tfs

Was that a little cold? I’m sorry. No I’m not.

It is truly sad to see Joe Torre go out like this, and even though Don Mattingly might end up getting the job and being a great coach, no one will replace Joe in the players eyes. It would be like Phil Jackson leaving the Lakers (again) or Bill Belichik leaving the Patriots. Just no good for everyone in general.

The law-heavy and litigious culture of America is definitely unique in this world. Slate’s Tim Wu, a Columbia Law School professor, has written an extremely thought-provoking examination of consistently broken laws.

This series explores the black spots in American law: areas in which our laws are routinely and regularly broken and where the law enforcement response is … nothing. These are the areas where, for one reason or another, we’ve decided to tolerate lawbreaking and let a law―duly enacted and still on the books―lay fallow or near dead.

The topics range from prescription drug abuse to copyright matters and isn’t for the light reader.

Obvious contrast between the new law (placed on the books in response to a specific cause) and the decaying law (slowly allowed to fade away without any fanfare) highlights how our founding fathers didn’t think of everything when piecing together our form of government.

I know we’re late, but the 7th Annual High Times Stony Awards were last week.

Here’s Tera Patrick talking about being a presenter.

Here’s the lowdown on all Stony winners and the attendee list.

While I’m on the topic of famous stoners, Marc & Jodie Emery just debuted their documentary on CBC Newsworld in Canada. The Prince of Pot is still taking on America and, as always, making sure the process is well documented.

I wish they’d stop documenting Amy Winehouse and her minor pot run-ins. I’m seeing a news article on this girl twice a week now, there has to be something more interesting to report on. Right?

Before you know it she’ll move to Manila and start getting taxi rides from this guy.

Don’t feel like traveling Winehouse style? No matter where you go, there will always be some worldwide marijuana information waiting.

Whether you want to smoke in Kazakhstan or Bernardsville, New Jersey the more information the better.

The major US cities have information on legality, smoking tolerance level, law enforcement, where to buy your pot and local area prices. Everything one would need to know when traveling into unfamiliar territory.

Fun Fact: North Americans are most likely to search the internet for pot.

I could have told them that.

Let’s hope that the author of the following blog isn’t being affected by the deadly San Diego fires.

In the meantime, he has written an honest, first-person experience of the San Diego medical marijuana system.

As I came to find out, San Diego county had previously shut down every medical marijuana dispensary in San Diego county saying they were influencing youth to take up dangerous drugs. In my area we have no readily available source for medical marijuana other than grow it ourselves (which is what I do) or go to a “dealer”. This needs to be brought to the publics attention as it is leaving many legitimately sick people such as me without the access to the medicine they need.

This illustrates the challenge that legitimate patients are having to get their medicine, and how even in big cities people are forced to go to the streets to get marijuana if they aren’t in a position to grow some. How this makes any of us safer is beyond me.

Luckily for all of us, the prohibition movement is nothing but a downhill battle. Mass incarceration just isn’t a sustainable solution.

In Canada, they are already turning the corner. A judge has just recently declared that “marijuana prohibition has no valid force or effect.” Read on to see the entire legal memorandums and why they might be important for a simple possession case to have an impact on a constitutional level.

Everyone from college students to hardcore, drug trafficking gangsters are getting tagged.

I’m just happy that our tax dollars are getting spent responsibly. As long as my salary goes towards important stuff like minor pot arrests, and not wasteful things like outfitting our troops with IED resistant armored vehicles, I can sleep easy at night.

Might as well lighten the mood with a cross-dressing, English comedian talking about the stoned olympics. Wait, what?

The human brain sure is a mystery. Some people find new Eddie Murphy movies funny and others don’t like Dave Chappelle. Go figure.

(Interesting Side Note: Dave was offered the roll of Bubba, Tom Hank’s best friend, in Forrest Gump. He turned it down because he felt the part was too racially motivated.)

What we do know about the brain, and what’s also good for all of us, is that it’s built with marijuana in mind. Thank you cannabinoid receptors. Thank you.

That said, not everyone who decides to partake in the greenery has a brain built to function on it.

Some are complete fucking morons. No surprise, right?

Who’s sick of all the camo clothing coming out lately? Not me.

Even though I think this might be a base attempt at associating a product with a beneficial cause to increase sales, they’re still doing some good.

Politics and politicians are an interesting affair. Want to know how your candidate feels about medical marijuana?

Watch for yourself.

Want to see an unusual point of view? Listen to this guy.

While matters might not be moving forward as quickly as we’d hope in the states, things seem to be improving in the Czech Republic. Not exactly close to home, I know.

Not a giant? Maybe you can pretend to be one in Nintendo 64? Ah well, at least you can now smoke while getting your brain scanned.

There is a lot of movement and uncertainty in the global economy right now. Not just for the major markets like housing and financial lending, but also for the marijuana micro-economy.

In North America, the fall of the US dollar combined with the subsequent raise in value of the Canadian dollar, has slowed transportation of BC & other Northern buds from making their way down to America. The dangers of smuggling across the US border, lack of increased financial benefit, and higher demand from domestic cities have all combined to keep growers thinking local.

In addition, many Mexican cartels have moved into rural Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to start stateside grow operations. These cartels can produce plenty of weight for cheap and don’t have to deal with the increased surveillance of the US-Mexico border.

How is this trend going to affect us? Less availability of higher quality strains for the recreational smoking population in the Northwest - Portland and Seattle. We might also see low-weight prices of Northern strains raise for the recreational and medical communities. Damn loonies.

What has law enforcement taught us this week?

First, the candy business isn’t all sweetness and laughter. Second, one ton is a hell of a lot of marijuana. Third, Kern County is paying attention so you better pack some insurance.

As always, way too many Americans are being arrested for smoking weed. This costs money.

The current political spotlight on Blackwater, the private security contractor, doesn’t seem to be diminishing just yet. They even managed to grab a piece of the privatized War on Drugs.

Here comes the segue…

The War on Drugs: A Success Story - a sobering look at the very simple hole that todays possession laws can sink you in to.

From Olive Garden, to Universal Studios, to Smith & Nephew, and even back to Walgreens, it seemed that no one would touch him. Why? Because a few months prior, he [Danny] liked to smoke a little weed every once in a while, and eventually he got caught for it.

Luckily, this story shows the power of community and the ability that positive, constructive comments have to lift ones spirits. What would you do faced with a similar dilemma?