Browsing: Culture
| Photo: All Access |
| Willie Nelson could be sentenced to between six months and two years for being busted with six ounces of marijuana on Friday. |
Thanks to our fearless Border Patrol, music legend Willie Nelson, 77, could face up to two years in prison for his marijuana possession arrest, according to a criminal defense attorney in Austin.
The attorney told website TMZ that Willie’s arrest for six ounces of weed at a Border Patrol checkpoint could get the singer six months minimum and up to two years in prison.
However, ace L.A. pot attorney Bruce Margolin — who’s also director of the Los Angeles chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws — said that Willie might dodge prison time if he could convince a jury that he just forgot the pot was on the bus.
Margolin believes Nelson should say the pot was California-grown, with California, of course, being the first of 15 states which have legalized the medicinal use of cannabis.
The bust went down at the Sierra Blanca, Texas checkpoint after Nelson’s tour bus pulled in Friday morning and a Border Patrol officer smelled marijuana through the vehicle’s open door.
| Photo: I Love Weed |
| Willie has never been shy about his love for and frequent use of marijuana. |
Music legend Willie Nelson was arrested Friday morning in Texas and charged with marijuana possession. Nelson’s tour bus was stopped at 9 a.m. at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca when he was detained.
An officer smelled cannabis when the door was opened, according to Bill Brooks, spokesman for the Border Patrol, and an ensuing “probable cause” search turned up the weed.
Nelson, 77, was charged with possessing about six ounces of marijuana, reports John Hall at the El Paso Times. The weed was found aboard Willie’s tour bus, and the singer claimed it, according to Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West.
Nelson was booked into the Hudspeth County Jail on a $2,500 bond, which he posted, and was back on the road headed to Austin by 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
| Photo: NewsChannel 7 |
| Organizer Theresa Knox exhales at the demonstration in Boise last weekend |
A group of protesters smoked marijuana in downtown Boise, Idaho Saturday afternoon. Participants said they were lighting joints to make a point. They said smoking marijuana doesn’t hurt other people, so it should be legal.
Boise Police claimed they found out about the event on MySpace. That’s how they knew the time and place it would happen. Still, no arrests were made.
“Cannabis is a victimless crime,” protest organizer Theresa Knox told Toke of the Town. “In my opinion, a crime punishable by outrageous prison terms, loss of children, loss of jobs, education and employment, is one that included a victim — someone who was negatively affected by the ‘crime,’ or harmed.”
| Photo: Reality Catcher |
| The author at Toke of the Town headquarters: Four million hits in one year, man, and I think I’m ’bout ready to take another one. |
One year ago today, on November 23, 2009, Toke of the Town came to the wild wide web.
It’s been a thrilling ride, with lots of highs, an occasional low, and more than a few WTF moments thrown in for good measure.
It took Toke of the Town five months — until April — to pass a million total pageviews. The two millionth hit came just three months later, in July, and the three millionth pageview came two months after that, in September. Toke seems on track to get its four millionth pageview this month.
When I smoked my first marijuana as a 17-year-old back in 1977 (not using a joint or a bong — but out of a beer can! and listening to Kiss! it wasn’t my tape, LOL), I had no idea that what I was starting was a career path.
What I did know was that after reading up on the subject, it seemed the pot prohibitionists were blowing a lot of hot air about the supposed dangers of the weed.
While my subsequent life adventures meandered all over the psychological map, one thing I’ve never regretted — even for an instant — was trying marijuana. As the good Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was fond of saying, it’s been a source of joy and comfort to me for many years.
And I have to say that one of the best of those years, out of my 50, has been the past 12 months I’ve spent at the helm of Toke of the Town.
| Photo: I Am Nothing Without My Words |
| Alexandra Sandbäck: “What exactly did they think we would do? Storm the building?” |
‘What did they think we would do – storm the building?’
Exclusive Report and Photos
Last Saturday the first-ever Radical March and Helsinki Smokeout was held by pro-cannabis advocates in Finland.
