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DEA Raids Marijuana Dispensaries Across Montana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 14, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: KXLH

Both federal and local law enforcement took part in the raid on Montana Cannabis in Helena.

You have to wonder about the timing. On the very same morning that a Montana Senate committee failed to endorse a bill that would have repealed the state’s medical marijuana law, federal agents, with guns drawn, hit at least 10 dispensaries across the state Monday.

“The timing is impeccable,” said Chris Lindsey, a Missoula attorney who specializes in medical marijuana cases, reports Gwen Florio of The Missoulian.

“They’re seizing everything — plants, marijuana, grow equipment, files and computers,” Lindsey said. “It’s very, very broad in its scope.” The attorney said he retains a business interest in Montana Cannabis, one of the dispensaries where federal search warrants were executed.

CT Lawmakers Look At Medical Marijuana And Decrim

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 14, 2011 Legislation, Medical, News

With a recent Quinnipiac University poll showing overwhelming 79 percent support for medical marijuana, the Legislature and governor appear poised to reform cannabis laws in Connecticut.

A hearing began on Monday to discuss legalizing marijuana for people with serious medical problems and decriminalizing small amounts of it for recreational users, reports Jeff Stoecker at NBC Connecticut.

“Our state should not encourage illegal drug possession and use; however, possession of small amounts of illicit substances and related paraphernalia for personal use should not leave a person with a life-long criminal record,” said Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, a Democrat who represents New Haven and Hamden, of the decrim bill.

‘Next Steps For Marijuana Reform’ Conference In L.A. March 19

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 14, 2011 Culture, News, Products

Graphic: Prohibition’s End

“Next Steps for Marijuana Reform in California,” a day-long gathering of marijuana reform advocates, will be Saturday, March 19 at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood.

In the wake of Proposition 19’s strong showing at the polls last year, this conference will address ongoing efforts to end failed marijuana prohibition in California, steps to reform the state’s medical marijuana laws, and priorities for marijuana reform in the coming years.

The conference is presented by California NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, Americans for Safe Access, and VibeNation MultiMedia.

LSD Legend Owsley Stanley Dies In Car Crash At 76

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 14, 2011 Culture, News

Photo: San Francisco Chronicle

Owsley Stanley spent his life avoiding photos. This one was taken at a 1967 arraignment for LSD.

Owsley “Bear” Stanley, a 1960s counterculture figure who became the official acid chemist for the Grateful Dead and who flooded the hippie scene with powerful LSD, died in a car crash in his adopted home country of Australia on Thursday, according to his family. He was 76.

Born Augustus Owsley Stanley III, the eccentric grandson and namesake of a former governor of Kentucky helped create the psychedelic era by producing more than a million doses of LSD at his labs in San Francisco’s Bay Area, reports Reuters.

“He made acid so pure and wonderful that people like Jimi Hendrix wrote hit songs about it and others named their band in hits honor, former rock and roll tour manager Sam Cutler wrote in his 2008 memoirs, You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

Maine: Marijuana Decrim Expansion Hearing Set For Thursday

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 14, 2011 Legislation, News

Graphic: Reality Catcher

Maine lawmakers have introduced a pair of bills, LD 754 and LD 750, to expand the state’s existing marijuana decriminalization law.

Under present law, adult possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana is a non-criminal offense punishable by a fine only.

LD 754 would change existing law so that adult possession of more than 2.5 but less than five ounces is classified as a civil violation.

LD 750 would change existing law so that the cultivation of up to six marijuana plants by an adult is also classified as a civil violation.

Both measures have been referred to the Joint Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, which has scheduled a hearing on both bills for Thursday, March 17.

The hearing will begin at 1 p.m. in Room 436 of the State House on State Street in Augusta.

Every Maine resident has the right to testify at this hearing.

You don’t need to be an expert or an experienced pubic speaker — just come and speak your mind.

Cops Say ESPN Radio Host Had Pot Residue On His Shirt

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 11, 2011 News

Photo: Chicago Sun-Times

ESPN talk radio personality Harry Teinowitz, seen here in his booking mug shot, had “fresh marijuana residue” on his shirt when he was stopped for drunk driving, according to police

Sports talk radio personality Harry Teinowitz of ESPN had fresh marijuana residue on his shirt when he was charged March 4 with driving under the influence, according to police.

