Patch it up

How’s it going? We still winning?

—Vic Torrey

We are indeed still winning! The California Assembly has passed two bills. The first is Assembly Bill 64, a “cleanup” bill designed to deal with some of the problematic parts of the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act. This bill will allow medical cannabis businesses to operate for profit and also adds helpful language for delivery services. The Assembly also passed AB 1578, which aims to keep local law enforcement from colluding with the feds to shut down legal cannabusinesses.

It is up to us to talk to our state senators and get these bills to the governor’s desk.

Nationally, things are also going well. New Hampshire is expected to decriminalize possession of cannabis this summer. Wicked. Down in the South, legislators in Atlanta, Ga., and Mobile, Ala., have introduced ordinances aimed at reducing penalties for cannabis possession. You heard me. Mobile. Frickin’. Alabama. Roll your own tide.

Oh, and I just found out that if you go to Houston and get caught with up to 4 ounces (a quarter-pound, btw. That’s a lot of weed—California law allows a person over 21 to carry only an ounce), you won’t get arrested or fined as long as you take a four-hour drug education course. And that’s just in the cities. Arkansas and Florida are setting up regulations for their very own medical cannabis dispensaries right now.

Listen: If the Southern states start legalizing cannabis, then the game is effectively over. Pretty soon, Utah, Idaho and Nebraska will be the only places trying to throw you in jail for a joint. Activism works. Weed keeps winning. Stay the course.

What’s this I hear about cannabis not being available for recreational purposes in January? What gives?

—Jan Furst

Relax. There will be pot. The problem is that all the recreational cannabis has to be tested by an approved lab, and, according to a recent story in the Los Angeles Times, the state is having a hard time getting labs screened and approved in time. No worries, though, because the story also states that the state will allow recreational outlets to sell untested cannabis, as long as the cannabis is labeled “untested.” This is no problem. People have been smoking untested cannabis for years. We will all be fine.

What’s the most delicious edible you’ve ever had?

—Mon Chi

I gotta say that I miss a good old-fashioned Humboldt County Goo Ball. Take some infused peanut butter (or if you are really old-school, finely ground hash or straight-up ground weed), mix it with raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, granola and a little hippie magic. Roll the mess into small balls and chill them in the fridge. Boom. Healthy and stony. Bong appétit!