At 4:20 p.m., a big group of people lit up joints, bongs and pipes in front of the Parliament Building in Helsinki to support, as the organizers stated, “…decriminalization of the use of cannabis, possession of small quantities and farming for personal use to adults.”
The march, organized by Defenders of Nature (Luonnon Puolustajat), started from Hesperia Park at 4 p.m., gathering a crowd of about 200 to 300 people from all over Finland, journalist/activist Alexandra Sandbäck told Toke of the Town on Tuesday.
“Some of the participants arriving by bus from Pori were held up by police outside the city center for what was called a ‘routine control’ of tires, logs, and whatever else,” Sandbäck told us. “After 30 minutes, they let the bus continue on after giving the driver a fine for something minor. The bus went straight to the Parliament Building where people were getting ready to light up.”
| Photo: MSNBC |
| Local voters seem not to really care much about Pennsylvania State Rep. Paul Costa’s marijuana citation. |
In a refreshing show of common sense, Pennsylvania voters are saying “So what?” after a state legislator got caught smoking marijuana at a tailgate party outside a Steelers game last month.
State Rep. Paul Costa’s citation for smoking a joint isn’t exactly a “burning issue” in his district, reports Jason Cato at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“To me, it doesn’t in any way affect his performance,” said Jim Curcio, 59, of Wilkins, Pa.
Rep. Costa (D-Wilkins) is scheduled to appear in Municipal Court on Wednesday due to allegations he smoked a joint with another man on October 3 near Heinz Field. Costa, 51, denied the accusation through his lawyer.
Pittsburgh police have charged him with “prohibited acts,” a misdemeanor.
| Photo: Amazon.com |
A high school principal in Nevada is under fire for suspending 12 students who posted pro-marijuana signs on campus.
Carson Valley Middle School Principal Robert Been claimed the signs, which read “Legalize Weed” and “Free The Weed,” caused a “disruption” at the school, reports Scott Neuffer at the North Lake Tahoa Bonanza.
Principal Been, office telephone number (775) 782-2265 extension 21, email address [email protected], claimed the signs violated a policy requiring all signs to be “approved by staff” before being displayed.
| Graphic: Safer Texas Campaign |
Texas politicians are heavily under the influence of alcohol — big alcohol industry money, that is.
With Texas politicians collecting a significant percentage of their campaign contributions from the alcohol industry after the November election, the Safer Texas Campaign is renewing its call on elected representatives to stop accepting such money until Texas allows the regulated use and sale of marijuana as a safer alternative to alcohol.
According to campaign records provided by the nonpartisan, nonprofit FollowtheMoney.org, the five Texas politicians who have received the largest contributions from the alcohol industry are:
• Governor Rick Perry
• U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
• Lt. Governor David Dewhurst
• Texas House Speaker Joe Straus
• Attorney General Greg Abbott
These five politicians accepted a total of $1.4 million from Big Alcohol during the 2010 election cycle, according to the Safer Texas Campaign, which is a project of ProtectYouth.org.
| Photo: Reefer Movie Madness |
| I’m warning you, man… If you try it, you’re probably gonna get hooked. |
If you like marijuana and movies — especially both at the same time — you will absolutely love Reefer Movie Madness: The Ultimate Stoner Film Guide.
Over the past four decades, the stoner movie has become its own genre. With such a multitude of choices available, how to pick the right flick for your next session?
Reefer Movie Madness, the long-awaited sequel to the successful Pot Culture series from Shirley Halperin, who has written for Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly, and Rolling Stone; and Steve Bloom, former High Times editor who now does the website CelebStoner.com, is the most extensive guide ever to feature films with specific stoner appeal.
My only warning is that you’ll be spending a lot of time with the volume, because not only is it well-written and well-researched, it’s chock full of fascinating information, anecdotes and interviews based on the culturally constructive collision of cannabis and cinema.