Interview with Katie Joy Ussery About Endometriosis and Kratom

Katie Joy Ussery is a self-described pro-life libertarian, and has quite the trainload of political experience behind her, including (but not limited to) being a former Young American for Liberty chapter president, volunteering for Ron and Rand Paul every four years from 2012 to 2016, and being a county/district/state delegate in 2012/2014/2016. She currently works as a patient services coordinator at a family medicine practice. Katie's passion for certain issues, especially her dedication to the endometriosis community, is what drew me to help share her story on my blog. It's thanks to her that I even know what endometriosis is and the struggles of those who suffer from it, away from public awareness. If she inspires you to learn more or to take action, check out the resources at the end of the interview.

Fun Facts: 

• Descendant of Charlemagne and the Italian mob on one side of the family, and of Jesse and Frank James (the outlaws) on the other

• Was homeschooled K-12

• Has a huge extended family and is very close to them

• Been with the love her life for three years, who has been nursing and loving her through five surgeries during these years

Hobbies: Reading, thrifting and watching comedy with her boyfriend, playing with their kitties, spending time with family, singing in choirs, working on campaigns, re-watching Grey's Anatomy, working as a barista on weekends, buying everything Wonder Woman, and drinking coffee from her massive coffee mug collection


1. As an outspoken warrior against endometriosis, how would you describe the condition to people who don't know anything about it?

The easiest way to explain endometriosis is that it is a genetic disorder which creates growths which usually occur on the pelvic sidewalls and organs, but can also be found on the appendix, diaphragm, liver, spleen, lungs, heart, brain, lymph nodes, and sinuses. It can causes severe pelvic, back and hip pain, inflammation, internal damage, fatigue, digestive issues, abnormal bleeding, painful and irregular periods, and a wide array of other symptoms. It can start at any age, and there is no cure. The average amount of time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis is roughly seven-to-ten years, due to inadequate awareness, improper diagnosis, a lacking understanding of endometriosis in the general medical community, social stigmas surrounding female reproductive systems - including the dismissal of female pain in clinical settings - and the fact that it can only be diagnosed through surgery.

Endometriosis can steal away health, body image, emotional health, motherhood, hobbies, finances, jobs, careers, friends, social lives, and relationships before you even know its name. Roughly 1-in-10 women in the world currently fight endometriosis, and it's estimated that most of them are still undiagnosed.

In the hospital during her last surgery

2. What is your experience with endometriosis?

I began experiencing symptoms at 14, but everyone in my family also had undiagnosed reproductive disorders, so I was told that pain, cramps, and abnormal, heavy bleeding wasn't anything unusual. My symptoms became increasingly worse until I went to an OBGYN at 19. I was told I likely had endometriosis, but I was too young to treat (incredibly wrong). My symptoms progressed further to the point where I was constantly sick and in pain. I experienced heavy bleeding, clotting, cramping, severe pelvic, back, and hip pain, anemia, fainting, digestive issues, fatigue, nausea, and other symptoms. I was finally suspected nine-years-later at the age of 23.

I had my first laparoscopic endometriosis removal surgery in July of 2015, when I was finally diagnosed. I remember waking up from surgery, still groggy, and asking, "Do I have it?" I sobbed hysterically when I was told I did, because I was so relieved to finally have a name for it, to have my pain validated, and to stop searching for answers. I also sobbed because I knew I was being subjected to a lifetime of surgeries, treatment, appointments, needles, pain, and all the worry, fear, and heartache that comes with it. I, unfortunately, had undergone an ablation surgery, where the surgeon cauterizes the endometriosis growths, which causes scar tissue while not fully removing the growths. If any cell of the endometriosis is left, it will quickly grow back and the patient will quickly relapse.

The correct technique for removing endometriosis is excision, where the surgeon is able to remove all of the endometriosis growths and adhesions without leaving anything behind (as much as humanly possible). True excision surgery is the best and most effective treatment for endometriosis, and gives the patient the greatest chance at a healthy life moving forward. Excision surgery done at a proficient level, paired with the knowledge, experience, and compassion needed to battle this disease, is most often accessed through a endometriosis excision specialist. They are much closer to gynecologic oncologist than general OBGYNs, and usually have narrowed their focus to treating only endometriosis and reproductive disorders patients. These surgeons are few-and-far-between worldwide, and can be very difficult to access. Patients often need to wait for consults with specialists, travel long distances, put their life on hold, and pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for treatment, sometimes mortgaging their homes or even going bankrupt to pay for the surgeries.

Anyway, after I had an ablation with my first surgeon, during which I was diagnosed as Stage I (endometriosis is diagnosed in stages like cancer), the pain and symptoms all came back two-months-later. I called my surgeon and told her I believed my endometriosis was back, and she basically told me I was crazy. I had my second surgery in January of 2016, only six-months-later, in the Twin Cities with an endometriosis expert. During that surgery, I was diagnosed as Stage II, and the endometriosis had been found on more surfaces than in the previous surgery. I was "in remission" for eight months after that surgery, and then relapsed again in September of 2016. I was again told by my previous surgeon that it couldn't possibly have come back, and to try physical therapy. This time, I knew that I wanted to go to one of the best surgeons in the world and experience world-class, high quality true excision in order to end the revolving door of surgeries that many women find themselves in. I requested phone consults from three of the top endometriosis surgeons in the world, and created a surgery plan with one of the surgeons, based in Texas. This was in January of 2017.

During the year of 2017, I lost my job and insurance, ended up in the ER with severe right abdomen pain, was bedridden from the pain for several weeks, began working at a medical clinic, gained insurance, started pain management, received hip injections, turned 25, and experienced endometriosis increasingly affect my pudendal, sciatic, and sacral nerves, my digestive system, and even my ability to walk without limping due to growths later found in my right psoas muscle (hip muscle). I had to reschedule the surgeries and fundraise/earn enough money to pay the thousands of dollars out-of-pocket needed for the surgeries.

