GARDEN

Berkeley, California (1991) Nikon FE, 35mm SLR. ("solarized" using ArcSoft PhotoImpression software) (BEST VIEWED LARGE!)

PLEASE NOTE: DEPICTION IS NOT ADVOCACY!!!

(During the course of my career in non-profit quality control, I smoked marijuana every day for 29 of the past 42 years. Marijuana can be a good medicine, and I found that it often inspired me.

My favorite imported kinds of marijuana were Punta Roja Colombian, "Thai sticks", and Mexican from Oaxaca.

I also enjoyed some of the hashish that came from Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Nepal. The hashoil I smoked that came from Morocco greatly lifted my spirits and provided unique insight. "Bubble Hash" made in Berkeley gave me colorful visions.

I even quaffed Hi-Brew Beer [early 1980s marijuana/alcohol beverage].

[In the 1970s I trimmed MANY pounds of marijuana. One of my associates, a taxi driver who claimed that he had “rolled so many joints I don’t have any fingerprints left” was so impressed that he borrowed my scissors and had them plated with gold.]

[‘Miron had stolen a big pile of wedding invitations… and we would use them to make filters for joints."

—Etgar Keret, translated from the Hebrew by Miriam Shlesinger and Sondra Silverston, in his 2002 collection of short stories THE NIMROD FLIPOUT. When I was arrested in 1985 the police seized a small box of filters from me that I had made by cutting some of my business cards into strips. I called them "jay-spacers" and had labeled the box. In 1986 when I went in front of the parole board, they (not knowing what a "jay-spacer" is) made a big deal out of the filters. "You had almost a hundred jay-spacers!" they said very accusingly…]

Surfing on a toke–and when the bowl of the pipe looks like the Grand Canyon, I know I’ve almost had enough…

[Willie Nelson won 10 Grammy awards, and has appeared in 37 movies and TV shows. More than 40 million copies of his more than 100 albums have been sold. He has smoked marijuana for MANY years. Nelson is an outspoken advocate for the drug and has been arrested several times for possession of marijuana. He was arrested in 2006 for possessing marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms. His latest song is titled "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die".

—from an Associated Press news report, 4.21. 2012.]

["I smoke two joints in the morning
I smoke two joints at night
I smoke two joints in the afternoon
It makes me feel all right"

"I smoke two joints in time of peace
And two in time of war
I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints
And then I smoke two more"

—Chris Kay and Michael Kay, in their 1983 song "Smoke Two Joints", which was recorded by The Toyes.]

["Things Get Grounded When There’s Chemistry"

"Cannabis Connects"

"Life In Color" (over a rainbow of colors)

—from a billboard advertisement for cannabis oil cartridges, edibles, and tinctures made by a company named Chemistry. I saw the billboard, which has a lavender background and depicts two women on a rug smiling at each other, on Telegraph Avenue at 63rd street in Oakland, California in June 2019.]

[The first cannabis label that I remember seeing (printed in black ink on blue paper) was "STONY RIDGE" brand marijuana. It was on a one-pound bag of American-grown product that I obtained from Richard Krech in 1972.]

["One toke over the line sweet Jesus
One toke over the line"

"Waitin’ for the train that goes home sweet Mary
Hopin’ that the train is on time
Sittin’ downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line"

—Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley, in their 1970 song "One Toke Over The Line". Vice President Spiro Agnew did not like the song and called it "subversive". After being investigated on suspicion of conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud, Agnew was convicted of felony tax evasion and forced to resign.]

["He said ‘drugs make you too pleased with everything.’"

—Sarah Seiter, associate curator of Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California, quoting David Hockney on the connection between drugs and creativity. Seiter was quoted by Paul Kilduff in an interview about a current show, "Altered State: Marijuana in California". The East Bay Monthly, July 2016 issue.

I think I somewhat understand what Hockney said, and I think there is truth in his statement. I also think that I often find great value and much joy in seeing beauty in both the wheat AND the chaff!]

Here is a list of some of the cannabis products I have used that were obtained from marijuana stores in the San Francisco bay area. [From labels I saved.]

