Yearly Archives: 2011

Washington: Raid Training Planned In Wake Of Federal Threats

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 27, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: News Junkie Post

“Patients are sick and tired of being marginalized and living in fear of the federal government.” ~ Steph Sherer, Americans for Safe Access

“Our community would do well to prepare itself, to brace for impact”

~ Rachel Kurtz

Cannabis Defense Coalition

In the wake of threats this month from two federal prosecutors in Washington state, medical cannabis activists are staging raid preparedness trainings in cities across the state. The move comes as Governor Chris Gregoire contemplates the fate of a bill to license cannabis providers and create a state registry of medical marijuana patients.

“The medical cannabis bill is a ghost of its former self, and could get dramatically worse if the governor exercises her sectional veto power,” said Rachel Kurtz of Seattle-based patient advocacy group the Cannabis Defense Coalition.

CU-Boulder Campus Wants To Ban Annual 4/20 Event

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 26, 2011 News

Photo: ThisSongIsSick.com

4/20 at 4:20 on the Norlin Quad at the CU-Boulder campus. Now tight-assed university officials want to take away the best thing about the damn place.

Thousands of people celebrate 4/20 every year on Colorado University-Boulder’s campus, and this year was no exception. But this year, CU-Boulder officials are complaining about the claimed $50,000 cost of providing security for the “non-sanctioned” event. CU regent Michael Carrigan is even talking about taking “whatever steps are necessary so that the protest doesn’t occur on our property” anymore.

Carrigan pointed out that the university “gets very little state funding,” and tries to put as much of its money as possible toward educating students, reports Michael Roberts at Denver Westword. “And unfortunately, quite a few outsiders have decided to make us the site for their battle on an unrelated social issue.”

But, as Westword notes, it’s kind of disingenuous of Carrigan to call the 4/20 participants “outsiders” when most coverage last week counted thousands of CU students among the revelers. Thousands more, though, come from beyond campus, at least according to Carrigan.

‘Bed Intruder’ YouTube Guy Busted For Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 26, 2011 Culture, News

Photo: YouTube

Antoine Dodson in the “Bed Intruder Song” video from YouTube

Antoine “Bed Intruder” Dodson, whose TV news rant against a would-be rapist became a viral music video and his expressway to stardom, appeared in an Alabama city court on Monday, facing marijuana possession charges along with four other misdemeanors.

Shortly after his court appearance, Dodson posted a series of defiant tweets poking fun at the proceedings, reports CNN.

“Court was bullshit,” said one tweet.

“Damn I didn’t kill anyone did I??? It’s Just weed!!! You know that stuff that grows like grass?? Yeah that! !!” said another tweet to his 37,000-plus followers.

“Damn!! I never been in jail except that time in grade school,” he tweeted. “You remember!!!”

NYPD Arrests 140 People Every Day For Marijuana Possession

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 26, 2011 News

Graphic: Law Firm Blog

And Many Of Those Arrests Are Allegedly Due To Illegal Searches

The Big Apple is the marijuana arrest capital of the world. Police arrest 140 people every day in New York City for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

Pot possession has become by far the most common misdemeanor charge in the city. And surprise, surprise — these stop-and-frisk arrests take place predominantly in the city’s minority neighborhoods, with many officers likely violating people’s constitutional rights when they make the arrests.

Current and former cops, defense lawyers and more than a dozen men arrested for the lowest-level marijuana possession told WNYC’s Ailsa Chang that illegal searches took place during stop-and-frisks, which are street encounters carried out overwhelmingly on blacks and Latinos (about 90 percent of the time).

Fan Interview: Night Out With The Dirty Heads and Tribe Zion

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 26, 2011 Culture, Products

Photo: Indiependent Music

The Dirty Heads’ vocalist, Jared Watson (second from left), was interviewed on Monday by Toke of the Town reader Becky Fogarty.

Toke of the Town reader and cannabis activist Becky Fogarty got a chance on Monday to interview vocalist Jared Watson of The Dirty Heads after their tour stop in Pensacola, Florida.

Becky also got to speak with the opening act, unsigned band Tribe Zion of Boulder, Colorado.

By Becky Fogarty

Dirty Heads, one of the “Best New Bands of 2010” according to Rolling Stone magazine, is from Orange County California, was formed in 1996 with vocalist Jared Watson (a.k.a Dirty J) and guitarist/vocalist Dustin Bushnell (a.k.a. Duddy B). Later, percussionist Jon Olazabal, drummer Matt Ochoa, and bassist David Foral were incorporated into the band.

Dirty Heads music is influenced by Long Beach dub rockers Sublime; however, they have their own unique style with a blend of music genres including hip hop, reggae and rock.

They are currently signed with Executive Music Group and are on the tail end of the 2011 tour, with a few more stops along the way in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

I was able to catch up with Jared Watson for an interview after the show in Pensacola. I was quite impressed with his ability to think fast.

