| Steve Katz. |
New York Republican Assemblyman Steve Katz is a fucking hypocrite. Last year, the lawmaker – who is on the Assembly Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee – voted against medical marijuana in the state, saying that it would only increase illegal drug use. Fast-forward to this past weekend when Katz was cited for marijuana possession after police pulled him over for speeding.
In an almost comical attempt to achieve pure political correctness, we have seen elementary schools across the nation go to the extremes by banning ridiculous items like Pogs, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and even kids playing tag – all in the name of student safety.
So while officials at Pomona Elementary School in Costa Mesa, CA were no-doubt busy busting kids for Pokemon cards and making sure that everybody wins at kickball, a sixth grade student at the school smuggled a potent batch of pot brownies right under their noses and onto the playground.
| Westword.com |
| From the 2011 4/20 celebration at CU Boulder. |
For many years, the University of Colorado was known as one of the largest 4/20 gatherings on any college campus in the United States. Thousands would descend upon Norlin Quad for a peaceful and hazy afternoon of basking in the Colorado spring sunshine (and occasional rain). But starting last year, the University decided to close down the campus to everyone but students and official visitors in an attempt to curb the gathering. Their efforts worked, and much to the dismay of ganja smokers in Boulder the campus is being shut down again this year.
Denver Westword has the rest.
Over the last year or two, one of the greatest rap icons of all time has undergone a transformation of sorts. Snoop Dogg, one of the kings of West Coast rap, seemingly has reached a midlife point where he’s searching for something bigger, something more meaningful – and he says he’s found it reggae music and a new-found love for Jamaica.
So is it all an act, or has Snoop really ditched the Dogg and become a Rastafari lion? The movie seems to take on that question, with what appears to be an honest glimpse into the transformation of an American cultural rap icon to a mellower, irie-eyed Rastafarian.
Decide for yourself if you’re in one of the cities where the film is making an American run this month. You can catch the doc at these locations starting today:
Los Angeles: Laemmle Monica
San Francisco: Opera Plaza
Chicago: Century
Atlanta: Midtown Art Cinema
Miami: O Cinema
Austin: Violet Crown
New York City: Sunshine Cinemas
Marijuana possession would not be included in Louisiana’s draconian mandatory minimum sentencing laws if a bill introduced earlier this week manages to find approval in the state legislature.
State Rep. Austin Badon, a democrat from New Orleans, introduced House Bill 103 on Tuesday which in addition to removing marijuana possession a qualifying offense for the state’s three strikes law.
| Updated Vermont state seal. |
Earlier this week, a group of Vermont democrats, independents and progressives introduced House Bill 499, which would legalize small amounts of marijuana for personal use and cultivation in the state, as well as allowing for recreational cannabis stores to open up in the Green Mountain State.
| Bell peppers on top of a bunch of dirt weed. |
Add fresh vegetables to your list of things that won’t deter drug dogs.
A Mexican national discovered that tip the hard way on Tuesday when police found more than a ton of marijuana stashed half-assed under a few green bell peppers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection made the find while the man was attempting to enter the United States through a commercial facility in Nogales with the load in a tractor-trailer. Phoenix New Times has the rest.
| Wikipedia commons. |
| Meadow Lane stadium. |
The oldest soccer club in the world apparently has some problems growing grass (the legal kind) on their field during the winter.
League One Notts County F.C. was founded in 1862 and has been playing at the Meadow Lane stadium since 1910. Apparently, the technology at the stadium isn’t very new either and keeping the pitch green has been a challenge for some time.
| BBC reporter Heather Alexander. |
It’s always interesting to see the take on American medical and recreational cannabis from our friends across the pond. This recent report from the BBC on legalization in Colorado is proof of that, with the reporter singling out the ski resort town of Breckenridge as the potential American version of cannabis-friendly Amsterdam in the Netherlands. As a Coloradan, I highly doubt that will be the case — but the report does bring up a few interesting ideas.
| TokeoftheTown.com |
Towns in Massachusetts can not ban medical marijuana centers outright, but they are allowed to enact zoning regulations on where dispensaries can be located. State Attorney General Martha Coakley handed down that decision yesterday in response to a Wakefield, Mass. passing a law that prohibited marijuana centers from operating in that town.