Toke of the Town

Browsing: Culture

June 17 Marks 40th Anniversary Of Nixon’s War On Drugs

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By on Culture, News

Photo: Cannabis Culture
President Nixon sniffs a wrapped brick of marijuana at the outset of his War On Drugs in 1970

​June 17 will mark 40 years since President Richard Nixon, citing drug abuse as “Public Enemy No. 1,” officially declared a “War On Drugs.” A trillion dollars and millions of ruined lives later, a political consensus is emerging that the War On Drugs is a counterproductive failure.

The Drug Policy Alliance is leading advocates all across the country in marking this auspicious date with a day of action to raise awareness about the catastrophic failure of drug prohibition and to call for an exit strategy from the failed War On Drugs.
“Some anniversaries provide an occasion for celebration, others a time for reflection, still others a time for action,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Forty years after President Nixon declared his war on drugs, we’re seizing upon this anniversary to prompt both reflection and action. And we’re asking everyone who harbors reservations about the war on drugs to joint us in this enterprise.
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An Ounce Or A Pound? Marijuana Decrim Stymies Searches

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By on Culture, News

Photo: Excel K-9 Services, Inc.
Cops can’t tell by smell alone whether you have an ounce or multiple pounds of weed. Neither can police dogs.

​​(A recent Massachusetts case has brought attention to the growing haze of confusion around the state’s marijuana laws, as one high-profile case was thrown out when a judge said police cannot tell by smell alone whether an ounce or multiple pounds of pot are present. One ounce and under, of course, has been decriminalized in the state.
Repercussions from the case may mean that police are wasting their time using drug-sniffing dogs as the basis for pot arrests, according to an opinion piece from GateHouse News Service.
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Song of the Day: You Can Smoke As Much As You Like

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By on Culture, Products

Photo: Chief Greenbud

​Musical artist Chief Greenbud has no problem openly advocating for cannabis, and his latest song and video on YouTube are no exception.

“You Can Smoke As Much As You Like” was written as a parody of Taco & Da Mofo’s cover of rapper T.I.’s song “Whatever You Like,” Greenbud told Toke of the Town.

“I was visiting Taco & Da Mofo’s website — they’re friends of mine from Memphis/Jackson, Tennessee — and they had a video on there for this song,” Greenbud told us. “I listened to it and was like, “Wow, this is a great song! These guys have a hit! I was sure of it.
“I know great songs and this was just great! I listened to it over and over again, like 20 times in a row,” Chief Greenbud told us. “And then I started hearing ‘Chief Greenbud’ words.
“It wasn’t until later that evening that I found out it was a song by the rapper T.I., and WAS a hit song! By that time, the parody was already on its way to being complete,” the Chief told us. “Then, of course, I had to call Taco and play it for him.

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Haight Ashbury Street Fair Happens June 12, Man

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By on Culture, News, Products

Graphic: Haight Ashbury Street Fair
Be there! June 12, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Upper Haight, Stanyan-Masonic.

​The 34th Annual Haight Ashbury Street Fair happens June 12th from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., man.
One of the most original street fairs in a city known for street fairs, the Haight Street Fair brings out the inner hippie in all of us with food, dancing, live bands, and the greatest freak show this side of Woodstock in all its tie-dyed glory.
The Haight Ashbury Street Fair is a day of smiles, hippie chicks twirling, suspicious looking (get) baked goods, and another chance to bring back the Summer of Love, even just for one afternoon until the fog strolls in. 
While you’re there, check out California Grow Mugs. Made by Toke of the Town‘s own Jack Rikess, this is the coffee mug for your buds!
Just add hot liquid to this magic mug and wait for the change of your life. Get ready to be amazed as green buds come to life before your eyes.
Stop by and check out Jack’s booth on the North side of Haight between Shrader and Cole streets.
Mention “Toke” and get $2 off of any single mug purchase.
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11 Things Holder Could Say About Pot That Would Make Me Happy

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By on Culture

Photo: The Troubled Patriot

​​​By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent


U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he will “work with states” to clarify the Department of Justice’s position on medical marijuana. This is what I’d like him to say…
11. Marijuana is no longer a Schedule I drug.
The Good News: Marijuana will finally be reclassified as having medical value.
Bad News: Big Pharma doesn’t like to share…

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We Have A Winner! Mike’s Going To Spring Gathering Concert

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By on Culture, Products

Photo: Mike Sillman
Mike Sillman after hearing the news: He’s going to Spring Gathering!

