Toke of the Town

Search Results: u-k (8)

Why Colorado Tokers Love Hindu Kush

0
By on Dispensaries, Products

It’s always fun to analyze a classic and try to understand how it passed the test of time. My parents grew up listening to Ray Charles and the Rolling Stones, and so did I. If I ever have kids, they’ll grow up to “Hit the Road, Jack” and “Sympathy for the Devil,” too.

A few months back, Isa Jones wrote about the whirlwind of emotion she felt during a Bruce Springsteen concert because her father was such a big fan. All of our dads liked Bruce. Millennials probably shouldn’t — he’s in his late sixties and still rocks tight denim and a soul patch — but every time “Born in the USA” comes on, we think of a barbecue or Sunday morning with Dad.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock Blames Weed for “Urban Travelers”

0
By on Legalize It, Medical, News

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (D)  blames legal weed for the “urban travelers” who have caused violent episodes on Denver’s 16th Street Mall, the city’s main pedestrian thoroughfare. Recently, a 32-year old Indiana man was arrested after video showed him attacking pedestrians with lengths of PVC pipe. It’s not clear whether he was high at the time.

Other recent incidents, also caught on video, have seen arrests after attacks and aggressive panhandling. New research shows that legal states have seen a drop in Medicare prescriptions for anti-depressants and opiods, and a corresponding reduction in Medicare costs.

Prescriptions did not drop for drugs like blood-thinners that can’t plausibly be replaced with MED. (Read that study here.) If California legalizes REC in November, it could influence federal policy on banking and other issues. Regulators in the state said they will start inspecting dispensary scales  to ensure that customers are getting their money’s worth.

Massachusetts’ REC initiative will be on the ballot in November. Gov. Charlie Baker (R), Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D) and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo (D) have banded together to oppose it. Arkansas voters will decide on a MED initiative. Fortune sees signs of a backlash in Colorado. Murders in California’s Lake County, a center of growing, reached a 10-year high of eight last year. Donna Weinholtz, wife of Utah gubernatorial candidate Mike Weinholtz (D), is under federal investigation related to her MED use.

The rules for Alaska’s pot café’s are under review. Voters in the state’s Matanuska-Susitna Borough will decide on a commercial ban in the fall. Former Liberal Party deputy prime minister Anne McLellan will lead Canada’s nine-member legalization task force. McLellan is a former law professor at the University of Alberta. Canada’s legal purchasing age may vary across provinces, but the government wants a consistent national law on DUI. Both LSU and Southern University are exercising their option to grow Louisiana’s MED supply.

This article also appeared in the the pot-focused weekly newsletter WeedWeek. Get your free and confidential subscription at WeedWeek.net.

Cannabis decriminalization efforts underway worldwide

0
By on Global, News

Flickr.com/sarahakabmg

As we reported here last week, lawmakers in the Caribbean nation of Jamaica, citing progressive new pot laws in states like Colorado and Washington here in the U.S., will begin to move forward with talks regarding the decriminalization of marijuana on the irie isle.
The potentially good news out of Jamaica came hot on the heels of an announcement out of Switzerland, where as of October 1st, adults over the age of 18 who have been accused of small-scale possession will face a misdemeanor and a fine of 110 Swiss Francs – or about $100 U.S. – rather than the standard court appearance and possible ding on their criminal record.

Read More

Oregon Medical Cannabis Awards Set For December 15

0
By on Growing, Medical, News

Oregon Medical Cannabis Awards

The Oregon Medical Cannabis Awards (OMCA) will be held on Saturday, December 15, at the World Famous Cannabis Cafe in Portland. The day event, from noon until 5 p.m., includes a variety of vendors, seminars and speakers and is open to the public.
 
An awards banquet — which starts at 6:30 p.m. — is where the winners are announced. Todd Armstrong, a local comedian who is gaining national acclaim, will be the master of ceremonies, and it all takes place at 322 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97216.
In a blind taste test, judges are given 28 samples of Oregon’s finest medical cannabis to sample and judge in the privacy of their own homes (I need in on this gig). They score each strain on appearance, aroma, taste, smoothness, potency and medicinal effect. Judging is open to registered Oregon Medical Marijuana patients only.
Read More

New Group Aims To ‘Keep Nebraska Off Weed’ (KNOW)

0
By on Legislation, News

Freaking News

​You can breathe a sigh of relief, Nebraska. There’s a group volunteering to protect you from cannabis. Now, who’s going to protect you from them?

PRIDE Omaha officials announced on Wednesday a new campaign to combat efforts to legalize marijuana in Nebraska, reports Jay Withrow at the Omaha World-Herald.

The local anti-drug organization, which has been pissing off potheads since 1978, is unveiling KNOW, Keep Nebraska Off Weed.

​The campaign is officially opposing at least two efforts to legalize marijuana in Nebraska, according to Susie Dugan, PRIDE Omaha’s executive director. The legalization efforts are collecting signatures to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the November 2012 general election ballot.

Read More

Big Pharma Trying To Get In The Medical Marijuana Business

0
By on Medical, News

Photo: Real News Reporter
Big Pharma’s done such a good job being “consumer-friendly” and altruistic with all those other medications — why not let them in on Colorado’s medical marijuana market as well? (Yes, that is sarcasm.)

​A new Colorado law signed last week is causing lots of concern in the medical marijuana community — and given the track record of Big Pharma for throwing their weight around and buying politicians, there is plenty of cause for concern.
One clause of HB 1043, the “medical marijuana cleanup bill” signed by Governor John Hickenlooper last week, contains a potential loophole allowing out-of-state firms to get involved in the industry outside of dispensaries and grow operations, reports Michael Roberts at Denver Westword.
Read More

Drug Czar Lies His Ass Off; Claims ‘100 Groups’ Studying Pot

0
By on News

Photo: LIFE
Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske said this week that there are “over 100”  ongoing FDA studies on marijuana. There are two.

​U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske sat down for an interview with The Daily Caller’s Mike Riggs earlier this week — and managed to tell one hell of a whopper while he was at it.

When Riggs asked the Drug Czar, “You’ve said before that you don’t see medical benefits to smoked marijuana and also that the jury is still out on medical marijuana. What sort of scientific consensus does the ONDCP [Office of National Drug Control Policy] require? How many studies have to come out arguing for medical benefits? What do you need to see?”
“You know there are over 100 groups doing marijuana research,” the Czar replied, “and they’re getting their marijuana from the University of Mississippi. There are several things in clinical trials right now. So we’ll just have to wait for those.”
Read More

Buzzkill: Man Locks Keys In Car, Gets Busted For Marijuana

0
By on News

Photo: The Sacramento Bee

​A Wisconsin man is facing marijuana charges in Lincoln County after he asked a deputy to help him get his keys, which he’d accidentally locked inside his vehicle.

A deputy went to South Gate Drive in Tomahawk about 1 a.m. Friday to assist the 28-year-old man, who was from Madison, Wisconsin, reports WSAW.
As the deputy worked to open the vehicle, he saw marijuana sitting on the front passenger seat.
The man admitted it was his pot, and additional marijuana was found in the trunk, along with a cannabis grinder.
Read More