Yesterday, in Wilson County, Tennessee, Spencer Alan Boston, 20, was in court on a marijuana possession charge. Facing the judge, Boston made a comment supporting marijuana legalization, pulled a joint from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. From News Channel 5:

“One of the craziest things I’ve seen,” says (Wilson County sheriff Robert) Bryan.

The sheriff said Boston was led out of the courtroom through a small cloud of smoke. He was booked on a second charge of simple possession and received ten days for contempt of court.

While recreational marijuana was legalized in Illinois on January 1, it is still illegal under federal law. So just a few weeks back, authorities installed "Cannabis Amnesty Boxes" at Chicago airports for travelers to drop their grass before flying. But last week, someone arriving at Chicago's Midway helped themselves to the stash. From the New York Post:

Police reportedly noticed the marijuana missing from an amnesty box during a check on Wednesday evening at around 8 p.m., according to a source for NBC5. Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, police saw a man — believed to be an incoming passenger — reaching inside and absconding with the marijuana hours earlier.

The marijuana itself was left behind by a separate passenger, who placed it in the amnesty box after being found with it during a security check...

“Cannabis Amnesty Boxes have been placed at Chicago’s airports so travelers have the opportunity to ensure compliance with federal law, as well as the local laws at their destination. Tampering with them, or attempting to remove anything placed inside, is a crime, and detectives are investigating this matter,” said Anthony Guglielmi, the chief communications officer with the Chicago Police. “In the meantime, new, permanent theft prevention boxes are expected to replace the temporary ones in the coming weeks, making them more secure and preventing anyone from further accessing materials dropped inside.”

There are also marijuana amnesty boxes at Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport and the Colorado Springs Airport.

image: Chicago Police Department Read the rest

Los Angeles's Cannabis Cafe is the first restaurant in the United States that encourages its patrons to smoke weed inside. They sell cannabis products (including pre-packaged edibles) but none of the items on the menu are prepared with it. Based on Dave Holmes's review in Esquire, quoted below, the Cannabis Cafe is certainly a high point in weed history. The bong vases are a very nice touch. From Esquire:

Once you’re inside, it is impossible to detect the scent of skunk. The place is outfitted with a casino-grade air filtration system that whisks the smoke up, through a charcoal filter, and out into the West Hollywood skies. It works so well, in fact, that the Cannabis Cafe is the only place in Los Angeles that doesn’t smell like weed. It’s a comfy space, walls lined with living plants, a bit like the common area on Love Island. It’s welcoming. Mellow. Of course....

All of the Cafe’s waiters are equipped to handle your bummers. As a bartender must train to learn the ABV of her beers and spot the signs of intoxication, the staff here learns the potency of all the Cafe’s products and how to deal with someone who’s spiraling. (The secret, I am told, is a cold towel and a glass of orange juice)... You get two different menus, one for food and one for weed. We dive into the latter first at our table: my boyfriend and me, plus another couple we’d been long overdue for a dinner with.

Sweet home, Chicago!

Chicago Defender:

The men and women, some ex-felons, have turned to Tio “Mr. Ceasefire” Hardiman, executive director of Violence Interrupters, to assist them in their quest to secure permits, just like food vendors, to distribute and sell marijuana legally in their neighborhoods. For those who have felonies from illegal drug sales, they are requesting that Governor J.B. Pritzker clears the road for amnesty as soon as possible.

Hardiman and those seeking permits and amnesty will hold a rally and press conference outside The Herbal Care Center, 1301 S. Western Ave., on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, at 10:30 AM, calling on Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to assist them in getting permits.

“Everyone is promising to direct profits from the sale of marijuana into the communities that have been most impacted by the sale of illegal drugs,” Hardiman said. “Well, these unemployed men and women are saying they can’t wait until that happens. And to be frank, they don’t believe it will happen. History shows those promises are never kept. The licensed cannabis businesses are already making millions of dollars from sales since January 1, and those citizens with the most experience in the industry are still in the streets unemployed.”

If you were in Idaho and wondering where to score some weed the answer is Oregon.

KTVB7:

It's no hidden secret that Oregon is seeing higher marijuana sales in counties along their borders with Idaho, but a new report from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis found exactly how much more those counties are selling compared to the statewide average.

Oregon counties along the Idaho border have a sales per adult that are 420% above the statewide average, which the report said was something "you cannot make up."

