Skunk Article

7/27/2019 Skunk Article

1/6

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 624

PHOTOC

O

URTESYOFTORILACHAPELLE


2/6

WHAT STARTED YOU

ON YOUR PATHWAY TO

MEDICAL CANNABIS

ADVOCACY/ACTIVISM?

I first spoke at the 2010 Great

Annual Midwest Marijuana

Harvest Festival in MadisonWisconsin. It started when

I made a post on facebook

about being a nurse and

wanting cannabis for pain. If

this exchange had not hap-

pened Id never have had the

chance to meet the wonderful

cannabis community and ad-

vocate the way I do now. The

first activist I ever met was

Ben Masel of Wisconsin who

founded the Harvest Fest withDana Beal.

WHAT WAS YOUR

PART IN THE MADISON

SING ALONG AGAINST

GOVERNMENT POLICIES?

The Solidarity Sing Along

has been holding the fort for

First Amendment rights in

Wisconsin every weekday in

the Capitol Building since the

2011 uprising, when hundredsof thousands gathered to

protest Scott Walkers attack

on public servants and unions.

I had always followed the

Sing Alongs efforts but it was

seeing the arrest, handcuffing

and detention of a singing 80

year old grandmother on the

news that sparked me into ac-

tion. Out of nowhere a week

before Walker was to hold the

Republican Governors Con-vention in Milwaukee, the po-

lice began arresting Sing Along

participants in the Capitol.

I went to participate in

the protests the next day and

witnessed a Vietnam Veterans

violent arrest. He was stand-

ing, not even singing, when

the American flag he was

holding was ripped from his

arms, thrown to the ground

and walked all over by these

TOKIN FEMALE

T

OR

I

L

AC

HA

PE

LL

ETORI LA CHAPELLE -- nurse, mother,

medical cannabis advocate, socialmedia writer and medical refugee

conductor -- belongs to a new breed

of cannabis activists, well-versed in

medical uses, well-educated in the

injustice of prohibition. Tori gains her

advantage from being in the generation

with a mass awareness of medical

purposes that has wiped out the senseof it being morally wrong, instilling

knowledge and confidence in activists

on a justice mission fraught with

difficulties. What makes it easier now

is -- the marijuana majority has got their

back! All polls show 80% and climbing

support medical marijuana!

Since CAs Prop 215 in 96, ageneration has matured that represents

the marijuana majority. Tori is an

example of the savvy, competent,

compassionate, middle-of-the-road

professional leader of the future, single

mother of four children, Nurse Tori

to thousands she has helped in her

career, a connector on social media, aconductor for medical refugees, and an

everyday woman with fibromyalgia in

constant pain who informs her social

media friends of feelings of uselessness

to stay connected.

W O R D S

PEBBLES

TRIPPET

The righteous are mobilizing and organizing.

~ Tori La Chapelle

Tokin Femaleis dedicated to bringing womens voices and deeds out of the background into the foreground of all things cannabis.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. AFRICAN PROVERB


3/6

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 626

Gestapo like police. He was then violently

handcuffed and taken to jail. The next day

a pastor was arrested and nearly died in

custody with a cardiac emergency brought

on by the stress of the arrest. Every weekday

for nearly a month 20-30 people a day were

handcuffed, arrested, threatened and given

citations no worse than speeding tickets, yet

kids, grandmothers, soldiers, firefighters and

the elderly were being treated like criminals.

I was arrested twice for singing, subjected to

pain compliance techniques both times, hav-ing my arthritic wrists twisted and bent into

metal handcuffs, though I never resisted.

Sticking up for myself made me more

conscientious about being involved. My can-

nabis activism definitely payed a role in my

having confidence to join in the Sing Along.

After all, Id smoked cannabis on the Capitol

lawn during Harvest Fest surrounded by

police. I thought I could get arrested for sing-

ing pretty easy. I never anticipated being the

victim of pain compliance applied by police.

