Cannabis and Moonshine- prohibition, repeal, and government... a revealing parallel

[floater]

after watching a documentary on Popcorn Sutton, a folkhero moonshiner who was one of the last of a dying breed, i realized how very smilar moonshining culture is to cannabis culture, particularly the growers.

an abstract note: you may have heard of Popcorn Sutton, but probably not. check him out on youtube- he's an almost-mythical character. busted several times over in his decades-long moonshining run, a year or two ago he took his own life instead of serving federal time for moonshing. he was terminally ill at the time of his sentancing.

after seeing moonshiners profess their experience- they all said one thing- it gets in your blood, and its part of the culture. much like growing cannabis. i've tried to stop, but it's in your blood. it's one part 'maverick' (or rebel) factor, snubbing the government. and one part crusade- giving the people what they should be able to have. and it's one part defiance- much like the moonshiners- in not working within the system, not paying stiff taxes on a product, and keeping the spirit of cannabis alive.

my point is, with the repeal of prohibition, moonshiners kept going. they didn't want to pay taxes, they had a culture of backwoods brewing, and they do it to this day. i worry that, if cannabis is legalized someday in the medium-or long- term, the government will so heavily-regulate and tax it, that the means of production will become so established within the system. independent, and likely clandestine, growers like those on this board will be marginalized and pushed into the backwoods just as the moonshiners were, and continue to be.

growers remain in the 'backwoods' per se. but with true legalization, the cannabis establishment, the Jack Daniels and Smirnoff of cannabis, is not far off. our entire culture crumbles, or legalization slowly subdues what we've come to know as a life.

just a rant

 

[joe fresh]

interesting, im gonna look up this popcorn sutton....

 

[armedoldhippy]

i look at it this way - i like Jack Daniels AND moonshine. yes, they both have the same active ingredient, but that is ALL that they have in common! even if (biggest two letter word ever!) it is legalized, cannabis will have its popcorn suttons lurking out there, keeping the faith (and the genetics) alive. thank God for ALL popcorn suttons, past, present & future! you know who you are, & bless your souls...

 

[supermanlives]

i can get great weed but wheres the white lightning in cali. i miss the moonshine

 

[armedoldhippy]

i can get great weed but wheres the white lightning in cali. i miss the moonshine

just find some good ol' boy that moved out there from tennessee, kentucky, north carolina, or georgia. he'll be able to point you in the right direction...(probably to HIS house, LOL!)

 

[StoneElemental]

Assuming I'm catching the right vibe from you I too feel some frustration, a lil sadness, and mostly deviance over the subject. However not to patronize or condescend, we don't live in the early-mid 1900's some ideas and ideals will not work anymore or at least forever. Legalization is good for those who need not get persecuted for what kind of plant is in their pocket. Aside of that I'm not sure of your state laws I can moonshine, brew beer, cultivate my own tobacco, etc... as long as I am of age and don't attempt to sell or distribute what I have produced there's no reason for me to be taxed. However if you want to sell/distribute without taxation... I have to admit that sounds pretty close to the thoughts of an anarchist which I won't judge however I can't agree with.

-S.E.

after watching a documentary on Popcorn Sutton, a folkhero moonshiner who was one of the last of a dying breed, i realized how very smilar moonshining culture is to cannabis culture, particularly the growers.

an abstract note: you may have heard of Popcorn Sutton, but probably not. check him out on youtube- he's an almost-mythical character. busted several times over in his decades-long moonshining run, a year or two ago he took his own life instead of serving federal time for moonshing. he was terminally ill at the time of his sentancing.

after seeing moonshiners profess their experience- they all said one thing- it gets in your blood, and its part of the culture. much like growing cannabis. i've tried to stop, but it's in your blood. it's one part 'maverick' (or rebel) factor, snubbing the government. and one part crusade- giving the people what they should be able to have. and it's one part defiance- much like the moonshiners- in not working within the system, not paying stiff taxes on a product, and keeping the spirit of cannabis alive.

my point is, with the repeal of prohibition, moonshiners kept going. they didn't want to pay taxes, they had a culture of backwoods brewing, and they do it to this day. i worry that, if cannabis is legalized someday in the medium-or long- term, the government will so heavily-regulate and tax it, that the means of production will become so established within the system. independent, and likely clandestine, growers like those on this board will be marginalized and pushed into the backwoods just as the moonshiners were, and continue to be.

growers remain in the 'backwoods' per se. but with true legalization, the cannabis establishment, the Jack Daniels and Smirnoff of cannabis, is not far off. our entire culture crumbles, or legalization slowly subdues what we've come to know as a life.

just a rant

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

after watching a documentary on Popcorn Sutton, a folkhero moonshiner who was one of the last of a dying breed, i realized how very smilar moonshining culture is to cannabis culture, particularly the growers.

an abstract note: you may have heard of Popcorn Sutton, but probably not. check him out on youtube- he's an almost-mythical character. busted several times over in his decades-long moonshining run, a year or two ago he took his own life instead of serving federal time for moonshing. he was terminally ill at the time of his sentancing.

after seeing moonshiners profess their experience- they all said one thing- it gets in your blood, and its part of the culture. much like growing cannabis. i've tried to stop, but it's in your blood. it's one part 'maverick' (or rebel) factor, snubbing the government. and one part crusade- giving the people what they should be able to have. and it's one part defiance- much like the moonshiners- in not working within the system, not paying stiff taxes on a product, and keeping the spirit of cannabis alive.

my point is, with the repeal of prohibition, moonshiners kept going. they didn't want to pay taxes, they had a culture of backwoods brewing, and they do it to this day. i worry that, if cannabis is legalized someday in the medium-or long- term, the government will so heavily-regulate and tax it, that the means of production will become so established within the system. independent, and likely clandestine, growers like those on this board will be marginalized and pushed into the backwoods just as the moonshiners were, and continue to be.

growers remain in the 'backwoods' per se. but with true legalization, the cannabis establishment, the Jack Daniels and Smirnoff of cannabis, is not far off. our entire culture crumbles, or legalization slowly subdues what we've come to know as a life.

just a rant

Dont worry man. just look at wine, beer, and spirits. The highest quality and most world renown products still come from small producers. All the producers are taxed to hell because it is alcohol, but they do just fine. weed and hash will be the exact same way.

