MARIJUANA A GROWERS LOT

        It was Sunday morning and the last day of the Nimbin Mardi
Grass. I had never been to the festival and tried to imagine Nimbin on
such a day. I quickly imagined a large and scattered mass of people and
a lot of colour and noise. A sweet aroma filled the air around. I
pondered whether it be appropriate to arrive stoned or get stoned there
or perhaps do the unthinkable - go straight. After all, I heard stories
of joints raining down from the heavens. I pictured tilting my head back
with a lighter in one hand and a beer in the other and capturing one of
these numbers between my lips. A light, a drag and a sip would follow. I
was definitely going.

        Upon arrival we explained how we were here to take photographs
and review the festival. We were waved through, waiving any fee payable.
Driving at a snail's pace we weaved through the crowd that displayed
peculiar fluidity. People flowed around the car without crashing into
us. They almost seemed to be flowing through the car, the back seat, in
and out of the windows. Those cookies were excellent.

        I entered the emporium and recognised him instantly from the
photos in the book (the piles of books in front of him confirmed Kog's
identity). I introduced myself and explained that I was reviewing the
book for pulp. We had a quick chat and I thought I better ask him if I
can quote and reproduce text and photos if I needed to. I asked who the
publisher was. Kog smiled and with a smirk said "me". And that was that.
I was on my way out with another copy purchased as a present for my
cousin. As I couldn't find my friend, the next couple of hours were
spent floating spontaneously, as one with this fluid and wonderful
crowd.

        'Marijuana - A Growers Lot' is written as a personal account on
devoting a part of yourself to growing this wondrous natural substance.
It is a very Australian tale, told as an outlaw account of trying to
survive in a world where money doesn't grow on trees and we have to look
at other ways to get by. All part of a system run by individuals who
wouldn't know their arse from their heads. Sound familiar? Well, this
book is Kog's response to that system. It is written not so much as a
guide on how to make money from growing but as an inspirational piece
where necessity breeds a means to survive - with no crime against any
individual.

        From the valleys of Kyogle, married with four children and on a
diminishing income from the farm, Kog took it upon himself to try and
get ahead in life. Disenchanted with the rat race, he grew marijuana
primarily for profit. As he puts it - the first motivation is to make
some cash, the second is to smoke it and the third to enjoy fucking the
system.

        It covers all aspects of growing, harvesting, storage and
selling as well as tracing the process from raising seedlings, to taking
cuttings, promoting growth and budding, and maintenance through till
harvest. Post harvest issues are also dealt with - pretty comprehensive
for a first chapter.

        It's all written in you beaut Aussie lingo without being too
technical or dry. I see it more as a collection of anecdotes spanning a
period of his life. It's well structured and lifts you progressively
throughout as you imagine and relate to the times when you have fucked
with the system. In fact there are many lessons we can learn from the
stories told here and these lie underneath the weed - often merely a
metaphor for life's trials and tribulations.

        Marijuana is portrayed as a natural global commodity widely used
and traded. It "is transported around the country in every way
imaginable, by car, train, bus, plane or even postal service. The chance
of getting caught is miniscule so just do it". The book warns about rip
off merchants, dogs and under-cover cops. It's also about being
professional and laundering the dough. "Get yourself a good tax
accountant and get to know your solicitor. Stay on the dole if you can
handle all the bullshit dole forms and bullshit courses they make you
do. Because then you can use their money to live on while you stash away
the cash for your future plans".

        As you can see the author is pretty honest. No bullshit here.
Ah, and of course the legalities. The nature of the crime, bail,legal
aid, plea bargaining and asset confiscation are next on the agenda. Kog
looks at the bureaucratic nature of not only drug laws, but that of the
media and its omission and/or misrepresentation of fact. He faced a
possible 20 years in gaol and $5 million fine - a fact driven home by
the media. "However 8 months later I plead guilty to cultivating 8000
marijuana plants and only get another 10 months in gaol. The general
public weren't told this fact because they would not have believed it.
It just didn't fucking make sense".
        "One Bad Year" - you guessed it , a chapter devoted to getting
busted, facing the sentence, survival in gaol, rehabilitation, parole
and freedom. "At Kyogle Police Station they set about counting every
seedling in that tray. You've got to be fucking joking...I just lay down
in the cell and closed my eyes and felt a great weight lift off my
shoulders. What a release. I didn't have to worry about anything
anymore". The account of the bust is quite eerie, as the unthinkable
happens.
        "There wasn't a day go by in gaol that I wasn't planning or
plotting how to grow more marijuana when I got out. There's so much dope
in gaol that you'd never go without if you wanted a smoke. Someone gave
me a seed so I got it growing in a yogurt container with a bit of dirt
from the pot plants out in the yard. I had it sitting on the window sill
in my cell getting the sun and used to tell people that they can lock me
up but they can't stop me growing the stuff".
        "It's a funny old word freedom. It means different things to
different people and it is very hard to define exactly what it is...And
in gaol you are free from the pressures of modern living...You get well
fed and how you handle your time is pretty much determined by what's
inside your head. There are many very free individuals in gaol. Many
times in gaol I felt perfectly free".
        The next chapter - "One Good Year" - is a beauty. A month to
month account of a bumper year after release, written in diary format (
a work of fiction of course) and featuring one heck of a plant. Easter
1998 - "It started raining as I finished picking by lunchtime. Back in
my shed and pouring rain all afternoon as I destalked the plants.
Estimated 10 pounds dry weight. Looking good, as this is only 1/3 of my
crop. This is about the most you could handle in one go". The chapter
ends with a set of observations and reflections on the 1999 harvest
season.
        And last, but perhaps most importantly - a section on spiritual
experiences, a positive mindset and personal insights. Quite
inspirational pertaining to being free within yourself and doing what
you want to do in life. Feeling in control of your destiny and finding
influences from within. The book alludes to this throughout anyway but
here it is dealt with directly.
        The book combines technical aspects of growing with relevant
documentation (maps, rainchart) and personal experiences with anecdotes
(newspaper extracts and legal docs) as well as incorporating a top array
of colour and b/w photographs. I don't just mean one or two - it is a
superb photographic diary of 90 photos over 170 pages of this hardcover
golden green bible. They are an indispensable part of the package -
after all seeing is believing.

          Reviewed by Mav.