THERE WAS ONE ESPECIALLY ICONIC

MOMENT WHEN A HOSTILE ANTI-UNION

PRO-WALKER SUPPORTER ACTED

IN A BELLIGERENT WAY AND YOU

DIFFUSED THE HOSTILITY BY ASKING

HIM TO DANCE. WAS YOUR OUTREACH

SPONTANEOUS?

Yes, it was spontaneous. I saw Carl Gibson of

Occupy try to engage and calm him down.

He was up to his usual, calling us pigs and

union thugs. I tried to get him to put his

feelings about unions aside and understand

it was a First Amendment issue, but to no

avail. When I worked as a psychiatric nurse,

it taught me compassion and de-escalation

techniques. He was so angry that I felt com-

pelled to change that if even for a minute

and to show him kindness. I wanted him to

see that we werent thugs but people pro-

testing joyously.At first when I approached him with my

arms open. he looked at me as if I was crazy.

I smiled and said, How could you deny me

a dance? Then he took my hand and we

started dancing. He had the biggest smile!

I use that moment as a reminder to extend

compassion to people I disagree with. Respect

disarms people from their anger.

HOW DOES YOUR MEDICAL CONDITION

SPUR YOUR ACTIVISM?

I had symptoms of disseminated lymedisease 11 years ago but it took 5 years to

diagnose lyme. Chronic pain is a great moti-

vator. You can either surrender to it or turn

it into something productive. For example,

one day Id gone through an unplanned opi-

ate withdrawal. I have no consistent access

to proper medicinal cannabis so lm stuck

still relying on traditional pain medications.

I forgot to pick up my prescription. Within

18 hours of my last tab of Lortab, I was in

full-blown withdrawal, shaking, sweating

and crying while writing out my speech tolawmakers against another prohibitionist

bill. I was pissed to be suffering the effects

of opiate withdrawal when all I needed was

safe access to medicinal cannabis. I was

pissed at the unfairness of the Drug War and

the government telling me what I can put

in my body. Finally at age 30, when I was

facing a choice of morphine or oxycontin to

control my pain, I gave in and tried cannabis.

I felt my body truly relax for the first time

in 10 years and I sobbed in relief. Through

activism, I finally feel Im a useful person,comfortable with who I am.

HOW HAS ACTIVISM CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

Activism has lifted a veil of societal despair

that had been clouding my eyes and stagnat-

ing what I now believe to be my lifes path.

Ive found community, love, humanity and un-

derstanding amongst activists. Its made me

more effective as a human being. Of course,

giving a shit comes with more stress which

exacerbates my condition.

TOKIN FEMALE: TORI LA CHAPELLE

While I was getting off the plane

in Denver. the woman next to me

(whom I had only exchanged pleas-

antries with) asked if I was staying

in Denver. I told her I was just here

for the weekend but that Im mov-

ing to Colorado next year and she

said to me...But you have so much

work to do in the Capitol. Wiscon-

sin needs you.Other than the Solidarity Sing

Along button on my camera strap,

I dont know how she knew me but

my eyes are now filled with tears

and my heart is filled with pride.

WE ARE WINNING!

@solidaritysingalong

(anonymous woman Tori met on the plane)

photo

Stephanie

Roose

photo

Leslie

Peterson

I Am A Criminal -Torispeaking at WI HempFest

Pain Compliance Tori arrested atMadison WI Solidarity Sing Along


4/6

HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH YOUR

MEDICAL CONDITION?

Mainly through alternative treatments. includ-

ing herbs and Chinese physical medicines. I eat

whole foods and stay away from pharmaceu-

ticals at all costs although I still have to take

opiates for pain. Since starting cannabis, Im

off nearly a dozen pharmaceuticals and haveaccomplished physical feats I never thought

possible -- running for miles, hiking long dis-

tances, climbing mountains. Four years ago,

I could barely stay upright more than a few

hours. Cannabis has opened up a whole new

world of possibilities for me.

HAVE YOU TRIED CANNABIS OIL OR

LEAF JUICING?

I once tried less than 1/4 gram cannabis oil

and felt the pain-relieving effects until the next

day. It was amazing! But I cant afford to use itfor myself and I dont want to take up supply

that can go to cancer patients. I cant wait to

move to Colorado and start myself on oil.