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Introduce Medical Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 25, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Lara Brenckle/The Patriot-News

Supporters of the movement to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania rallied on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg in July 2009.

On Thursday, four state senators in Pennsylvania introduced Senate Bill 1003, which would legalize the medicinal use of cannabis in the Keystone State.

According to an unofficial PDF of the bill viewed by Randy LoBasso at PhillyNow (the official bill has not been made public), it would provide for “the medical use of marijuana; and repealing provisions of the law that prohibit and penalize marijuana use.”

The bill’s language contends there are several reasons why this needs to happen now: first of all, modern medical research “has discovered a beneficial use for marijuana in treating or alleviating the pain” or symptoms caused by certain medical conditions. Secondly, 99 percent of all marijuana arrests are made under state, not federal law. And thirdly, 15 other states have already enacted such policies “for the health and welfare benefits of their citizens.”

Drug-Bashing Republican Lawmaker Charged For Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 25, 2011 News

Photo: Franky Benitez

Rep. Robert Watson likes making fun of marijuana. Oh, and smoking it.

In the latest fine example of Republican high-pocrisy when it comes to cannabis, a high-ranking GOP legislator in Rhode Island is squirming after being charged with driving under the influence of marijuana, possession of marijuana, and possession of “drug paraphernalia.”

An embarrassing pot bust would be bad enough for any politician, but this guy — Rep. Robert Watson — is a real piece of work who is remembered for making offensive anti-drug, anti-gay and anti-immigrant remarks, reports Kase Wickman at The Raw Story.

In February, Watson said the Rhode Island Legislature had their priorities right — “if you are a Guatemalan gay man who likes to gamble and smokes marijuana.”

Rather than just apologize and move on, Watson — while a guest on a radio show soon after that misstep, and in response to the understandable outcry over his comments — said, “I reject the suggestion that it’s insulting.”

Watson continued to refuse to say he was sorry. “I apologize when appropriate and/or necessary,” Watson told the Providence Journal in February. “I identify this situation as representing neither circumstance.”

5-Pound Brick Of Marijuana Mailed To Elderly Couple

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 25, 2011 News

Photo: 6 ABC Action News

This five-pound brick of marijuana mailed to an unsuspecting elderly couple in Pennsylvania last week. The cannabis has an “estimated street value” of from $10,000 to $20,0000.

Police are trying to figure out who mailed a five-pound brick of marijuana with a street value estimated up to $20,000. The weed was sent to an unsuspecting elderly couple in Pennsylvania.

The delivery arrived last Wednesday via UPS to the home in Upper Darby, reports 6 ABC Action News. The couple didn’t recognize the name on the package and thought it had arrived by mistake.

Not yet realizing what was inside, they left it on the front porch, thinking it would be retrieved.

Judge Says Trooper Couldn’t Have Smelled Pot; Dismisses Case

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 25, 2011 News

Graphic: Alaska Dispatch

Alaska State Trooper Kyle Young claims he smelled marijuana from 450 feet away. A judge threw the case out on Friday.

An Alaska trooper’s claimed ability to sniff out marijuana grow operations from hundreds of feet away has been called into doubt in federal court.

U.S. District Judge John Sedwick concluded in a Friday ruling that the reputed pot-smelling power of investigator Kyle Young wasn’t supported by the facts in a Mat-Su marijuana case, and should not have been used to justify a search warrant, reports Lisa Demer in the Tacoma News Tribune.

The judge said no reasonable jurist could believe the word of Trooper Young, and he threw out the seized evidence, including about 500 marijuana plants. Unless prosecutors appeal the ruling, the government’s cannabis case against Trace Rae and Jennifer Anne Thoms of Wasilla, Alaska, is mincemeat.

Governor Set To Veto Dispensary Part Of Medical Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 22, 2011 Dispensaries, Legislation

Photo: Clark County Conservative

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire is chicken to sign legislation legalizing medical marijuana dispensaries without asking for the federal government’s permission first.

The Washington state Senate gave final passage Thursday morning to a bill attempting to regulate medical marijuana cultivation and sales, setting up a likely showdown with Governor Christine Gregoire, who opposes provisions for state employees regulating a system of medicinal cannabis dispensaries.

The Senate, on a 27-21 vote, approved amendments to the system adopted by the House earlier this month. That agreement, known as concurrence, sends Senate Bill 5073 to Gregoire’s desk, reports Jim Camden at the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

Washington’s current medical marijuana law, passed in 1998 by voters, allows medical marijuana but sets up no system for legal distribution. According to Sen. Lisa Brown (D-Spokane), that’s unfair to patients, neighborhoods and legitimate businesses that could provide the product.

Meanwhile, you have some clueless blowhard like Sen. Jeff Baxter (R-Spokane Valley), who’s still trying to fight a battle that was decided by the voters 13 years ago. “It’s a gateway drug,” the IQ-challenged Baxter claimed, seemingly unaware of scientific studies which make him look like an uninformed moron.

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