William Breathes

Newport Beach, Calif. Police Department is Corrupt, And They Like it That Way

By William Breathes on December 5, 2014 FTP, News

It was impossible for Balboa Peninsula motorists to notice anything unusual when they passed Newport Beach City Hall on the afternoon of March 10, 2011. The warm sun hovering above steady beach traffic and palm trees swaying from a periodic, lazy breeze revealed just a typical, Southern California day.
But not far from Pacific Coast Highway, on a sidewalk adjacent to 32nd Street–a road flanking local government offices until last year’s relocation–high-ranking police officers were teaching a lesson to one of Orange County’s most heroic whistleblowers and his wife: Mess with us, and you’ll pay dearly.
OC Weekly has more on how bad cops work to keep the good ones from improving the state of our wrecked system.

Texas Girl Was Taken Away From Parents Because They Smoked Pot, Only to Be Killed in Foster Care

By William Breathes on December 5, 2014 News, Say what?

Little Alex Hill would have been turned four-years-old last month. But rather than celebrating their child’s birthday, the toddler’s parents have only the bitter consolation of seeing a judge in Milam County hand Alex’s foster mother a life sentence for murder.
The life sentence is a small victory in the case of two-year-old Alex, whose July 2013 death was caused by devastating injuries at the hands of her foster mother, 52-year old Sherill Small.

Marijuana-Hating Colorado Town’s Extreme Efforts to Block a Pot Shop

By William Breathes on December 5, 2014 News, Say what?

Plenty of Colorado municipalities have chosen to ban marijuana businesses, but few have gone to the extremes of Granby, a gorgeous community in Grand County. Officials have threatened to annex land that’s not officially part of the town to prevent a marijuana shop from opening there — a plan it’s slated to defend at a hearing later today.

Is L.A.’s Pot Shop Scene Is Half of What It Used to Be?

By William Breathes on December 5, 2014 Medical, News

Since voters passed Proposition D in 2013, which limited the number of dispensaries in L.A. to about 135, the count on registered stores actually ballooned to 1,140 before settling down to 972, far more than you’ll find in the entire state of Colorado. Feuer has furthermore previously said that at least 100 have shut down, thanks to the efforts of his office.
On Tuesday, the top city prosecutor said that the number of shops in L.A. has now been cut in half, with 402 taken out by criminal cases, civil action and more. LA Weekly has the full story.

Republican Challenge to D.C. Pot Laws Likely?

By William Breathes on December 5, 2014 Legalize It, News

Despite the fact that about 70 percent of D.C. voters approved of a law legalizing small amounts of marijuana in the city, Republicans in Congress say they know what is best and are planning to fight the legalization vote.
Several media outlets have reported from sources that House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers, a Republican from Kentucky, says he plans to introduce a rider on the omnibus spending bill that would prevent D.C. from funding any changes to marijuana laws. Rogers is picking up where Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris left off last spring and summer.

Tommy Chong is About to Be Everywhere (If You Smoke Weed, Man)

By William Breathes on December 4, 2014 Culture, Products

Photo by Timothy Norris.

Now that the era of cannabis prohibition is finally coming to a close, the famous stoners of bygone eras are stepping away from their bongs, wandering out of their man caves and looking to cash in. Bob Marley’s descendants may be trying to brand a strain of weed named after the famed reggae singer, but L.A.’s own Tommy Chong is thinking a big more broadly.
Yes, his own strain — “Chong Star” — is in the works. But more importantly, the 76-year-old is making a play for a lucrative comeback with a recent stint on the hit show Dancing With the Stars and endorsements of everything from fertilizer and joint-rolling machines to pipe necklaces and Smoke Swipes, a product that supposedly removes unwanted smells from clothing and hair. Amanda Lewis at the LA Weekly has more.

Phoenix Police Officer Fatally Shoots Unarmed Man During Scuffle at Apartment Complex

By William Breathes on December 4, 2014 News, Say what?

An unarmed 34-year-old Phoenix resident was fatally shot by a Phoenix police officer Tuesday night after a scuffle between the two men at an apartment complex.
The officer, whose name hasn’t been released, attempted to detain Rumain Brisbon as part of a drug-dealing investigation at the apartment complex, according to Phoenix Police Sergeant Trent Crump. Brisbon tried to run from the officer, and when the officer caught up, the two got into a physical struggle. Cops later allegedly found weed in Bribson’s car. Phoenix New Times has more.

Researchers Say Pot Hinders Creativity Based on Tiny, Flawed Study

By William Breathes on December 4, 2014 News, Say what?

He should pack that bowl.

Despite overwhelming cultural evidence against them, researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands say that pot hurts creativity instead of helping it.
Really.

Nashville Cops Bust New Mexico Man, Colorado Pair 425 Pounds of Cannabis

By William Breathes on December 4, 2014 FTP, News

In Colorado, if you’re 21 or older, you’re free to buy, use, grow and give away cannabis. You can even apply for a sales license to grow and sell it for profit. But what you can’t do is take pounds of it across state lines and try to make a killing selling it for double what it goes for in Colorado. That’s no secret — as anyone with common sense knows.
According to Nashville cops, two Coloradans visiting Tennessee had a lot more cannabis than they did common sense: They were busted with more than 425 pounds of pot — worth an estimated $1.5 million — and $355,000 in cash.

Big Pharma is Working on Medical Marijuana Gum

By William Breathes on December 4, 2014 CBD, Global, Medical

MartialBacquet/commons, edited by TokeoftheTown.com.

A New York and Netherlands-based biotechnology company focusing on medical cannabis research says they plan to start making pot-infused bubblegum in the Netherlands that they plan to sell internationally.
Axim Biotechnologies, which already makes a product called CanChew that contains CBD, say they will manufacture CanChew and a new product, MedChew, which will contain THC. Officials with the company tell in-PharmaTechnologist.com they are already conducting clinical trials on patients with Multiple Sclerosis as well as inflammatory bowel problems and Crohn’s disease in Amsterdam.

Author William Breathes