to bleachers. She smoked pot before school fend for themselves at meal times. Their every day. Before long she started missing grandmother fought for custody. Marijuana practice, which didn’t matter once her saps initiative, ambition and responsibility grades failed and she couldn’t play softball. from its smokers. She had spent years perfecting that pitch. The psychoactive compound in cannabis, My friend and I attended different high tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) impairs schools, but I saw her at the end of freshman the brain’s body movement coordination Elders visit each other in the lobby of the Lucky Eagle Casino while waiting year at the mall, about 20 pounds heavier, (cerebellum), learning and memory to meet and greet Charo. Pictured (L-R) are Robert Penn, Gloria Jones, with greasy hair and dirty clothes. I asked a (hippocampus), higher cognitive functions Evelyn Penn, and Josephine Aldrich. guy from her school what had happened, and (cerebral cortex), and other abilities with he just said, “Burn out.” effects lasting one to three hours when By Nancy Romero, Elders Coordinator Gateway drug marijuana is now legal, inhaled. Eaten, marijuana’s effects can last Greetings from the Elders corner! February Elders that attended say they would go and used medicinally in Washington and much longer. had some great activities. We had seven see her show again. 12 other states, with 15 states pending Consider marijuana’s effects on workers Elders show up for the No Sew Blanket On February 23, we had a bake-from- legislation for its medicinal use. who multitask, or who safeguard others. Class. Sue Sanders, Bea Starr, Gloria Jones, scratch pie baking class. Yum! The pies were With California’s new over-the-counter How about the staff at your child’s day care? Jeanette Whiteclaw, Art Medina, and Linda peach, berry, fresh coconut, fresh lemon cannabis sales, marijuana dispensaries have Bus drivers? Construction workers? Daniels got to prepare, make and take home and New York cheese cake. Oo-la-la! The appeared like pox. The Durango Herald No one wants their ER phlebotomist to beautiful blankets! Cookie picked hers up bakers even left a few for lunch the next day. reported that in Los Angeles dispensaries smoke a joint before an IV start, but if and, after a few days, returned with it to Thanks Linda, Sylvia, Gloria and Beatrice! now outnumber Starbucks Coffee shops, and Washington State follows California’s share it. There will be another blanket class We sure had a lot of fun laughing and almost match the number of public schools. lead in legalizing dispensaries, health care soon. learning from each other. It’s real life reefer madness. facilities — and all businesses — will have The Valentine’s Day Dinner was a great Movie and Dinner Night has been fun. With the legalization of medical to drug test workers with frequent signs of way to celebrate this holiday together. The Elders who participate enjoyed it so marijuana, its legal distribution, and the fatigue and red eyes. The menu was prepared by Rayna much that they want to do it again. Be sure federal government’s pledge not to prosecute Some users insist their senses, Romero. She is the Temporary to sign up and join us for a movie and medical pot users, stoner society might have coordination, refexes and mental acuity are Cook for the Elders. This was dinner. legitimized its panacea. Not all those doobie not compromised by the drug, demanding her second day of cooking, and Hope to see all Elders who café patrons have cancer, debilitating pain, that science and observation are biased. what a way to break in! She would like to participate in or even a legitimate illness. People frequently insist the same when their prepared BBQ steak and chicken any of the March activities Most users likely work. If demand is friends take their car keys to avoid a DUI. (with help from Ray Romero), sign up or just join us to so high that comedian Jay Leno framed a For compelling information about baked potatoes, salad, veggies, enjoy some fun and the whole joke segment around the new medical marijuana’s effects, visit the National garlic bread and cake. There were company of your fellow marijuana industry, then Californians can Institute on Drug Addiction’s Web site: over 36 Elders who attended Elders. expect to encounter a lot of high workers www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/ the dinner. Every Elder Next month there is and drivers, too. Lawsuits now encumber marijuana/Marijuana3.html took home candy and going to be a tamale- California’s Department of Motor Vehicles Message from your Prevention some took fowers. making class for the for revoking the licenses of people with