Toke of the Town — Marijuana and Cannibis News

Whizzinator Makers Sentenced In Federal Court

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 8, 2010 News, Products

Graphic: toonpool.com

A California man who served almost six years in prison for marijuana trafficking in the 1980s will now spend six months in federal prison for selling a prosthetic penis designed to help men beat urinalysis drug tests.

George Wills, 67, of San Pedro, Calif., sold a product called the Whizzinator, along with artificial urine with which the device could be filled. The Whizzinator was used by pilots, truck drivers, probationers, and others so they could pass drug screening urinalysis tests.

Wills’ partner, Robert Catalano of Huntington Beach, Calif., was also sentenced to three years’ probation on Tuesday, reports Joe Mandak of The Associated Press.

Any other business partners of these guys should note: Prosecutors asked for leniency for both men because they are “cooperating in other investigations.”

Grow Expert/Author Jorge Cervantes To Make First U.S. Appearance

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 8, 2010 Culture, Growing, Products

Photo: High Times

Jorge Cervantes’ “Indoor Marijuana Horticulture” has sold more than 600,000 copies and launched untold thousands of beautiful victory gardens

The International Cannabis & Hemp Expo (INTCHE) has announced the first U.S. appearance of internationally renowned, best-selling author Jorge Cervantes. Cervantes is scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 17th on the main stage of the Expo.

Cervantes is a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation. With more than 30 years of cannabis growing knowledge and hands-on experience, his numerous books, articles, photographs and instructional DVDs have been sold worldwide.

In 1983 Cervantes penned Indoor Marijuana Horticulture–a book that became an instant best seller, and quickly became known as “The Bible” among growers. Now in its fifth edition, the book has sold more than 600,000 copies and has been printed in Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish and Italian and will soon be available in Russian.

Cervantes writes regular columns and feature articles in some 20 cannabis magazines written in 10 languages.

Oregon: Cannabis Legalization Effort Now Gathering Signatures

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: KVAL.com

Legalizing and taxing cannabis could help plug holes in Oregon’s state budget, according to supporters

Oregon’s marijuana legalization initiative, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA), is kicking off its signature-gathering phase at the OR NORML meeting in Portland this Saturday, April 10.

Petitions have just been approved for circulation by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, and OCTA said it expects more than 300 attendees to be among the first to sign the petition for this historic ballot measure.

OCTA will generate revenue by taxing commercial cannabis sales, which will be permitted to adults 21 and older. More than $140 million a year would be generated by OCTA for the state’s General Fund, according to projections, paying for education, roads, health care, and other public projects.

“OCTA will transform Oregon,” said co-chief petitioner Madeleine Martinez, executive director of OR NORML. “Supporting OCTA is a no-brainer.”

Medical Pot Grower Says Cops ‘Smeared Poop’ In His House

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2010 Growing, News

Photo: The Inquisitr

“What poop?”

A medical marijuana activist and grower has accused King County Sheriff’s detectives of smearing feces in his Kirkland, Washington home during a search last month.

Steve Sarich said this week that deputies searching his house March 15 “smeared human excrement (poop) on the wall behind his bed and nightstand,” according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Department, reports Joyce Chen of The Tacoma News Tribune.

The allegations were made in emails sent by Sarich to the Sheriff’s Office on April 2 and April 5, the department claimed in a press release.

World’s Largest Marijuana Dispensary Offers Bonus For Activism

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2010 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Harborside Health Center

About 800 patients a day visit Harborside Health Center’s Oakland location

Harborside Health Center in Oakland, California, which is billed as the largest medical marijuana dispensary in the world, is offering a free gram of cannabis for every hour volunteered in support of issues on behalf of pot patients.

“We want all our patients to know they are ambassadors for the movement,” said Goose Duarte, membership services manager at Harborside, reports Peter Hecht at The Sacramento Bee.

Harborside also features many holistic services, including a naturopathic care doctor, acupuncture, chiropractic care, yoga, and Reiki. Additionally, there are about 60 strains of potency-labeled, safety-tested California marijuana.

California Buzzkill: In-N-Out Raises Prices; Stoners Lament

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2010 Culture, News

Photo: Edwin Goei/OC Weekly

A Double Double, fries and Coke will set you back 30 cents more than before April 1. Unsweet!

It happened on April Fool’s Day, but they ain’t foolin’. In a bit of a buzzkill for Golden State stoners, California drive-through burger chain In-N-Out has quietly raised its prices by 10 cents per item across its minimalist menu.

“Dude,” lamented one bummed-out toker. “The Double-Double is more than three bucks now! And if I continue eating three meals a day at the place, this could add up to, like, 5 bucks a week. That’s a couple of packs of rolling papers, man!”

California Mayor Proposes Marijuana Nursery Downtown

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2010 Growing, Medical

Photo: Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce

The historic California Theatre in downtown Dunsmuir, Calif., may have a new neighbor — a marijuana nursery — on Dunsmuir Avenue if Mayor Peter Arth has his way.

The mayor of Dunsmuir, California has proposed the establishment of a medical marijuana nursery in the downtown area.

The proposal was brought to city officials by Mayor Peter Arth Jr., who plans to finance the project, along with Green Collar Compassionate Collective owner Leslie Wilde, who will lease the nursery in order to harvest medical marijuana for her patient members, reports Ami Ridling of Mt. Shasta News.

Arth and Wilde are applying for a historic site alteration permit for the facility, and will present their plans to the Dunsmuir Planning Commission in May.

Alabama: House Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 7, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Loretta Nall

Loretta Nall: “We plan to keep fighting our way through the process”

An Alabama House committee approved a bill Wednesday that would legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in the Heart of Dixie.

This is the first time in Alabama history that a medical marijuana bill has advanced out of committee to the House floor.

Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham), who sponsors the bill, said it had no real chance of being approved by both the House and the Senate before this legislative session ends in five days, reports Scott Johnson of the Montgomery Advertiser.

The bill, known as the Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act, is named after a medical marijuana patient with a brain tumor who fought to make the herb legal for medicine in Alabama. Phillips died in 2007 at the age of 38.

Marijuana was the only thing that allowed Phillips to function normally, according to his mother, Jackie Phillips. Without it, she said, Michael had seven or eight seizures a day.

“I could see the difference in him when he smoked and when he didn’t,” Phillips said.

Town Taxes Medical Marijuana — Before There IS Any

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on April 6, 2010 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Yes-23

A small town in western Colorado has become the first in the state to tax medical marijuana. Only thing is, it doesn’t have any marijuana dispensaries.

The voters of Fruita, a town of about 11,000 residents, imposed a 5 percent tax on marijuana sales, reports Jeffrey Wolf of 9 News.

One application is pending for a dispensary in Fruita. City leaders said they wanted to be ready with a tax source in case the dispensary opens and “requires additional police patrols.”

Not exactly an open-arms welcome, but you take what you can get, I suppose. And since the good folks of Fruita are smart enough to see a revenue opportunity when they see one, I’m betting that 5 percent will be adding up real soon when a dispensary opens.

Maryland Senate Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

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

Graphic: MarylandMedicalMarijuana.com

Maryland’s Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 7-4 Monday night to pass SB 627, a bill that would provide qualified patients with safe access to medical marijuana and protection from arrest for using the medicine that works best for them.

The bill now moves to the full state Senate for consideration.

“This vote represents the biggest victory to date for supporters of an effective medical marijuana law in Maryland,” said Dan Riffle, a legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).