Some places have centerfolds or a pet of the month, Estoy Pacheco has his Roach Clip of the Week. This week's Roach Clip is Sarah Silverman.
No stranger to pot, Sarah is up for an Emmy award for her role in...uh...The Sarah Silverman Program. Having never watched the show I couldn't tell you anything about it. I did laugh at a joke once, but I was high. I laughed when I found out my grandmother died, but I was high. I have no idea whether Sarah Silverman is funny. She slept with Jimmy Kimmel - he's funny!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (MARKET WIRE) Cannabis Science Inc., an emerging pharmaceutical cannabis company, is pleased to report that the FDA has provided the Company with documentation to assist the Company to review and plan its initial applications to get its first drug into formal testing.
Cannabis Science, Inc. President & CEO Dr. Robert Melamede stated, "After speaking directly with the FDA discussing our products and initiatives I was pleasantly surprised with the hands on approach they have with helping us map our path to get our products into testing. We have a ways to go, but I am very optimistic that we have an opportunity to have more than one product in testing and trials at the same time. We have an exciting new initiative we plan to announce shortly and I would like to thank our current and future shareholders for helping to make this happen."
Cannabis Science H1N1 Swine Flu Formulation: We now know that the endocannabinoid system plays a critical role in maintaining human health. The human body produces Endocannabinoids on demand when they are needed. They help restore homeostasis (biochemical balance). The Cannabis plant produces Phytocannabinoids. When the human body has endocannabinoid deficiencies, it cannot effectively restore the healthy biochemical state needed to counter a particular illness. Phytocannabinoids from the Cannabis plant can replace the deficient endocannabinoid activity in the human body to restore a health-promoting level of cannabinoid activity. Cannabis Science will test its cannabis extract lozenge with FDA guidance and oversight to determine if it will reduce ARDS-associated deaths from both the Avian and Swine influenza infections.
H1N1 Swine Flu: According to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/) the Avian flu (H5N1) has a 63% mortality rate. Unfortunately, the Swine flu, while causing death at a much lower rate than the Avian flu, appears to also result in death via a similar mechanism. The common cause of death with these strains is organ failure, especially as seen in the lungs with the development of Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is caused by an excess immune-generated inflammatory response that leads to apoptosis (cell death) and subsequently to organ failure. The Company's approach will mimic how the human body uses endocannabinoids (cannabinoids that occur naturally in the body) to regulate immune activity and cell survival, by regulating inflammatory biochemistry. Excessive inflammatory responses are associated with numerous disease states including autoimmune diseases, neurological imbalances, and cardiovascular disease. Phytocannabinoids provide a natural means to supplement illness-specific endocannabinoid deficiencies.
About Cannabis Science, Inc. Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.
John Marmaduke Dawson who wrote the Riders of the Purple Sage's ode to marijuana - Panama Red died last week in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Dawson, 64, formed the group along with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead in 1969. The group was often used as a refuge for members of the Dead who would appear on albums and tour with the Riders over the years.
Ironically, Panama Red was the group's sole gold record in 1973.
If you do more than smoke marijuana then you have heard of Jet Baker. The singer, songwriter, and all-around NORML guy from Texas has been ubiquitous in counter-culture circles. Performing at a NORML event in Austin, Texas this weekend Jet took time out from his busy schedule to talk with Estoy Pacheco.
This is part I of that interview - the making of a pot star.
EP: You are doing a gig for NORML in Austin, Texas this weekend. How did that come about? Jet: I saw my name on the flyer for the party. A friend of mine showed it to me. Soon after I was asked by TXNORML to perform at the event. They said they knew I’d do it if I was in town.
They were right.
EP: Are you a card carrying member of NORML? Jet: I’m a member of Texas NORML.
EP: Your affiliation with NORML dates back to when? Jet: 2002 and 2003 I performed at some Chicago pro cannabis events co-sponsored by NORML.
EP: When did the focus of your music veer towards all things marijuana? Jet: I entered an won a High Times Contest in the summer of 2000. The contest was to send in a video explaining why you should be one of six winners sent to Amsterdam, locked on a houseboat with 19 cannabis strains for three days. It was High Times first "alternative reality" show – The Cannabis Castaways. It’s on YouTube, check it out.
That’s how it all started for me. The next year I was asked back to emcee the event. I’ve been back every year since working on the crew and hosting the Wake and Bake Show.
EP: What was the first song you wrote about? Jet: Before I met High Times my music was the same, just without the weed. I wrote about positive ideas like peace, love, cooperation, etc. My music still contains these ideas in the context of the cannabis lyrics.
EP: What was the theme of the first pot song that you wrote? Jet: I wrote Stonerville (It’s on my Coffee Shop CD). After two months of recuperating after winning the High Times contest I wanted to capture the feelings and sights of my trip. The Coffee Shop CD is my interpretation of the Amsterdam coffee shop scene through the highest eyes of my life.
EP: You are quite prolific, Jet. Jet: Yeah. I write a lot more songs than I ever record.
