Photo: The Oklahoman
Young mother heads to prison: Patricia Spottedcrow, 25, entered the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft, Oklahoma, three days before Christmas.

​An Oklahoma mother has been taken away from her four young children and her husband, and is now serving 10 years in prison for selling $31 worth of marijuana.

Patricia Marilyn Spottedcrow, 25, entered the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft, Okla., three days before Christmas, reports Ginnie Graham at NewsOK.
“I’m nervous … because it’s prison … people I don’t know,” Spottedcrow said. “People said you don’t get too comfortable here or you’ll be here longer. Don’t make too many friends. Come and do your time and get out.”
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be here 10 years,” she said.

Photo: Polly Cooper
Want!!!

​Toke of the Town‘s sister Village Voice Media blog, the Phoenix New Times, is gettin’ nice and ready for implementation of Prop 203, Arizona’s medical marijuana law, with “Baked,” a new series that will appear on New Times’ food blog, Chow Bella.

“There is a stigma associated with marijuana use,” writes “Polly Cooper” (a pseudonym for an accomplished local baker) at New Times. “The lazy video gamer and those damn, dirty hippies, burning one and trying to wax philosophical. There are examples everywhere, and I’m sure everyone knows at least someone who fits a stereotype. The most destructive part of this stigma is that it can prevent those who may benefit from its therapeutic aspects from even asking about it.”
“And for those of you on board, I’m going to tell you how to make concoctions and tinctures, as well as give you some wonderful tips, recipes, and ideas that can help either you or a loved one in pain,” “Cooper” writes. “You never know when the time will come when you are sitting beside your mother, father, aunt, sister, best friend, or lover, watching the meds not work and feeling helpless because there is nothing you can do. This blog’s for you.”

Graphic: Fred Noland/SF Weekly

​When San Francisco narcotics officers showed up at a Castro District home early on the morning of January 11, they had a search warrant for “proceeds” from an illegal marijuana grow.

But the SFPD and federal DEA officers didn’t find any cannabis cash at that address, one of six raided simultaneously that morning, reports Chris Roberts at SF Weekly.
Instead, they found Clark Freshman, a UC Hastings law professor and the main consultant to the TV show Lie To Me.
Freshman was handcuffed while in his bathrobe as agents searched, despite his insistence that they had the wrong place and were breaking the law.
“I told them to call the judge and get their warrant updated,” Freshman said. “They just laughed at me — I guess that’s why they’re called pigs.”
Soon the porcine police may be defendants, in addition to douche bags. Freshman, who is furious about the incident, has pledged to sue the DEA and the SFPD for unlawful search and seizure of his home.

Kansas Medical Cannabis Network

​Lawmakers on Monday introduced the Kansas Compassion and Care Act, which would make growing, selling, buying and smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes legal under state law.

“Legalizing medical marijuana in the state will not only allow those with debilitating conditions an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs, but will also help lower the amount of people that have to turn to the black market to obtain their medicine,” said Kyle Norton, director of Johnson County NORML.

House Bill 2330 has been referred to the House Committee on Health and Human Services for consideration and debate. Under this measure, patients with certain debilitating conditions would be able to use medical cannabis without fear of reprisal under state law, reports JoCo NORML.
The bill would also protect patients’ rights as employees, tenants, and parents. A patient registry system would be established, along with nonprofit care centers and a board to oversee the entire program.

Photo: WAFF
Scott Burgert, left, and Bradley Jones allegedly sneaked 48 pounds of pot out of the police station over a three-day period in January.

​Only Four Pounds Recovered

Two Alabama men who were working on renovations at the Florence Police Station are in jail after they were accused of taking 48 pounds of marijuana from the evidence locker.

Scott Raymond Burgert, 45, and Bradley Thomas Jones, 40, both of Florence, Alabama, are both charged with first-degree theft of property and trafficking marijuana, Florence Police Chief Rick Singleton said, reports Tom Smith at the Florence Times Daily.
The two men were part of a construction crew which was remodeling the first floor of the police department.

Photo: Quick Trading Company
I know this much: It beats the Sears Wish Book all to hell.

​For those of you into nug porn — and I know I am! — The Big Book of Buds, Volume 4 from Ed Rosenthal gives you 236 pages of sticky sweet fun. Both an eye-catcher of a coffee table book and a valuable resource, this will quickly become one of your favorite volumes.

You can learn about the latest connoisseur varieties as Rosenthal hosts you on a visual journey with more than two dozen cannabis breeders from Holland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. With spectacular photos and thorough, knowledgeable information, you can have a state-of-the-art guide to marijuana breeding to peruse as you smoke (or vape, or eat).
Eighty-six glorious varieties are shown in the luscious photos, which look so real you can practically smell the buds. Everything is described in vivid detail, with practical tips as only “Ask Ed” can give them, including growth characteristics and methods, and insights into the effects of various strains.

Photo: Mission Local

​San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano wants to propose an “omnibus cannabis bill” to better oversee California’s booming medical marijuana industry, which the attorney general’s guidelines so far have dictated must be nonprofit.

According to Ammiano, the radically different approaches to dispensaries — which are welcomed in some cities, but raided in others — shows the need for clear, statewide regulations to create a more “cohesive response.”

“Don’t worry, L.A. pot-shop owners,” writes Dennis Romero at LA Weekly. “It sounds like what he wants to do is regulate it as-is — codify its status as a business and forget this nonprofit b.s. Maybe.”

Graphic: KTVQ

​House Bill 161, Montana’s medical marijuana repeal bill, has only been approved by the House of Representatives. It hasn’t cleared the Senate, nor has it been signed by the governor. But dispensaries in Missoula are concerned about possible negative economic effects if the law is repealed.

Thousands of jobs could be lost, cities would lose revenue from business taxes, and many more people would be relying on food stamps if repeal passes, according to Dave Stephens, owner of Better Life Montana in Missoula.
“It’s a bad idea all the way around,” Stephens told Paige Huntoon of the Montana Kaiminthe student daily at the University of Montana at Missoula.

Graphic: CannabisCenters.com

​The Flagstaff City Council on Tuesday night removed a proposed zoning restriction on medical marijuana dispensaries inside the city limits that had capped the size at 3,000 square feet. With the size of dispensaries now unlimited, it is expected that most of the marijuana sold at the shops will be grown on site, rather than at remote locations.

Council member Art Babbott said he agreed with a recommendation by the Flagstaff Police Department to have the retail side of a dispensary co-locate with growing operations, reports Joe Ferguson at the Arizona Daily Sun.
Police officials said they believe co-location will make the local medical marijuana industry safer by reducing the number of locations and removing the need for large cannabis deliveries to replenish stock at dispensaries.
David Grandon, a former local art gallery owner, said earlier this week he wanted the city to increase the maximum size for dispensaries to accommodate other therapeutic services, such as chiropractors and massage therapists.

Photo: World News

​The city of Ypsilanti, Michigan will consider medical marijuana dispensary licenses on a first-come, first-served basis, despite concerns from some members that it will result in applicants camping out at City Hall to be the first in line.

The Ypsilanti City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved the ordinance establishing the licensing process, reports Tom Perkins at AnnArbor.com. The procedure through which the city would handle receiving dispensary applications had been the last major sticking point in the ordinance.
The council approved the ordinance as a resolution, which waives the 30-day posting period and means the ordinance takes effect on Tuesday, February 22. That cuts the time new dispensaries will have to wait to submit an application by 30 days.
1 603 604 605 606 607 771