Toke of the Town — Marijuana and Cannibis News

End Mexico’s Bloody Drug War: Legalize Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 7, 2010 Global, News

The Drug War has resulted in about 16,000 deaths in Mexico over the past three years.

When substance abuse treatment professionals start calling for the legalization of marijuana, we can be sure that we are mainstreaming our message of cannabis liberation.

That’s why Toke of the Town is running this guest editorial by Steven Lo, who is affiliated with AllTreatment.com, an online resource which offers help in finding drug rehab centers.

Let me quickly add that Toke of the Town does not endorse or support any form of “marijuana rehab,” whatever that’s supposed to entail, and that we believe the entire concept of “marijuana addiction” is so deeply flawed as to be useless.

Pot-Dealing Peruvian Women Hide Weed In Their Vuvuzelas

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2010 Global, News

Photo: Brian Currin

No, these aren’t the pot dealers. These women are Coda, and their song is called “Blow Your Vuvuzela.” Head on over to Brian Currin’s blog to download it.

Peruvian pot dealers have found a cool new use for the vuvuzela, the long, thin plastic horns whose sound has become the backdrop of the soccer World Cup — hiding their marijuana.

Two Peruvian women were arrested in front of a school in capitol city Lima on Tuesday. Police claim the women were trying to sell 100 small bags of cannabis that they had packed into their vuvuzelas, reports Terry Wade for Reuters.

The fame of vuvuzelas has spread virally during this year’s World Cup soccer matches — while, in some quarters, their popularity has dipped. Many find the buzzing blare of the plastic horns to be rather, well, annoying.

Cash-Hungry Long Beach Wants To Tax Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2010 Dispensaries, Legislation, Medical

Photo: LBPost.com

Long Beach is joining other California cities which are looking at taxing marijuana to boost cash-starved city coffers.

The City Council on Tuesday, July 6, will consider a proposal to put a measure on November’s ballot that would levy a 5 percent tax on medical marijuana dispensaries.

Another tax, of up to 10 percent, would only go into effect if California voters also pass Proposition 19, which would legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational use, and allow its taxation, reports Tony Barboza at the Los Angeles Times.

Toke of the Town’s Stoner Photo of the Day: Veronica

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2010 Culture

Photo: Ganja-Girls.com

Some things speak for themselves.

Our Stoner Photo of the Day, this shot of the lovely Ganja Girl Veronica from my good friend Mike Smith over at HowToGrowBud.com and Ganja-Girls.com, is most definitely one of those things.

Enjoy!

Ziggy Marley Authors ‘MarijuanaMan’ Comic Book

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2010 Culture, Products

Graphic: Comic Book Resources

Maybe they should print it on rolling papers.

Photo: StubHub

Grammy Award-winning musician Ziggy Marley is expanding his artistic repertoire with the release of MarijuanaMan, a new comic book featuring a superhero from a planet that is in desperate need of THC (hey, that sounds a bit like Earth, actually).

Our hero, MarijuanaMan, seeks to save Earth’s marijuana fields from destruction by the evil drug company PharmeXon, thus saving his cannabinoid-starved home planet in the process.

The first issue’s of Ziggy’s MarijuanaMan book will hit shelves across the country on April 20, 2011, and Ziggy will be making an exclusive one-day-ony appearance this month at Comic-Con International in support of the new comic.

Colorado Veterans Want Medical Marijuana For PTSD

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 6, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Patients Choice of Colorado

Kevin Grimsinger: “We’ve done our fighting. Don’t make us continue to fight.”

Numerous studies have shown medical marijuana to be effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition suffered by 20 percent of our returning veterans. Wouldn’t it make sense to make the best medicine available to those coming home from war?

Medical marijuana advocacy group Sensible Colorado and local veterans will hold a press conference and rally on Wednesday, July 7, to support adding PTSD to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana authorizations in Colorado.

The rally coincides with the official submission of a petition to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to add PTSD.

PTSD does not qualify for medical marijuana use in Colorado. Veterans Administration hospitals won’t recommend cannabis for any use, and, by policy, threatens to cut off health care and benefits to veterans who test positive for using it.

Naked Worker Found In Texas Warehouse; Busted For Pot

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2010 News

Photo: MyFoxDFW.com

“Very hot” in Texas: Kenneth Clyde Jackson decided it would be a good idea to work in the nude.

Jeeze, whatever happened to just whistling while you work?

Texas police looking into a possible break-in instead found a seemingly intoxicated employee catching up on tasks over the weekend — while drunk, stoned, and stark naked.

Fort Worth police officers checked an open door at the Regal Plastics warehouse found an unclothed, 55-year-old Kenneth Clyde Jackson, reports Alice Wolke at MyFoxDFW.com.

Jackson, who works for the company, was completely nude and had the odor of alcohol on his breath, according to the police report.

South Africa: Rastafarians Vow To Keep Smoking Cannabis

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2010 Culture, Global

Photo: Alan Eason/Daily Dispatch

From left, South African Rastafarians Zerah Mayo, his brother Adwah Kamini and ‘Rasbaruch’ said they are being discriminated against for smoking marijuana as part of their religion.

Two physically disabled Rastafarian brothers in South Africa, who have already been arrested three times for marijuana, said the law will not stop them from smoking the illegal herb, reports Kathryn Parkes at the Daily Dispatch.

The Rastas said they need to smoke cannabis, which they call “dagga,” in order to “connect with their God.”

Zerah Mayo and his older brother Adwah Kamini had their case thrown out of court on a technicality last Friday after they were arrested and charged with selling marijuana earlier this year.

The brothers called it a victory, and said they only smoke dagga and do not sell it.

Montana Police Now Delivering Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical

Photo: Home Security Guru

Talk about restoring your faith in humanity! One town in Montana has finally gotten it right when it comes to the proper relationship between medical marijuana and the cops.

The Billings, Montana Police Department says it has become a medical marijuana delivery service for pot growers in Montana, because shipping companies like FedEx and UPS refuse to handle the packages due to federal laws that could leave them open to criminal prosecution, reports KECI Missoula.

Old Kilo Of Marijuana Washes Up On Florida Beach

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 5, 2010 News

Photo: George Ginsburg

Independence Day revelers at New Smyrna Beach, Florida made an interesting find among the seashells — an old kilo of marijuana.

The pot came ashore around noon on the beach, according to Volusia County Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

“It was really old and barnacle-crusted,” Petersohn said. “It’s not anything that anyone would want to roll up and smoke.” (The captain must not know some of my friends.)