William Breathes

Hunter S. Thompson pal Montgomery Chitty loses appeal over “vindictive” cocaine sentence

By William Breathes on May 21, 2014 News

In his heyday, Montgomery Chitty was a prominent Aspen resident and pal of area celebrities such as the late Hunter S. Thompson and Ed Bradley.
Lately, however, he’s been hanging out with inmates, owing to his conviction in relation to a cocaine operation that ran between Aspen and L.A. for years — and his attempt to get his twenty-year sentence tossed or reduced was rejected after he failed to convince a judge the punishment was influenced by “mean spirited retaliation.” The Latest Word has more.

Worker’s comp insurance must cover medical marijuana in New Mexico

By William Breathes on May 21, 2014 Medical, News

Toke of the Town.

A New Mexico state appeals court ruled this week that worker’s compensation insurance policies in the state must also cover medical marijuana in addition to any other treatments directly related to the injury.
The ruling stems from 55-year-old former mechanic Greg Vialpando, who uses medical marijuana to help alleviate the pain from a back injury in 2000. The man’s former employer, Ben’s Automotive in Santa Fe have fought the initial decision, arguing that they shouldn’t have to pay for something federally illegal.

Report shows widespread Colorado license plate profiling in neighboring states

By William Breathes on May 21, 2014 News, Say what?

Recently, we’ve written about Nebraska state patrol complaining that Colorado’s legalization of limited amount of marijuana and the impact it has had on troopers who say that they are overwhelmed with Colorado pot. As much as they’ve complained, we contend that they’re bringing it on themselves by profiling Colorado drivers and pulling nearly every one over.
And, now there’s proof. A Denver news outlet obtained records from Nebraska, Kansas and Wyoming and found that if you’ve got Colorado plates in any of those states — you’re most likely getting pulled over.

Marijuana growers can not use federal water for crops

By William Breathes on May 21, 2014 News, Say what?

The United States government has added a new tool to their anti-marijuana toolbox, announcing yesterday that they are barring state-legal cannabis growers from using federally controlled irrigation water to grow their ganja. The announcement actually doesn’t change much – it’s been illegal to use federal water to grow marijuana for decades now. But the policy announcement also likely signifies a new era of enforcement from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which controls water in 17 western states including Washington and Colorado.

New York medical marijuana bill gains key initial approval

By William Breathes on May 21, 2014 Follow that story, Medical, News

A bill legalizing medical marijuana in New York cleared a major hurdle yesterday, becoming the first medical marijuana measure to ever pass the state Senate Health Committee.
The historic move came after Republican Sen. William Larkin voted against his party lines and swung the vote 9-8 in favor of passing the bill. Senate Democrats on the committee said it was a no-brainer.
“This bill is really about a simple concept, which is to alleviate suffering,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman said, according to the New York Daily News. “I can’t think of a more important or noble pursuit on the part of . . . the Legislature.”

Lebanese army ignoring Lebanon hash producers

By William Breathes on May 20, 2014 Global, News

Not to belittle our battle here in the United States, where cops think they are in the army when dealing with marijuana growers, hash producers in Lebanon actually battle with their army disrupting production on an annual basis.
Or, they used to. These days, with the war in Syria just 30 miles from the hash production center of the Bekaa Valley, the army has much bigger fish to fry.

New Zealand cat steals bag of weed, brings it home to owner

By William Breathes on May 20, 2014 Global, News, Say what?

TokeoftheTown-Flickr.com/Zuggup

Generally speaking, we here at Toke think cats are evil animals that attempt to steal your soul while you sleep. One New Zealand kitty, though, is even more diabolical: it steals marijuana.
An unnamed woman from the Dunedin, New Zealand neighborhood of Halfway Bush called cops this week to report that her cat had dragged a baggie with about five grams of pot in it onto her back doorstep. While the cat was undoubtedly proud of his haul, his owner wasn’t very pleased and called the cops to deal with the ganja.

New York medical marijuana bill faces key hearing today

By William Breathes on May 20, 2014 Legislation, Medical, News

A bill that would legalize medical cannabis for certain qualifying conditions in New York faces its first obstacle today in the state Senate Health Committee. The seventeen-member panel will decide whether state Sen. Diane Savino’s bill will move forward to the full Senate for consideration.
But that might be tough going.

Riverside, California voters to decide fate of medical marijuana shops in town

By William Breathes on May 20, 2014 Medical, News

Timothy Norris/LAW.

The Inland Empire city of Riverside has successfully shut out marijuana dispensaries, taking its fight for its right to do so all the way to the California Supreme Court. City Hall won the battle, but a war still rages.
A group called Riverside Safe Access over the weekend announced that its measure to overturn the city’s weed shop ban has qualified for the local ballot. Read more over at the LA Weekly.

Florida woman busted with weed in her vagina

By William Breathes on May 20, 2014 Say what?

A Fort Lauderdale woman with an outstanding warrant was arrested in Palm Beach over the weekend after cops found weed in her vagina. The woman had gotten into a heated dispute with a Palm Beach homeowner for “services.”
And, according to one report, the home where the woman was arrested belongs to the owner of Gunster Law Firm, a Palm Beach County firm that handles business needs.

Author William Breathes