In late October, my boyfriend, parents, and I journeyed to Denton, TX, where I was lucky enough to undergo true excision surgery with one of the best endometriosis excision specialists in the world. Endometriosis and adhesions (scar tissue that can adheres organs together) was found on my pelvic sidewalls, uterus, ovaries, cervix, bladder, ureters, uterine vessels, rectum, and appendix. My appendix was also removed due to inflammation, and they estimated it was likely that had caused the severe abdomen pain I had endured for eight months since late February. I was extraordinarily lucky that it didn't rupture before the surgeries, and that I went to a surgery with someone who had enough foresight and experience to take a look at my appendix, and not trust previous MRI, CT, and ultrasound reports from previous physicians. Five days later, my surgeon went back in, removed adhesions binding together my uterus, ovaries, bladder, and rectum that had formed since the first surgery only five days earlier, and put down a barrier created from umbilical cord cells to prevent adhesions from forming again. As of writing this, I am now one-month-and-four-days post-op, and I haven't felt this good in almost ten years. I am so thrilled and thankful that I am finally in remission and moving towards increased health. I believe that mountains are put in front of you in this life to show to others that they can be moved, and that's exactly what I was able to do this fall. I am grateful and praying for the best in the years to come!

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3. What are some government, scientific, or other barriers do you believe are in place that halt the progress of better treatment of yours and others' endometriosis?

One of the largest deterrents for endometriosis patients to access excision surgery is the cost. The insurance industry currently believes that ablation of endometriosis is the standard of care, and doesn't have a difference in ICD-10 coding for excision of endometriosis, versus ablation. This means that true excision specialists, if they bill the insurance company, are only going to be reimbursed at roughly 1/5 the cost, if that, of excision. Excision surgeries are generally much longer, more expensive to perform, and require much more skill. This means that most endometriosis specialists don't take or participate in insurance; they charge a flat rate cash price for their services. This is not due to greed or self-interest, but necessity; I know of several endometriosis clinics which were on the brink of bankruptcy or were in-the-red before they cut ties with insurance. This creates a huge problem for patients who aren't able to raise or access thousands of dollars for effective treatment, not to mention the cost and time needed for traveling long distances to get to said specialists. This problem stems from the medical community being incredibly unaware of/ignorant to endometriosis.

I've gone to family doctors and had nurses who have never heard of endometriosis. I've been to OBGYNs who had no idea what to do with me, or that believed the most outdated and terrible myths about endometriosis, such as "Hysterectomies cure endometriosis" (it creates its own estrogen and can be found in pre-puberty children, the pelvic cavity of dissected fetuses, women who have been on long-term continuous birth control [myself], menopausal women, and some rare cases of men), having a baby cures endometriosis (it doesn't), and birth control can stop or reverse endometriosis (it can't). I've had prescription drugs pushed on me for years that have been proven to be ineffective and can cause catastrophic side effects, and have been scolded by physicians when I won't take it. I've been told more times than I can count to get pregnant, while either very sick, financially unstable, unmarried, very young, in college, thousands of miles away from family, managing a Congressional campaign, or combinations of those descriptors. It doesn't matter if I expressly state I'm not yet ready for motherhood; they still think it's an easier answer to my severe pain and symptoms than actually figuring out how to treat my illness. What disease in the world do doctors decide it's a good idea to treat it with motherhood? Can you imagine if a man had a disease in which the suggested treatment was fatherhood?

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) has also ignored the petitions of the endometriosis community to get involved in any meaningful manner or even acknowledge that there is a dire lack of awareness, information, or proper treatment for endometriosis patients. There aren't even endometriosis specialists or even those who can manage their care properly in some states. Most OBGYNs put endometriosis patients on birth control and call it good; they never know that there is a better treatment option out there, because the OBGYNs themselves don't understand why or how the treatment is superior, they don't intimately understand how endometriosis grows, how it spreads, how it's treated, how it's suppressed, or even what hormones are necessarily fueling it. Advances are happening every day, though, and the surgeons who are passionate and knowledgeable are constantly upgrading and modifying their protocols to give their patients cutting-edge, effective care.

4. You have written publicly about your use of kratom to provide some relief. How have you used the kratom, and what are your feelings about drug warriors trying to make it in inaccessible to both recreational and medical users? 

I used kratom for pain relief for roughly six months. When I relapsed again in September of 2016, one of my dear endo sisters from Iowa took a risk and mailed me a sample of kratom. After I took the kratom orally in a drink, I was pain free for several hours, and I couldn't even believe it. I almost daily used kratom from that point on. It was a tremendous tool in my daily life; it allowed me to continue working, to have a bit of energy to do something after I came home from work. It decreased my pain levels and gave me energy.

It is composed of crushed leaves from the Mitragyna speciosa plant, mostly grown in Asia. It can be ordered online through a reputable vendor, and is growing in popularity around the world for those looking to treat chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, and many other problems. It has an alkaloid base and works on the opioid receptors in the brain, although it is not actually an opioid. Opponents of kratom like to tout the 15 deaths attributed to kratom, but in all of those deaths, there were multiple substances involved in the toxicology reports of the deceased. There has, to my knowledge, never been a death attributed only to kratom. Besides that, how many Americans take medications every day that could potentially cause death, but have been deemed worth the risk for the calculated benefit?

I am currently a pain management patient and take multiple potentially dangerous medications to manage my pain and symptoms, but my physicians have deemed the side effects or potential for harm worth it due to the proposed benefit. We should trust patients to make the same decisions for themselves. Having been part of the kratom community for over a year now, I can tell you that these are not patients looking to get high or abuse anything. They are passionate, intelligent, loving, humorous people who are trying to make it through the day without pain, who are trying to manage their symptoms in a more holistic, healthy way than prescription medications, who are trying to beat an addiction. These are people who are able to work, play, dream, run, pursue, thrive, and even live due to this plant. There are side effects with it as with just about anything, but the benefits are simply incredible. I unfortunately had issues digesting the amount of kratom necessary for it to make enough of an impact for me to remain able to continue working/walking etc., but it was so helpful during the time I took it and I'm very thankful it exists. I believe it should be fully legal in all states.


