Marijuana Legalization Billboard Greets 1-5 drivers in Washington

The group Sensible Washington, which is working to legalize marijuana for adults in Washington state, became a lot more visible on Saturday.

Specifically, the group's huge pro-legalization billboard went up in Fife, Washington, on Interstate 5 North and South, entering and leaving Seattle. The group said the billboard would remain up through the November 2011 election.

"Because drug dealers don't ID. Legalize In 2011" the bright yellow billboard reads.

According to Gotcha Covered Media, 288,000 vehicles a day will pass under the billboard on I-5, and it will also be visible from Highway 99, which isn't included in that vehicle count.

That's a lot of cars, with a lot of potential impressions on voters -- more than 2 million vehicles a week, or 8,640,000 a month.

"Thanks to generous donations from two Sensible Washington volunteers and support and cooperation of the billboard company, Gotcha Covered Media (thank you!), we now have North- and South-facing billboards at this location through the November 2011 election," Sensible Washington said on its website.

Jury Pool in Marijuana Case Stages Mutiny

In what could grow into something much bigger in future cases, potential jurors in Missoula County District Court staged a revolt Thursday, taking the law into their own hands and making it clear they would not convict anybody for having less than 2 grams of marijuana.

The tiny amount of marijuana police found in Touray Cornell's Missoula, Montana home on April 23 became a big point of contention for some members of the jury panel, reports Gwen Florio of The Missoulian. One juror after another said there was no way they would convict somebody for having 1/16 of an ounce of pot.

One juror wondered aloud why the county was wasting time and money prosecuting the case at all, according to a "flummoxed" Deputy Missoula County Attorney Andrew Paul, who called it "a mutiny," Florio reports.

Entire Family Arrested in Illinois Pot Bust

An Illinois family is accused of running a million-dollar "designer marijuana" grow operation from their home.

John Gecan, 52; his wife Darlene, 52; their son Christopher, 27; and another relative, James Osmolski, 22, were charged after police busted the grow op in the 7,000-square-foot home in an unincorporated area near Tinley Park, according to Cook County Sheriff's officials, reports Chicago Breaking News Center.

Sheriff's detectives said they began investigating the family earlier this month after intercepting a package of marijuana buds addressed to the home.


L-R: John Gecan, 52; his wife Darlene, 52; their son Christopher, 27; and another relative, James Osmolski, 22, were charged after police busted a "sophisticated" pot growing operation
​ John and Christopher Gecan were arrested Tuesday after they received the shipment of marijuana. During the arrest, detectives claimed they smelled a "strong odor of pot" coming from the house and saw "drug paraphernalia," including cannabis pipes and a grinder, "in plain view" in the garage, officials said.

Dozens of marijuana plants and a sophisticated marijuana cultivation operation were found inside the home, according to detectives. Police removed 97 plants, 2,960 grams (almost six pounds) of marijuana, and $7,511 in cash, along with a "small amount" of cocaine, police claimed.

Police claimed the street value of the marijuana is "more than $1 million," saying the Gecans cultivated "an unusually high quality product."

According to officials, a large section of the home's basement was occupied by the marijuana growing operation.

A "dummy wall" concealed several rooms where family members divided up different stages of the cultivation process. The rooms were set up with insulation, automatic temperature control, dehumidifiers and an elaborate ventilation system with air filtration, according to officials.

Some of the plants were as much as six feet tall. Police claimed the family used charters and computers to track production, harvesting and pricing, with prices ranging from $40 for a quarter ounce of "regular" marijuana to $4,409 for a pound of "primo" cannabis.

Police also seized lighting fixtures, irrigation tables, fertilizer and indoor hydroponic equipment.

John and Christopher Gecan and Osmolski had bails set at $50,000 each, while Darlene Gecan had bail set at $25,000. All were charged with marijuana possession and with intent to deliver.

John and Darlene Gecan were released on bond Thursday afternoon, while young Christopher Gecan and Osmolski were still in Cook County Jail, according to the sheriff's office.

11 Tons of Marijuana Found in Railroad Cars

Seven people were arrested after almost 11 tons of marijuana was found packed into six railroad boxcars from Mexico in what is being called possibly the largest pot bust in Chicago-area history.

The cannabis was found at a south suburban warehouse this month, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which claimed the pot was worth $22 million, reports Chicago Breaking News Center.

The warehouse raid came after Customs agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, came across a Union Pacific train headed for Chicago Heights carrying about 21,800 pounds of suspected marijuana, the office said.

Agents "observed a number of large bundled packages, referred to as 'super sacks,' in six cars on the train," the office said.

Richard-Daley-1.jpeg
Photo: Prime Juice Media
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley: "Every day there's pot coming to Chicago. America loves pot"
​ The agents looked inside one of the sacks and saw "13 cubic bundles, which were encrusted in a thick layer of fine red masonry pigment dust." Tests showed all the packages contained marijuana, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Shipping documents said the sacks contained titanium ore sent by Comercializadora De Minerale, a company in Jalisco, Mexico, and were bound for Earth Minerals Corp. in Rockdale, just south of Joliet, Illinois.

The packages were then resealed and the railroad delivered them to a warehouse in Chicago Heights, according the the U.S. Attorney's Office.

