The only marijuana magazine bringing you the stories of other pot smokers and smugglers.

Quick Hits (page 2)

Shattered Pipes

By: Robert Eckhart (Herald Tribune)

SARASOTA -- Businessman Chris Hill, who made millions selling the glass pipes most commonly used by marijuana smokers, is headed to federal prison for 14 months as his company slides into bankruptcy.

Hill, 30, pleaded guilty last week to drug paraphernalia and conspiracy charges in federal court.

At his Central Avenue warehouse, Hill made the same kind of pipes that can be found in 5,000 stores across the nation, including three in Sarasota. Most people in the business keep a low profile.

But Hill built Chills into a powerhouse in the smokeware industry. He made Inc. Magazine's list of the country's 500 fastest-growing private companies, and received awards from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Hill also caught the attention of federal prosecutors last year, after they found his wares in three smoke shops in Des Moines, Iowa, that were raided by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hill, who didn't have a criminal record, said he didn't expect such a severe sentence.

"I walked into court hoping I was going to get house arrest," Hill said.

At a sentencing hearing Aug. 16, federal Judge Ronald Longstaff ordered Hill to report to the minimum-security federal prison camp at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on Nov. 15. His business must pay a $500,000 fine.

Hill and his lawyers have been arguing for months that he was singled out by the federal government in Des Moines, where authorities have a reputation for going after pipe vendors.

The Des Moines prosecutors won a landmark Supreme Court case in 1994 that broadened the legal definition of drug paraphernalia.

"This investigation we feel strongly about because we think it makes a difference for the kids here in Iowa. If we can take this paraphernalia off the streets, maybe they won't become involved in the drug culture," said Mark Hein, agent-in-charge with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"Our job is to try to keep that stuff from coming into Iowa," Hein said.

Hill has 10 weeks to get his business in order before he reports to prison.

He hasn't sold pipes since his indictment in September, but he's still selling rolling papers and tobacco. He expects to file bankruptcy and said he has no idea how he'll pay his fine.

"I had a great opportunity and I took advantage of it," Hill said. "I shouldn't be filing for bankruptcy. I know how to run a business and make money. As soon as I get out, I guess I'll try again."

The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

Click here for more Quick Hits.

Mary Jane'z Novelties

Growin' Our Own (page 2)

Trip to Vancouver, Canada, and Friendly Blunt Brothers

By: Panama Red

We left San Francisco on Thursday, August 15th, driving north to Eureka for a visit with friends. We had a nice visit in Arcata at Pacific Paradise, a well stocked head shop established in 1971. This shop has posters, papers, pipes and other supplies for Humboldt College students and the local smokers. After indulging in some good sea food at Trinity, CA, and taking a picture of a Trinity Police car including a real Police Officer dummy, we traveled along the Pacific Coast Highway looking at amazing redwood trees, seascapes, and Elk habitats. Arriving at Gold Beach, Oregon, we hunted for the illusive magic mushrooms of Oregon to no avail. Locals stated that the elusive 'shrooms grew under pine trees while others swore they grew in grasses on sandy beaches. We couldn't find a single mushroom anywhere. Spending the night at Bandon, Oregon, we traveled north on our quest for magic mushrooms and for a first hand to visit Blunt Brothers in Vancouver, British Columbia. Arriving in Lakeside we discovered a National Park where we inquired about mushrooms. After a diligent search of files and records, a beautiful lady park ranger gave us the last yellow brochure about mushroom hunting in the park. We discovered that you can harvest a gallon bucket of mushrooms for incidental [personal] use without a permit. The ranger told us to watch out for and not eat the magic mushrooms. However with all this help we could never find a mushroom of any type. If you are a magic mushroom hunter let us know so we can come visit you. We enjoyed a joint on the beach at Rockaway, Oregon, while making a sand castle and watching kids try to fly kites in the high winds. We had some local cop on our tail for a few miles, but our radar detector, K-A alert, alerted us to his presence.

Astoria, Oregon is supposed to be the magic mushroom paradise of the northwest, but again we sadly found none of the suspected toadstools. Coming up empty on the mushroom quest, we continued on over the Columbia River and into the State of Washington. Here our cell phones finally became active and we could reach out and touch somebody. After a hundred miles of water and forests and passing two huge upside down funnel concrete nuclear towers, we reached civilization for an energy drink and a pee. It's really beautiful country with no people and lots of nature, but many highway cops. We pressed on for Seattle's night life. Arriving in Seattle we found all the hotels bearing no vacancy signs and were forced to go on to Everett, Washington, where we found a place to stay. We rolled up a joint of Train Wreck, drank some Blue Sky premium malt beverage and rested up while watching old black and white Perry Mason re-runs on the television. For $10 we splurged and watched Blade II, which on Train Wreck bud was a pretty good flick with plenty of action.

