News

Weed Truck Gives Free Pot Lollipops At Lakers Victory Parade

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 22, 2010 Dispensaries, News

It was a high old time at the Lakers’ victory parade in Los Angeles Monday. A medical marijuana truck emblazoned with WeedWorldCandies.com was giving out free pot lollipops along the parade route, according to Gale Holland at the Los Angeles Times.

The truck was handing out marijuana lollipops in hues of orange and blue, the Lakers’ team colors, according to the Times.

The pot truck, itself, was green, “with a photo mural of young women in bikinis sorting marijuana leaves,” Holland reports. (If anybody has or can get a picture of the truck, I’d love to run it here on Toke of the Town.)

Stoner Tries To Pass Off Brick Of Pot As His Wallet

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 21, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

Comely Deputy Danielle Malone saw a bulge in the suspect’s pants. Bet that happens pretty often! Here, she holds two large compressed bricks of marijuana seized after a traffic stop. The bricks together weigh an estimated “6 to 8 pounds.”

”Is that your billfold, or are you just glad to see me?” Two Florida men pulled over early Sunday morning on Cudjoe Key tried to pass off a big brick of marijuana as a wallet, according to police.

Deputy Danielle Malone claimed she saw a white Crown Victoria speeding and swerving around 3 a.m., according to Brian Hamacher of NBC Miami. When she pulled the vehicle over and approached the driver’s side, Deputy Malone claimed she saw a large black garbage bag on the passenger’s side of the floorboard.

By the time she got around to the passenger’s side to check it out, she said the bag was gone, but the passenger “suddenly had a large bulge in his pants leg.” I’ll go out on a limb here, and make a guess that sort of thing happens to the deputy on a regular basis.

Illinois: Plan To Burn 5,525 Pounds Of Pot Ignites Activists

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 21, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: Brian Jackson/Sun-Times

Headed for the incinerator: 5,525 pounds of marijuana seized last week by the Cook County sheriff’s office

Medical marijuana activists are hotly protesting plans by Cook County, Illinois, officials to burn more than 5,500 pounds of cannabis seized last week in a big pot bust.

“Depending on its purity, that represents a lot of medicine that could have helped so many Illinoisans,” said Julie Falco, a North Side woman who uses marijuana to ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Her reaction was echoed by others calling on Illinois to join 14 other states in legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, reports Vernon Clement Jones at the Chicago Sun-Times. Last Wednesday’s seizure of 5,525 pounds of pot — and the subsequent plan to burn the cannabis — has ignited a hot debate.

This Year’s Seattle Hempfest Could Be The Last

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 18, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: Pete Santos/Seattle Hempfest

Hempfest was bigger and better than ever in 2009, and promises to do it again this year. But without plenty of community support and green energy, this could be the last time.

According to the director of Seattle Hempfest, the largest annual marijuana rally in the world, this year’s event could be the last, with the iconic stoner gathering in a fight for its very existence.

“If things do not go right this year, this could be the last year Hempfest happens at all,” executive director Vivian McPeak said.

According to McPeak, a confluence of factors — including the slow economy, the theft of $5,000 worth of radios last year, a lack of financial support from the community (the average attendee contributes about 30 cents), excessive requirements from the City and the Port of Seattle, and the rising cost of event production — resulted in Hempfest being more than $50,000 in debt after the 2009 event.

Montana Governor Visits Marijuana Dispensary

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 18, 2010 Dispensaries, News

Photo: KPAX

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, right, talks with Missoula dispensary owner Rick Rosio

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer visited a medical marijuana dispensary in Missoula on Thursday. No, the Governor wasn’t picking up an eighth of Trainwreck; he said he was there to learn what needs to be done to address “problems” with the state’s medicinal cannabis system.

Schweitzer, a Democrat, is, as far as Toke of the Town has been able to determine, the first Governor in the United States to visit a medical marijuana dispensary.

“Tell me what it is that you would recommend that we change in Montana’s medical marijuana law that would improve the business and maybe give it a little bit better air of legitimacy,” Schweitzer said while at Montana Pain Management, reports Irina Cates of KPAX.

Montana System Choked With Medical Marijuana Applications

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 17, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: KRTV

Medical marijuana is more popular than ever before in the Big Sky State.

Montana receives an average of 200 to 600 applications for medical marijuana each week. The department has even seen as many as 1,100 applications in a week’s time, according to Jeff Buska, Department of Health & Human Services administrator for quality assurance.

Patients typically have to wait between three and four weeks before receiving a medical marijuana card, reports Marnee Banks at KXLH News in Helena.

Police Refuse Judge’s Order To Return Man’s Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 17, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: City of Snoqualmie

Snoqualmie Police Chief Jim Schaffer: Refusing a judge’s order? Why isn’t this scofflaw in jail?

The Snoqualmie, Washington Police Department is contesting a King County Superior Court judge’s order to return 10 ounces of cannabis to a medical marijuana patient.

Defying the court order from Judge Sharon Armstrong, the arrogant police chief seems to believe he has more “knowledge” of the “medical marijuana process” than the judge herself.

“Our knowledge of the investigation is that the medical marijuana process really doesn’t apply,” Snoqualmie Police Chief Jim Schaffer told Dan Catchpole at the SnoValley Star.

Chief Schaffer claimed he did not know of any police departments that have returned marijuana in similar circumstances.

The police chief, email address [email protected], really should get out more, don’t you think?

Palin: ‘Not For The Legalization Of Pot,’ But It’s ‘Minimal Problem’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 17, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: First Door on the Left

What’s Sarah Palin been smoking? The former Alaska Governor said Wednesday night that while she opposes marijuana legalization, law enforcement should not focus its energy on such a “minimal problem.”

Make up your mind, Sarah — should pot be legal, or not?

Palin made the comment during an appearance on the Fox Business Network with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), reports Andy Barr at Politico.

Congressman Paul, a libertarian, said that enforcing marijuana laws specifically and the War On Drugs in general is a “useless battle,” a point with which Palin partially agreed, although she made clear that she does not support legalization.

California Town Rejects Marijuana Tax, For Now

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 16, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: John Burgess/The Press Democrat

Rich Maloney of Santa Rosa looks through the selection of medical marijuana available at the Peace through Medicine Healing Center in Sebastopol on Monday, June 14, 2010.

The Sebastopol City Council on Tuesday night rejected, by a 3-2 vote, imposing a business tax on sales of marijuana if it is legalized by California voters in November, reports Bob Norberg at The Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

“Do we want to have storefront sales?” asked Councilman Guy Wilson, who got all bent out of shape just thinking about the measure. “Do we want Sebastopol to be the place where people come for their recreational marijuana?”

The proposal was to put a tax, not to exceed five percent, on revenues of all “marijuana-related” businesses, should California voters approve the Control & Tax Cannabis 2010 initiative, which would legalize marijuana for anyone 21 and older.

Tiny Idaho Town Makes Marijuana Lowest Police Priority

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 16, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: city-data.com

Tiny Hailey, Idaho is Mayberry — plus marijuana

Could it be the Mayberry of marijuana? Pot smokers and civil libertarians won a victory in a small Idaho town Monday when the mayor announced that cannabis use on private property was officially the lowest police priority.

“This has not been easy, but I think that we have come up with something that works for those on both sides of this issue,” said Hailey Mayor Rick Davis at a City Council meeting, reports Tony Evans of the Idaho Mountain Express.

“This means that Hailey police will not go out and actively look for people smoking pot on private property — but they never have,” Mayor Davis said afterward.

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