EP: Do you really right a new song a day? Jet: I write beats or lyrics most days. Sometimes the songs flow quickly and sometimes I leave and come back later.
EP: Does herb get your creative juices flowing or is it a stone cold process for you? Jet: Yes. Cannabis enhances creativity for me.
EP: How many discs do you have out? Jet: I have nine discs out now – 114 tracks on iTunes and all download sites world wide.
EP: When is the next disc due? Jet: I’ve written a country CD. I want to record it with a band so...however long that takes. In the meantime I am working on another hip hop/electronic disc for early 2010. I also have a dance remix disc, with "disco versions" of songs from many of my CDs. It will be out for the holidays 2009! EP: Title? Jet: I’m not ready to put that out yet.
EP: Signed to any label? Jet: No. I don’t think you need one in this digital age.
So concludes Part I of The Making of a Pot Star: The Jet Baker Interview. In Part II Jet gets personal, talks about musical influences and the decision to be made between weed or hash.
Some places have centerfolds or a pet of the month, Estoy Pacheco has his Roach Clip of the Week. This week's Roach Clip is Megan Fox.
No stranger to pot, Megan tells Esquire that High School Musical is some twisted drama. We'll let her explain it. "OK, well, let me tell you what it's really about. High School Musical is about this group of boys who are all being molested by the basketball coach, who is Zac Efron's dad. It's about them struggling to cope with this molestation. And they have these little girlfriends, who are their beards. Oh, and somehow there's music involved. You have to get stoned and watch it." Sorry Megan, getting stoned ain't gonna get Estoy Pacheco to watch that movie.
We could have put Lebron James up as our first male Roach Clip but what would you have preferred? Lebron or Megan?
Moonshine and Herbs created an Internet buzz last month with their paean to marijuana - Legalize Weed.
If you haven't heard it yet, you will be singing the chorus halfway through your first listen.
Despite the down-home bluegrass feel to Legalize Weed the trio from Canton, Georgia rock a little harder on their other tracks. But it is Legalize Weed that has people talking about the boys that comprise Moonshine and Herbs - Andbrick 'Steve' Williams, Eric C and Alonzo Greer.
Zo spoke to us recently to tell us how the song came about. Take it away Zo!
Writing Legalize Weed "Well the three of us were hanging out one night feeling pretty good with a few beers and some herbs and talking politics and world events. Then Steve, who wrote and sings the song, says that we need to write the revolutionary 'free the weed' song.
"We all agreed and to my surprise the next day Steve said that he got it and played it for me. I came up with the bass line and we worked it out for about a week or so before we were able to get with our drummer E and record it. It was only about two takes and that's it!"
The Shafer Commission The video for the song borrows heavily from news reels over the last 40 years, taking us on a chronological trip through the ages from the Shafer Commission to Barack Obama. The Shafer Commission - named after chairman Raymond P. Shafer - is otherwise known as the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse which had recommended that marijuana be temporarily placed in the most restrictive category of drugs - Schedule I. (Ed.-It was hard to get a "j" in the early 70's so people were into using "h" when spelling marijuana.)
Shafer, as Chairman, presented his report, Marijuana, A Signal of Misunderstanding, to Congress in 1972. One of the key recommendations in the report called for decriminalization of simple possession. President Nixon passed on Shafer's recommendations. In fact Nixon passed on almost all the recs. But the report did stir up hope among libertarians at the time and made the nightly newscasts. Snippets of these reports form the basis for the Legalize Weed video.
Making the Video "Everything on the video is just stuff I got off of YouTube to get an idea of what I wanted the video to be about," says Zo. "Its really just a sampler video and not yet close to being completed, kinda like the track."
While the video may be a sampler it is serving as a calling card for Moonshine and Herbs as the band is looking to strike a record deal. Together as a unit for less than a year the braintrust of Moonshine and Herbs - Steve and Zo - have been honing their writing skills together for two and a half years. The duo continue to write new music while narrowing down selections for a future CD release.
Herbs and the Creative Process "Well, we love to burn the herbs and get into a good groove," says Zo with regards to weed affecting the band's creative process. "Without a doubt, depending on the herbs, a creative mediation can lead to something inspirational. We love the herbs but whether they are available or not our creativity never goes away."
That free flowing creativity may explain one of the band's more peculiar projects.
"We are currently working on a couple of projects including a jingle that we have written for a Finnish company called ScanBev. Hopefully it will be used to promote one of their new beverages."
The city of Oakland will now become the first municipality in the nation to formally tax marijuana. A resounding 80 percent of the votes in a special write in amendment were cast in favor of the pot tax provision.
Scheduled to come into effect on New Year's day the new tax will add more than a quarter million bucks to the cash-strapped city's coffers.
Known as Measure F, the tax will affect all pot clubs in Oakland. There are more than 800 pot clubs in California that are ripe for taxation by the state.
Children - particularly from Vietnam and China - are being trafficked to the UK to work as slaves in illegal cannabis farms.
These 'farms', run by organised crime gangs, are often situated in suburban houses. The children, generally aged between 14 and 16, are smuggled into the country before being locked in the houses to water cannabis plants. They have been found sleeping in cupboards or attics to make more space for plants, and are at constant risk of fire or electrocution due to illegal rewiring of electricity supplies.