Blueberry
Tsunami
Outdoor Rom
Trainwreck
Orange Hill Special
Red Widow
Smoothelove
Dutch Passionkush
Northern Green
Spice
Nor Kali Black Spice
Sensi Star
Organic Main Wreck
Sour Diesel ["22.73% THC" from "Elyon" 2019]
Ice Ice
Fruity Bliss
Organic Remedy
NYC Diesel
S1-5
Organic Super Silver Haze
Morning Star
Snow Cap
Sun Grown Purple OG
Jedi
Sweet Nightmare
Kosher Strawberries
Dirty Little Pig
Durbin Poison
Oracle
Space Cowboy
Bubble Haze
White Widow
Mountain Kick
Snow White
Sun Grown Diesel
Yumbolt
Co-op
Organic Flo
Candyland
Silvercratic
Sun Grown Chocolope
Pineapple Kush
Organic Purple Haze
Goo-5
Nor Kali Kaui Kola
Dynomite
Nor Kali Buddha’s Haze
Old Grand Huck
Grape Ape
Sour Diesel Lemon
Buddha’s Sister
Super Jack
Organic Rom Thai
Third Eye
Pink Champagne
World Wide Widow
Afgootiva
Greased Lightning
Outdoor Organic Humboldt
Balance
Herijuana
Cherry Pie
Peak 19
Organic Mazar
Outdoor Train Crossing
Organic Shaman
Super Star
Rhino
Burmese
Double Dream
Jelly
Caramel
Kahuna
Shiva’s Tears
Organic A-10
Purple Burmese
Lemon Skunk x Royal Orange
Mendo Blendo
The Sativa
Organic Hawaiian Snow
Purple Kush Domina
Organic Ultra Skunk
Sage ‘n’ Sour
Outdoor Organic Kam
Tree-W
Da Kind
Jack Frost
Pot O’ Gold
Shiva Afghani
Gorilla’s Mist
Strawberry Cough
Sativa 2
Organic Jane
Organic Purple Way
Outdoor Organic Bonkers
Organic Purps
Outdoor Organic Goo
Juicy Fruit
Blue Dream
Mind Eraser
Pearly Baker
Lavender Goo
Titan OG
White Russian
Sonoma Coma
Organic Sticky Nurple
MK Ultra
Outdoor Organic Trainwreck x White Widow
Organic Sweetleaf
Organic Purple Ice
Jack Herer
God’s Gift
Outdoor Organic Purple Mendo
Organic Ogre
Organic Trance
William’s Wonder x Northern Lights
Blue Ogre
Organic Lamb’s Bread
Champagne
Black Bunanna
Super Chunk
Organic Rom Cross
Sun Grown Goji Jack
Rom Hottie
Organic Slider
Animal Cookies
Sunshine Grown Green Dragon
El Bueno
Jakki
Organic Time Warp
Durban Dream
Organic Mist
Cookie Pie
Mantanuska TF
Pineapple Trainwreck
Organic Mantanuska Mist
Organic Mothership
Traincrash
Swazi Haze
Golden Goo
Organic Trance
Jack’l Berry
Outdoor Mysty
Purple Peak 19
AK-47
Sage
Motor City
Purple Erkel
Crazy Hazy
Bright Star
Green Crack
Power Plant
Organic Cindy 99
Skunk #2
Organic Bonana
Outdoor Organic Hash Plant
Baby Blues
Cat Piss
Mr. Nice (G 13 x Hash Plant)
Girl Scout Cookie
Outdoor Organic Blue Dot
Sour Daze
Thin Mint
Grand Daddy Purple
Spicy Jack
Outdoor Organic Pure Rezin
Old Mother Sativa
Master Yoda Kush
Mountain Girl
Green Ribbon
Super Wreck
Sapphire Star
Bombshell
Also Known As
Pea Soup
Pirate’s Kush
Leda Una
Northern Lights x Big Bud
All Star Organic Oaktown Wreck
Animal Punch
Humboldt OG ["17.76% THC" hybrid pre-roll. Cultivator: "Grouse Mountain Green" in Humboldt County, California. Distributor: "Emerald Family Farms" 2019]
Ghost OG ["22.49% THC .05% CBD" hybrid "Manufactured and distributed by Flora California" from "Sessions Supply Co." pre-roll]
Wedding Cuvee ["21.60% THC .05% CBD" hybrid "Manufactured and distributed by Flora California" from "Sessions Supply Co." "Time For Blast Off" (On package containing 3.5 grams) 2019]
Jungle Glue ["Krush Kingz" pre-roll by "Berkeley Pharmz" 2019]
Orange Mango ["19.8% THC" "Distributed by Black Oak Gallery" 2019]
Ziablo [Grown by IC Collective.] [2019] [The jars containing 3.5 grams feature one of my favorite labels, a very colorful skeleton-skull!]
Now and Laters ["20.51% THC" "Sativa" Grown in Shasta County, California, and distributed by Ember Valley, 2019.]
