I don’t blame you. Apart from the current situation being what it is, the way it is reported and framed makes it worse. I switch on my laptop scroll through morning news and social media. Over a coffee and rollie. By my second click I want to vomit all over myself and the laptop. That would be annoying, not to mention exaggerated. Instead I laugh. Out of amusement and despair.

I continue to sip at my coffee. *Click*_*Click*_*Click*_*Click* _By this point I am gasping and in need of something stiffer. Although I would rather smoke a joint and go for a walk in the country side. But since it is legal to drink at 9.30am and illegal to toke from the latter, one should follow the rule of law. Even though drunk in the morning countryside is less appealing, today at least.

With so much stuff going on, with so much being written about this stuff and that, why should I add to this cacophony of stuff? Why ruffle your tail feathers? Why indeed. I wish I could answer that.

More people tell me they do not follow the news or they don’t read the paper no more. I don’t know if that makes me sad or jealous. In truth I don’t blame them. It all feels rigged.

P.M. J.M.’s foray into Facebook Live, seemed to go down well, as one of the most self-gratifying political monologues by a developing demagogue.

Our governing party apparently isn’t a registered political party, our opposition is as credible as can of diet cola, Trump is president, Manuel Mallia is still around, and the pwieret continue to render “eluninume” turds. Yet, smoking a doobie will still get you locked up for 48hrs. Even if possession of under 3.5grams of marijuana is no longer a criminal offence.

The only way to make sense of it all, is if you blazed a pretty mean reefer and blast Action Bronson.

Last Monday’s cartoon carried by this paper’s daily edition, featured a spliff. This week, Raphel Vassallo’s article in MaltaToday, “Laws can be just as dangerous as drugs” tackled the Drug (induced) Dependence Act. Both pieces are in reaction to Owen Bonbonnici saying that the policy still have to detain stoners even though they ain’t done nothing illegal.

What ever you may think about cannabis, its growth, its use and its distribution, most people are ready to accept that it should be decriminalised or legalised.

As I type, P.M. J.M. tweets “The site from where one could admire it-Tieqa tad- Dwejra. Heartbreaking.” Azure Window has collapsed, I can’t help but laugh. Local social media goes into hyper-mourning. On par with the global reaction to the destruction of Palmyra.

What did you expect? How many articles and reports did you have to read before you came to term with the fact that this thing is going to collapse. Azure’s faith was sealed way back in Geography O-Level. A crack in the exposed cliff face, through erosion will grow, eventually creating a window. Erosion, as it does, continues to eat away at the stone, until one day the window collapses, leaving a stack, or in this case nothing at all. Nature. That is part of her beauty.

We knew it would happen. Years of touting and flogging this window as one of Malta’s iconic natural marketing wonders, attracting tourists and film makers all over the world to enjoy a stroll over it. We mourn the loss of a natural wonder to natural erosion, but not our environment at the hands of developer jackals.

Why wouldn’t we actively take care of it if we supposedly loved it so much? There’s the rub. We milk something for all its worth, without long term consideration, then Madonna Noooooo! Ir- rieda ta’ Alla sort of thing.

Dwejra’s coastline has lost its star attraction. Hopefully Fungus Rock and the Inland Sea can keep the tourists interested. Poor tourists.

The best part of this national defenestration was the ensuing government press conference. Four Ministers sat at a table. Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change Dr. Jose Herrera, Minister for Gozo Dr. Anton Refalo, Minister for Justice and Culture Dr. Owen Bonbonnici, Minister for Tourism Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis. All these Doctors at a press conference are making me nervous. Next thing you know they’ll propose some heinous political opportunity to “Make Dwejra Great Again”. Some nice flets maybe.

And there we have it, P.M. J.M. goes on Sky News talking about some “international initiative.” Why augment reality when what we seem to have is already batshit crazy.

At this point really, “mind if I do a J?”

Some Laughing Buddha would be ideal to deal with this situation. But unfortunately I have to smoke I don’t know what strain, grown god knows how and cut with tobacco. Forced to play Russian Roulette with marijuana. Very un-Dude.

Nixon’s war on drugs is lost. Accept it. There are more users, pedlars, and product on the street than ever before, the world over. I am not only talking about marijuana here.

The stupidest thing about this war, are the governments that support it. The big time dealers are rarely touched. Instead the easiest of prey are targeted. Inundating an already sluggish judiciary system, overcrowding prisons and exasperating social injustices. All of this is a massive burden on the state, all caused by the same state.

Another case of only reaping the short term benefits while ignoring the long term impact.

You say that marijuana is a gateway drug. Well yes it is. If your weed dealer also happens to be pushing some Mandy then…If you take weed off the streets and into controlled environments, then you won’t come across any other form of drugs, unless you are out looking for them.

I am not going to go into the merits of cannabis anymore. It has long been classified as a hard drug, and not a lot of scientific research has been conducted on the plant. I would expect that to classify something, it should first be studied, then deemed dangerous or beneficial.

Dear Joseph, this should be a no brainer. It’s election season and you’re the President of Europe. People throughout the electoral margins smoke the herb. It’s another gay marriage sort of mile stone. Another social feather in your hat. Another PR wildcard. What your Bonbonnici gave us is not a drug reform, “it’s a bummer man.”

Wondering what Simon Busutil’s position on marijuana would be. A quick google search - “We need to study why people begin to take drugs and why they fall into the habit.” - 09.08.14. - how bleh.

If conducted well, there are votes to be gained, money to be made and a new green industry to grow. Investing in medical marijuana, recreational reefers, and touristic toking. Boxes Fatheads like to tick.

Check out the figures on the expanding cannabis industry. Regulate and study it well. It is extremely cheap to produce to grow, it is a weed. If you don’t believe me, look up Cheech and Chong, they will illuminate you.

But word to the wise, short term solutions suck. A series of them sucks harder.