Standup and Deliver
Comic Jimmy Dore: It’s wrong to jump through hoops to get medicine
Jimmy Dore is one of the few truly bold political comics on the current American scene. His career path has led him to star in several Comedy Central specials, including 2008’s Citizen Jimmy, and host his own nationally-syndicated radio show, The Jimmy Dore Show—which can be heard a
Comic Jimmy Dore: It’s wrong to jump through hoops to get medicine
Jimmy Dore is one of the few truly bold political comics on the current American scene. His career path has led him to star in several Comedy Central specials, including 2008’s Citizen Jimmy, and host his own nationally-syndicated radio show, The Jimmy Dore Show—which can be heard across SoCal. He’s also one of the regulars on the Current TV series The Young Turks—Dore was among a panel of guests last November that discussed Colorado’s then-pending vote on legalizing recreational cannabis—and has been a frequent talk show guest for both Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson.
But more importantly for CULTURE readers, Dore is a passionate advocate for ending the war on cannabis and MMJ. He not only was a writer-performer of the smash off-Broadway hit The Marijuana-Logues, but he also believes that using MMJ saved his sanity and possibly even his life, due to its strong role in helping alleviate chronic and debilitating pain caused by problems with the vertebrae in his back.
I’m completely baffled by the Drug War when it comes to cannabis, and how we’re locking people up. There are plenty of productive people out there with no problem, and legit medical uses. Obama and Clinton put more people in prison for this than Republicans. Is it an easy way to look tough on crime?
We have to guess because it’s such a crazy thing that the government’s doing. They’re going against the will of the people and this time violently. They’re showing up with M-16s. I saw them bring M-16s one time to my clinic. They closed the street off, all got out with their M-16s and their bulletproof vets. I bet they could have just asked the owner to close down for a day and come downtown but they had to go in with the big guns. They’re cowboys, you give ’em the guns and they’re gonna use ’em. They can’t tell the difference between a problem and not a problem. It’s like if your only tool is a hammer, and every problem is a nail. These guys don’t join the DEA because they don’t want to use them, it’s because they DO. It’s exciting—they can’t wait!
You have had a serious need for medical marijuana yourself. I heard you were nearly crippled by pain for years.
Yeah, I have a bad back; problems with my vertebrae and stuff like that. I can buy liquor at a gas station in the United States, but I have to see a doctor and go to a clinic and buzzed into a back room in order to buy a joint. Are you kidding me?! You guys should be embarrassed to be doing this to me. You say “I don’t think you’re sick enough.” Well, you’re not sick and you can buy Everclear, no one makes you take a test to buy it. You should feel bad that you make a guy jump through hoops to get his [medicine] of choice when you don’t have to. That’s how I feel about it.