 5. What are your opinions on the greater War on Drugs, especially related to healthcare?

I don't believe that prohibition works in most contexts. Look at the alcohol Prohibition of the '20s; alcohol was still accessible with some effort, and it created an unregulated black market which also produced a great deal of crime. I am against the War on Drugs, as I believe that it only violates civil liberties and medical liberties, creates violence against the citizenry, contributes to the further militarization of the police force, wracks up cost for all municipalities, state and countries who are pursuing it, increases the prison population, and ultimately makes addiction more difficult to defeat. I believe that drug addicts should be treated as patients, not as criminals, and they shouldn't have to fear retribution for seeking help in order to save their lives. Well-meaning advocates against drug abuse believe the War on Drugs is creating the sought-after effects, but real world data shows quite  the contrary. I am also a huge advocate of the benefits of marijuana, CBD, and hemp, and believe that citizens should be able to self-medicate without being incarcerated for a plant, while we're allowing violent criminals to get off early on good behavior, or for instance, serving three months of their six month sentence for sexual assault, like Brock Turner.

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6. What are other social and political issues that are important to you?

I'm a pro-life activist; I believe that life begins at conception, that every life has intrinsic, sacred value, and should be protected. However, the defense of life for me doesn't end with the pro-life defense. I believe that being consistently pro-life also means being anti-death penalty, anti-preemptive war, and pro-medical rights (allowing patients to access the care they deem necessary, giving them the right to try experimental or unproven drugs).


7. How do you utilize social media, on-the-ground organizing, and other actions to to make a difference, whether is to change minds of individuals or influence the decisions of politicians?

To be honest, my efforts have sometimes been effective, and other times have not been. The strategy very much depends on the situation and presumed goal. For instance, in the endometriosis community, social media hasn't been incredibly effective in changing the insurance industry's standards, illuminating the medical community, or petitioning ACOG to actually represent us. However, what it does incredibly well is inform, connect, and support patients, offer them research tools and communities of women with similar experiences and struggles, and help them find the answers they're looking for. It crosses state and even country lines, and creates long-lasting friendship and sisterhoods that can pull you through the darkest of times fighting a disease that can be soul-crushing.

The #1 cause of death in endometriosis patients is suicide, because the lack of awareness or understanding, the monumental and widespread way it can impact your life, and the difficulty or impossibility of accessing proper treatment, or even knowing it exists, can create a darkness that seems impossible to escape. But there is always hope, and my story proves that. As long as I'm alive, my story continues, and so does my fight. There is always hope, as long as we keep fighting this together, and standing together with our fellow sisters. I have always been outspoken about my fight with endometriosis, whether it be in person, or on social media platforms, because I have helped diagnose roughly 8-10 women through them just being exposed to my story.

If someone can hear my symptoms or see a bit of my experience and realize that it sounds all too familiar and receive the treatment they need, it is worth every bit of whatever shaming, awkwardness, rudeness, or disgust I may receive from others. I also strive to help educate everyone around me, so that they next time their girlfriend, coworker, daughter, niece, or whoever in their life is diagnosed with endometriosis, they will have heard of it, and that woman will receive more understanding in her battle, and hopefully feel less alone. I also hope that anyone out there who sees my posts who might also be experiencing chronic pain would know that another person is on their side and understands what they're going through. I'm also working on two separate projects to help women reach treatment more quickly, but they are both in the infant stages and can't share the details just yet. :) Stay tuned to the endometriosis community for more incredible things ahead.


Update upon publishing: Katie reports that roughly 85-90% of her pain is gone since her surgeries in October!


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Resources:

Endometriosis Foundation of America

Endometriosis.org

Endometriosis Research Center

Endo-Online

Endo What?

Botanical Education Alliance

Facebook groups:

Endometropolis

Endo Warriors

Endo Fight Club

Kratom United

American Kratom Association

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Interview with Julie Mastrine About Care 2 and Activism

Julie Mastrine, a self-described libertarian feminist, can often be seen on Facebook and Twitter sharing articles and petitions for many social justice issues. As a hard-working and effective activist for liberty, I felt like she would be a great person to interview. Especially as someone who utilizes social media for her work, I thought she could provide some background on what she does at Care2, as well as share some handy tips on how to make a positive difference with the causes you believe in. 

Hobbies: Fire spinning (performance art), poi, hula hooping, dancing, crafting, and sitting in San Francisco's beautiful parks!

1) How would you describe what Care2 does?

Care2 is the world's largest social network for good. We have over forty million members who are sharing stories and starting petitions that inspire action. We are an online petition site where anyone can start a petition for free or support a cause they care about. We also help nonprofits connect with the people who support their causes.

2) What kind of work do you do at Care2?

I do social media, PR, and influencer marketing for Care2. That means I help everyday citizens, celebrity influencers, and nonprofits to start online petition campaigns that get the attention of decision-makers and mostly, the media. I talk to reporters, help to stage on-the-ground events, and craft social media campaigns.

3) What are a few accomplishments of Care2 that you were involved in and are particularly proud of?

So many! I'm proud of the work I did with the Drug Policy Alliance to gather over 118,000 signatures on a Care2 petition to help a 7-year-old girl named Sophia get medical marijuana to control her epilepsy. In fact, I've worked on a number of petitions to expand marijuana access to folks suffering under prohibition in various states, including a successful petition to get a medical marijuana program underway in Pennsylvania, and another to help a woman who was undergoing chemo for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis in New Jersey, which only permits marijuana if you are undergoing chemo for cancer treatment.

I hope that my work on these types of campaigns underscores the importance of decriminalizing marijuana nationwide. A lot of people hear that states are creating medical marijuana programs, but they don't realize how truly narrow the list of qualifying conditions really is. Often, people with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and other ailments are still left to suffer because they are prohibited from using marijuana for their ailments even with a medical marijuana program in place.

I'm also really proud of the Care2 petition campaigns I've worked on to help sex workers fight for their rights and end stigma and exploitation. One of these petitions is asking Alaska to make it illegal for police to have sex with sex workers who are under investigation. It's a totally disgusting thing that happens to these women, and is state-sponsored rape. This petition has resulted in a bill. Another petition asked California's Gov. Brown to meet with sex workers to discuss decriminalization. The women behind this campaign went to the capitol to present the signatures in person, and we were able to secure some excellent media coverage.