Ghost Mints ["23.31% THC, 0.9% CBD". "…may be habit forming." "This product may be unlawful outside of Washington State." from "Green Fire Production, Inc."]
Extreme Jack [16.49% THC "even hybrid" "greenhouse-grown" "Warning: This product can expose you to chemicals including arsenic, which is known to the state of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov" from Foxworthy Farms, 2019.]
Blackout ["Inspire featuring limonene 7.84% THC, 8.05% CBD. From Abatin Farms, 2018]
Cherry Vortex [Sativa-dominant."17.46% THC". From Headwaters. Source: UPI Supply Systems, Inc. Origin: Carpenteria, CA. Packaged 12. 14. 2018. Expiration date: 12. 13. 2019. "WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive harm."]
Wedding Cake ["14.36% THC" pre-roll from "Humboldt Growers". 2019] [Also: from Marley Natural, "grown in Trinity County, California." "16.3% THC" 2019] [Also: "from Sublime, in Oakland, California." "Fuzzies" brand pre-roll, "infused with cannabis concentrate, kief, and terpenes" "25% THC and 1% CBD" 2019]
Blueberry Muffin ["15.94% THC" pre-roll from "Humboldt County Indoor". Harvested 12.1. 2018]
Raspberry Diesel ["18.2% THC", grown by "Fleur d’elite"]
Banjo [hybrid pre-roll from "Just Chief"]
Banjo [2 gram bottle from "Coastal Sun Farm". Package date: 8.28. 2019. "26% THC. 30.9% total cannabinoids". "Consciously Grown." "Healthy Plants Heal Humans".]
Wifi43 [pre-roll from State Flower Cannabis Company, San Francisco 2019 "19.63% THC"]
Dolato [hybrid pre-roll from "Just Chief"]
Miss U.S.A. [1 gram all flower Indica pre-roll from Lowell Smokes. 18% THC. In a glass tube. "Test: Cannasafe 01. 19. 19"]
Royal Blend ["Krush Kings" brand pre-roll from "Industry Standard Group, Inc." 18.74% THC "hybrid-indica" "Your Royal Highness"]
San Fernando Valley OG ["The Weed Brand pre-roll. 1 gram."]
Shark Shock ["The Weed Brand pre-roll. 1 gram." "grown by Caliber." "Harvested 4.20. 2019." "19.5% total cannabinoids"]
Gelato 45 [The Weed Brand preroll. Harvest date: 7.23. 2018. Packed: 9.24. 2018. "Best Buy": 7.23. 2019. 16.9% THC. 0.26% CBD.]
Banana Bubble [1 gram pre-roll. 160 mg THC. Manufactured by Marigold. Packaged in Santa Rosa, California. 9.28. 2018. "Cultivation with a conscience"]
Pure Kush [Indica. preroll. 133 mg THC. "Harvested 7.6. 2018. Best by 10.3. 2019."]
Grizzly Bones [Hybrid. 1 gram preroll. Indoor-grown. 155 mg THC. "Grown by Grizzly Peak Farms."]
"Lifted" brand .7 gm "House Cone Fortified with Hash Oil"]
Chocolate Hashberry [Grown in downtown Los Angeles. "Manufactured by Purple Heart Compassionate, Inc."]
Orange Citron ["19.19% THC, 0.02% CBD" "Packaged 4.24. 2019" from "Molecular Farms" in California.]
El Fuego [from "Molecular Farms]
Key Lime Pie ["Humboldt Farms" "Premium Flower-Hybrid" "15.2% THC, 0.00% CBD" "Harvested on July 2018, Packaged on July 2018" "One-Eighth Ounce" in a clear glass jar with a stopper made of wood. The label has a 1" x 2" colorful detailed image of tall trees and small flowers and a small white Volkswagen van. Printed with metallic ink. After smoking some Key Lime Pie I decided that, in my opinion, this extremely appealing image is the best illustration I have seen on a cannabis label.]
