Search Results: rikess (98)

Photo: Reuters

By Jack Rikess
Toke of the Town
Northern California
Correspondent
This isn’t scientific but, for my buds, 2010 has been one of the more pivotal years in the advancement of the acceptance of cannabis into our society.
With much speculation and hand-wringing follow the antics of that little bill called Proposition 19, the Bay Area, along with Colorado, has been ground central for the battle of hearts and minds following the exploits of our friend, marijuana. 
And now the smoke has cleared. After a bitter battle that both plagued the movement with infighting as well as attacks from the outside by the usual suspects, I think it time to check in with my man on the front line, Raul.
Raul is the manager of a dispensary in the Bay Area. He’s one of the good guys.

Photo: Jack Rikess
Pretty maidens all in a row: More than 140 outdoor organic strains were displayed in this glass showcase at the Emerald Cup

​By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

Friday
Tim Blake, organizer and host of the 2010 Emerald Cup, was reminding me with a huge lopsided grin, “It’s only Friday…this is just like a sound check, a rehearsal for tomorrow night. This is the pre-party party.” 
I wasn’t sure what to expect at my first Emerald Cup except what I read on the poster.
Besides the prestigious awards for first, second and third place for the best strain grown that season, there would be awards for things like the best joint rolled, guessing the number of roaches in the roach jar, highest CBD count, biggest stalk, and — much like rookie of the year — the best new strain.

Photo: charlieshow.com
R.I.P. to former quarterback and football announcer “Dandy” Don Meredith, 72, who died Sunday after a brain hemorrhage

By Jack Rikess
Toke of the Town
Northern California Correspondent
​I don’t care what your background, race, creed or gender is… I think there is one thing as Americans we can all agree on: Willie Nelson is truly an American hero. I really can’t think of anyone who runs the gamut of fans like Willie, from the bleachers and pits of NASCAR to the hills of Mendocino.
When I read that the stupid pot charges against Willie were reduced, I just shook my head. Did anyone actually think Willie Nelson would have to go to jail? He could have been convicted up to two years or more under Texas law for the bust.
But would America really let Willie Nelson go to jail? For pot?
I think even the most zealous anti-pot crusader would give Willie a Pasadena when it comes to the Red-Headed Stranger and his walking stick. In a way, Willie and pot is like apple pie and Chevrolet, it is part of our fabric.
Like the War on Christmas, it is another thing we take in stride and laugh off, until it becomes serious.
Who doesn’t know Willie smokes pot? And what does it matter?
I was thinking of Willie this morning reading about the passing of “Dandy” Don Meredith.

Photo: Humboldt County News

Exclusive Interview: Humboldt County Growers Find Collectives Bring Complications
By Jack Rikess
Toke of the Town
Northern California Correspondent
“It seemed so much easier when it was illegal,” my knowledgeable friend told me candidly. “You basically had to hide what you were doing and find your own way to get your crop to market. Trying to do this legally with others and letting the government and the law in? It’s a headache.”
Toke of the Town spoke with a grower in Humboldt County who, along with others, has taken the steps to establish a farmer’s collective, primarily a way to come out of the shadows legally in an effort to develop safe and fair practices for the distribution of marijuana.

Photo: Jack Rikess
Our guy gets the story: Toke of the Town Northern California Correspondent Jack Rikess hard at work doing his research at the 4th Annual S.F. Medical Cannabis Competition on Sunday. By the way, Jack reports there was half a pound of pot in that joint.

​San Francisco’s 4th Annual S.F. Medical Cannabis Competition, The Patient’s Choice, was held Sunday.
Now that Toke of the Town‘s Northern California correspondent, Jack Rikess, has sufficiently recovered from the festivities, here’s his report.
Don’t be too hard on Mr. Rikess. Judges at the competition — including our hard-working correspondent — had to sample more than 50 cannabis strains and products.
Way to take one for the team, Jack! ~ Steve Elliott, Editor
…….
By Jack Rikess
Toke of the Town
Northern California Correspondent
It’s always a good sign when you can smell the party from blocks away.
The day and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for San Francisco’s 4th Annual S.F. Medical Cannabis Competition, The Patient’s Choice. After some delays including moving the cannabis flavored festivities to a new location at the last moment (due to law enforcement objections), the Bacchanal of Buds went off without a hitch for the red-eyed competition goers.

Photo: Luke Thomas/The Green Cross
Kevin Reed: “I like to hear what medicine or strain that people like or maybe want more of.”

4th Annual Medical Cannabis Competition  Sunday, Nov. 14
Article and Interview by Jack Rikess
Toke of the Town
Northern California Correspondent
Kevin Reed first started Green Cross Dispensary in 2004; soon the dispensary became too big for the neighborhood. Green Cross was shut down. After many negotiations and jumping through hoops with the city over possible locations, the best deal Reed could cut was to open a delivery service-only dispensary. That is where the situation stands today, except that he is looking aggressively for a new location.
“I miss not having the physical space of a dispensary,” Reed said. “I miss the interaction with patients. I like to hear what medicine or strain that people like or maybe want more of. Now the best I could I do is talk to my drivers. They tell me stories about the patients or their experiences. I really get jealous.”

Photo: Peter Hecht/The Sacramento Bee
Tim Blake, a longtime marijuana grower in Mendocino County, tends to his outdoor greenhouse in April near Laytonville, California.

​It’s no secret that Toke of the Town supported California’s Proposition 19 all the way down the line.
But it’s also important to try to understand the mindset of those who voted against it, especially within the cannabis community.
Toke‘s Northern California correspondent, Jack Rikess, got a chance to talk with a couple of growers explained why many in their community voted against the measure.
 Here’s what he learned.
 ~ Steve Elliott, Editor

Photo: Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Tom Allman: “The difference between what Eric Holder did and Bush’s assistant U.S. attorney is nothing.”

​Northern California’s Mendocino County is world renowned for the quality and quantity of cannabis grown there. As part of the Emerald Triangle, along with Humboldt County, local buds including “Mendo Purps” have helped marijuana users everywhere have a happier day.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman has been supportive of medical cannabis growers who go by the rules. He stands as an example of a law enforcement official who engages in a respectful dialogue with the cannabis community, rather than talking down to it or dictating to it.

What would it be like to be sheriff of a county where marijuana rules the economy — a county known for growing some of the finest cannabis in the world?

Toke of the Town‘s correspondent, blogger Jack Rikess of the Haight in San Francisco, got a chance to sit down with Sheriff Allman and find out.
Their wide-ranging discussion covered the unique marijuana culture of Mendocino, the possible impact of Prop 19 cannabis legalization on the county’s pot-centered economy, and the Sheriff’s innovative zip-tie program for legal growers.
Let’s listen in as Toke‘s Rikess and Sheriff Allman have a relaxed talk.
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