I'm really honored to help sex workers elevate their cause; I think these women are incredibly brave for coming out of the woodwork and making their struggles public. Sex work is still clouded by so much misinformation and stigma. They are among the bravest advocates.

4) Which political and social issues are you most passionate about?

I'm most passionate about civil liberties issues. This includes drug policy reform, privacy protection, immigration/open borders, sex worker rights, criminal justice reform, and ending mass incarceration/prisons/police brutality.

Lately, I've also been very interested in reforming local and state policies that lead to the arrests of nonviolent people. For example, food safety laws in Stockton, California resulted in a single mother of six being threatened with jail time because she sold homemade food over Facebook. I started a petition to drop the charges, and she ended up avoiding jail time. We then teamed up to work on a separate petition, alongside a startup called Josephine, to support a bill that would legalize homemade food sales in California. We organized an event at the Capitol to encourage lawmakers to vote yes, and we gave out free food. We garnered some amazing media attention, and the bill has passed out of Assembly!

I also recently started a petition to fire a police officer who violently tackled a woman who was selling flowers outside of a graduation ceremony. And we had another petition that was successful in convincing Philadelphia not to shut down a man who was giving free haircuts to the homeless (the city cited the fact that he didn't have a vendor license).

I think our society needs to think critically about how well-intentioned laws end up having unjust institutional outcomes. It may sound great to outlaw homemade food sales or require a vendor permit because we are concerned about people's safety, but the actual outcome of these laws is that they help the state reign in revenue on the backs of poor people through fines, court fees, etc. These laws also shut down perfectly harmless operations and send nonviolent people to prison just for trying to help people or to make a living. And it's everywhere. Some cities crack down on Little Free Libraries. And in the UK, police even fined a 5-year-old girl for selling lemonade!

Julie fire spinning [Image credit: Darren Kruger]

5) How can people incorporate tricks of your trade into their activism?

Very easily! Anybody can start a petition for free on Care2. It's as simple as that. Start a petition, explain your issue, and share, share, share.

Organizing a delivery event or rally to get attention is easy, too. Just print out or make some cardboard signs, decide on a time/date/place that makes sense, start a Facebook event and get a few people to commit to show up. I think activism is easier than people may think. You can also easily find contact information for local reporters and let them know what you're up to, invite them to come cover it. It doesn't have to be an intimidating process.

6) What would you recommend people do if they want to professionally pursue your line of work?

Start volunteering for activist campaigns in your free time. I know no one wants to do free labor, but this is truly how I got my start! It can be as easy as dedicating an hour or two a week to spreading the word about activist campaigns on social media, showing up to community meetings, or organizing a small rally. Then you can tout that info on your resume. There are lots of organizations that need people who have advocacy know-how. Aside from that, we're living in politically tumultuous times, and your efforts can really make a difference.

7) Engaging in activism through online means has garnered a bad reputation, and terms like "keyboard activism" echo this sentiment. Why do you think this is? How would you recommend for people to avoid situations, especially online, that give the pretense of furthering a cause, when what you're actually doing is stalling progress or even detracting from its value?

I think this negative reputation has arisen because democracy often requires a lot of work. It requires staying on top of the news cycle, doing lots of research, showing up in person to a rally/protest/community meeting, voting, calling your elected officials, and engaging with people who may disagree with you.

Democracy is a system that a lot of us may not feel we have the available time or energy to engage in. We're all working jobs and maintaining relationships and taking care of ourselves and our families, so how then are we supposed to find the time to follow closely what our representatives are doing and show up to meetings and call our officials and organize rallies? 

The internet, and petition sites like Care2, actually make engaging with elected officials much easier, as we can engage in the democratic process on these sites without sacrificing a ton of time and energy. Any criticism of online activism needs to take into account that representative democracy itself requires a lot from the individual, and the internet and sites like Care2 simply make this process a lot easier.

(I personally advocate for decentralized systems and societies that would minimize any given person's power over others, eliminating centralized political or corporate power and with it, the need to put so much energy and time into convincing a politician of your stance - but that's an essay for another day.)

I also think criticism of "keyboard activism" assumes that there isn't a ton of work being put in both online and on the ground, and there is. Online and on-the-ground activism can and do exist side by side. I mean, how are you going to turn out anybody to a protest these days without using social media? 

As far as determining online situations where progress is actually being stalled or detracted, I think it's important to think clearly about who it makes sense to target to make the appropriate change, and whether what you're asking for is lofty or actually doable. For example, I may want prison abolition, but I am okay with working to eradicate local laws that put nonviolent people in prison as a stepping stone to that end.

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Feeling too small to have an impact - qualms as a student drug policy activist

Around noon today, I decided to end the campaigns of two initiatives that a couple of us, on behalf of WWU Students for Sensible Drug Policy, were working on to get onto the AS Elections ballot this year. The first one was for the Associated Students to urge the AS Board of Directors to incorporate policies into their legislative agendas that support the federal legalization of cannabis - both marijuana and industrial hemp.

The other initiative was to get the AS to push Residence Life to implement a Good Samaritan Policy within the halls, and have ResLife work with University Police to produce a compact substance policy guide for the entire campus.

Because the AS Elections Code hadn't been published in time for when the language of any initiatives had to be turned in to the AS Board of Directors, I had to go to a board meeting to request an extension for the deadline, which was granted. However, in order to have an initiative even be considered for the ballot, it has to be passed by the AS Board of Directors. The next board meeting, I gave information about both initiatives for the board members to consider. The next board meeting, a couple of others from the campaigns told the board members any more information that was needed (since I was in Salt Lake City at that time), and the board determined that the initiatives would be allowed on the ballot. All of that happened in the span of three weeks - one board meeting per week. The next step was to collect the AS Elections information packets and petitions for each respective initiative. At Western Washington University, each initiative petition needs to have at least 696 valid signatures in order to get onto the ballot. That is, 5% of the vote.