Taffie [This medical cannabis strain is sold in cork-lined light-proof well-labeled tins, each containing 5 joints. The tins come sealed in a bag that contains a Boveda 2-way humidity control packet. This product is distributed by Humboldt Legends, and is labeled Steelhead Sativa. Organically grown in sunlight and harvested by hand. The label has the name (and a copy of the handwritten signature) of the person who grew the marijuana (Scott Davies). Also the batch number and the percentages of THC (19.5%) and CBD (0.0%). The label on the back of the tin states that the group of cultivators who call themselves "Humboldt Legends" have been growing marijuana for "forty years". A warning note states that marijuana is a “Schedule 1 controlled substance”. And that “Smoking this product will expose you and those in your immediate vicinity to marijuana smoke…known to the State of California to cause cancer.” “Keep out of reach of children and animals.” "This product may impair the ability to drive or operate machinery." Obtained in the San Francisco bay area, 2017. (After I smoked some of this marijuana in a dark room, I closed my eyes and saw beautiful hallucinations that were extremely complex, with uniquely vivid colors. When I opened my eyes I had a VERY strong urge to write poetry.)]
Juicee Fruit ["bud-only pre-roll. 1 gram. Cultivated 7.28.18. Packaged 7.16.18. Batch ID 6-15-18-JF.] THC 21.14%. 211.4 mg/serving. 0mg CBD/serving V.H.H.C. Juicy Fruit $9.99+Tax" Seven Leaves brand, packaged in black plastic child-proof tube]
"Top Shelf Rainbow Diesel Minis [Sativa]" [small joints]
"Top Shelf Hell OG Minis [Indica]" [small joints]
"Mericanna" hybrid [small joint] "16.79% THC" [2018]
"Pacific Remedy Shatter joint, hand-rolled in California" "Blue Russian flower, Kosher Kush, BHO Snake" "Indica-dominant" [2017]
"Heshies" brand pre-rolls "Selfies" [small joints] [2019]
"Sour Diesel X Sherbet" [Hybrid pre-roll. 19.97% THC.] [2019] [From Pacific Sunset.]
"Sublime King Fuzzies", pre-roll terpene-enhanced "top shelf bud, CO2 wax/kief", "Indica OG Kush" "THC 253 mg". [2017]
Trix Bubble [concentrate]
"Shiva Crystals" [hashish]
"Biscotti" [Indica] [Half gram THC pods, for vaping.] [88.24% THC.] [2019] [From STIIIZY. Made by Ironworks Collective.]
"Yogi Berries" ["Refined raw resin. 81.99% THC."] ["Indica hybrid" cartridge made by "Raw Garden". 2019]
"Skydoggie" ["Refined raw resin 83.33% THC 0.2% CBD] ["Indica" cartridge made by "Raw Garden" 2019]
"Lemon Haze" [Distilled CO2 extract.] ["90.63% THC plus 1.64% CBD".] [Made by "Clear Day". 2019]
"Mendo Breath" [CO2- extracted cannabis oil. 78.2% THC.] [From by Marley Natural.] [2019]
"Mango Kush" [Cannabinoid extract plus terpene blend cartridge] [2019] [Made by "Pure Extracts".]
"Select" brand "Mimosa" "cannabis oil vape cartridge" [125 doses per cartridge] 3.5 mg THC per dose. [from the "Select" brand label: "Curating the Science of Feeling" [2018]
Cali Gold H20 [extracted cannabis resin]
"Emerald Dream" ["Single Origin"] [Trinity County, CA] [58% THC] cannabis oil extracted with CO2 [cartridge for use with "Highlighter" vapor pen]
Garlic Cookies [Raw Zen solvent-less cannabis extract. 72.45% THC. One gram in a small glass jar.] [2019]
"Chemdawg" ["terpene rich distillate" by Bakked. 81% THC. 1.14% CBD.]
"XJ-13" [distillate. 88.08% THC. ]
"Granddaddy Purple" ["Flavored Cannabis Extract" cartridge, for vaping, by "Naked Extracts"] ["Indica] ["Ingredients: Cannabis Extract, Non-Cannabis Terpene Blend, Natural Flavors"] [2019]
"Green Crack" [distillate. 88.13% THC.]
"Pineapple Express" [THC oil by ScrewCartz.]
"hybrid cannabis" from Space Monkey Meds.
Chemdawg + Gelato "Sativa cannabis flowers" distributed in 2019 by "Papa’s Herb", 3.5 grams in a lightproof ziplock bag.

