And legal medical marijuana inches ever closer to the Empire State. Earlier this morning, after nearly 10 hours of debate, the Connecticut Senate voted 21 to 13 to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 2 drug. Once Governor Dannel Malloy signs the bill (which he is expected to do) the state will join 16 other states and (not to mention DC) in legalizing the drug for medical purposes. Time to try in Albany again?
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Results tagged “pot”
Medical Marijuana Approved By Connecticut State Senate
Dutch Ban On Tourist Pot Upheld, For Now
Does anyone really think this ban on foreigners buying pot in the Netherlands is going to work out? A judge there today upheld the proposed ban, which starts May 1 in the country's southern provinces before coming north in 2013, but we (and others) have some big doubts about its future. After all, the trade-loving Dutch (tulips!) have a long history of doing what is best for business.
Giant Elk Spotted Unironically Celebrating 4/20 In Central Park
While we were busy bemoaning the commercialization of Puff The Magic Dragon Passover, some people were out actually celebrating (*cough cough*) 4/20 around the city yesterday. And that included "Nappy," a 24-year-old man dressed as an elk who smoked bowls in Central Park Friday afternoon with a group of like-minded, painfully sincere pot connoisseurs. “You would have no overdoses because they would be controlled,” he responded when questioned why drugs should be legal. Nappy: your trusty spotter in New York City's futuristic lung gyms.
Free Food Alert: Two Boots Handing Out The Dude At 4:20
On today, this highest of holidays, the dope deals keep on coming. In addition to the sticky icky food specials we told you about yesterday (Stoner's Delight! Chili!), Midtown Lunch notices that this afternoon Two Boots is giving away free samples of its Big Lebowski-inspired pie, The Dude, in all of its locations.
Celebrate 4/20 With These Sticky Icky Food Specials
Tomorrow is a major holiday for some (*cough*) people—it's the Stoner Easter, the Puff The Magic Dragon Passover, the Mary Jane Administrative Professionals Day. While we can't all be hanging out with Snoop Dogg for the occasion, there are at the very least a few tantalizing food deals available to sate your munchies.
Buzz Killed: Cuomo Puts Kibosh On Medical Marijuana
This morning we were stoked to see renewed momentum in Albany for medical marijuana legislation. Democratic State Senator Diane Savino expressed optimism that she could get the needed Republican votes to pass a bill in the Senate, and the Wall Street Journal speculated that the same political landscape that saw same-sex marriage pass could finally allow sick people to legally smoke grass, like they do in 16 other states. Then along came Governor Cuomo to harsh the mellow.
Jeremy Lin's Lawyers Move To Weed Out Linsanity Pot
Linsanity may have given way to Timsanity at this point, but Knicks breakout point guard Jeremy Lin has been playing very well lately on the court as the Knicks have gone on a five-game win streak—and he's still getting plenty of endorsement deals off the court, including Volvo and Coke. Now, he's also making sure to wrest control of his name back from the various moochers who have re-appropriated it. To that end, Lin's legal team has sent a series of cease-and-desist letters to medical marijuana dispensaries who are selling the "Linsanity" brand pot.
High Lit: Feds Intercept 11 Lb. Pot Delivery At NYC Publisher
Forget Mary Jane, when it comes to pot personifications the name of the moment is "Karen Wright." Mere months after 35 pounds of cocaine were accidentally dropped off at the U.N. the feds intercepted two packages on their way to the offices of St. Martin's Press containing 11 pounds of pot. The drugs were destined for a person by the name of "Karen Wright," which seems to be the nom de dealer of somebody at the Macmillan subsidiary.
Fake Weed Terrifies Reporters! Senators! Lazy Parents!
Synthetic weed's demonization in the media continues—harsh! Already despised by Senator Schumer and blamed for everything from teen suicides to hospital visits, the totally legal "incense" today gets the front page treatment from the Daily News in a "STORY EVERY PARENT SHOULD READ." Oh noes! Just one puff and your spawn will turn into the (fictional) narrator in Go Ask Alice.
Marijuana Advocates On St. Patrick's Day: Pot Safer Than Drunken Vomiting
About a dozen demonstrators from Empire State NORML, the New York State chapter of the marijuana law reform group, gathered on the steps of City Hall yesterday in the spirit of a healthier St. Patrick's Day. Specifically, they wanted to highlight the importance of alternative forms of intoxication during the green beer-bathed festivities.