Two years ago, I ran for Vice President for Student Life, and last year, I ran for Vice President for Activities and sponsored the opposition campaign for the referendum that asked if students wanted to make the school a smoke-free campus. (I lost both races, and the majority of those who voted did so in favor of making a smoke-free campus, but it was close, so the school decided to compromise instead.) As a candidate, you have to collect only 150 signatures. Both years, I was able to pretty easily get all of the signatures I needed. (It was a hassle, but doable.) I thought that with a couple of other people helping me and a longer timeline, that we would be able to collect all of them. Nevertheless, because of the delay in getting the initiatives approved and the occurrence of spring break, we didn't get the initiative packets until a week ago, which meant that we were supposed to collect all of those signatures within one week. (So much for the longer timeline.)

Keep in mind that the three or four of us working on the campaigns have busy lives of our own - classes, work, etc. Probably the biggest hurdle though was that we weren't allowed to utilize any physical campaigning materials. Physical campaigning isn't allowed for any candidate or initiative campaign until a certain date. In order to to find people to sign the petitions, you...find people. What I usually did for my personal campaigns was go to Academic West, Miller Hall, and the Viking Union to find people sitting and eating, studying, or conversing, and give a short speech, answer any questions they had, and gave them the petitions to sign if they so chose to. Because initiatives require so many more signatures, I quickly learned that my default method would not give us enough signatures in time. I emailed a couple of school clubs and professors to see if they would allow me to talk to their members/students. But again with our schedules, we didn't have time to go to many classes or clubs.

On Thursday, I started to feel hopeless. I noticed that I was incredibly sluggish, and whichever organ in my lower abdomen that aches and makes my body tremble was doing just that (I think it means I need more sleep), so instead of dedicating more time to collecting signatures, I went home to eat and take a much needed nap. At the SSDP meeting later that day (and right after my nap), we expressed our concerns, but I still made the push to try to get all of the signatures we needed by the deadline. Before and after the meeting, I did not physically feel well. My chest was hurting and I couldn't comfortably walk at the brisk pace I normally do. I had no idea if the chest pain was due to my asthma, stress, or both.

During my weekend trip to Seattle to put up flyers on campuses for Students For Liberty (join the Campus Coordinator Program), spend Easter with my older sister (which I wasn't expecting to do), and other shenanigans (use your imagination *wink*), I thought hard about how to go about collecting the rest of the signatures needed for the initiative petitions...or if it was even worth doing it anymore. Talking to the other campaign members on Thursday, it was very clear that we were all both physically and emotionally exhausted from work and classes, and to have to collect nearly 700 signatures on top of that was not comforting. I have had a few people tell me that I have this "flame" within in me that never dies out and keeps me going. This flame told me on Thursday that we still might have what it takes to get all of the signatures. While I do believe in hard work and looking on the bright side, I see myself as a realistic optimist. My optimism is grounded in reality, or so I like to think. 

This morning, I realized how unsuccessful this whole thing had been, and any attempts this late in the game to collect the rest of the signatures would be fruitless. By this point, my stress levels were astronomical. The desperation and helplessness I felt was terrible. If any of you have had depression or depressive symptoms, you are probably familiar with that feeling of not even wanting to try, and even if you do, it would't even help. It was similar to that.

If you can't tell, these initiatives are important to me. I try to do everything in my power to ensure that marijuana, both medical and recreational, and industrial hemp will become legalized on the state and federal levels in the United States. With the substance policy initiative, I can't help but be haunted by the thought of how many students on campus get in trouble within the next school year because of unclear substance policies, or even worse, getting into trouble for calling for help. Or having an unnecessary death because people were too afraid to call for help. The cannabis legalization initiative is one we have been trying to get onto the AS Elections ballot for three years now. The first year, the sponsor was working on it all by himself. Last year, we had a delay in the approval of the initiative. I thought the third year, for sure, had to be our lucky year.

Between now and next AS Elections, we will be working on trying to see what we can do with these two initiatives without going through the election process. For example, talking with ResLife and the University Police to see what they think about working together to come up with a single, compact substance policy guide. If it works, great. If not, we could use any knowledge gained from those interactions and go through the AS Elections process again. However, what's nice about having campaigns like these is that they are more likely to gain more publicity than anything else would. What else we will work on is coming up with ideas on how to work smarter, and not necessarily harder - obtaining more campaign members, reaching out to more professors, clubs, etc. I also plan to talk with the AS myself to share my concerns with their standards on how initiatives can get onto the ballot. I know some other people who have worked on initiative campaigns, and it's relatively known that the AS Elections cater more towards candidates than initiatives.

When I finally messaged the campaign members about how I felt about suspending both campaigns, I felt really empty inside. This was originally going to be a Facebook update, but I decided to put this on here because it ties into political activism. Not to mention, look at how long this post is! All of the work we put into this would come to nothing. When I ran in the AS Elections, I at least was allowed on the ballot and had a fun experience. With this, I ran myself into the ground, had to give up on an avenue to address some very important issues I care about, and don't even have an awareness campaign we could utilize (at least through the AS Elections). I wanted to cry, but I just didn't feel sad enough to actually do so. Tonight would have been one of those nights where I go to a bar to do homework and drink some beer, but I need to catch up on sleep.

It annoys me when some people don't even want to attempt _________ because they're "just one person," or "the system is too big and corrupt." I constantly put myself out there because I sincerely believe that an individual is an essential component to a group or a cause. When I went sign waving in downtown Bellingham because I was angry that nobody seemed to be paying attention what was going down with Syria because they were too distracted by Miley Cyrus, I didn't actually think I would influence individuals with actual powers on US-International relations. I did have people come up to me and ask what was going on. I made people pay attention. I don't know if I actually made a long-lasting impact on anybody, but if I can positively influence one person with my actions, I can say that what I do is worth it. With failing at getting these initiatives onto the ballot, I feel small. While I would have loved to put in more effort to gather signatures, my health and grades can handle only so much extra stress.