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE VIRTUES

OF CANNABIS AS A MEDICINE TO YOUR

CHILDREN?

Ive always been into herbalism, so the boys

grew up seeing me use plants as medicine

most of their lives. Standing up against unjust

laws is a family value theyve always been

taught. They understand that sometimespeople have to break laws for the greater

good. I dont think my older boys (16 and 12)

are the least bit surprised by my outspoken-

ness. My 12 year old son Trevors reaction to

the Solidarity Sing Along arrests made me so

proud. He said he wanted to become a lawyer

to protect peoples rights. It was the moment

I realized they had been listening all along. My

oldest son Hunter once stood up to a teacher

who was punishing people for not saying the

Pledge of Allegiance. At age 9, he knew it was

a First Amendment violation and called theteacher out. I hope someday theyre as proud

of me as I am of them.

IN LIGHT OF WISCONSINS

UNENLIGHTENED MARIJUANA LAWS

AND FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATIONS

WHATS YOUR TAKE ON MOVING TO

ANOTHER STATE, AS PART OF THE FIRST

WAVE OF MEDICAL REFUGEES?

The most important thing in my life is the

immediate safety, well-being and happiness

of my family. Ive always said if you believe

A SHORT HISTORY OFTORI LACHAPELLESSUPPORT OF THEFITZRANDOLPH FAMILY

Dec 2013

I met Tori through my wife Ruthiewho worked with her in the nurs-

ing profession. At the time, we

were seeking information on an

alternative protocol cure for our

daughter Jessis Stage IV breast

cancer. We were totally fed up with

conventional protocols including

chemotherapy and radiation. Nei-

ther worked and both were slowly

killing our Jessi. So we decided to

learn more about medical cannabisto provide a natural alternative to

her failing treatments and health.

Tori was not only incredibly

knowledgeable about medical

cannabis; she also was able to

provide educational and sourcing

information that became our life-

line to the Simpson Oil we coveted

for Jessis treatments. She taught

us to make our own oil. She put us

in touch with the appropriate con-tacts that were willing to provide

the quantity and quality of plant

buds we needed to ease Jessis

angst, pain and nausea...and to ac-

tually slow the spread of the can-

cer and ultimately eliminate the

hideous disease that had taken up

residence in Jessis body.

Without Toris input, courage,

cooperation and willingness to fight

the existing system in Wisconsinwhich discourages the use of any

kind of marijuana product regard-

less of whether it is for recreational

or medical use, our daughters prog-

nosis would not be nearly as posi-

tive. We credit Tori with allowing

us to look forward with our entire

family to another year of healing

and continued progress defeating

Jessis cancer.

~Jeff FitzRandolph

In a whirlwind, theres not much of a fence to sit on! PEBBLES TRIPPET

photo

Leslie

Peterson

photoK

aren

Kinsley

photo

courtesy

ofToriLaChapelle

Tori with Boston bombing hero andVeteran for Peace, Carlos Arrendondo

Pain compliance andarrest for singing atSing Along

Nurse Tori speaksher mind.


5/6

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 628

in something and choose to fight, you have

to accept the consequences. But I cannot ac-

cept the negative effect those consequences

would have on my family if something were

to happen to me because of my cannabis

use. No matter how fearless I may feel, my

children are afraid of losing their mother andfor good reason, as the threat of CPS action

against families is very real.

There seems to be an epidemic of activ-

ists and patients being visited by CPS in legal

medicinal states like Michigan and California

as well as prohibitionist states. Children are

being removed from family homes because

a parent uses medicinal marijuana or has a

supply on premises. Children are being kept

and parents put on child abuse registries

interminably, even after charges are dropped

and/or findings are unsubstantiated.There is also the very real effects a CPS

investigation would have on my children.

Several parents have reported long-lasting

trauma after a CPS call.