One of the suspects, Carlos Osvaldo Quintero, spoke to a Union Pacific employee "several times" about the delivery, according to the office. From December 6 through December 10, the rail cars were unloaded by forklifts to a storage facility next to the warehouse, the office said.

Agents said they did not see any marijuana being removed from the storage facility before the arrests -- but if some of the pot made it onto the street, I don't imagine they'd rush to admit that.

Charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana were Quintero, also known as "Carlos Gomez" and "Miguel Dominguez," 31; his father, Martin Quintero, 63; Felipe de Jesus Magana-Campos, also known as "Padrino," 47; Eduardo Angel Zalayaran-Ruiz, also known as "Other Inge," 54; Javier Vera, also known as "Ducky," 24; Christian Gonzalez, 24; and Miguel Cordova, 20.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life imprisonment and a $4 million fine.

Even large marijuana busts like this and the family bust in Tinley Park won't make a noticeable difference in Chicago's cannabis supply, admitted a surprisingly frank Mayor Richard Daly.

"Every day there's pot coming to Chicago," Daley said. "America loves pot, they love guns. Every day, you could write headlines every day. And every day Chicago police make an arrest, in a home, in a car."

Wow, that's pretty poetic, for a mayor. Hey Mayor Daley, did you ever consider a career as a slam poet?

"There's so much coming in," Daley said. "Both we have homegrown pot, and we have pot from foreign countries."

Purple Kush

This pure indica medicinal strain comes from California. In that state's medical community she is considered an "elite clone", meaning that she is only available as a cutting. Not to worry if you are a medical merijuana patient in California - this strain can be found at various despensaries throughout the state. Purple Kush is especially popular at the SR-71 dispensary in "Oaksterdam", the section of downtown Oakland that tolerates medical marijuana providers. Patients there praise this Purple Kush's deep body stone as a treatment for pain and depression.

This lady forms a short squat bush with very dense intermodes and huge fan leaves, staying in the 2-3 foot height range indoors. With topping or pinching she will be at least as wide as she is tall. Purple Kush's foliage exhibits a classic indica growth pattern: a sturdy bush with dark green hues and hints of purple toward ripeness.

Purple Kush is versatile, performing well for both indoor and outdoor growers. She does very well in a screen of green (SCROG) setup. Purple Kush buds form tight chunky nuggets with hints of purple in the tips of the calyxes, as well as the soft pine bouquet and a sweet, grapey taste on an earthy foundation. her very frosty veneer of glands will please both the connoisseur of indica potency and the hashish fan. The Purple Kush high is strong, deep stone delivers when it comes to treating chronic pains and inflamations, among other conditions.

Tangerine Kush

Strain Name: Tangerine Kush

Grade: A+

Type: Indica

Looks: Rich green dense buds with a bit of leaf and bright dark orange / red hairs. (9/10)

Smell: It smells like kush and unburnt diesel fuel. When it’s ground up it gets a really strong smell of kush, unburnt diesel fuel and skunk. The smell when its ground up reminds me of a spare rib, it has this twang to it. Some of the strongest smelling medicine EVER. A small bud will reak up the WHOLE house when the jar is cracked. This is the stuff you smell before you even see it. If you’re trying to be discrete with the smell, look for another strain. (10/10)

Taste: Super heavy kush taste. With hints of a fresh pine tree forest. The kush taste is so overpowering, that I have to change the volcano bag afterwards or every other bag until it is changed tastes like kush regardless of the strain. (9/10)

Effects: Night time use only. Strong indica effects. Provided a calming, anti-anxiety happy feeling. Noticed although I was in floating haze I was still fully functional and had lots of energy to get stuff done. Too much in one sitting is instant nap time. Works great for high tolerances. Made me really hungry too! (9/10)

Potency: Very Strong (9/10)

Marijuana Zoning Regulations

The Chandler City Council took a first step Monday night to write restrictive zoning regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries.

The Council voted unanimously to start work on zoning code amendments that limit the locations of dispensaries beyond those in a new state law.

Exactly what those restrictions will be is uncertain, but the council will discuss them at a Dec. 16 subcommittee meeting, bring them to public hearings in January and adopt them in February.

Several council members said the potential for marijuana theft and the anticipated cultivation of medical marijuana in city limits are reasons Chandler should adopt zoning restrictions.

Municipalities across the state have been scrambling to write ordinances for medical-marijuana dispensaries since Proposition 203 was officially approved by voters last month.

Planning Director Jeff Kurtz said cities can limit medical marijuana dispensaries to specific zoning districts, require special use permits and set maximum square footage for the operations. If Chandler doesn't change its zoning code, the dispensaries would be allowed in most areas that permit retail commerce, he said.

Mayor Boyd Dunn, a member of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns executive committee, said the state law is so vague that the regional group drafted a model ordinance for municipalities. Arizona Department of Health Services is expected to start reviewing applications from people who want to operate a dispensary or use medical marijuana by April. Under state law, no more than 124 dispensaries can open across Arizona. At least one has to open in each county.

According to league records, no Valley city has yet adopted zoning changes that regulate medical marijuana dispensaries but Tempe and Scottsdale have held public discussions of proposed restrictions and Peoria has a draft ordinance set for a vote next month. Four cities outside of Maricopa County, including Tucson, have adopted medical marijuana zoning laws.