Wednesday, June 30, 2010
As Blacks Targeted for Pot, NAACP Throws Support to Prop. 19
Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 11:33 AM
The NAACP's endorsement Monday of the tax and regulate cannabis initiative in California, now known as Prop. 19, stems from a bombshell of a report that details a statewide pattern of systematic “racism without racists” that targets black people for marijuana arrest. Heavily policing the 'hood puts black youths in cops' crosshairs, where a simple possession charge and $100 ticket starts a rap sheet that leads directly to increased arrest and loss of job opportunities and college financial aid, even though blacks use less marijuana than whites.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Daily Roundup: Americans Pay $25 Billion Per Year for Bud; CA Drug Warriors Cry for 'Help'
Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 9:34 AM
Two murders at separate pot clubs in Los Angeles rock the medical marijuana community, InsideBayArea reports. "Four robbers gunned down an employee and wounded another at about 4:15 p.m. Thursday at Higher Path Holistic Care Collective on Sunset Boulevard in the Echo Park area, said Commander David Doan, chief of detectives. Killed was Matthew Butcher, 27, of Los Angeles, a coroner's official said. The other employee, whose name was not released, was hospitalized in critical condition, police said. … Five hours after the first attack, the owner of the Hollywood Holistic dispensary found the body of an employee at the Hollywood store, Doan said. The man was in his 30s, but his name was not released. He appeared to have been stabbed to death."
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Daily Roundup: Fake Marijuana 'Spice' Leads to Suicide
Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 11:07 AM
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Daily Roundup: Legal Dope Would Cost Half as Much; Bill O'Reilly Debates Reformer
Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 2:46 PM
The UK's Daily Finance examined the effects of the country approving prescription THC spray Sativex this week. They found the actual market value of marijuana could be anywhere from $1.50 to $10 per gram, as opposed to $20 in the US under prohibition. They based their numbers on various quasi-legal markets like Amsterdam ($1.50-$10 a gram) and Canada ($4.91). "In Canada, the standard daily dose of medical marijuana ranges between 0.5 and 1.5 grams, which would cost roughly $2.50 to $7.50 for most patients. By comparison, a basic daily dose of Sativex costs roughly $16 per day. And a daily dose of Marinol, a drug containing synthetic THC that's prescribed for AIDS and cancer patients in the US, runs between $9 and $13.50 per day. This translates into a monthly price of $150 for marijuana, $337 for Marinol, and $480 for Sativex. Do the math. More news after the jump.
San Jose Rethinks 'Draconian' Ordinance
Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 9:51 AM
Facing a vocal barrage from a well-educated cross-section of San Jose's 55,000 cannabis patients, the city's leaders kicked the can down the road Tuesday evening — voting to postpone regulating dispensaries until August.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Daily Roundup: Medical MJ a New Weapon in Divorces; $20 Million Bust in Chicago; Quarter-Pound Joint Sighted in SF
Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 2:03 PM
This week, the AP details how medical cannabis can be used in messy divorces to gain full custody of the kids. Drinkers, however, remain good Americans. ... In other news, while Chicago bars may stay open to 4 a.m., tokers do not pass go, and go directly to jail. On Friday, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced one of the biggest cannabis busts in the history of the department. Police seized 5,525 lbs. of marijuana with a street value of more than $20 million. More headlines and the quarter-pounder after the jump.
Showdown in San Jose Today: Collectives Battle Cops at Council
Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 11:23 AM
If the first rule of negotiation is to ask for way more than you need, then work your way down, San Jose has just made a cheeky offer to medical cannabis clubs.
This afternoon the San Jose City Council will convene a heated meeting over its first-ever ordinance to regulate the fifty or so clubs currently operating within the city. The ordinance would make citizens pay $95,000 for a chance to randomly win one of ten coveted permits. Permit holders would then face a wide array of restrictions on their operations, including one rule mandating that no cash be exchanged for their product.
While 354 California cities have stuck their head in the sand by either passing temporary moratoriums or avoiding the topic, and 141 cities have bulldoggishly banned clubs, only 41 have passed regulations. San Jose's are set to be among the most expensive and high-maintenance.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Daily Roundup: 'God's Pussy' Wins High Times SF Medical Cannabis Cup
Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 1:15 PM
The first-ever High Times San Francisco Medical Cannabis Cup drew long lines and packed crowds over the weekend, as local dispensaries competed for the prize of the best product. Roughly nine expert judges rated the best Sativa, Indica, Concetrates (hash), and Edibles, then awarded top prizes Sunday night. The winner: "God's Pussy" by the dispensary GreanBicycles in the Sativa category and the "Cali Gold" strain from Mr. Natural Inc. Also of note: South Africa's legendary "Durban Poison," which we covered, took third. All the winners and more news after the jump.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Stoner Video of the Week: Tosh.0's 'The Ultimate Stoner Video'
Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 3:26 PM
Stand-up comedian Daniel Tosh's Comedy Central show Tosh.0 gets better and better. On June 3, Tosh aired a potent, eighteen-second amalgam of all cliched stoner tropes: tie-dye, food, nudity, cartoons, boxing, Alf, sitars, and more; all derived from suggestions provided by attendees at a recent LA pot convention. Watch both videos after the jump.
Daily Roundup: Another Union Backs Tax Cannabis 2010; L.A. County Top Cop Calls Pot 'Oil Spill in Your Own Brain'
Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 12:08 PM
With just 49 percent of Californians for and 41 percent against taxing and regulating cannabis like alcohol, the November ballot initiative to do so needs all the help it can get. On Thursday, it got some more when the Communications Workers of America Local 9415 endorsed Tax Cannabis 2010. "The labor movement is coming together behind this initiative," said Sally Venable, President of CWA, Local 9415. "With California's state budget in disarray, and people out of work, it's time to harness this incredible revenue stream and create tens of thousands of high quality, union jobs, by controlling and taxing cannabis in California." The union cites a study by the California chapter of NORML showing that a controlled and taxed cannabis market could create between 60,000 and 110,000 new jobs, and $2.5 to $3.5 billion in new wages for workers each year. More news after the jump.