Reefer Linsanity: Jeremy Lin Now Comes In Marijuana Form
Things have not been very good for Jeremy Lin and the Knicks since coming back from the All-Star Break—it's gotten to the point that USA Today and Christian Post are saying Linsanity is over. Well not so for some entrepreneurial marijuana peddlers in LA, who have concocted a Linsanity strain of pot. And it's Rick Ross-approved!
LI Guy's 15 Grenades, 120 Guns, Explosives Just An "Out-Of-Control Hobby"
While Nassau County authorities are calling Marc Ringel a "potential madman" after cops found, oh, an arsenal ("Fifteen improvised grenades, approximately 100 handguns, 20 long guns, approximately 50 pounds of ingredients that could be used to make explosives. There was enough explosive material in there to level that house and possible the entire block") in his parents' Woodmere home, his lawyer has a perfectly reasonable explanation for the cache of weapons: "This is a hobby that got out of control."
LI Man Arrested After Cops Find 15 Grenades, 120 Guns And Pot In His House
A man was arrested today after the police discovered a cache of weapons, explosives, and pot in a Woodmere home. Nassau County Police Chief Steven Skrynecki said, "The search revealed 15 destructive devices, specifically pipe bombs. Fifteen improvised grenades, approximately 100 handguns, 20 long guns, approximately 50 pounds of ingredients that could be used to make explosives. There was enough explosive material in there to level that house and possible the entire block." Which is why his neighbors were evacuated while the police searched Marc Ringel's house.
How Does Someone Fit 23 Bags Of Marijuana In His Underwear?
An ex-con who police observed dropping a bag of cocaine in a Greenwich Village pizza shop turned out to have a lot more than just a bag of coke on him. Tyrel Henderson, 22, could probably use a lesson in keeping a low profile: after he was busted with the coke, police allegedly found five more bags of cocaine as well 23 bags of marijuana in his underwear.
Alan Thicke's Son Busted For Pot In NYC, Just As Paul McCartney Gives It Up
Alan Thicke's son, singer Robin Thicke, has been arrested in Manhattan for marijuana possession. According to the Daily News, "Thicke was being processed Friday afternoon and is expected to received a desk appearance ticket." Apparently he was "arrested at 12:25 p.m. by patrol officers who saw him smoking a joint while sitting in a Cadillac Escalade near 3rd Ave. and E. 21st St." A source said, "He wasn’t driving. He was sitting in the car. He was arrested and a small amount of marijuana was recovered on him.”
Duh: Smoking Pot And Driving Is A Bad Idea, Says Science
Of all the many, many duh "science" reports we've heard, this might be the duh-est: according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, smoking pot within three hours of driving more than doubles your chance of getting into a car accident. Future reports from these researchers include, "Smoking Pot Increases Chance Of Hunger," "Smoking Pot Increases Insights, Man," and "Is Nicholas Cage Really A Civil War-Era Vampire?"
Junior High Times: Middle Schooler Sold Classmates Pot Brownies
An eighth grader at a Queens public school has been accused of selling pot brownies to her Junior High classmates. Officials say at least 20 students bought the marijuana-laced brownies from a female student, who sold them for $3 each, or two for $5. Some parents were so agitated and upset, they lapsed into talking like it was happy hour at a '20s speakeasy: “They slipped my son a mickey,” one such angry mom, who didn’t want her name used, told the Daily News. “How come nobody noticed these kids were high?”
NYC Still Marijuana Arrest Capital Of The World: Arrests Rose Again Last Year
The NYPD made more than 50,680 arrests for low-level marijuana offenses in 2011, once again making low-level pot possession the number one cause of arrest in NYC. 2011 was the second-highest period for marijuana arrests in New York City history, and this despite NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly specifically ordering officers to stop arresting people who bring small quantities of marijuana into open view during a stop-and-frisk. In a September memo, Kelly told officers, "A crime will not be charged to an individual who is requested or compelled to engage in the behavior that results in the public display of marijuana." Unfortunately, most hippies were too stoned to read all the way the bottom of the memo, where Kelly included a photo of himself winking slyly.
Bronx Pot Farm Had Street Value Of $7.5 Million
Yesterday, police raided a Bronx building which happened to house a five-story marijuana growing operation. Around 800 plants were seized, the equivalent of over 1500 pounds, including 75 pounds of dried marijuana. And the street value? Oh, around $7.5 million.
Buzz Kill: Cops Seize 800 Marijuana Plants From 5-Story Bronx Home
A five-story grow house in the Bronx was raided by police. Narcotics detectives, who were tipped off from someone in the community about the 610 Morris Park Avenue home, took 800 plants, some of them were 6 feet tall.
