Toke of the Town

Search Results: three years (685)

Legalization For Medication: College Student Speaks Out

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By on Legislation, Medical

Photo: Ron Crumpton
Ron Crumpton: “The truth is that the war on marijuana is almost over; the stigma is gone.”

​From time to time, Toke of the Town reads something that helps to shore up our sometimes shaky faith in the possibility, at some time in the future, of sane marijuana laws in the United States. Now and again, we see a piece of writing on the Web that makes us say, “Yeah! Things are going to be just fine.”

I had one of those moments recently when reading an op-ed from a student-run university newspaper in Alabama.
“Which university?” You might ask. Well, I can’t tell you, since they don’t want their name associated with Toke of the Town… which shows us there’s still a lot of work to do.
In any event, Ron Crumpton, who wrote the editorial in question, has generously agreed to allow us to reproduce the piece in its entirety.
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California To Host Psychedelic Science Conference

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By on Culture, News

Graphic: MAPS

​MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, has announced “Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century,” its international conference on psychedelic research.

The conference, which will be held in San Jose, California April 15-18, brings together international experts on psychedelic drugs.
According to MAPS, it will be the largest such conference in the United States in 17 years.
There will be three full days of programming with concurrent tracks exploring clinical and spiritual applications, issues relevant to health care professionals, and social and cultural issues surrounding the therapeutic, spiritual, cultural and recreational uses of psychedelics.
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Corrections Head Covers Up For Misbehaving Anti-Pot Officers

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By on Medical, News

Graphic: thefreshscent.com
OK, quick: You’re head of the Department of Corrections. Officers under you misbehave and improperly arrest a medical marijuana patient. What do you do? Lie and cover up for them, if you’re Eldon Vail of the Washington DOC.

​The head of the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC), Eldon Vail, seems to put a lot more effort into covering up the lousy job his subordinates are doing, than in actually doing his own job.

The Washington DOC, following the example of the not-cool Attorney General Rob McKenna, is already notorious for its extremely hard line against the use of medical marijuana for individuals on probation.
Now, newly revealed documents show that Vail and the DOC have been involved in misconduct, cover-ups, and possibly outright law-breaking, reports Lee Rosenberg at the highly recommended Seattle political blog, Horses Ass.
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Hawaii Marijuana Patients Want Dispensaries, More Plants

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Graphic: www.hawaiimedicalmarijuana.org

​Medical marijuana advocates in Hawaii say it’s time to make it easier for patients in the state to have safe access to medicinal cannabis.

Ten years ago, Hawaii became the first state to legalize medical marijuana through the legislative process (California [1996], Oregon and Washington [1998] had already passed voter initiatives), but advocates say the the state program has failed to adapt to evolving patient needs, reports B.J. Reyes of the Honolulu Star Bulletin.
“We haven’t made any changes to our legislation since day one,” said Pam Lichty, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and co-chairwoman of the Medical Cannabis Working Group, convened last year to study the state’s law and make recommendations to the Legislature.
The report from the working group, due this week, plans to make four recommendations:
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R.I. Medical Marijuana Hearing Is Packed, But Few Speak Up

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By on Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Graphic: thefreshscent.com

​The auditorium was packed Tuesday, but only five people voiced their opinions on the proposed tightening of Rhode Island’s medical marijuana law during a public hearing held by the Department of Health.

Two individuals spoke, as well as representatives of three organizations: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Society, and the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, reports Talia Buford at The Providence Journal.
The bill, backed by two state legislators — who are, surprise, surprise, both retired police officers — is designed to “close loopholes” in the state’s medical marijuana law.
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NYPD Accused Of ‘Anally Assaulting’ Man For Marijuana Use

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By on News

Graphic: strk3.com

​Monday in New York State Supreme Court, Michael Mineo took the stand to describe his nightmarish experience in a Brooklyn subway station in 2008: Being held down by three New York City police officers and sodomized with a police baton.