At risk is also my ability to support my

family. Parents are being put on the abuse

registry without ever having lost custody of

their children. As a nurse, those consequences

would strip me of my ability to adequately

provide for my family and Id never be able to

practice again. How would my family survive

without my income? It would take years torecover from such a devastating blow!

Ive chosen to move to Colorado instead

of Oregon or California because, after the

passage of Amendment 64, Colorado authori-

ties assured the public that marijuana use

or possession alone will not result in a CPS

investigation. No other state has offered such

assurances.

Nothing comes before my children, not

ideology, not my rights, not even the rights of

the people I fight for. What is most important

is that I be able to mother my children from

home and not from a jail cell. Whats the

point of being a mother without anyone to

mother? (LadyBud online 7/15/13).

Im excited and hopeful about the

move. Im seeing it as a way to new begin-

nings and new paths. Im networking with

other Wisconsin refugees to form a lobbying

delegation that returns to Wisconsin to testifyand campaign for legalization.There may also

be a way to keep my nursing employment

and school for my boys in Wisconsin while

transitioning to Colorado.

Im a mom first and I have to be the

best mom I can be. If I dont do my best and

take every step I can to protect my family

from prohibition fallout, I will have failed at

my most important role in life -- as a mother.

YOURE SETTING UP A NURSE.TORI

WEBSITE TO COORDINATE MEDIA FORSEVERAL GROUPS YOURE PROMOTING,

SUCH AS PARENTS FOR POT AND

UNDERGREEN RAILROAD, HELPING

MEDICAL REFUGEES TRANSITION TO

COMPASSION STATES. WHAT ARE

YOUR PLANS?

I intend to explore cannabis nursing as a

specialty in my future. Im developing nurse.

tori as a hub for activist projects Im associ-

ated with -- that includes all my advocacy

projects and informational resources and will

move to include counseling and supportiveservices for medical refugees. Someday I

hope I can say I survive and raise a family on

what advocacy pays. For now, Id be happy

to be paid in karma.

IF ONLY I COULD HELP YOU, I WOULD.

AT YOUR LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT,

YOU SHOULD NOT BE DEPRIVED OF

MEDICINE, EVER. THAT IS NOT TOO

MUCH TO HOPE FOR. I WONDER,

DO CO AND CA HAVE RECIPROCITY

RELATIONS?Thank you, Pebbles, I agree. I cannot be

effective at my work level if Im in pain or

sick all the time.

FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IN

NETWORKING WITH A NUMBER OF

GROUPS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE

FLAWS HOLDING OUR MOVEMENT

BACK AFTER 75 YEARS OF BEING

STALLED IN PROHIBITION?

A large part of the stalled momentum is

natural fears of punitive reactions from

TOKIN FEMALE: TORI LA CHAPELLE

I first met Tori at an outdoor

Solidarity Sing Along in Madison,

Wisconsin. It was a gorgeous

sunny summer day, so lots of us

were present. From the beginning,

a right-wing counter-protesterbegan heckling the crowd between

songs, and I tried to intervene and

de-escalate to keep the group on

the right track, but to no avail.

Then, out of nowhere, I see

an impossibly beautiful blonde

woman take the counter-protest-

ers hand in a polka song and start

dancing with him. Before he knew

it, he was smiling and laughing

and dancing with the rest of us. I

cant say if he changed his entire

world view that day, but in subse-

quent appearances at Sing Alongs,

he was always much more civil. I

think Toris charitable dance went

a long way in bridging the gap be-

tween citizens who share a com-

mon class struggle and are only

divided by the ideologies to which

the media and politicians force

them to subscribe. Toris soul and

energy are electric. (Ive attached a

photo of that moment.)

Also, Toris willingness to go

toe-to-toe with the state and fight

for her basic rights to free speech

and free assembly despite having

four boys to care for is admirable.

Activists in all issues can learn a lot

from someone like Tori. Her dedica-

tion to her causes is proof thatthere is literally no excuse not to

get involved, because she defies all

of them. Having kids, having an ar-

rest record, having a job -- she has

all of those things and continues to

be vocal in her fights every day.

