cannabisnews.com: Onward, Marijuana Warrior!





Onward, Marijuana Warrior!
Posted by CN Staff on June 23, 2002 at 22:14:55 PT
By Erin Crawford 
Source: Cityview 
First, you should know that Carl Olsen stopped smoking pot 22 years ago. He didn't stop because he had a bad trip (If there is such a thing with pot). And he didn't quit because he stopped enjoying weed. A tasty smoke is just as appealing now as it ever was. Olsen quit because he believes great strides in pot advocacy will only come from great self-sacrifice. So he laid down his pipe and took up politics.
Ever since, he's been marijuana's most vocal Iowa fan. Lately, his belief that we should legalize marijuana, legalize medical marijuana and recognize drug addictions as mental illnesses has become widely accepted, hardly raising an eyebrow within the Democratic Party, where Olsen serves on the county, district and state platform committees.By using his Web site and signing people up at rock concerts, Olsen has worked to mobilize marijuana supporters. "People think marijuana turns you into a three-headed monster," he says. "Once you've used that, it's hard to believe that."(I always though pot turned you into my friend Steve, who spent way too much time in his basement watching bootleg Asian imports of "Pulp Fiction.") Olsen may still be fighting the government on his own behalf, but at least he's winning a few battles for the cause. At last weekend's statewide Democratic convention, language Olsen suggested - "Recognizing substance abuse as an illness and not as criminal behavior" - was placed within the Universal Health Care platform plank. In the end, the Universal Health Care plank, including Olsen's provision, was voted the party's No. 1 priority. But just as he's making progress on behalf of the drug, he finds himself fighting a more immediate battle with The Man. Olsen recently lost his job after 12 years with the Iowa Department of Transportation's permit department. He says he was fired for mistakes he made and insubordination, but the department can't officially comment on the reasons for his dismissal. His union is representing him, but the IDOT's first judgment was against him. His next step will be to go before a grievance resolution panel. There were a few big mistakes, Olsen says, but he claims other co-workers made similar and worse mistakes all the time.The more interesting charge is insubordination. Olsen says he was constantly working to change the permit system and make it more efficient. He thought it was ridiculous he was forced by the department's rules to sometimes send customers from office to office for services he could provide. "They told me I was the only one who didn't understand," Olsen says. "I got really upset."Occasionally when he was talking to a customer, Olsen would complain to them about the department's bureaucracy. His bosses thought it was bad customer service, but you've got to wonder whether the government has the right to stop a citizen from criticizing it. Before he was fired, he began working with state Rep. Ed Fallon to make changes in the system. It's a complex case, Fallon says."It seems Carl has made some mistakes, but that's not uncommon," he says. "He's been very aggressive about telling legislators what changes could be made to improve the IDOT's service and also save money. It looks to me like it could be some retribution because of his proactive stance. ... He's made some really good points, and some have since become law." The state denies Olsen's quest to better the government has anything to do with his dismissal. Shirley Andre, director of the department's Motor Vehicle Division, says the IDOT encourages employee suggestions, and it has several systems in place to encourage suggestions.The marijuana advocate may be a party player, but he’s now partly depending on the Democrats, through Fallon’s assistance, to help him navigate the system and get his job back. Just as Olsen found himself in a winning position he’s having to fight for his livelihood, not just his hobby. Source: Cityview (IA) Author: Erin Crawford, Cityview Managing Editor Published: June 19, 2002Copyright: 2002 Cityview Website: http://www.dmcityview.com/ Contact: editor businesspublicationsdm.com Carl Olsen's Marijuana Archiveshttp://mir.drugtext.org/olsen/CannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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