Rather than being treated as victims, these children frequently suffer a second ordeal upon discovery by the authorities. A 2007 Home Office report on child trafficking describes how at least four Vietnamese children of the twenty two in the dataset were not identified as victims of trafficking and were arrested for cannabis cultivation.
Some places have centerfolds or a pet of the month, Estoy Pacheco has his Roach Clip of the Week. This week's Roach Clip is Mischa Barton. Mischa went all 5150 this week and is looking at some down time.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit was my first favorite song by any artist of all genres," says hip-hop artist Stix in response to his claim that he is the black Kurt Cobain. "He was a huge influence for the youth as far as music is concerned. He had a interesting following, and that's where our similarities are."
While he sounds more like Jay Z than Kurt Cobain the musician born and raised in Watts is hoping to influence another generation of youth with his own musical stylings. Stix has made it a point to reach out to today's youth and has played small tours of inner-city schools, keeping it real and letting them know that anybody can be anybody if they work at it.
In case you get the idea that Stix is only playing school gymnasiums, he has cut his chops with six years of roadwork from coast-to-coast and around the world. These gigs include playing his favorite venue - the Staples Center and "performing on stage with Doug E. Fresh at the Aruba Jazz Festival." Playing to a crowd of more than 60,000 on a beach was an experience that Stix describes as, "Insane!"
But that was then, this is now and I'm Fly is the first single off his upcoming Late for Soundcheck CD that drops on August 18. "I kept the featured musicians limited because I wanted the listener to focus on me," says Stix with regards to the recording process for Soundcheck. "So really, the only big name featured on my album is Tyrese."
Stix has recorded often at Backhouze Studios in Watts."Backhouze has the best sound I've ever recorded in out of the hundreds of studios I have been too. Then I did a little recording at Headquarter Studios in Hollywood.
"It was a long period," he says with regards to finding the groove that he was looking for on Late for Soundcheck. "It took me a couple of years to finally get the sound and direction together because music evolves and changes so much."
Those years show that Stix is in the game. As the game and the music evolve he has collaborated with many other musicians including Bobby Valentino and DJ Break 'Em Off. This impresario lends his skills not only as a singer, rapper and songwriter but those that were honed in the studio to many different acts. Lately, he's, "been doing a lot of writing for myself and ton of other artist in multiple genres. I'm doing some stuff for a pop/rock artist named FEE, and a couple of other rock and R&B acts."
His diverse nature in helping other bands from all over the musical spectrum discover their sound extends beyond his own tastes in music. A taste that can best be described as eclectic - Nirvana notwithstanding. When not listening to his own music Stix says that, "I am listening to Paramore's Riot, Mr. Hudson, Imogen Heap, and Coldplay." Maybe they don't sound all that eclectic when you consider that his dream concert venue is to perform at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Just when you think that you have him figured for a smooth R&B guy Stix will come back at you with another side project like Life9.
As if you need another reason to become an environmentalist the Maison d'Envie brothel in Berlin is offering a seven percent discount to its customers who arrive by bicycle.
And the gimmick is working too! Brothel owner Thomas Goetz says that the incentive draws in an extra three to five clients per day.
The discount is not only open to cyclists but to any other customer who can prove that they arrived by public transit.
"The recession has hit our industry hard," Goetz told Reuters. "Obviously we hope that the discount will attract more people. It's good for business, it's good for the environment – and it's good for the girls."
News, views and reviews that may have slipped under your radar screen this week...and one anti-marijuana story included for the comments. We do have a voice!
There's green to be made in green. Like a junkie looking for a fix city fathers can smell a dollar bill and Oakland is looking at a new revenue stream - marijuana.
The new tax measure is expected to add $400 000 to the cash-strapped coffers. As it is now the city charges just over a buck in tax for every thousand bucks sold at any of the four marijuana dispensaries in town. The proposed cash grab...tax...would up the ante to $18 per $1000 worth of retail weed.
This is where it starts to get surreal - the dispensaries are calling for the increased tax levy.
This is where it gets bizarre - one city councilor says that the revenue could save four or five jobs...police jobs!
Oakland residents will vote on the measure later this month.
Us is claiming that Arnold Klein is the biological father of Michael Jackson's two children with Debbie Rowe. That's Arnold with the big pot leaf on his shirt. Klein is a dermatologist who was also Rowe's boss at the time.
Usually our tales of hapless pot smugglers involve our southern border and include surfboards. This time around - in honor of Canada Day - we train our sites to our northern border.
A couple was arrested at the Niagara Falls border crossing for trying to smuggle an unspecified quantity of marijuana in the United States. Cops found five vacuum sealed bags secreted in the spare tire of the lovebirds car.
You figure that if you are going to go through the trouble of taking a tire off the rim, packing said tire full of weed and putting the tire back on the wheel you'd have the sack to be calm and cool at the border. Maybe the cops got suspicious when they saw all the cheesie dust on the wheel.
