Overgrow The World: Pot Re-Legalization Through Inundation
By Steve Elliott
Dec. 2 2010
Plant cannabis everywhere this spring. Overgrow The World!
Overgrow The World has the same goal as most of us: "Full re-legalization of cannabis/hemp for all farmers and responsible adults around the world." But OTW plans to achieve this goal through a unique method: planting marijuana in public, highly visible places.
A global "spring planting" is planned to specifically target areas which will be plainly visible, in order to get more national and international media coverage on the issue of cannabis re-legalization.
"Perhaps the simplest solution is the most visible," reads the tagline on the OTW website, "and the idea is just that," group founder ElectroPig Von Fökkengrüüven told Toke of the Town.
"I figured the best way to do that was to bring it to the streets of every city, town and village around the world," the mysterious ElectroPig told us. "And if the plants are seen NOT chasing children down the street, and they are seen to NOT stick needles into people's arms, maybe a bit of common sense 'might' start to filter into even the most willfully ignorant person's mind."
"Let's face it," Von Fökkengrüüven said. "Quietly planting a seed and walking away isn't exactly what even the most perverse media or politician can twist into 'a violent act which must be stamped out!' "
"And for those who DO want to twist the action of planting seeds into a negative," Von Fökkengrüüven said, "those who plant a seed and walk away should have several weeks to 'get away from the scene of the crime' before any plant becomes easily visible, and begins to speak for itself."
Feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive, according to ElectroPig.
"As more people around the world see the truth for what it is, they also seem to find it easier to talk to others about it openly, and this is the true goal of Overgrow The World," Von Fökkengrüüven told Toke of the Town. "The more we get back to educating other people, the more educated people will exist to help continue the fight."
"Jack Herer, Rick Simpson, Dana Beal, Marc Emery and many, many others had huge impacts and loud voices," Von Fökkengrüüven said, "but if a few hundred million people around the world all screamed the truth at the top of their voices at every possible opportunity, perhaps we can equal that intensity, and finally reach the end of the fight -- and repeal cannabis/hemp prohibition once and for all!"
So Where'd He Get The Idea?
"It's basically a hybrid of several different things," Von Fökkengrüüven told us. "First was something that I read by Ed Rosenthal, which Ed later said he got from Marc Emery: the phrase 'overgrow the government.' Good idea -- but I didn't think it went far enough."
"Next was years of talk you'd hear about 'seed balloons' being released to the winds, to land where they may," Von Fökkengrüüven said. "Again, good way to spread seeds, but if they land in the middle of a lake or at the top of a mountain, nothing has really been accomplished. Now, if the same number of seeds were planted in a specifically targeted way..."
"The final piece of the puzzle was a photo I saw on the Internet," Von Fökkengrüüven said. "It was a six-foot-tall plant growing in a hanging basket on the main street of some town in the southern U.S. -- wish I knew where -- but if they're out there, they made a contribution to the 'Overgrow The World' concept and deserve credit, whomever or wherever they might be."
"It's not so much an ego trip for me as trying to get things accomplished," Von Fökkengrüüven said. "I want people to embrace the concept of OTW, rather than to think that they 'need me' in order to do what they need to do. If people keep looking for other people to tell them what to do, society will never advance, as no one will want to simply do what's needed, when it's needed. We see this every day already, actually."
"The political agenda of OTW starts with the repeal of cannabis/hemp prohibition, but I would also hope that people understand it's not just any one facet of 'the cannabis/hemp movement' that I want to see freed, but ALL of it," Von Fökkengrüüven told us.
"Not 'just the farmers' or 'just the medical users' or 'just the recreational users' or 'just industry' or 'just manufacturing' or whatever other 'just...' that you can think of," Von Fökkengrüüven said. "EVERYONE needs free access in order to be able to make an informed decision on what uses cannabis/hemp can have FOR THEM."
How You Can Help The Effort
First of all, stock up on seeds. Secondly, plant them -- next spring -- in public places where they will attract the maximum amount of attention.
Beyond that, you can support the OTW effort by helping to fund their Ning website -- currently maxed out at 150 members until the group can afford a $20 monthly hosting fee for full site functionality -- either by donating directly to OTW or by buying seeds from merchants advertising on the OTW site.
"Funding for OTW, so far, is accomplished through the Donations link at the bottom of the OTW website, and through several of the seed sellers' links, some of which provide a percentage of sales referred through the website," Von Fökkengrüüven told us.
"While donations to help restore the site are definitely appreciated, I would prefer that people use some of the seed links and buy a few seeds for themselves," Von Fökkengrüüven said. "That way, instead of just giving whatever they can to help the cause, they actually get a physical return on their investment in the form of seeds, and reopening [membership on] the site will simply be a side benefit."
"I'm not saying 'Don't donate,' " Von Fökkengrüüven said. "I'm just saying that I prefer to see as many people as possible around the world have a few seeds on hand. Come springtime, they'll come in handy!"
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