"Green Crack" cannabis flowers bought at High Fidelity, a marijuana store next to Amoeba Music on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, several blocks from the University of California campus. "Grown by: Blue Nose. Harvested: 10.18. 2018. THC: 16.42%." High Fidelity motto: "Your supreme source for herbal inspiration and higher education."
(After smoking this marijuana, I ate a bag of HIPPEAS brand Bohemian Barbecue Flavor organic chickpea puffs. "Store in a dry and, like, totally cool place.")

("UC Berkeley synthetic biologists have engineered brewer’s yeast to produce marijuana’s main ingredients–mind-altering THC and non-psychoactive CBD–as well as novel cannabinoids not found in the plant itself. Feeding only on sugar, the yeast are an easy and cheap way to produce pure cannabinoids that today are costly to extract from the buds of the marijuana plant…"

—Robert Sanders, "Yeast Produce Low-Cost High-Quality Cannabinoids", news.berkeley.edu, 2.27. 2019).

"THC-Indica" transdermal patch 18.4 mg THC per patch. By Mary’s Medicinals. [Made: 2.4. 2019. Expires: 2.4. 2021.] I have also tried the CBD version.

"Releaf Patch" Transdermal patch by Papa & Barkley. "18.56 mg THC plus 18.61 mg CBD" Mfg. date: 7.15. 2019 Best by date: 8.5. 2020

[A few times I have gone for months without smoking marijuana, and then smoked a potent joint. On more than one such occasion I have experienced intense fearful disorientation, acute paranoia, and horrible physical distress including nausea and a sudden loss of consciousness. CAUTION IS ESSENTIAL!]

I have eaten a variety of cannabis preparations sold at marijuana stores in Berkeley, including:

"Butter Brothers" brand Brownies, Phat Mints, Blackberry Streusel, Ginger Snaps, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Cookies.
"Pura Vida" brand Ocean Spray, Happy Trails, Chocolate Jubilee, and Chocolate Chip Protein Bar.
"Ganja Candy" brand Caramel, Blackberry, and Dr. Pepper.
"Tainted" brand Thin Mints
"Dank" candy
"420 Grand" candy
HealTHCare "Private Reserve OG" [cannabis tincture in vegetable glycerin base]
"Double-Strength Medi Pills" [cannabis oil capsules]
"Shiva Candy" [hashish candy]
"Auntie Dolore’s Medical Cannabis Glazed Pecans"
"Hashey’s 200 mg Indica Bar" [made with dark chocolate In Santa Cruz]
"Rhino Pellet" [tiny cookie]
"Potlava" [vegan cannabis baklava]
"Enjoyable Edibles" brand cannabis-infused Snickerdoodle cookies. ["10.8 mg THC" per cookie. Each package contains 10 cookies. Made with "full-spectrum cannabis extract" by Ironworks Collective. 2019]
"Habit" brand "Sparkling Pineapple Cooler". 10 doses of THC in each 12.6 fl. oz. bottle. Made in Los Angeles by Canna Healthcare, Inc.
"Orange Zest Awakening Mints" [sublingual 10 mg THC tablets]
"Breez" brand mints [sublingual 5 mg THC tablets]
"Kiva" brand Blackberry Dark Chocolate [cannabis oil candy]
"Black Cherry Gummi" [cannabis oil candy]
"Original PLUS Super Potent Hybrid Cannabis-Infused Gummies" ["20 mg THC"]
"PureCure Sativa Strips" [preparation for oral use] [from the label: "EXTREMELY STRONG!"]
"Dr. Norm’s Extra Strength medical cannabis cookie" "Chocolate Chip Therapy" 25 mg THC per cookie. hybrid.
"Full Extract Cannabis Oil" [Indica-dominant strain, for oral use. Full-plant extracted with ethyl alcohol. Dated 12.1. 2015 and provided in a 3 milliliter oral syringe marked for 0.1 milliliter doses. "THC 37.05%"]
Stokes brand "Mint Micros" [Sativa-strain] [small tablets, each containing 5 mg of cannabis extract] [I have used 2 different flavors: Mint and Watermelon]
OMedibles brand "Tree Hugger Medical Cannabis Cinnamon Maple" [high CBD extract mixed with nuts and spices]
Utopia Farms brand "Medical Cannabis Raspberry Macaroons"
"Cafe Attitude THCoffee" 40 mg THC per 8 oz. bottle ["70% Sativa, 30% Indica"]
"Evil Aunt Emily’s Seriously Psychotic Suckers" [cannabis oil candy])
"Sprig" brand citrus soda containing 45 mg THC per can. Made in California. [2017]
"Petra" brand "Moroccan mint"-flavored medical cannabis tablets, each containing 2.5 mg THC plus matcha tea. Produced in 2017 by Kiva, a not-for-profit collective. Lab tested by CW Analytical. "A micro-dosed blend." Packaged in tins containing 42 tablets.

("CW uses its best efforts to deliver high-quality results and to verify that the data contained therein are based on sound scientific judgement. However, CW makes no warranties or claims to that effect and further shall not be liable for any damage or misrepresentation that may result from the use or misuse of this data in any way."

—from a disclaimer issued by CW Analytical. [found outside of a warehouse in Berkeley in 2019.]

"KushyPunch" brand plum flavor Cannabis Indica gummies. Each gummy contains 10 mg THC + 0.1 mg CBD + 0.8 gm sugar. "Feel the power of the punch"
"OmEdibles" brand Sour Apple flavor cannabis gummies. Each gummy contains 10 mg THC. Distributed in plastic boxes containing 6 gummies each.
"OmEdibles" brand Lychee Blossom flavor cannabis gummies, packaged the same as the above.
"CuriouslyCannabis" brand "Rayne Drops" berry, orange, and lemon flavor cannabis pastilles. Each pastille contains 5 mg THC. Distributed in tins containing 20 pastilles each.
"Emerald Sky" brand Alpine Strawberry cannabis-infused licorice. 10 mg THC doses of Cannabis Sativa. 10 doses per container.
Kanha "Enhanced Nanomolecular Gummies" made from hybrid cannabis 10 mg THC in each "Blueberry Blast"-flavored dose. 2019.
"Cannabis-Infused" organic microwave popcorn, 44.5 gram pop-up bag containing 10 mg THC and less than 2 mg CBD. Made in Berkeley in 2019 by "Type 7 Manufacturing, Inc". "Movie Night’s New Best Friend".
"Somatik" brand "Sparks" cannabis-infused chocolate coffee beans. 3 mg THC per bean. 25 beans per container. ‘"Lovingly made by A Tribe of Us Collective". "Turn Your Magic On".
"Smokiez Edibles" brand Cannabis Infused Watermelon Fruit Chews. 10 mg THC per piece.
"Smokiez Edibles" brand Cannabis Infused Peach Fruit Chews. 10 mg THC per piece.
"Smokiez Edibles" brand Cannabis Infused Green Apple Fruit Chews. 10 mg THC per piece.
Kaneh Co. brand Mango Chile fruit jellies. 5 mg THC per serving. Manufactured by Xtracta.
Distribution, Inc. Made and packaged 3.6. 2019. Best by 7.6. 2019. Tested 3.15. 2019 by Infinite Chemical Analysis.
Kaneh Co. brand Raspbery Lime fruit jellies. 5 mg THC per serving.
"Edible Cannabis Oil" batch 030119-MUT-5-01 [4.30. 2019] by CalVape Collective.
"MC Farma" brand "Full Spectrum Oil" capsules "THC 90 + THCV" ["THC 80.11 mg + CBD 20.35 mg + THCV 29.09 mg + CBG 2.98 mg" per capsule. Cannabinoids, lipids, fats, and terpenes remain in full spectrum extraction, which "enhances efficacy and is known as the ‘entourage’ effect." Each package contains 10 capsules. Manufactured in 2020 in Marin County, California.]