I don't like to fail. Because of suspending these campaigns, I feel like a disappointment to myself and others. These were supposed to be more than "feel good" campaigns. I wanted them to bring about tangible results, or at the very least, produce a snowball effect. In order to rid myself of these bad feelings, I am going to analyze on how we can still get these campaigns going (whether it be working outside of the AS Elections or in next year's), forget the disappointments, and move on. I like to learn from the past, not have it control me. It's so hard to put this past me, but I am looking at the bigger picture. A little setback will not tarnish what I ultimately believe in. This has definitely been a low point in my political activism, more specifically, my drug policy activism. I cannot help but feel that smarter and safer drug policies are not being implemented fast enough. This ordeal does not help with that. If this was a low point, I am going to eventually find another high point. Since drug policy is a topic I will probably be drawn to for the rest of my life, I will exposed to both low and high points. Let's look forward to the high.

648 Adventures - Day 1

While at Seattle Hempfest, I discovered a booth for I-648 petitions - Real Legalization for marijuana in the state of Washington, beyond I-502. (For those of you who went to Hempfest in 2013 or were paying attention to state politics back then, it is more-or-less a cleaned-up version of I-584.) I became all activist and asked for some blank petitions so that I could dedicate some of my time to collecting signatures.

(Please check this out to help with some more of my drug policy activism.)

Fortunately for them but unfortunately for me, they ran out of extra twenty-signature petitions, so they just gave me a bunch of four-signature petitions. Good news is that I should be getting some twenty-signature sheets in the mail soon. I decided that a good way to collect signatures before school starts (grrr quarter system...) would be to go to the Bellingham Farmers Market.

I brought my sign and expected it to be fairly easy to collect signatures. However, that was not the case. There were only about two or three people who came up and signed without hesitation. The most asked question was..."How is this different from I-502?" or a variant of that ("Don't we already have legalization?"). Sometimes it was just like a line of people asking that same question one after the other.

The difficulty I find with explaining I-648 is that most people are not familiar with the I-502 law, thus having to explain that and how I-648 addresses some issues found in that or not addressed in I-502 at all. I-648 also covers quite a bit of legislation. These are the main points I usually addressed:

1) Medical patients can be charged with DUI despite following a doctor's advice and not actually being impaired. Under I-502, the active-THC limit is 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood. My main problem with that number is that other studies have chosen other "limits" and say that it also varies from individual to individual. How do you regulate that? Not to mention, if you are suspected of driving under the influence, the only reliable way to detect the amount of active-THC in your blood is to...draw blood and test it. That is not something a police officer can just do (or is qualified to do for that matter) on the roadside - they have to bring the person in. I-648 will at least treat patients "like prescription drug patients regarding the driving under the influence law."

2) Under I-502, punishments for those twenty years of age and younger became more severe for marijuana possession - at least one day in jail and a maximum of ninety days. I-648 would make first offense possession for those twenty-years-old and younger a class 3 civil infraction, a maximum monetary penalty of $50.

3) Even under I-502, the transfer of marijuana from one adult to another is a felony, unless one is a licensed vendor - the exception is a caregiver transferring medicine to a patient. With I-648, "No license, fee, tax, or permit is required of adults...to transfer not-for-profit the amounts specified...to any other person," which of course only applies to those twenty-one and older.

Of course, these are not the only issues addressed in I-648. Read more here if you want all the details.

There were so many kids at the farmers market...I knew parents and grandparents would not be so happy if I made my presence too well-known. I really do hate how this is not a topic that is deemed as socially-acceptable, or is barely-so. A lot of people looked at me as if I was a freak of nature. It was like the AS Elections all over again.

One woman rushed over to me and said, "Sorry, I had to rush here - I don't want my grandchildren see me sign this."

Despite people ignoring me or giving me weird stares, it was not hostile at all. There were only two people who announced to me that they were against any kind of marijuana legalization. One said that it makes people even more dumb, and people are dumb enough as they are. Another told me after I asked her if she wanted to learn more after telling her a bit of what I-648 would do if enacted into law that she was not for legalization and walked off. She walked away too quickly for me to ask why she did not believe in legalization...or I was a few seconds too late to realize that I should have asked that question.

This was a very random observation, but there were a lot of people from out of the area. Some of the signers were from Seattle and other parts of Washington, and two I talked with were out-of-state - Colorado and California.

After telling two guys some of the things I-648 would deal with, they did not care to sign, although they expressed interest in maybe looking more into it. One of them said that he might sign it after getting drunk tonight and pointed to Rumors across the street. He asked me if I would be there. I thought it was strange that someone assumed I would be going clubbing at a certain location that night. I forget what I said (something probably like, "Nah, I don't think so"), but he inquired on whether or not I go out dancing much, and I replied, "No, not really."

A minute after they left, the realization of what was going on dawned upon me.

By going to the farmers market, I was able to collect four-and-a-half sheets of signatures. Hopefully next time, I will not not be too lazy and head there around the time it opens. I think I was only there for like two hours. I have decided that I will journal about my experiences with this on here. So look forward to more of my 648 Adventures!

Benefits of four-signature petitions - makes it seem like I accomplished a lot!

2014 Seattle Hempfest speech

After attending Seattle Hempfest for the first time in 2013, I decided that I wanted to apply to become a speaker for 2014. At first, I thought I was only speaking on Friday, but when I checked the final schedule, it turned out I was speaking all three days.

Hence why this only has Friday's time/place 

(For those of you who are curious: Friday [08/15] at 2:50 on Ralph Seeley, Saturday [08/16] at 11:50 on Share Parker Main, and Sunday [08/17] at 1:35 on Peter McWilliams.)

I knew that I wanted to cover marijuana and hemp legalization from a slightly different perspective. The speakers who talk about activism (the few who actually do...) usually talk about tangible benefits from legalization and repercussions of prohibition. There is definitely nothing wrong with those arguments (I would hope not, since I wrote not only one, but two articles on this blog exploring some of them [although from a broader "War on Drugs" perspective]). However, I wanted to cover it from a more moral perspective.

As for the actual speech, I had not spoken in front of an audience for a while and knew I would be rusty. On Friday, I decided to read off my paper. I did not like doing that because I did not have the time to rehearse it much and by looking at the paper, it cut off a good portion of my connection with the audience. Saturday felt much better when I spoke of points I remembered from my written speech. On Sunday, I had to get from Bremerton to Seattle, then rush from the south entrance to the McWilliams Stage, barely making it on time (technically, I did not make it on time, but thankfully between band sets when the speakers go on). With no time to rehearse (and overthink) and being onstage twice that weekend, I felt the connectivity even more-so.