Coordinator, Lorrie Bonifer: I want to Thanks for coming frst eight people to sign medical marijuana permits. share this very interesting article. If you and supporting your up. Everyone will be Cannabisnews.com posted that have questions or comments, call me at 360- program! paired in twos to make Washington State ranks second on the 709-1717. A few attended their own tamales from start nation’s list of marijuana outdoor grows, the Charo concert. to fnish. If there is a need Their response was, for a second class, we will She was great! She schedule it at a later Pictured (L-R) are Master entertained the Charo wowed a Lucky Eagle date. Carver Dave Wilson audience playing her Casino audience and Chehalis Please contact instructing Elder Dan guitar. Her comedy Tribal Elders with her amazing Nancy Romero, Elders “Bones” Gleason how to act had everyone guitar playing during a concert in Coordinator at 360-709- use the adz, a hand tool laughing. Many February. 1577. used for carving the river canoe. Elders Care Packages are Like Carving classes are available at the wood shop: Gold to Our Soldiers in Iraq Wednesday, 3:30-5:30 PM Friday, 3:30-5:30 PM By DeDe Devlin, Chehalis Tribal Elder Saturday, 2:30-5:30 PM The Elders sent two care packages to I would like to personally thank Nancy Staff Profle: CTE Accounting Clerk the soldiers in Iraq last December. They Romero who helped me pay for the postage contained a carton of cigarettes, deck of to send two “Care packages” to Iraq last Hi! I am Allen Fricke. Monday After graduating from Capital cards from the casino, candy canes, cookies, December. thru Thursday I can be found Business College I was hired writing paper and stamps. in the tribe’s Enterprise Offce by the Squaxin Island Tribe working as an Accounting and spent seventeen years Clerk. On Fridays, I enjoy with them, mostly working in riding my bicycle down some their Enterprise Accounting back country road. Department. In 2001, I bought I am a tribal member, and a house in Oakville and was the son of Marie Griswold. temporarily employed by the I was born in Aberdeen, casino before being offered grew up in Montesano and CTE an employee contract for graduated from Tumwater Chehalis Tribal Enterprises High School in 1970. In Accounting in the Accounting 1974, I moved to Salem, Department in 2003. I Oregon, and worked Clerk became an employee a summers as a machine couple of years later. operator for Libby, McNeil I work with an excellent and Libby, putting labels on cans of French- crew that is becoming more sophisticated cut green beans. While I was living there, in its ability to track the business operations I attended four quarters at Chemeketa and provide accurate and timely reports to Community College. When the cannery the Business Committee. I assist them to “THANK YOU FROM A SOLDIER FAR FROM HOME started offering me full time positions, I make informed decisions and guide the tribe ON CHRISTMAS.” moved back to the Olympia area and put into the future. in fve years as a landscape laborer mostly I grew up off the reservation and knew Hi, my name is Dustin Kronegay, Stefanie’s husband and the son-in law of one of your doing commercial installations in the nothing about tribes in Washington, and the tribal Elders, DeDe Devlin. On behalf of the Alpha Troop 2-6 Calvary serving in COB Tacoma area. ongoing struggle to maintain and exercise Speicher, Iraq. I would like to thank the Elders of the Chehalis Tribe for the wonderful As I approached my thirties I was looking sovereign immunity. It has been interesting cookies we were sent during the Christmas holidays. It really means a lot to us when we for something less physically demanding. I to have a small role in that struggle and be a ended up attending Capitol Business College part of the economic growth that the tribe is are so far from home in a hostile land to get anything. A “Care package” is like gold. It where I studied accounting. It wasn’t now experiencing. I feel like I have a strong was extremely thoughtful of your tribe to think of us. My wife’s’ mother (DeDe) told me anything I really planned on doing or had connection to the Chehalis River Valley. the Elders got together one night and baked the cookies we ate. any great desire to be, but I was good at it Working for the tribe gives me not only a All the men and women who shared the goodies with me wanted me to pass on their and I had to do something. It also turned out job, but the opportunity to discover some of thanks. For them it was like getting cookies from their own mothers. that there weren’t a lot of Native Americans my tribal heritage. It also allows me to live in the accounting feld. in Oakville and ride my bicycle to work.