In the morning we continued on with our adventure to visit the Blunt Brothers coffee shop in British Columbia. We decided on a detour to visit and view first hand the former smuggler's haven of Deception Pass, and Coronet Bay Marina, in the state of Washington. The Deception Pass Bridge is the only land line to reach Whidbey Island, Washington. The water current when the tide turns in or out under the narrow bridge causes the Pacific tide to have one foot waves above the normal water level. This makes the running tides under the bridge very deceptive. When we passed over the Deception Pass Bridge it was terribly foggy and we couldn't take another picture of the bridge for you. Coming to the Coronet Bay turn off we were still in the fog. We made it to the dock at Coronet Bay only to find a white US Ranger pick up truck in the parking lot. A US Park Ranger had a video camera in his hand and was filming a family traveling by sailboat, who were sitting in a line on the dock in blue lawn chairs. The dad, mom, and three children were all sitting down in the row of blue chairs while two other Rangers were searching their 26 foot sailboat for British Columbia buds. It was an awful sight seeing this entire family under detention while their belongings were strewn about. You must realize that after all the busts made here that this is not a place to enter when you return from Canada. This is a known and suspected smuggler's haven where you will be searched. There is no custom or immigration check here except for these cannabis hungry Park Rangers. Local boat owners may meet the Canadians in open waters for an exchange, but for travelers this is not a place to bring in bud. It's an easy boat trip to Victoria, BC, and back to Coronet Bay, all in a day's time.

Again we were in fog but we took a picture of the cliff under the Deception Pass Bridge for you. We decided not to take a picture of the Ranger taking videos of the family detained on the dock for fear of obstruction of justice charges, and left the area feeling the sadness of the detained family. I hope this family was innocent and that the US Rangers found nothing, but alas many folks still believe they can sneak into Coronet Bay and not be searched. After the Rangers have found over a ton of BC Bud, this is now a false assumption. I would like to tell you that if you are a fisherman and want to fish the Puget Sound try to locate my old guide, Ken Quinn. I'm sure he's still alive. Mr. Quinn was a Navy man and stationed on nuclear submarines for 90 days at a time without surfacing. He owned land on Coronet Bay [Quinn Street, Shamrock subdivision] and is a well respected community figure there. His reputation for finding fish and whale sighting tours on his immaculate ship, the Irish Mist, is without question the best in the Deception Pass area. We caught some awesome salmon and halibut [barn doors] with Captain Quinn. He can take you on his ship for a day trip to Victoria, British Columbia too. Caution, you will still have a search when you return with Captain Quinn to Coronet Bay in Washington. For whale watching or any other activity I highly recommend Captain Ken Quinn for safety, patience, knowledge, and experience in the Puget Sound area.

Entry to Canada

Arriving in Blaine, Washington, we entered into a long line of cars waiting to pass through the international border at Canadian Immigration and Customs. When we reached the inspector's booth we and our car were on live camera. The camera scans your license plates, face, and whatever else it can scan. Canada is on a reciprocal data base with the US and has instant access to car registration information. The curt and yet polite Canadian Officer asked for identification, where we were citizens, where we were going, how much money we had to spend, how long we were staying, and if we had any firearms. Firearms are illegal to possess in Canada. We only had our driver's licenses so we were told we needed to carry passports or birth certificates for future trips. We were also asked when was the last time we had visited Canada. Assuring this first block of investigation that we were OK, and had no firearms, [we were actually clean] we were allowed an unsearched entry into Canada. So we recommend you take your passport or birth certificate.

There is no close town to the Canadian border. One must travel about twenty-five miles past the border to get to Richmond, B.C. This is totally different than going to Tijuana, Mexico, where you can walk into town from the US border. Signs warn you that Canada is on the metric system and that the speed signs are metric so you need to convert your brain into metric thinking. This is about 6 to 10, or if the posted speed is 100 KPH this equals 60 MPH. Don't forget this metric measure or you'll have a big fine for speeding. We drove along past farms and soon entered the tunnel under the river where my cousin lives at Richmond. Driving further I-5 goes into six lanes in an extended residential area. You can detour to the Granville Bridge [World's Fair from earlier days] area, or continue along the residential area through Vancouver.