This is more-or-less what my speech(es) consisted of:

"Hello everyone, and Happy Hempfest! My name is Katrina Haffner, here on behalf of Students For Liberty and Students for Sensible Drug Policy to educate you all on not only why but how to get. I have to admit that when I first found out I was accepted as a speaker, my first thought was, “How do I deliver a speech to a bunch of high people?” Last year was my first time coming to an event like this, and while I immensely enjoyed it, I could not help but notice that there is a general sense of apathy towards activism by the attendees. Spring of 2013, I had stepped up to become the president of Western Washington University’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. While I was familiar with drug policy, I would not say I was well-versed in it, and it was definitely an issue I cared about, but I really did need to brush up on my understanding of it. Last summer, I decided to come to Hempfest to learn more about marijuana policy and to network. When I told some of my friends this, they laughed and told me, “Katrina, there is literally nothing to do there but smoke weed.” Just to note, I’m not much of a smoker, so that’s why they laughed. I was disappointed because I somewhat believed them since they’d actually been there, but I decided to go anyways.

"Oh boyyyy, were they wrong. I mean, sure, when I finally came here, I started wondering if there was such a thing as a secondhand high. However, there turned out to be quite a few activism and learning opportunities. I concluded the problem is not that these opportunities are not presented and available, but that not many people cared to become more involved with the legalization movement.

"Just because I-502 passed does not mean that all is well now, no – not even in Washington. We have that crazy active-THC blood level limit portion of the law and other practices that negatively affect medical patients. Unlike Colorado, adults cannot grow their own plants. Unlike Colorado, Washington still cannot cultivate and process industrial hemp. One of the only good reasons I can find for I-502’s enactment into law is that there have been so many arrests that have been prevented. When has smoking pot or using hemp products hurt anyone? Even if you were to use the argument that it hurts those who use it, keep in mind…it is our own choice to do what we want with our lives and with our bodies.

"Some of you have probably heard that the United States has only 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prisoners. Did you know that over half a million people were arrested in 2012 for marijuana possession alone in the US? Home of the free? [Beat] Not only has our government violated our individual agency, but it has drastically changed some people’s lives…and not for the better. Despite the similarity of usage by people of all colors, Native Americans, blacks, and Hispanics are more likely to be searched for possession, arrested, and serve jail time. All for a nonviolent activity. Speaking of violence, many notable economists have contributed the prohibition of certain substances to the growth of violent black markets. Have you ever reported your drug dealer to the Better Business Bureau? What we see going on in Mexico is very similar to alcohol prohibition in the ‘20s. These people neither have the government nor the public keeping an eye on them, letting them get away with atrocious things.

"Now, I’m a Campus Coordinator for Students For Liberty. Liberty is very important to me. I want restrictions on hemp and marijuana to be lifted locally, nationally, and internationally. Do you all know what the good news is? By I-502 and Amendment 64 being enacted into law, we not only have the country, but the entire world, revisiting this issue. Why, it was only earlier this year that Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana. You are already doing your part by being here. Having this many people show up to a festival of this kind sends a message to the world. However, this is not all you could be doing. There are many political organizations who have booths or at the very least, activists, here. Talk to them! Talk to me, and I will help you go in the right direction. I understand that not everybody has the drive or time to become an activist, but there are still some small things pretty much anyone can do.

"It’s surprising how much of an impact a mere Facebook post has. I have had quite a few people tell me that their views on a certain topic had drastically changed because of an article I had once posted, and if I remember correctly, no one had liked or commented on it. I thought I was just one of those people who liked to bathe in their own intelligence, shouting to a brick wall. Keyboard activists sometimes get slack for not doing more, but social media is a great way to educate your friends and family. Do me a favor this weekend and go a step above what you normally do concerning marijuana and hemp activism. Have you never posted anything related to this topic on Facebook or Twitter? I would think most of you have smartphones – do it now! Is all what your activism comprised of is posting on social media? Go and talk to NORML or visit the Hemposium. Just to think that two years ago, I thought Hempfest was a tradeshow of industrial hemp wonders. Now, I am speaking on a stage – in Seattle – at Hempfest – about how to become more involved. You don’t need to be a stoner or a policy-enthusiast to want marijuana and hemp legalization. I’m a nonsmoking anthropology and theater major – how could anyone beat the oddity that? It does not matter how old you are, your nationality, your religion, and so on – because marijuana and hemp do not discriminate. Thank you."

Name all the reasons why the War on Drugs is bad

I just came back from the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Denver, Colorado. Of course I am going to write on it, but I am super-busy with school and other stuff at the moment (including writing twenty-five pages of a play for a class in six days).

So to not hang y'all up for too long, I'm giving you an activity to do...

In the comments, name a reason why the Drug War is bad. If you can, please give us a detailed description on why.

Sure, not too long ago (more accurately, two posts ago), I wrote "Why ending the War on Drugs is so important to me," but I realized (and it's not like expected to remember all of the reasons) that I'm still missing a lot. You can use that post for a bit of reference (and maybe some other drug-related ones I've written).

Comment why you want drug legalization, reply to other people, debate, etc., as long as it's respectful.

From Propaganda Templates

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Why ending the War on Drugs is so important to me

If someone had shown staunchly conservative Republican me a glimpse into the future of the ultra-liberal school I would be attending in a couple of years, I would have dropped dead right there. Yes, I have come a looooong way.

I was very much into keeping drugs illegal...amongst other things.

I hated associating with people who I knew did drugs, and that was a lot of people because I went to a wealthy school.

To be totally honest, I have no idea how I came to my current feelings about drugs from what I used to think. I don't do drugs, and I don't hang out much with people who do drugs (not intentional, but I guess it's because people subconsciously seek out companions who are similar to themselves). My hypothesis is that I realized that people who do drugs, for the most part, are just normal people. Then maybe it developed more when I began identifying myself more and more as a libertarian.

It's kind of like trying to explain how I became an environmentalist or even got interested in politics in the first place...I have theories, but I sure as hell don't even know how that all started.