 

[floater]

s

as long as I am of age and don't attempt to sell or distribute what I have produced there's no reason for me to be taxed. However if you want to sell/distribute without taxation... I have to admit that sounds pretty close to the thoughts of an anarchist which I won't judge however I can't agree with.

-S.E.

agreed. paying taxes is fine by me. people who dodge taxes cheat us all. fraud/evasion is for scumbags.

i mentioned not paying stiff taxes. taxes are a good thing, as long as they are not too severe. which, in many cases, they are. but that's a whole different issue altogether!

 

[StoneElemental]

Thank you for the clarification on your emphasis lol I admit I can be a faulty reader at points. Some would say that perhaps alcohol is stiffly taxed I sort of disagree.. Tobacco on the other hand in my state just keeps going up at least semi-annually but as I stated before if you want to produce at home legally without taxation hell who could argue? If you're worried about being the consumer and buying it prices will fluctuate sometimes even radically but eventually it'll plateau and even out with supply/demand all those economics. And lastly if you worried about being the producer and seller, as other posters stated alcohol and tobacco still survives and hell thrives. Sure it's a pain in the ass however thats what the free market is like nowadays. If you don't like high taxes the last thing you should do is run off to some holler where you think the feds can't find ya (cause they will). Instead become influential, go vote call your senators and other politicians. The biggest and frankly saddest reason our society has shrivled to what it has become is because the government has made us complacent and broken our will. I'll end my rant with "sometimes you have to kick to be heard".

keep on kickin floater

-S.E.

 

[CaptainTrips]

Assuming I'm catching the right vibe from you I too feel some frustration, a lil sadness, and mostly deviance over the subject. However not to patronize or condescend, we don't live in the early-mid 1900's some ideas and ideals will not work anymore or at least forever. Legalization is good for those who need not get persecuted for what kind of plant is in their pocket. Aside of that I'm not sure of your state laws I can moonshine, brew beer, cultivate my own tobacco, etc... as long as I am of age and don't attempt to sell or distribute what I have produced there's no reason for me to be taxed. However if you want to sell/distribute without taxation...

If you live in the states, you cannot run an alcohol still... unless its for fuel and you are properly licensed.

 

[StoneElemental]

Do you follow me now? haha I'm joking. And I'm not sure where you found your information please cite a source for us because to my knowledge those laws are state based. Also from what I gather the federal government doesn't really care if you own a still you just better be sure it's not of a decent production size and that whatever you're using it for you're not selling anything made with it without their persmission haha. Hey captain if I'm wrong I'm and I'll own up and if you do need a permit/license to run still it's kind of a good thing so some moron doesn't blow himself and maybe a few innocent others in the process. Also I'm sure theres more to it than using it to make fuel because again the government doesn't care if you're drinking unless you're trying to distribue or sell without their permission. I'm sorry I only asked you to cite a source so it's not he said/she said one's word versus another.

take care all

-S.E.

If you live in the states, you cannot run an alcohol still... unless its for fuel and you are properly licensed.

 

[CaptainTrips]

Running an alcohol still is against federal law, even if there is a state that allows it or has no laws on the books. That said, you'd have to be really stupid or selling stuff to get caught... I'll see if I can find a definitive source, but it shouldn't be hard if you google it...

 

[StoneElemental]

I found little on the subject but I am glad to be enlightened somewhat in this case. You do need a government permit for distillation and it is on the premise of making fuel for yourself. You also must pay for it and it doesn't really sound reasonable. Like our cannabis laws this seems outdated and illegitimate. This law seems to be created to keep major distilleries in business while also creating a way to regulate the product with concerns over quality and taxation. Also this is lightly governed by some states. For the rest of my statement in this post I note: I do not condone any of these practices or actions. However I do believe no one would really bother you if you did buy a still which is legal (and owning it) and distill only what you yourself may consume over any given period of time without trying to sell or distribute to others.

-S.E.

 

[Duk~O~Deth]

Moonshine

Moonshine

Growing up in Eastern Tennessee as a teenager I lived in this culture. It mellowed out a lot later on in the day. Those hillbillies went to war with the revenuers back then.

I heard stories of IRS agents going into the mash. Imagine throwing a DEA agent into your compost tea.

The culture is a lot the same, listen to Steve Earle sing "Copper Head Road"

I do remember hearing Ma Deauce (M-2) talking through the hills of Mad River one night so I know that some folks aren't messin around

I didn't think you could buy Everclear in California?

http://www.coppermoonshinestills.com/

 

[prefersativas]

Making distilled spirits is absolutely a Federal felony. I grew up the in Blue Ridge mountains, 40 years ago there was still lots of illegal whiskey being made. In college we used to distill a half gallon every Saturday. The penalties for illegal distillation of alcohol are severe. In most states you'd rather be caught growing weed, you'd do less time.

 

[CaptainTrips]

I have read about a lot of people getting busted. If its personal and a first offense I doubt you will see jail time. Although you never know. I doubt anyone in california even know what a still looks like lol... Not that I do it out in the open.