One lucky guy’s going to see Tommy Chong, Snoop Dogg, and Cypress Hill — just because he reads Toke of the Town.

Last month, when we announced our Spring Gathering Music Festival and Medical Marijuana Expo ticket giveaway, you guys responded: 156 of you entered and dared dream of winning.
A lucky winner has been randomly selected from the entrants…

Congratulations to Mike Sillman of San Francisco!
“I am very excited to win these tickets,” Mike told Toke of the Town Friday morning. “I am an avid reader of Toke of the Town!”
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Russia Slams Global Calls For Legalizing Marijuana

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By on Culture, Global, News

Photo: Russia Beyond The Headlines
Russian Drug Czar Viktor Ivanov: Calls for legalization are “a propaganda campaign promoting the use of narcotics”

​The head of Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service on Friday criticized this week’s call for legalizing marijuana as “a propaganda campaign promoting the use of narcotics.”

Drug Czar Viktor Ivanov was responding to a 24-page report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which suggested on Thursday that governments should consider legalizing some drugs such as marijuana to curb global drug trafficking, since the decades-old “global war on drugs has failed.”
“We have to realize that we are dealing with a global propaganda of illicit drugs here,” Ivanov claimed, reports RIA Novosti.
“This propaganda campaign is linked to the huge profits [from sales of illicit drugs]that are estimated at about $800 billion annually,” he said.
Ivanov claimed that Russia had already gone through what he called the “sad” experience of temporarily legalizing drugs containing codeine, an opiate used for its painkilling, anti-cough, and anti-diarrheal properties.
Ivanov said Russians annually consume about six metric tons of codeine, which he said has “essentially has the same properties as heroin.” He claimed the demand for codeine is growing exponentially.
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‘Mr Nice’ Tells Story Of Cannabis Smuggler Howard Marks

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By on Culture, Global, Products

Graphic: Scannain

​Mr. Nice, a riveting British film which will be released in the United States on Friday, June 3, tells the story of the legendary Howard Marks, a Welsh-born Oxford University student whose initial dabbling in marijuana dealing led to a career as an international cannabis smuggler. His chosen vocation resulted in supposed connections to the Irish Republican Army, MI-6 and the Mafia — all amid side jobs and cover gigs as travel agent, teacher and spy.

Watching an advance screening copy of the movie last night, Viki and I were glued to our seats by this compelling tale of a rural young Welshman’s transformation into one of the biggest cannabis dealers on the planet. Howard Marks, with his sharp, analytical business mind and fearless, calm demeanor, would have done well at anything, but thank goodness he chose the noble calling of weed smuggler.
From its evocative early scenes of the 1960s where the innocent young Marks is introduced to the world of hashish, to his meetings with IRA operatives in Ireland, members of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love in California, and hash smugglers in Pakistan, Mr. Nice almost always hits the sweet spot, with star Rhys Ifans doing an incredible job of capturing Marks’ character.

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Are You As ‘Fed’ Up As Me With Federal Marijuana Policies?

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By on Culture

Photo: Eric Kayne

​​By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent


​I am totally Fed up.

If you haven’t heard already, ex-presidents, prime ministers, eminent economists and the Big Dudes of the business community will be meeting to discuss how the world’s drug policies “just ain’t working.” The quote is mine.
The Global Commission on Drug Policy will host a press conference at the prestigious Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York on Thursday, to pull the trigger on their findings that describe the Drug War as a failure and call for a “paradigm shift” in approaching the issue.
The commission will demand that the focus change from criminal justice towards a public health approach. The global advocacy organization Avaaz, which has nine million members, will present a petition in support of the commission’s recommendations to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The commission cites such factors as the cartel-related violence in Mexico, President Barack Obama’s comment that it was “perfectly legitimate” to question whether the War On Drugs was working, and the wider global economic crisis. These factors have the world leaders questioning whether it is time to change our course when it comes to the War On Drugs.
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