When I became a libertarian, the president of the Western Libertarians, and finally, especially, the president of WWU Students for Sensible Drug Policy, people would think my choice was funny because I don't do drugs. I don't even smoke marijuana.

I'll sometimes be talking with a friend, and the fact that I'm either the president of WWU SSDP or a drug policy activist in general will come up, and my friend will tell me how he or she also believes in legalizing drugs. I will then tell them about the club and ask them if they're interested in coming to meetings. Sadly, one of the most common replies is, "Sorry, I don't think I'm interested in really becoming involved. I don't do drugs."

Well, I don't do drugs either.

Others ask me why I'm so passionate about this issue when I don't do drugs. Sure, I am a big believer in personal freedoms. If you want to smoke crack, inject meth, etc., it's none of my business, unless you are planning on negatively affecting a third party. But why is the War on Drugs one of the biggest things I'm concerned about? (The other things being unnecessary military intervention and climate change.)

If the only concern dealing with the War on Drugs was only about personal freedoms, then it wouldn't be so high on my priority list.

Fortunately, DrugPolicy.org lists amost all of the reasons why I am so passionate about this subject on its "Drug War Statistics" page.

"Amount spent annually in the U.S. on the war on drugs: More than $51,000,000,000"

Cost is another reason. This is one reason why I can't believe most Republicans are resistant to legalization. Not only less government, but it would cut spending. What should I expect though? That's hypocrisy for ya.

"Tax revenue that drug legalization would yield annually, if currently-illegal drugs were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco: $46.7 billion"

"Estimated annual revenue that California would raise if it taxed and regulated the sale of marijuana: $1,400,000,000"

C'mon Republicans, think of all the debt that would pay off! Democrats, think of all the social services that could pay for!

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that syringe access programs lower HIV incidence who inject drugs by: 80 percent"

"One-third of all AIDS cases in the U.S. have been caused by syringe sharing: 354,000 people"

For some reason, I wasn't aware of this issue until a few weeks ago. Please don't say, "it's their fault for getting AIDS because of their drug use." Supposedly needle-sharing happens a lot more when the government is more strict since users are afraid of getting clean ones because of fear of being arrested.

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"Fraction of people incarcerated for a drug offense in state prison that are black or Hispanic, although these groups use and sell drugs at similar rates as whites: 2/3"

This is one of the huge reasons why I am a big advocate for legalization. Keep in mind that the U.S. is dominated by white people. I don't like resorting to emotions or name-calling, but if you support keeping drugs illegal, you should carry a sign on you that has the word "RACIST" in neon lights. I guess you could also choose "IGNORANT" or plain "STUPID."

"Number of people arrested for a marijuana law violation in 2012: 749,825

• Number of those charged with marijuana law violations who were arrested for possession only: 658,231 (88 percent)"

"Number of Americans incarcerated in 2011 in federal, state and local prisons and jails: 2,266,800 or 1 in every 99.1 adults, the highest incarceration rate in the world"

"Number of students who have lost federal financial aid eligibility because of a drug conviction: 200,000+"

Students lose their financial aid if they are caught with any drug. I've read a lot of stories about cops who witness nonviolent marijuana smokers sometimes being in jail for longer than rapists and murderers are. Don't even get me started on our prison system. I think Family Guy's "Dial Meg for Murder" did a great job illustrating this. People's lives are ruined after going through all of this - number of years lost, trouble with finding jobs, going to a school that will accept them, etc.

"Number of people killed in Mexico's drug war since 2006: 70,000+"

This is the number one reason why this is a huge deal to me. There is so much gang violence, which of course results in death, even for innocent civilians, because of the War on Drugs. What if I told you that drug cartels are the ones helping to make sure that drugs remain illegal? I seriously can't get why anybody would still be not for legalizing drugs after learning about this. If you're dumb enough, you can tell me that all of these people are dying - being murdered, caught in crossfire, etc. - for other reasons. I really think, literally, if someone was to tell me they are still for upholding our current drug policy after reading or hearing this fact, I would start tearing up. I'm actually getting a bit emotional right now...

Other reasons why I'm for legalization:

Prohibition doesn't work.

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Like I mentioned briefly in my Hempfest post, a store owner from D.C. was telling the audience how there was a synthetic substitute for marijuana that the police force and military would want to buy from his place. In this video, Milton Friedman claims that crack cocaine would not have existed if it weren't for drug prohibition. There are many substances out there that are legal, which were made to be a substitute for banned drugs.

Without regulation, who knows what the hell dealers and other people are putting into the drugs, possibly increasing the likelihood of sickness and death.

You know what I find "funny?" When people list some of these reasons for why they are against marijuana prohibition, but then won't even consider legalizing other drugs. I'll save that rant for another post.

Marijuana and MDMA have been found to have medicinal benefits. If people should choose to use those to help heal whatever they have, they should have the right to do so.

So yes, now you know why I have become an activist. I can't morally ignore policies that send people away to jail for something that doesn't harm others, is racially-discriminating, and is the cause of tens of thousands of deaths.

Hopefully, you can, if you haven't already, educate yourself on why the drug war is not working and what we can do to finally end this prohibition and all the grief it causes.

I didn't go too much into detail for a reason. I want you to look at the reports and studies for yourself. Here are some useful links:

http://stopthedrugwar.org/

http://norml.org/

http://ssdp.org/

http://www.drugpolicy.org/

One thing I can't understand is how people can just ignore this issue as if it doesn't pertain to them. I guess it goes for pretty much every issue out there. Sure, I am an environmentalist, but I can very easily list off people who are more into that sort of activism than I am. I've come to realize that what makes me angry is when people say, "I do believe in legalization, but I don't want to get involved because I don't do drugs." It's a misunderstanding happening here - if you are involved with drug policy activism, then it must mean you do drugs. Let's get more people out there who are willing to show their faces to the world and say, "I don't participate in any drug activity, but I want to educate others on what all the War on Drugs has done to innocent people and get the government to finally end prohibition after decades of needlessly pursuing nonviolent users."

If you have any questions to ask, more useful websites for people to check out, etc., please comment.

EDIT: Check out this post - and add to the conversation!

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