Blunt Brothers

What is called the Vancouver Green Area of bud shops is in Gastown down by the water where the cruise ships dock and depart for Alaska. To locate Gastown you look for Hastings Street. The Blunt Brother's Smoke Shop, "a respectable joint," is located at 317 W. Hastings St. Next door to Blunt Brothers is the New Amsterdam Coffee Shop and the Vancouver Marijuana Party Headquarters. There are other shops around within a block of these, but very limited. This area does not have the number of shops you will find in Amsterdam or Haarlem, but it is a beginning.

We parked at the curb on a hill next to a small park above Hastings Street, and put an American quarter in the meter. The meter registered nothing so we lost the quarter. We got some change in Canadian quarters and put 40 minutes on the meter. I noticed a straight looking blond sitting on a bench in the park, openly smoking a joint. We walked 150 feet down the hill towards Hastings Street. Across the street from Blunt Brothers we were approached by an apparently homeless black man who offered to sell us some bud. We declined the street offer and crossed the busy one way Hastings Street. Blunt Brothers has a large canvas overhang with it's sign, "A Respectable Joint." In fact we found it to be a respectable joint. In the front window it has small, three foot high, naked alien mannequins holding joints. It has a door signs that no one under 19 may enter the premises. We entered to find many posters on the entry ceiling, including Reefer Madness, Devil's Harvest, and other neat posters. To the left was a long gift shop counter, with baseball caps, a variety of Blunt Brothers T- shirts, marijuana print bikinis, and other souvenirs. To the right was a high counter for papers, cones, and where you pay for the items. Both the young ladies were very helpful in finding suitable gifts for family and friends back home. T- shirts and caps were about $26 Canadian. In US money exchanged to Canadian [$1.56] this is much less. However we were told that they would not give us much of an exchange rate [we were offered only $1.35 instead of $1.50] and we were told to go to an exchange center down the block to get Canadian money. Looking further into the interior I noticed a deli sandwich display on my left just past the gift center. Walking into the interior there were overstuffed black couches and tables, with patrons sitting smoking joints purchased at the premises. Many were Asian, others appeared to be locals. With the people sitting, smoking and snacking on corn chips and dip , Blunt Brothers was a very friendly atmosphere. In the rear on the right was a smoking room enclosed in glass with a rectangular table and stools. This table was full of smokers and an exotic menu on the wall told of Blunt Brothers many available buds and reasonable prices. Further back were the restrooms. I bought four different T -shirts which cost $123 Canadian, or about $80 US. For the immediate time we bought some BC Bud and sat down for a nice relaxing smoke at Blunt Brothers before exploring any further. Believe me it is a stony place where second hand smoke is readily accepted. I had the congenial clerk hold my souvenirs while we went next door and then down to the famous cobblestone Water Street to shop for some Cuban cigars.

Cuban Cigars

Walking to the cigar shops we were approached five times by street people wanting to sell us some bud. We declined all street people and suggest that you do the same. Blunt Brothers is a legitimate place for righteous bud and they stand behind it. You won't get ripped off at Blunt Brothers but you can on the street. Stay inside Blunt Brothers for a safe relaxed smoke and some good snacks. Walking to Water Street we were approached for sex three times. This, too, we declined. This adventure was all within three blocks from Blunt Brothers. At the Cuban cigar shop I purchased twelve Havana Partigas for $82 US, or about $7 each. These cigars are called Colebra and are three cigars woven together and tied with string. A three cigar set is wrapped in embossed foil looks like a Thanksgiving turkey. When separated the cigars are twisted and crooked. I prefer these cigars to all the other Cubans that I had when I was in Cuba. We also got some mini Cohibas, 10 to a box, for $2 each. These are cigarette size cigars and look like blunts so don't smoke them while driving. The currency exchange at the cigar store was better than what Blunt Brothers had offered me, and my US money was without question exchanged for the proper $1.50 Canadian. I changed an extra $100 at the cigar store.

