Toke of the Town — Marijuana and Cannibis News

Montana Tobacco Shop Diversifies With Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Dispensaries, Products

Glenn Erickson, MedMar: “We wanted to provide a safe, secure atmosphere”

One of Montana’s largest single-location retailers of cigarettes is now selling something else to smoke. But you need to be a registered patient to buy it.

Glenn Erickson at Gilligan’s Tobacco Shop has opened MarMed of Montana on the second floor of his store in Butte, reports Tim Trainor at The Montana Standard.

Before adding marijuana to his smokables, Erickson, 55, met with Butte-Silver Bow law enforcement and the county attorney’s office, making sure he was doing nothing illegal and was operating within the law.

“From a business standpoint, there are a lot of unknowns,” said Erickson, who has operated the tobacco shop for 12 years. “Let’s be honest; there is a lot that still needs to be cleared up.”

Marijuana Farmer’s Markets Proposed In California

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Dispensaries, Growing

Photo: RAWBLOG

A California medical marijuana dispensary operator has presented his idea to start “patient-to-patient cannabis farmer’s markets” in Sacramento and surrounding counties.

Joseph Funes, president of North Country Comfort Club in North Highlands, said the farmer’s market model will help to keep money in the community by employing only local growers, reports Erin Tracy of the Woodland Daily Democrat.

An alliance with the county could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax revenue, Funes told the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in the public comment portion of last Tuesday’s board meeting.

Dennis Hopper’s Pot Dealer Pays Tribute To Star

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Culture, Dispensaries

Photo: Easy Rider

Hopper’s message to conservative America in the 1969 classic, “Easy Rider.”

Operators of the dispensary where film legend Dennis Hopper bought medical marijuana in his final days said they have lost one of their star clients, and a good friend.

“We’re sorry to see one of our favorite patients go,” said a staffer at The Farmacy Cannabis Club in Venice, California, according to Radar Online. The staffer confirmed that Hopper was a “frequent patient” as he battled terminal cancer.

Prospective N.J. Pot Dispensary Owners Have High Hopes

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical

Graphic: Phawker

In January, New Jersey became the 14th state to allow the use and sale of medical marijuana. The law goes into effect July 1, but it may be several months beyond that before the state has regulations in place and the “alternative treatment centers” — marijuana dispensaries — where patients will be able to legally get cannabis.

For now, dozens of hopeful entrepreneurs are quietly setting up nonprofit groups that will apply to run the first dispensaries in the most populous state outside California to legalize medical marijuana, reports Geoff Mulvihill of The Associated Press.

Anne M. Davis, a lawyer who consults with several people interested in opening dispensaries, said she’s hearing from current drug dealers who want to go legal, caregivers who already get marijuana for the sick, and career changers, including commercial real estate agents who are suffering in the slow economy.

“They think, ‘Hey, I’m going to open this great business and I’m going to make a fortune,” Davis said. “But that’s not what it’s going to be. It’s going to be very strictly regulated in New Jersey.”

Canada Will Confiscate Medical Marijuana At Border

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Global, Medical

Photo: CP24.com

Don’t take your medical marijuana across the border with you on that Canadian vacation.

While having a medical marijuana card won’t affect the ability of residents of Washington and Montana to visit neighboring Canada, all cannabis found at the border crossing will be confiscated, according to Canadian authorities.

Lisa White, speaking for the Canada Border Control Services Agency, said that despite rumors to the contrary, Americans who are enrolled in their states’ medical marijuana programs are not refused entry into our northern neighbor for that reason, reports Tim Trainor at the Montana Standard.

90-Year-Old Granny Arrested For Dealing Pot; Had 170 Pounds

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 29, 2010 Global, News

Photo: Motivated Photos (www.motivatedphotos.com/?id=59543)

A 90-year-old grandmother suspected of selling cannabis was arrested Friday after police raided her home and found more than 170 pounds of marijuana.

A squad of armed South African police officers with drug dogs stormed the elderly woman’s home and discovered the pot stashed in multiple bags, according to the Daily Mail.

“This lady was quiet, old and looked like an angel sent from God,” said the rather poetically inclined Police Inspector Kobeli Mokheseng.

“But we received a tip-off two weeks ago that a lot of people were going into her house and coming out looking happy,” Mokheseng said.

Wow, happy people? That will not do! Obviously, law enforcement was called for, don’t you think?

Federal Report: Most In Pot Rehab Were Forced Into It

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 28, 2010 News

Graphic: Mirror Cracked

Surprise, surprise. Most people who go to drug rehab programs for marijuana don’t want to be there, and were in fact forced to either attend the dreary, pointless sessions or to go to jail.

Nearly six out of ten people — 57 percent — admitted to drug treatment programs for marijuana are “referred” there by the criminal justice system, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — meaning most people in pot rehab were forced to go there under threat of jail.

And only 15 percent of marijuana treatment admissions were self-referred, according to the study. This percentage is less than half the number of self-referrals for alcohol and cocaine, and about one-quarter the number of self-referrals reported for heroin, at 56 percent.

Study: Marijuana Doesn’t Affect Driving Performance

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 28, 2010 News

Photo: The Inspiration Room

It’s something most seasoned pot smokers already know, but still it’s nice to get more scientific confirmation: Marijuana doesn’t make you wreck your car.

Subjects show almost identical driving skills just before and just after smoking marijuana, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Illinois Could Legalize Medical Marijuana Friday

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 28, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Illinois Valley News

The Illinois Legislature is scheduled to vote on a bill Friday that would legalize medical marijuana in the state.

Pointing to medical research showing marijuana effectively treats pain, nausea and other symptoms of debilitating medical conditions, the bill would allow patients to legally possess marijuana if their physicians diagnose them with a qualifying condition and recommend medical marijuana to treat it, reports Chris Kirk of The Daily Northwestern.

A vast majority of Illinois residents say they support medical marijuana, with the most recent poll showing 68 percent support in the state.

The act includes a variety of qualifying conditions, including cancer, AIDS, hepatitis C and conditions causing pain or nausea that are unresponsive to other treatments.

Federal law still bans the possession of marijuana for any purpose. But the act would provide a great deal of protection for medical marijuana patients because states are now required to arrest or prosecute people for violating federal laws.

Pot Dealer Driving Car Registered To NBA Star Zach Randolph

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 28, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: soulhonky.com

NBA Grizzlies star Zach Randolph now has four fewer vehicles than he had a few days ago.

NBA player Zach Randolph has been linked to a man accused of selling marijuana in Indianapolis, police claimed Wednesday. A lawyer for Randolph said the star player for the Memphis Grizzlies had “no knowledge” of his friend’s alleged role in dealing pot.

“Zach Randolph is not a party to any drug conspiracy of any type,” said attorney John Tompkins on Thursday. “If somebody says he is, they are either lying or they don’t know what they heck they are talking about,” reports Vic Ryckaert at IndyStar.com.

But Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives claim Randolph provided cars and a house to Arthur Boyd, who is charged with selling marijuana. Randolph himself has not been arrested or charged, and IMPD officials claim he is “not the target” of a drug investigation.

Despite that statement, police Detective Ryan Graber described Randolph as a “financier” for drug dealers in Indianapolis, according to court documents filed in Boyd’s case.

The Grizzlies released a statement on Thursday supporting Randolph.