Not so dank, dudes. Read the rest

“Volume decline accelerated in 2019, down 3% through November.”

The new availability of a wide array of legal marijuana products has is beginning to take a bite out of beer consumption in Canada, reports Bloomberg News. Read the rest

Set and setting, people. Read the rest

New Year's Day will be a good day to be in Illinois if you like marijuana and you are an adult 21 and over with valid photo identification. Read the rest

New Jersey's Democrat governor today signed legislation to clear the state criminal records of low-level marijuana offenders, and he approved restoring the voting rights of more than 80,000 convicts. Read the rest

He was only dreaming of a green Christmas, you guys. Read the rest

Joe Biden, claiming to represent whichever generation claims him as their own, says that we STILL need to determine if marijuana is a gateway drug.

Washington Post:

But the 76-year-old Democrat is in tune with at least one demographic: his peers in the silent generation, who, at 35 percent, have what may be one of the lowest percentages of support for marijuana legalization, according to the Pew data released Nov. 14.

This disparity on the topic came into full view at a town hall in Las Vegas over the weekend, when Biden drew some groans from the crowd by saying he wants to see more research on marijuana and suggesting that it may be a “gateway drug” that can lead users to harsher substances.

“The truth of the matter is, there’s not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug,” Biden said. “It’s a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it.”

The RAW cone loader loads weed into a cone very fast.

I had been using the paper shovel that comes inside a 20-pack of RAW '98 Special' sized cones. It works but the amounts of weed that go in and spillage are not optimal. It was suggested I try the plastic loader.

The plastic loader fills the cone up fast and I spill less.

This is great for sitting down and stuffing weed into 2 or 3 cones at a time. If you are going for larger production batches there is a stand-up tube filler that I have yet to graduate to.

RAW King Size and 98 Special Size Cone Loader with Clear ES Scoop Card via Amazon Read the rest

My favorite pre-roll cone for home filling of joints is the RAW '98 Special.'

I've tried the 1 ¼, King Size and 98 Special sizes of cones. The 98 Special splits the difference between the very large joint of a King Size and the harder to fill, but great for .5 gram to .75 gram sized joints, 1 ¼. You can fill the 98 Special to the same volume as a 1 ¼, however, the length and opening of the 98 Special are much more cooperative.

The 98 Special cones have a taper that gives them a larger opening hole and longer length, making it easier to get ground weed into versus the 1 ¼. The included cardboard shovel is helpful.

The King Size cone is easy to fill but wants to be at least a .7 to 1.25 gram joint.

I am eyeballing my measures based on prior experience and not actually weighing out each joint before filling.

RAW Classic Natural Unrefined Pre Rolled Cones - 20 Cones Per Pack - 98 Special Size (1 Pack) via Amazon Read the rest

Weed is so cheap in CA, I'm going to fill my own pre-rolls.

Watching me roll a joint is like watching the Benny Hill show, but not any fun. A friend suggested this kit. I am going to try it out.

The price of plain ol' weed in California has sunk a lot but pre-rolled joints are too expensive for the shake they are usually made of. This way I may purchase the cheap, good weed and make cheap, good joints.

RAW Classic King Size Pre-Rolled Cones with Filter Tips - Bundle (50 Pack and Cone Loader) via Amazon Read the rest

When two plain-clothes police officers approached a woman smoking a joint at the Gothenburg Cultural Festival in Sweden, they noticed a fellow sitting nearby toss what they say was a bag of weed. As they were moving in for the bust, a seagull snatched the bag and flew away. While the police were distracted by the bird, the man reportedly took off.

“What the policemen did not expect was that a third party would interfere,” explained police spokesperson Stefan Gustafsson.

My hope is that the man and the seagull were in cahoots.

(The Leaf Desk)

image: Ring-billed Gull photographed by Jiyang Chen (CC BY-SA 3.0) Read the rest

From the far-out folks at Flavor Paper comes Cannabliss, a subtly psychedelic scratch-and-sniff wallpaper that smells like weed. They write:

We have nailed a very pleasant yet dank scent that is made from true flowering hemp terpenes to ensure we’re keeping it real. CBD for your eyes and ol factory. Dope.

As Alex writes at Weird Universe, "Most of the people who will buy this already have rooms that smell like marijuana." Read the rest