Veterans for Weed Threatened by That Other VFW
The pro-pot Veterans for Weed has been forced to change its name after the Veterans of Foreign Wars threatened legal action. The latter actually has a copyright on the acronym "VFW," so the "stoner soldiers" group is now known as the Veterans for Weed United. The founder of VFWU, Walter Solomko, is a former Marine and Vietnam combat veteran. But he prefers to go by the name "Hemp Solo."
However, the VFWU has not backed down from mimicking the famous POW/MIA image, which is in the public domain. (And yes, that's actually their logo). A spokesman for the VFW was pleased by this name change, but was still upset by the VFWU's logo choice:
They should be ashamed…What they have done is a total insult to their memory and sacrifice, and to their families who still grieve.
Hemp Solo responds:
Sometimes that's the job of art, to piss people off…What is good about this is it's stirring up conversation.
Solo hopes to raises awareness for veterans and marijuana. A 2005 Veterans Affairs study estimates that 11.5 percent of veterans are cannabis consumers. In addition to other ailments, medical marijuana has enormous potential to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD currently afflicts 6-11 percent of soldiers serving in Afghanistan and 12-20 percent of those returning from Iraq. This has also led one Vermont lawmaker to introduce a bill that would amend that state's medical marijuana laws to include PTSD.
Of course, no marijuana site would be complete without terrible puns, like "Semper High" and "Prisoner of Weed (POW)." It also features "pot art," like this brilliant Dada-esque cow picture.
Drew Carey and Reason.tv on medical marijuana.
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Sometimes that’s the job of art, to piss people off…What is good about this is it’s stirring up conversation.
I doubt it’s stirring up conversation relevant to the group’s cause.
You ever notice that when people say that the role of art is to piss people off, the art in question tends to suck?
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A copyright on a acronym? Holy shit the suck takes no rest stops.
Thanks to the World Wildlife Fund we now have the World Wrestling Entertainment instead of the World Wrestling Federation.
It’s a trademark, not a copyright (otherwise they could sue anybody who referred to them by that acronym). Reason’s professional staff barely knows the difference at times, so I don’t expect an intern to be any better.
I don’t expect an intern to be any better…
…or a libertarian to have consistent views on property rights.
I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be a shot at me, or the intern, or what, but OK.
On behalf of all my drinking (and viping) buddies down at the VFW, I apologize.
viping: taking that new drug distilled from pythons.
Good on Solomko. If any group needs a little wind taken out of its sails, it’s veterans.
Whu…
A copyright on a acronym?
Don’t believe dumb things you read.
They have a trademark on an acronym?or a trademark on a logo containing the acronym, at least. But probably also on the acronym. It’s rather famous.
And asshole potheads jacking the POW/MIA logo (a separate thing) annoys them, in an extralegal, me-and-you-as-dudes sort of way.
But assholes gonna ass. Especially potheads. And they’ll say you’re uptight maaaaan when you notice that they’re assholes.
Just because somebody happened to be a POW at some time in the past doesn’t mean we should excuse them for being assholes in the present.
See John McCain for an example.
But he prefers to go by the name “Hemp Solo.”
Rrrraaaaaarr!
May the bong be with you, Hemp.
The latter actually has a copyright on the acronym “VFW,” so the “stoner soldiers” group is now known as the Veterans for Weed United.
Not sure who’s being foolish/dishonest here, but even if the Veterans of Foreign Wars has a trademark on “VFW”, they can only take action against Veterans For Weed if the latter was actually referring to themselves as VFW. You can’t trademark the entire set of names that have words starting with V, F, and W.
“Semper High” Nice touch.
“11.5 percent of veterans are cannabis consumers”
Low ball.
Great cheese comes from happy cows.
All the Vets I know smoke cannabis.
NEW STUDY:
On 29-Nov-2011, a study was published by University of Colorado Denver Professor Daniel Rees and Montana State University Assistant Professor D. Mark Anderson showing states that have legalized medical marijuana experience fewer fatal car crashes compared to states that have not. The researchers suggest that there may be fewer fatal drunk driving accidents in those jurisdictions because more people may be choosing to smoke marijuana instead of making the more dangerous choice of consuming alcohol – both traffic fatalities and alcohol consumption declined.
The rate of fatal crashes in which a driver had consumed any alcohol dropped 12% after medical marijuana was legalized, and crashes involving high levels of alcohol consumption fell 14%. The study thoroughly accounted for other contributing factors regarding this decrease, such as changes in the number of miles traveled each year and new traffic laws.
So, the prohibitionist scare-tactic of claiming there would be an increase in traffic fatalities if marijuana were to be legally regulated for all adults should now be banished to the fantasy realm from whence it came.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_…..112911.php
But this study shows that legalizing Cannabis results in 5% drop in beer sales. 5%!!!! That is not good. Why do you want honest brewers to suffer?
I agree with the legalization of marijuana, but Hemp Solo needs to stop using the POW logo. Come up with something original….stoner.