Gatewood Galbraith visits Eastern
Chautauqua speaker brings different viewpoint on marijuana to campus
Jeremy Reed
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Online Exclusive
Gatewood Galbraith is a free man. As a matter of fact, he is the last free man in America.
He said so.
He also said that Kentucky is a police state. He said marijuana has saved more lives than any other medicine in the world. And he said that our nation is in more peril than at any time in its history.
Galbraith, if it weren't already obvious, likes to say a lot of things. In fact, he's made his name, and likely his career, from it.
And on Thursday, the 62-year-old lawyer-turned-politician - the one who ran for governor of Kentucky four times, for commissioner of agriculture, for attorney general, and for the U.S. House of Representatives - took a break from his campaigning and rabble-rousing to speak to a crowd of about 50 who sat in on Eastern's Chautauqua lecture series.
After a brief introduction, the tall, thin Kentucky native addressed his audience.
"I feel like a mosquito at a nudist colony," Galbraith said, "I don't know where to begin." The audience laughed.
Galbraith began by talking about where he's from, where he's been and how he became the man he is today.
"I was born in Carlisle, Kentucky, and was officially voted the orneriest kid to come out of Nicholas County at a local fair," Galbraith said.
He said he began going to college bars at the age of fifteen. He soon found himself enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he said he didn't earn a single credit in six semesters. He then decided to try the military route, joining the Marines in 1966. But he soon was medically discharged due to his chronic bad asthma.
But one day, he said, he discovered a cure.
"I smoked marijuana for the first time when I was 21. It cured my asthma like that," Galbraith said, snapping his fingers.
After participating in a student demonstration at UK, Galbraith said he decided that he would go to college to become an attorney so he could learn the system. He graduated from law school and began practicing law in 1981.
He said so.
He also said that Kentucky is a police state. He said marijuana has saved more lives than any other medicine in the world. And he said that our nation is in more peril than at any time in its history.
Galbraith, if it weren't already obvious, likes to say a lot of things. In fact, he's made his name, and likely his career, from it.
And on Thursday, the 62-year-old lawyer-turned-politician - the one who ran for governor of Kentucky four times, for commissioner of agriculture, for attorney general, and for the U.S. House of Representatives - took a break from his campaigning and rabble-rousing to speak to a crowd of about 50 who sat in on Eastern's Chautauqua lecture series.
After a brief introduction, the tall, thin Kentucky native addressed his audience.
"I feel like a mosquito at a nudist colony," Galbraith said, "I don't know where to begin." The audience laughed.
Galbraith began by talking about where he's from, where he's been and how he became the man he is today.
"I was born in Carlisle, Kentucky, and was officially voted the orneriest kid to come out of Nicholas County at a local fair," Galbraith said.
He said he began going to college bars at the age of fifteen. He soon found himself enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he said he didn't earn a single credit in six semesters. He then decided to try the military route, joining the Marines in 1966. But he soon was medically discharged due to his chronic bad asthma.
But one day, he said, he discovered a cure.
"I smoked marijuana for the first time when I was 21. It cured my asthma like that," Galbraith said, snapping his fingers.
After participating in a student demonstration at UK, Galbraith said he decided that he would go to college to become an attorney so he could learn the system. He graduated from law school and began practicing law in 1981.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 7
Bruce MacLaren
posted 4/09/09 @ 9:24 AM EST
Thank you for a thoughtful account of the Galbraith's lecture. I do think he believes what he says and many of his ideas on freedom are based on the Constitution. (Continued…)
Brent Mayfield
posted 4/12/09 @ 7:06 AM EST
Thank god someone in this state has the Balls to stand up and tell the truth. Kentucky needs to get back to its roots and those are Hemp and Cannibis roots!
The lung capasity deal is a first for me, 17% I dont know but I will look into it. (Continued…)
Sabina
posted 4/13/09 @ 10:38 AM EST
Thanks to this crazy man, many of Eastern's students are now brainwashed into thinking marijuana/cannibis will cure any ailment and should be legal blah-blah-blah. (Continued…)
Mason Brock
posted 4/13/09 @ 10:52 PM EST
Someone actually made you go to this for class? Remind me never to take that professor.
Hey, I'm all for legalization of Marijuana. But just because I want it to be legal doesn't mean I think it will a panacea for all of life's problems. (Continued…)
Anonymous
posted 4/14/09 @ 11:33 AM EST
I agree with the legalization, but the problem is the people who support it are typically people who smoke it for fun, not those who need it for medicinal or fuel reasons. (Continued…)
Post a Comment