Vancouver Marijuana Party

Water Street is cobblestone and has many interesting shops and a variety of sidewalk drinking and eating establishments. Walking back towards Hastings Street we encountered no prostitutes or bud salesmen. We went to the car and put more money in the meter while getting some Bud Life business cards from the trunk. Using the change from the cigar purchase, I bought my neat Blunt Brothers T- shirts plus a few more. We next went to the Marijuana Party Headquarters. This is a real political party like the Democrats or Republicans. In fact, Marc Emory is running for Mayor of Vancouver under this political party. The Preamble on his brochure states: "The Vancouver Marijuana Party recognizes the supremacy of the individual over the state. We believe that this condition is best protected by each individual's right to life, liberty, and property. We further promote the principle of self-ownership. This right guarantees individuals full control over their bodies. This means that each individual has the right to decide what does, and does not enter their bodies. And, accordingly, each individual is responsible for their bodies and those substances they choose to put in their bodies." There are many other positions stated in the pamphlet. Once inside the MJ Headquarters we examined the magazines, pamphlets, posters, and so on. We offered our Bud Life cards and were told they would have to be approved by Marc Emory himself. We said no problem as Bud Life had been featured on Pot TV 12/31/01. We left our cards with the POT party clerk. Next we went back to Blunt Brothers and placed some Bud Life cards in the free info area next to the front window. We went to a hemp shop a block away and placed some Bud Life cards with an Indian man in his hemp shop. He was very interested in Bud Life and wanted to know what we sold. We told him, "Nothing. It's a free internet magazine." A young lady customer wanted some Bud Life cards so we gave her a few, too.

Back to the U.S.

Entering the car and leaving the Gastown area we saw a beautiful Asian lady in a white Mercedes and asked for directions to the freeway. Without speaking a word, she gave a hand signal and we followed her speeding car around some curves to the freeway ramp where she lost us. We returned to the US border and waited for entry in a very short six car line. After our car was on camera, we approached the immigration/customs booth and US Officer. The officer asked for our proof of citizenship and we only had our CA driver's licenses. He then asked about our citizenship and we stated, "American." He asked again and we gave the correct answer, "US." He said our ID meant nothing and asked for our passports or birth certificates. We had none of this. He then asked where we were born. We told him. He went to the back of the car and wrote down the license number as we had no front plate. Then he lectured us about having proper documents in the future. We agreed. He handed back our licenses and waived us through. He never asked us if we bought anything like Cuban cigars or souvenirs, so we didn't volunteer that information. Back in the US, we stopped at the Ferndale gas station and retrieved our bag of San Francisco Train Wreck buds from under the rock. Waiting till we reached the next county we rolled a doobie and smoked some Train Wreck buds followed by Cuban cigars all the way back to San Francisco.

It was a fantastic trip, covering over two thousand miles and many joints of Train Wreck.

Click here for more Growin' Our Own.

Mike Golden, the Radio Rebel

Pipeline (page 2)

High Rollers

By: Dean Schabner

Advocates for legalizing marijuana could be on a real high in November if Nevada voters take the first step toward legalizing the drug in the state, but even supporters of the measure don't expect it to go through without a fight from Washington.

The initiative, which would have to be passed again by the state's voters in 2004, would not only legalize possession and private use of up to three ounces of marijuana for persons 21 and older, it would authorize the state to regulate the growth, distribution and sale of the drug, much the way it regulates tobacco and alcohol.

The initiative, an amendment to the state constitution, could result in pot being sold in smoke shops, pharmacies or coffee shops, and the state would be authorized to put a tax on marijuana sales, as it does on alcohol and tobacco. Public consumption would still be a ticketable offense, just as the public consumption of alcohol is.

It would still be a criminal offense to sell marijuana without a license, or for anyone to sell pot to anyone under 21 years of age.

Though Ohio has already decriminalized possession of up to 100 grams - a little more than three ounces of marijuana - the Nevada initiative represents a major step forward for advocates of change in the nation's drug laws, such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, because of the move to create state regulation.

Even laws legalizing medicinal marijuana passed by a dozen states have stopped short of creating state- regulated distribution systems, which has left people for whom pot has been prescribed and groups that have tried to provide them with marijuana open to confrontation with federal authorities that oppose the programs.

Confrontation With the Feds?

That is also the aspect of the measure that is likely to put the state at odds with the U.S. Justice Department, if it passes, just as the legalization of marijuana for chemotherapy patients and people suffering from glaucoma, and the authorization of doctors to prescribe it in several states has run afoul of federal authorities.

"If they were hostile to sick and dying patients getting it, it's not hard to guess what their position would be regarding healthy people 21 years old and up getting and using it for for non-medical purposes," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said.

Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which supports decriminalizing marijuana, said the federal government has been sending mixed messages about whether it would take action against the state if Nevada voters approve the measure. He compared the current situation with marijuana to the early 1930s, when states made alcohol legal before Washington repealed prohibition.

"I think the biggest question is whether the federal government is going to prioritize challenging a law that state law enforcement is supporting," DPA Deputy Director of Legal Affairs Judy Appel said. "If this passes, it means the people of Nevada have supported it twice. The question has to be about priorities."

