Yearly Archives: 2011

Florida’s New Drug Testing Policy Hits Taxpayers Hard

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 24, 2011 Legislation, News

Dumb-ass alert: Florida Gov. Rick Scott said it is “unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction” when he signed this bill in May. So why is it OK for them to subsidize politicians’ stupidity?

Welfare Drug Testing Program Costs $5 For Every $1 It Saves

Florida’s dumb-ass new law which requires the drug testing of all families applying for welfare benefits kicked in on July 1. It forces already financially challenged public assistance applicants to front the cost of the drug test, then reimburses them only if they test negative.

Florida Governor Rick Scott, who spends most of his time with head way up his ass, said it is “unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction” when he signed this bill back in May, reported CNN. So why is it OK for them to subsidize politicians’ stupidity?

“It is the right thing for taxpayers,” the deeply clueless governor said at the time. “We don’t want to waste tax dollars.”

Growing Marijuana: Yes, There’s Room For Another Grow Book

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 24, 2011 Growing, Products

Photo: Mobipocket

Tommy McCarthy’s “Growing Marijuana” isn’t just an instruction book — it’s a celebration.

If you’re entering the increasingly crowded market of marijuana grow books, you’d better be good. There’s a plethora of cultivation guides available, from some of the biggest names in cannabis culture, and if you don’t want to get lost in the crowd you’ve got to shine.

Shine is exactly what outdoorsman Tommy McCarthy does in his book Growing Marijuana: How To Plant, Cultivate, And Harvest Your Own Weed. If I’m going to be taking cultivation advice from someone, I want that they should be as passionate about pot as am I, and McCarthy bountifully proves himself in this delightful book.

“…[P]lants your pot garden produces with seeds culled from a bag of street marijuana may vary noticeably because the plants they came from were of different species and strains,” McCarthy writes. “I actually kind of like this grab bag of mixed greens, because you never know when you’re planting just what will come up — as I stated at the beginning of this book, personal-use growing should be fun.”

Australian State Cracks Down On Drugs In Police Force

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 24, 2011 Global, News

Phot: news.com.au

One out of every three police officers in New South Wales, Australia will be tested for illegal drugs over the coming year.

The NSW Police Force’s Professional Standards Command has more than doubled the number of random drug tests, from about 2,000 to 5,000 for this fiscal year, reports 702 ABC Sydney.

The decision was taken after two senior officers and a constable were recently caught snorting cocaine, according to Assistant Commissioner Paul Carey.

“In July there were five recall targeted tests on people who we had reasonably good intelligence to say that they may have been using drugs,” Assistant Commissioner Carey said.

Guru of Ganja Ed Rosenthal Leading Grow Class Wed. Night

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 24, 2011 Growing, Products

Photo: Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Guru of Ganja Ed Rosenthal at Hempfest last weekend. Ed will be leading a medical cannabis cultivation seminar tonight (Wednesday, August 24) in Seattle.

Ed Rosenthal, the Guru of Ganja and author of The Marijuana Grower’s Handbook, the official course book for Oaksterdam University, will lead a ganja growing seminar tonight in Seattle.

The indoor medical cannabis cultivation seminar, presented by Northern Waters Patients Network, will benefit the Seattle-based Cannabis Defense Coalition.

Attend this class and learn the terminology of the indoor gardener: seed germination, clones and cloning, hydro, N-P-K balance, pH, light cycles, begging, flowering, pruning and trichomes are just a few of the terms you’ll be using correctly after a session with Ed.

Rosethal will present a comprehensive overview of cultivation. Gardeners at all levels, new or advanced, will find tips and techniques to save time, labor and energy. The seminar will include Q&A time with “Ask Ed.”

Rosenthal starts at the basics and takes you through the entire process of how to grow a personal indoor garden — with little or no experience required. You will learn what equipment to use, how to care for plants, the different stages of plant growth, and how to harvest beautiful buds.

What Do You Look For In A Medical Marijuana Dispensary?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 23, 2011 Dispensaries, Products

Graphic: Dispensary Business News

What do you look for when choosing a medical marijuana dispensary?