~Carl Gibson 12/16/14

Lead Investigative Reporter, Occupy.com

Contributing Editor,

ReaderSupportedNews.org

photo Sarah Mittermaier

Tori with angry counter-protester... the dance thatdisarmed rage


6/6

society and law enforcement. The Drug War

and Prohibition are pervasively invading the

lives and threatening the liberty of activists. It

seems like the faster the cannabis movement

gains momentum, the faster the government

throws up roadblocks and some of those

include jailing more of us.

There is also messaging and misinforma-tion coming out of the cannabis movement

itself that seems to be creating opposition

to legalization. We are still seeing half-naked

women promoting recreational use under the

guise of medical marijuana. Theres certainly

nothing wrong with recreational use. But call-

ing bong-humping in public medicating is

damaging to medical marijuanas credibility.

Right now, theres internal divisions

caused by an increase in corporatism within

the movement giving rise to friction between

entrepreneurs and purists who believe in totalcannabis freedom. We need to find a respect-

able middle ground.

WHAT KINDS OF GENERAL PATIENT

PROTECTIONS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE

IN LAW?

Im very concerned not to give CPS too much

wiggle room to take children based solely on

the parents medical marijuana use. Id like to

see specific protections for patient employees

so they arent punished for their choice of

medication. Ive also testified against double

jeopardy where municipalities/towns are

allowed to prosecute marijuana possession

crimes even as local DAs refuse to. Another

bad proposal is making a 2nd possession of

any amount of marijuana an automatic felony-- no voting, no benefits, no loans... ruined.

When I stopped listening to the lies

and probed medical cannabis studies, I was

floored to see how misled the public and

medical community have been regarding

safety and effectiveness of cannabis. When

you discover the government has intention-

ally misled the public, resulting in devastating

consequences -- deaths, imprisonment, drug

war costs -- you realize the government is

protecting and serving interests other than

that of its people.When we were toe-to-toe with police

and the Walker administration in the Capitol,

we saw how ugly the Establishment gets

when faced with righteous opposition. When

their intimidation didnt work and the Justice

system ruled against them, the administration

didnt flinch and instead of letting us exercise

our rights, they used physical pain and humili-

ation at the hands of police. It opened my

eyes to the role of law enforcement.

Its not about LAW enforcement, its

about the will of the government being en-forced even when its contrary to the law.

WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?

The activists I work beside have influenced

me to open myself up spiritually/ emotionally

and to put the face of cannabis on an invisible

illness like chronic pain.

The people I advocate for have taught

me to live for today, never take anything for

granted and and to not waste time on un-

happy endeavors.

My friend Gennifer opened up a world offemale empowerment and appreciation of na-

ture...and right in time to experience magical

30s as a stronger woman.

The women of the cannabis community

are extraordinary at challenging oppression

and sexism in society. Many of us combat

sexism by showing the public that responsible

moms and successful women enjoy and ben-

efit from cannabis.

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. HENRY FORD

AFTERWORDSINCE CALIFORNIASProposition 215

made marijuana for medical purposes

a series of rights, no longer a crime,

a generation has matured into the

marijuana majority and taken the

lead. Every poll from Gallup to Pew has

registered the shift in attitude:Women, and particularly moth-

ers, are the pioneers of common sense

in public opinion, envisioning a better

world for their children where medical

freedom is treated the same as religious

freedom and children are not seized

from their parents due to their medical

cannabis use. NurseTori is speaking to

the needs of some of the most vulner-

able people -- families who live in fear

of being a target for taking their kids

and families who live in states with nosafe medical access, many of them have

children. They are seeking treatment

for, including conditions as diverse as

leukemia, epilepsy, brain tumors. Tori is

using her nurturing instincts as mother

and nurse to counsel, connect, encour-

age, empower and advocate for those in

need through her website hub, a port in

the storm with a very competent person

at the helm.

ph

otos

courtesy

ofToriLaChapelle

photo

cou

rtesy

ofToriLaChapelle

Toris family of 5 at home

Toris tat signifiesspring...renewal...rebirth

Tori mountain climbing, assistedby medicinal cannabis

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