| Photo: Los Angeles Times |
| An investigator carries out two large bags of marijuana from the Medical Kush Beach Club, Wednesday, April 20, 2011 |
One of the storefront pot doctors on the boardwalk in Venice was shut down Wednesday when the California state medical board and police raided three locations linked to Medical Kush Doctor.
Investigators carried out boxes and at least two large plastic bags that “appeared to contain marijuana” out of the building next to Muscle Beach that houses a doctor’s office, a smoke shop and a dispensary called the Medical Kush Beach Club, reports John Hoeffel at the Los Angeles Times.
| Graphic: BookRags |
| CNN reported that only 41 percent of “American adults” support marijuana legalization — but they didn’t ask anyone under 35. |
CNN.com on Tuesday released results from interviews with 824 “adult Americans” asking their opinions in the legalization of marijuana and gay marriage. But there was one big problem. They left out a big section of “adult Americans” — everyone under 35.
In response to the question, “Do you favor or oppose the legalization of marijuana?” 41 percent of “adults” said they favor it, 56 percent opposed, and 2 percent had no opinion, reports J. Grant at Our Time.
While American adults tend to be divided on controversial topics like this, what is disturbing is that CNN.com posted these results despite the fact that they include no respondents between the ages of 18 and 34.
“Regardless of your opinion, you have a right to have an opinion, and for that opinion to be factored into poll results by one of the most trafficked news sites in America,” Grant wrote. “Since 18- to 34-year-olds were kept out of the conversation entirely, this is not an accurate poll and should not be labeled as such.
| Photo: KMBC |
| Big props to the brave police officers of Independence, Missouri, for being alert to these dangerous tomato plants. |
‘The Last Time I Checked, It Wasn’t Illegal To Grow A Tomato Plant,’ Man Says
Hundreds of marijuana plants were seized by police officers in Independence, Missouri on 4/20, a day celebrated by pot smokers. But when the cops came busting in at one man’s door looking for cannabis, they found a tomato growing operation instead.
“What I saw today was not protection,” the man told KMBC‘s Cliff Judy. “That was harassment, all because of where I made a purchase.”
See, it turns out the Missouri Highway Patrol “monitors” stores that sell hydroponic growing equipment — and they use those sales to track down illegal marijuana growing operations. That information — couple with the asinine assumption that any customer at a hydroponics store must be involved in cannabis — led them to the tomato farmer’s door.
| Photo: Denver Westword |
| This appropriately attired gentleman was among the attendees at today’s 4/20 Rally in Denver. |
Between 10,000 and 15,000 cannabis enthusiasts of all ages converged at Civic Center Park in downtown Denver on April 20 for the annual 4/20 political rally, concert, party, and smokeout, reports Denver Westword.
| Photo: StrainBrain.com |
| Dude, unless that artificial intelligence thing can see inside my cookie and tell what strain’s in there, we got problems. |
The Medical Cannabis Network just launched StrainBrain.com, a site which uses recognition technology and artificial intelligence to create what they are calling the first-ever “bud recognizer.”
Users can upload photos of their buds and the system automatically tells them what strain it is, with information, related strains, and nearby dispensaries carrying that specific strain.
The system is in beta right now, with an official release coming next Monday, and a few kinks remain to be worked out. In testing out the strain recognition technology I accidentally (honest!) clicked on a photo of a medicated cookie and uploaded that.
The strain recognition technology’s artificial intelligence on StrainBrain reckoned there was a 31.54 percent chance that my “bud” was Cinderella 99, and it was only very slightly less probable (31.52 percent) that the cookie was a bud of the Black Berry strain.
| Photo: High Times |
One of my favorite books lately — as in, I keep getting it back out again and again — is The Official High Times Field Guide to Marijuana Strains. Penned by the knowledgeable Danny Danko, senior cultivation editor at High Times, the book offers not only a wealth of information on more than 125 varieties of cannabis, it is also absolutely gorgeous.
Photos of each strain, along with info on awards, genetic lineage, flowering time, and where you can get seeds, make this book a potent tool in the hands of the modern cannabis connoisseur.
Danko talked with breeders all over the planet, and they talked about their secrets to creating Cannabis Cup winners. Most of the world’s top pot varieties are covered and lovingly described, from odors and flavors to potency levels and medicinal properties (there are certain notable omissions, such as the absence of one of my favorite pain-killing indicas, Afgoo).
No less an authority than the estimable Dr. Lester Grinspoon, Harvard cannabis researcher and author of Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine has said “If you wish to become more sophisticated about the large number of strains now available, you will be hard-pressed to find a better written and superbly photographed little compendium than this book.”
| Photo: Suicide Girls |
| “They handed Franco the bag of weed. They gave me the lighter.” ~ From Seth Rogan’s Suicide Girls interview |
In celebration of the pot smoker’s holiday, 4-20 (you know, bro: the day when even amateurs get high), my friends over at Suicide Girls have rolled up a fattie and shared five of their “fave mellow interview moments.”
Yes, I’ll be upfront and admit it’s a thrill for me to be on a list with Tommy Chong, Danny Leiner (director of Dude, Where’s My Car? and Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle), Seth Rogan (star of Pineapple Express) and Rob Corddry (of Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay).
| The Chinese shaman tomb and its contents from 2,800 years ago. Almost 800 grams of cannabis was found inside the tomb. |
Welcome to Room 420, where your instructor is Mr. Ron Marczyk and your subjects are wellness, disease prevention, self actualization, and chillin’.
Worth Repeating
By Ron Marczyk, R.N.
Health Education Teacher (Retired)
To begin, please watch the following to understand the significance of this cannabis discovery.
China’s Secret Mummies: National Geographic Explorer, December 2007
This National Geographic special provides major archeological evidence of religious cannabis use 2,800 years ago (at minute 38:00 of the video).
| Graphic: 420list.org |
About two dozen people rallied on the Washington state capitol steps on Tuesday, calling on Governor Christine Gregoire to approve a law licensing medical marijuana dispensaries and providing arrest protection for patients.
Controversy has erupted over the bill, already approved by both houses of the Legislature, since Gov. Gregoire threatened last week to veto it, claiming it could expose state workers to federal prosecution. State workers have never been prosecuted for licensing medical marijuana operations in any of the 15 states where medicinal cannabis is legal.
Protesters on Tuesday said if the governor vetoes SB 5073, it would show she is disrespecting the 1998 voter initiative that legalized medical marijuana in Washington, and that she is abandoning patients who rely on it, reports Katie Schmidt at The Tacoma News Tribune.
| Photo: Flawless Hustle |
| Yes, I know what the car smells like, officer. Maybe you haven’t heard about the decision from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. |
Huge Victory In Massachusetts Limits Police Power
It’s a logical outcome of decrim, and it finally happened today. The mere odor of burning marijuana is no longer reason enough for police officers to order a person out of their car in Massachusetts, now that possession of less than an ounce of pot has been decriminalized there, the state’s highest court ruled on Tuesday.
“Without at least some other additional fact to bolster a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, the odor of burnt marijuana alone cannot reasonably provide suspicion of criminal activity to justify an exit order,” the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a decision written by Chief Justice Roderick Ireland, reports Martin Finucane at the Boston Globe.