Mineo’s crime? Smoking marijuana.
The Brooklyn cops chased Mineo into the station after they saw him smoking pot, reports Tony Newman at AlterNet.
Mineo says the cops tackled him and that one of them sodomized him with a police baton. The cops then gave him a summons, and threatened he’d be served with a felony charge if he went to the hospital for treatment or to the police station to report what had happened.
The story is corroborated by eyewitnesses, including a transit police officer. The three officers accused in the brutal attack are now on trial.
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New Poll: 81 Percent Of Americans Support Legalizing Medical Marijuana

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By on Culture, Medical, News

Graphic: ABC News/Washington Post
Support for medical marijuana, already high in 1997, his risen to even greater levels in the past dozen years.

​More than eight in 10 Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use, according to a new poll. Almost half favor decriminalizing the herb completely.

According to the new ABC News/Washington Post national poll, 81 percent support legalizing cannabis for medicinal use, up from already sizable 69 percent support in 1997.
Support for both medical marijuana and decriminalizing for all adults is far higher than it was a decade ago, reports poll analyst Gary Langer at ABC News.
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Ganja Girls: High Hotties Turn Heads For Hemp

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By on Culture

HowToGrowBud.com
Ganja Girl Veronica Bully makes guys wish they were a bong.

​Poet Allen Ginsberg got it exactly right more than 50 years ago: Pot is Fun.

Even through all the political struggles currently facing the marijuana consumer, it’s important never to lose sight of that essential fact. For many of us, the enjoyment of cannabis is just another way to affirm the joy of being alive.
For those of us who just aren’t into being uptight around such issues, the three B’s — Buds, Bongs, and Babes — are a potent triumvirate of our very favorite, most life-affirming impulses.
One man who understands that well is Mike Smith, who founded the site HowToGrowBud.com just a few months ago.
In addition to lots of useful grow tips, HTGB regularly features “Ganja Girls” photos from readers and members of the marijuana community, in which attractive ladies let their hair down and fire their bongs up for freedom.
Mike, 29, told Toke of the Town he has been smoking pot since the age of 14, “with the exception of a six-year break when I joined the Army.”
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MPP Mass Exodus Reportedly Spurred By Director’s Sex Scandal

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By on Culture, News

MPP.org
MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia is embroiled in a sex scandal which has already resulted in the departures of seven employees.

​Seven of the Marijuana Policy Project’s 38 employees have left the organization recently because of what several described as “inappropriate behavior” by Executive Director Rob Kampia after an office happy hour last August.

Salem Pearce, the former director of membership at MPP, and three other employees told the press that Kampia left Union Pub that evening with his former assistant, who still worked for MPP but had moved to another department.
What happened next remains in dispute, with Kampia and the young lady involved giving different accounts. But Kampia did acknowledge an an email to staff that it was something involving him which he regretted, and that it caused staff defections, report Nikki Schwab and Tara Palmeri at the Washington Examiner.
Even more disturbingly, an anonymous former MPP employee has told Toke of the Town that Kampia’s behavior was part of a years-long pattern.
“Rob has a very long history, known to anyone at MPP who’s been there more than a few months, of hitting on and sexually harassing pretty young women, including employees,” our source told us.
“Even if this particular incident was 100 percent consensual, his behavior should have gotten him fired years ago — or at the very least, put on probation and fired if it continued,” the ex-MPP staffer told Toke of the Town Thursday night.
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Washington Lawmakers Hold First-Ever Hearing On Marijuana Legalization

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By on Legislation, News

Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Scenes like this — a 1,700-pound bust in Sumas, Washington in 2009 — may become things of the past in the state if a move to legalize marijuana comes to fruition.

​Washington State lawmakers on Wednesday heard, for the first time ever, testimony in support of legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana for adults.

Members of the House Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness, in a heavily attended, two-hour hearing, heard arguments in favor of House Bill 2401.
HB 2401 would “remove all existing criminal and civil penalties for adults 21 years of age or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana.”
The hearing marked the first time in history that Washington lawmakers had ever debated the merits of legalizing and regulating the sale and use of cannabis.
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