Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Mendo Farmers Collective Delivers Marijuana… In Orange County

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2011 Culture, Growing

Photo: Peter Hecht/The Sacramento Bee

Tim Blake, a legendary Mendocino County marijuana grower, tends his outdoor greenhouse with his dogs. Blake cultivates medical marijuana and runs Area 101, a spiritual retreat celebrating Mendocino’s marijuana culture.

By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

It might be hard to believe for some of my younger readers that at one time, in order to get a Starbucks coffee, you had to brave the suicide-invoking rain, a thang called “grunge” and have to be in Seattle or thereabouts. Now that concept seems preposterous. As Janeane Garafalo once said, “I don’t want to say that Starbucks are everywhere, but I woke up this morning and they were building one in my living room.”

Maybe one day the same will be said about Mendocino and Humboldt marijuana. Maybe one day, getting your medicine will be as easy as standing in line at your nearby coffee shop or getting it delivered right to the house, just like the wine clubs that we belong to have done for 50 years.

And the race is on…

Charlie Sheen’s New Girlfriend Is A Marijuana Bikini Model

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2011 Culture

Photo: Cali Chronic X/Dagwood

Natalie Kenly, AKA “Natty Baby,” was the “Official 2010 Chronic Girl” for Cali Chronic X magazine.

Charlie Sheen’s new girlfriend, 24-year-old Natalie Kenly, is a marijuana bikini model. Kenly is regularly featured in Cali Chronic X magazine and was even named “Chronic Girl 2010.”

Kenly, a graphic designer and former cheerleader also known as “Natty Baby,” was recently featured on the cover of the magazine posing with a bong, reports X17.

Sheen first showed off his new girlfriend on Monday while doing an educational video for “at-risk kids” for his pal Todd Zeile’s foundation, L.I.F.E.

Sheen, 45, was photographed smooching Kenly, who recently dyed her hair blonde.

According to Radar Online, Kenly, who was reared in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles, was arrested in 2006 for underage drinking in Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Charlie began to pursue Natalie a few months ago after seeing her on the cover of Cali Chronic X‘s February 2010 issue, co-editor Jeffrey Peterson told TMZ.

Charges Dropped Against Washington Pot Dispensary Owners

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Graphic: North End Club 420

Pierce County, Washington prosecutors have dismissed numerous marijuana charges filed last year against two men who run a Tacoma medical marijuana cooperative, North End Club 420.

Guy Lewis Casey and Michael Jonathan Schaef — who operate the dispensary on Oregon Avenue in Tacoma — had been scheduled for trial in April, reports Adam Lynn at the Tacoma News Tribune.

DEA Says Woman Called From Jail About Marijuana Money

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2011 News

Photo: Inmate Telephone Service

Almost as soon as she was jailed last year for allegedly shipping hundreds of pounds of marijuana to Ohio in suitcases, a woman placed calls to a California accomplice asking about the status of proceeds from the operation, the Drug Enforcement Administration said Thursday.

Lisette Lee asked Christopher Cash several times about “paperwork,” a phrase the DEA said is commonly used for drug money, even though Cash warned Lee over and over to be careful what she said because the calls were being recorded, the DEA said, reports Associated Press legal affairs writer Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

After Lee’s arrest, she called Cash in California on June 21 and told him to get some items out of her apartment, including a white Christian Dior bag. “You know what I’m talking about, right? Everything?” Lee asked Cash, according to the DEA.

OR Medical Marijuana Patients Protest Proposed Restrictions

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 24, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Kobbi R. Blair/Statesman Journal

About 60 medical marijuana advocates gathered Wednesday at the Oregon Capitol to demonstrate against proposed legislation that would tighten restrictions on the state’s medical marijuana program.

Medical marijuana activists demonstrated at the Oregon Capitol on Wednesday, protesting proposed legislation that would put new restrictions on medicinal cannabis in the state.

A rally on the Capitol steps drew about 60 protestors, some holding signs reading “Cannabis Is My Friend” and “Don’t Tread On Medicine,” reports Alan Gustafson at the Statesman Journal.

Demonstrators registered their opposition to a flurry of new bills introduced in the 2011 legislative session seeking to narrow participation or enact other changes in the state’s medical marijuana program, established after voters approved the legalization of medicinal cannabis in 1998.

The Fumo Pipe: Cool Hits And Push-Button Convenience

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2011 Products

Photo: Smoke Out Family

The innovative Fumo Pipe combines characteristics of a pipe, a steamroller, and a bong.