A spokesman for the DEA said there would be no waffling on the agency's part, and that if the measure passes federal agents would go after businesses in Nevada that sell marijuana regardless of whether they are in compliance with state laws, just as they have gone after groups that distribute medicinal marijuana to patients with prescriptions in California.

"This is the wrong message to send, the wrong program for Nevada," DEA spokesman Will Glaspy said. "We will respond to this in a way similar to the approach used for the cannabis buyers clubs. This is still against federal law."

The Justice Department's efforts to block implementation of medicinal marijuana programs and the assisted suicide law that was passed twice by Oregon voters have landed in the courts, and that is where any federal challenge of the Nevada constitutional amendment - if it passes - is likely to wind up.

"If they do challenge it, it's a wide open area of the law," Appel said. "There are certain protections built into the language of the law, but it will depend on what the courts decide. It is an area that has traditionally been left to the courts to decide."

Police Support?

A recent poll found that 48 percent of Nevada's voters supported the measure, with another 48 percent opposed and 4 percent undecided.

That poll was before a flip-flop by the state's largest law enforcement organization, the Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs, which first announced it had endorsed the measure, then issued a statement saying that it had not backed the proposal.

"As law enforcement officers, we are duly sworn to uphold the law, even by arresting people for small amounts of marijuana, knowing that most of these cases won't be prosecuted. Many of these people are law-abiding citizens except for the possession charges," then-NCOPS President Andy Anderson, who was on the Las Vegas police force for 28 years, said in the group's statement announcing that the board had voted 9-0 to support the initiative, known as Question 9.

He said that marijuana arrests take officers off the streets, often for as much as half their shifts, as they fill out paperwork, and "we could better spend our time responding to more life-threatening and serious incidents."

"Law enforcement officers support Question 9, the marijuana initiative, because it will put drug dealers in prison, ban smoking marijuana in public places and strictly prohibit children from using marijuana," Anderson said. "Passage of Question 9 will ensure that more cops are on the streets to protect our citizens from violent crime and the threat of terrorism."

Three days later, though, the group announced that Anderson was no longer president and said that NCOPS did not support the measure.

The group released a statement blaming Anderson for the "misunderstanding" and stating that the board does not endorse the proposal, "nor will it support any measure for the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana."

Rise in Decriminalization

Just last year, Nevada legislators passed a law that made possession of less than one ounce a misdemeanor, rather than a felony, joining 11 other states that have softened their laws regarding marijuana.

Nine states have legalized medicinal marijuana and 12 states have passed laws that decriminalize the possession and consumption of small amounts of pot, in most cases turning what was previously an arrestable offense into a ticketable misdemeanor.

California and Arizona approved medicinal marijuana in 1996; Alaska, Washington and Oregon followed suit in 1998; Maine in 1999; Colorado and Nevada in 2000; and Hawaii in 2001.

The 12 states that have passed measures decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana are California, Alaska, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Maine, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, Oregon and Mississippi. Vermont and New Hampshire both had bills before the legislature during their last sessions.

Even with the easing of marijuana laws, a record 734,498 people were arrested on marijuana charges in 2000. According to the Marijuana Policy Project, 88 percent of all marijuana arrests are for possession, not sales or production.

In Arizona, a measure to decriminialize possession of up to two ounces of marijuana will be on the ballot this November. Included in the measure, Proposition 203, is a proposal to have the state redistribute confiscated marijuana to people whose doctors recommended that they use medicinal marijuana.

The proposition would take the burden of prescribing medicinal marijuana off Arizona doctors, many of whom say they are reluctant to write pot prescriptions because of the threat of federal prosecution.

Opening the Door for Kids?

The only other state that has considered a measure similar to Nevada's is Oregon, where voters were presented the Oregon Marijuana Initiative in 1988. The measure would have created a state marijuana regulating board modeled on the state's alcohol board, but it was voted down.

Opponents of decriminalization say that if the proposition is approved, it will only increase marijuana use among teenagers, despite the provision limiting sale to people over 21 and claims by supporters who cite studies of high school students saying it is easier now to get pot than it is to get alcohol or tobacco.

"Would it reduce the social stigma connected with marijuana use [if it were decriminalized and state-regulated]? Yes. That means the use of the drug is likely to go up," said Howard Simon, a spokesman with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

He pointed to the high numbers of teenagers who use alcohol and cigarettes, despite the prohibitions on sales of those products to minors and the statements of youngsters that it is easier for them to buy pot.

"Do we want a situation where we're more likely to have kids trying marijuana?" he said. "That's the bottom line."

Click here for more Pipeline.

Dakota Joseph Arts