If you live in one of the 16 states where medicinal cannabis is legal, Dispensary Business News is interested in how you select a shop. Is it price? Location? Ambience? Selection? Specific strains? (If your state doesn’t yet allow medical marijuana, keep working until they do.)

This is a good way for you to help keep the best dispensaries in business, and give new ones a fighting chance to win your business.

Seattle Hempfest Photos: Sunday (Day 3)

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 23, 2011 Culture, Products

All photos by Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Seattle Hempfest, the world’s biggest and best cannabis protestival, for the first time ever ran three days this year.

We’ve already given Toke of the Town readers a look at the first two days of Hempfest — now here are photos from Sunday, Day 3 of the event. Enjoy!

Street Sweeper Fired For Being Medical Marijuana Patient

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 23, 2011 Medical, News

Photo: Denver Westword

Denver’s 16th Street Mall. Don’t even think about becoming a street sweeper here, if you’re a medical marijuana patient.

Some employers have weird moral judgments when it comes to employees who use cannabis — even if that use is legal and with a doctor’s authorization. Unlike users of, say, Vicodin or Valium, medical marijuana users are deemed somehow uniquely unemployable, and/or unable to discharge their duties in an effective and responsible manner.

Never mind that they are not breaking the law; never mind that they are able to do their jobs just fine. They are summarily shit-canned the minute they are discovered, for no good reason at all.

Such is the case in a story from Colorado, where a street sweeper — a street sweeper, who literally uses a broom and a dustpan — has been fired from his job for being a medical marijuana patient, reports Michael Roberts at Denver Westword.

Report: No Illegal Drugs In Amy Winehouse’s Body

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 23, 2011 Culture, News

Photo: somormujo.net

The Winehouse family awaits the outcome of an inquest into Amy’s death, due to begin October 26.

Amy Winehouse didn’t have any illegal substances in her system when she died, and it is still unclear what killed her, her family said on Tuesday.

Toxicology tests showed that “alcohol was present” in the singer’s body but it hasn’t yet been shown whether or not that contributed to her death, the family said in a statement, reports Jill Lawless of The Associated Press.

Winehouse, 27, had exhibited erratic behavior for years, as rumors swirled about her drug and alcohol use. She was found dead in her London home on July 23, and an initial post-mortem failed to determine the cause of her death.

“Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy’s system at the time of her death,” read a statement released by family spokesman Chris Goodman.

The family awaits the outcome of an inquest due to begin October 26, according to the statement.

Winehouse had “beaten” her drug addiction three years before her death, claimed her father, Mitch, but he admitted she was still “struggling to control” her drinking after several weeks of abstinence.

Mich. Judge: Med Marijuana Law Does Not Protect Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 23, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Photo: The Oakland Press

Judge Colleen O’Brien won’t even allow dispensary operator Alexander Vlasenko to mention medical marijuana during his trial.

A local judge has ruled that Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Act does not protect dispensaries from prosecution.

In a written opinion issued last week, Oakland Circuit Judge Colleen O’Brien granted a motion from the prosecutors to preclude defendant Alexander Vlasenko from asserting a defense under the state’s medical marijuana law, reports Ann Zaniewski at the Oakland County Daily Tribune.

Vlasenko, who is facing three counts of delivery and “manufacture” of marijuana, won’t be allowed to even mention medical marijuana during his trial.

The charges stem from an undercover investigation of a Waterford Township business called Modern Age. (Sad but true: apparently Oakland County law enforcement officials have nothing better to do than conduct “undercover investigations” of medical marijuana dispensaries.)

Repeal Cannabis Prohibition Act of 2012 Filed In California

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 22, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: Ride It Like You Stole It!

The Repeal Cannabis Prohibition Act of 2012 is now filed with the California Attorney General for title and summary, according to The Committee to Repeal Cannabis Prohibition.

The act would allow adults to legally possess up to three pounds of cannabis and grow a 10×10-foot garden. The California Department of Public Health would be in charge of administering the commercial production of marijuana.

The RCPA 2012 would repeal all criminal prohibitions on cannabis-related conduct for adults while mandating strict rules against contributing to the delinquency of minors and driving while impaired.

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