The Fumo Pipe is an innovative smoking device. You light it like a pipe, and push the button on top to clear the smoke like a steamroller.

Smoke is cooled within the billet body, which the makers say is a natural heat sink, and you can fill the chamber to the volume you desire. Push the button on the pipe to close off the bowl, and a rush of fresh air comes through and clears the chamber.

For serious smokers who want more volume than is provided by the standard 3-inch tube chamber, massive smoke volume capability is available with your choice of 6-, 9-, or 12-inch upgrades. The 6-inch tube chamber is $16, the 9-inch is $18, or if you want to go all in, the 12-inch upgrade tube chamber is $23. Replacement 3-inch chambers are also available for $14.

Michigan And Montana Voters Still Support Medical Marijuana

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

Graphic: Potspot 411

Amid a push in Montana to repeal the state’s medical marijuana law and litigation related to some aspects of Michigan’s law, new polls show that voters in both states still overwhelmingly support allowing patients to use medical marijuana with doctors’ recommendations.

In Montana on Monday, the House of Representatives voted to repeal the state’s 2004 voter-enacted law. Meanwhile, the state Senate is considering legislation to further regulate the distribution and cultivation of marijuana in the state.

These poll results show that voters want to work with their state legislatures to ensure access to medical marijuana is protected, and any problems that arise are addressed in a rational manner through regulation, according to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

Science Proves What You Already Know: Pot Causes Munchies

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Geobent

The study’s results won’t come as a surprise to these Seattle medical marijuana activists, pictured here marching on May 2, 2009.

Sure, you may think it’s pretty well-established that marijuana gives you the munchies. But it isn’t official until rigorous double-blind medical studies prove it, and now that’s happened as well.

A new Canadian study from the University of Alberta has found that small doses of an active ingredient in cannabis, THC, boost the appetites of terminal cancer patients, reports the Los Angeles Times.

There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence concerning pot and hunger, and researcher Prof. Wendy Wismer said she realizes that. But she defended her pilot study as being the first to be conducted under strict controls, and as such, the results are a valuable tool for researchers.

People with advanced cancer said food tasted better when they took THC compared with placebo sugar pills, the study showed, CBC News reports. Cancer patients commonly report decreased appetite and changes in their senses of taste and smell that can lead to weight loss and decreased survival. Thus marijuana-induced munchies can save lives by making food taste and smell better.

Poll: 72% Of Maryland Voters Support Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 23, 2011 Legislation, Medical

Graphic: Cannabis Fantastic

An overwhelming majority of Maryland voters — 72 percent — support medical marijuana. Maybe it’s time for the politicians to catch up.

A new poll shows broad, overwhelming support for a bill that would make Maryland the 16th state to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. When asked if they supported the bill, 72 percent said yes, with just 21 percent opposed and 7 percent undecided.

The survey informed voters of a bill pending in the Legislature that would allow patients with multiple sclerosis, cancer, debilitating pain, and other serious conditions to use marijuana with their doctors’ approval.

“I’m certainly pleased by the poll, but frankly, these numbers don’t surprise me,” said the bill’s sponsor, Del. Dan Morhaim, the only licensed physician in the Maryland General Assembly. “There’s a strong consensus among medical and scientific professionals that marijuana can relieve the suffering of those with certain serious illnesses, and there’s nothing controversial about relieving suffering. That’s what this bill is about.”

What The Heck Is Up With This Marijuana Leaf, Anyway?

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 22, 2011 Culture, Growing

Photo: Discovery Health

What the hell is that bud doing at the base of those leaf blades?

Ever since I started writing about marijuana, every time I look for related images online I keep running across a pot leaf photo that just doesn’t make sense.

Unfortunately, it seems to be one of the most popular “marijuana” photos on the web, and, in fact, is the top result for a Google image search on the term “marijuana.” Annoyingly, it’s also the top image result for “marijuana leaf.”

But there’s something just wrong looking about that leaf, and it doesn’t take long to figure out why.

This photo — which Discovery Health says it sourced from Marijuana.com — seems to show what looks like a female cannabis flower coming out the base of a marijuana leaf, where the leaf blades meet the leaf stem.

Now, I know Marijuana.com isn’t known as the best place for accurate weed info. In fact, it’s covered with those maddening “fake marijuana” ads for “legal buds.” But are they really the source of this photo? I’ve not been able to find it on the site.

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