Snap, Crackle, Pot: Police Say EV Dealer Sold Pot Krispie Treats
A pot bust on Wednesday in Manhattan gave the Post the chance to crack wise today: "Pot vendor a 'cereal' dealer," the tabloid crows this morning. Why? Because the dealer in question wasn't just selling bud—he was also allegedly selling pot Rice Krispies Treats—get it? "I guess these guys wanted to take care of the high and the munchies all at once," a hilarious anonymous law enforcement source joked to the paper.
Pot Grow House Allegedly Sparks Three-Alarm Fire In Yonkers
Police say that three-alarm fire in a Yonkers apartment building yesterday morning was caused by a marijuana grow house. The Journal News reports, "Twenty-four people, 12 adults and 12 children, from 11 families, including the unidentified suspect, were left homeless following the three-alarm blaze at 81 Van Cortlandt Park Ave."
World's Coolest TSA Agent Lets Flier Keep Weed, But Leaves A Note
TSA agents write the darndest notes! Hot on the heels of the agent who left a note in a woman's bag next to her vibrator that said "GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL" (and was later punished for it) comes this hilarious note that appeared in Freddie Gibbs's bag earlier this week. Is pot not a problem for some TSA agents?
Low-Level Pot Arrests Decrease Slightly After NYPD Order
In the wake of NYC being controversially labelled the low-level pot arrest capital of the world, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly released a memo in September sternly reminding his officers to stop falsely charging people for possessing marijuana in public view if individuals removed it from their pocket under the order of a police officer. Since that memo was released, marijuana arrests have dropped 13 percent. But advocates say that isn't enough, and that the NYPD still hasn't come close to addressing the other systematic problems.
Father Of Baby Shot In Face Arrested With 66 Bags Of Crack & Cocaine
The father of the 21-month old girl who was shot in the face in the crossfire of a Staten Island shootout in September was caught yesterday with 66 baggies of crack and cocaine strapped to his genitals with a rubber band. Michael Bailey, 28, was stopped by police for erratic driving yesterday, and arrested for pot possession—but when police searched him, they found the other narcotics. “I do what I have to, to make money and survive,” Bailey allegedly told police, according to the Post.
SI Man Dies After Cop Catches Him Smoking Pot In Bathroom
Corey Holmes, the 39-year-old man who died after a strange scuffle with an NYPD officer on the College of Staten Island campus yesterday, had been working at the CUNY school's cafeteria for ten years. The city medical examiner will be performing an autopsy on Holmes today, which will hopefully help answer how a possibly-pot related dispute led to the death of a man.
It's Totally Cool For Your Dog And Cat To Smoke Pot, Brah (Says Vet, PETA)
You know how that d-bag you briefly dated while under the influence of Natural Light and JELL-O shots would totally get his dog high by exhaling his schwag weed into its face? That guy was such a jerk, why did you ever even date him? Anyway, today we came across this article that he probably wrote, saying it's totally chill for dogs to get high. According to one local vet sourced in the piece, "it’s perfectly ok for your dog to smoke marijuana. He can even take bong hits. He just can’t eat it.”
Study: Legalizing Medical Marijuana Would NOT Turn Teens Into Potheads!
According to a new study out of Brown University, legalizing medical marijuana would most likely not turn all of America's teenagers into potheads. The study compared rates of marijuana use in Massachusetts to those in Rhode Island—where medical marijuana was legalized in 2006—and found that it had no influence on teens’ drug habits. We guess this means alarmists will have to start blaming teen pot use on the return of Beavis and Butthead.
Tenant May Sue Landlord For Narcing Him Out Of Apartment
A Murray Hill resident facing eviction is threatening to file a class-action lawsuit against his landlord, who continues to complain about the "odor of marijuana" emanating from his apartment. Sebastian Rosario claims that he'll sue the owner of 340 E. 34th Street for harassment and threatening to kick him out. In court papers obtained by the Post, the landlord alleges that neighbors complain of "strong smoke odors, including the odor of marijuana" around Rosario's aparment. Wait, people smoke marijuana INSIDE their apartments?
New Jersey's Medical Marijuana Program Stuck In A Rut, No Thanks To Feds
New Jersey's once-lauded medical marijuana initiative, which passed in 2010, is now indefinitely ensnared in bureaucracy. Initially supposed to begin this summer, governor Chris Christie put off launching the non-profit dispensaries for three months for the health department to investigate, and now it's uncertain when they'll open. The Star-Ledger seemingly crippled the opening of one clinic thanks to its ties to a Ponzi-schemer, and now they report that the Foundation Harmony dispensary cites bogus diplomas from dubious universities and has a medical advisor who once faced fraud allegations in New York.
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