Teinowitz’s arrest report was released this week by Skokie, Illinois authorities, reports Mike Isaacs at the Chicago Sun-Times. The arrest led to an on-the-air apology from Teinowitz, who was suspended from his job on ESPN Radio’s WMVP-AM (1000).

The broadcaster was not charged with marijuana possession, but police claimed there was a strong odor of pot coming from his car when he was pulled over on Greenwood Avenue in Skokie. He also reportedly had a strong smell of alcohol coming from his breath, and failed all sobriety tests.

When asked by police about the pot smell, Teinowitz said the car was recently parked by a valet and those who parked his vehicle must have smoked pot in it, police said. Officers searched Teinowitz for marijuana and noticed the residue on his shirt, according to the police report.

Poll: 79% Of Connecticut Voters Support Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 11, 2011 Legislation, Medical, News

Graphic: Menopausal Stoners

Medical marijuana has the support of a whopping 79 percent of Connecticut voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday. The poll, which also showed strong support for cannabis decriminalization, comes as state legislators consider medical marijuana and decrim bills.

Support for medical marijuana was above 70 percent in every demographic, with even 72 percent of Republicans favoring it, reports Phillip S. Smith at AlterNet.

“There is a near consensus on the medical marijuana law with about eight in 10 voters supporting it,” said Dr. Douglas Schwartz, Quinnipiac poll director. “it’s rare to see such a level of support for any issue.”

Colorado Bill Limits Blood THC; Targets Pot Smoking Drivers

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 11, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: News By The Second

A bill cracking down on driving while high on marijuana cleared its first hurdle at the Colorado state Capitol on Thursday.

House Bill 1261 would set a limit of five nanograms per milliliter of blood, above which a person would be considered too stoned to legally drive, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post. Bill supporters tried to equate the five-nanogram THC limit to the 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level that determines driving when drunk.

“If you test above that limit, you would be guilty of the misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs,” said Rep. Claire Levy (D-Boulder), who is one of the bill’s sponsors.

Sewer Clogged With Bales Of Marijuana In Arizona

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 11, 2011 Global, News

Photo: Nogales Police Department

Nogales, Arizona public works employees pulled two bales of marijuana connected to 900 feet of rope from this manhole on Wednesday

Police said public works employees hauled out an estimated 39 pounds of marijuana while investigating a clogged sewer line in Nogales, Arizona on Wednesday.

Workers in the southern Arizona city, near the Mexico border, found two wet, feces-covered bales of marijuana tied to a rope feeding into the sewer system, reports Hank Stephenson at the Nogales International.

The bales, tied with about 900 feet and rope, were hauled out through a manhole on Hudgins Street. The sewer line from which the pot was removed feeds into the International Outflow Interceptor (IOI) from the Heroes neighborhood in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. A search of the Rio Rico sewer plant, where the IOI ends, “didn’t turn up any more drugs,” a Nogales Police Department spokesman said.

Police Lt. Carlos Jiminez said it’s the first time they’ve discovered bales of marijuana tied to a rope that they believe smugglers were trying to maneuver through the sewer line, reports The Associated Press.

New Commenting System Coming To Toke of the Town

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 11, 2011 News

Photo: Workathometruth.com

I’ve got your number, dude.

I know how you are. You’re sitting there doing bong rips and practicing your latest witty repartee, or maybe perfecting the best insult in history, or crafting the snappiest comeback ever.

Or, hell, I don’t know. Maybe you’re just looking for a fancy new way to say “Brah, I am soooo stoned,” or you make it your daily practice to go around asking your online buddies “Can you spare a joint?”

Either way, heads up, heads: Toke of the Town‘s new Disqus commenting system is on the way.

It should be up and running in a couple weeks, allowing you to create your own icons, reply directly to others, “and otherwise be 37 percent more festive,” as Pete Kotz, my Village Voice Media cohort over at True Crime Report, put it.

Of course you know we’re in favor of that.

If you want a preview to see what the new commenting system will be like, click here.

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