[It is not uncommon for people to have EXTREMELY negative experiences after they have eaten too much of a product containing cannabis. CAUTION IS ESSENTIAL!])

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SALES OF MARIJUANA AT STORES IN BERKELEY:

I have seen marijuana contaminated by toxic insecticides that was purchased from (city-approved) marijuana stores in Berkeley. I have seen marijuana contaminated with other toxic chemicals that was purchased from marijuana stores in Berkeley. I have seen marijuana contaminated with toxic mold that was purchased at marijuana stores in Berkeley. As of this writing, there are no enforced standards that designate who may or may not be marijuana grower-sellers in the city of Berkeley. These for-profit privately-owned stores charge an obscenely high price for their questionable products. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT MARIJUANA CAN BE ONE OF THE VERY BEST MEDICINES IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!! (Depending upon the type and dose of marijuana, the route of administration, and the set and setting in which it is used.) BUT BEWARE: Greedy and/or stupid capitalists selling untested products grown by greedy and/or stupid amateurs ARE NOT BEHAVING IN A RESPONSIBLE MANNER!

("…marijuana is not legal."

—Ed Rosenthal, interviewed by Paul Kilduff, The Monthly, December 2014.)

("Indeed, positive hits for pathogenic mold are already changing grower operations. ‘You smoke ten random samples of cannabis and you’ve most likely smoked aspergillus [mold],’ said Dave, one of the lab’s two founders. ‘It’s in there, often at unacceptable levels. Now it’s up to the industry to respond. We also are not in a position where we want to make enemies and piss people off. We want to see it happen in the best way for the movement and the industry to kind of just naturally evolve.’
While the distributed nature of California’s cannabis supply network obviously benefits mom-and-pop growers, it doesn’t encourage quality assurance. Consequently, Dave and his peers believe that some pot consumers are in danger.
‘It’s expensive to test every single thing that comes through the door — that’s the price you pay with a decentralized supply system,’ Dave said. ‘But that’s what you’ve got. You’ve got five pounds coming from here and two from there and one individual. I mean, a dog walks in the grow room, and wags its tail — anything can be coming off that dog’s tail. It’s gross. Fertilizers with E. coli. Compost teas that they don’t make right, anaerobic tea that has elevated levels of E. coli and salmonella…There’s no way that this is sustainable. All it takes is one story of immune-compromised people dying from aspergillus infection. The myth that cannabis hasn’t killed a single person in 3,000 years is allowed to go on. Well, it’s not cannabis that kills people, it’s all the shit that’s in it.’

[From "The Manhattan Project of Marijuana", David Downs, the East Bay Express, 3.4. 2009.])

(Steep Hill Lab says eighty-five percent of the medical marijuana samples it tests "show traces of mold".

—Peter Hecht, "Pot Lab Fills Need for Oversight", the Sacramento Bee, 4.6. 2010. The owners of Steep Hill Lab in Oakland California [which is NOT a federally-certified laboratory] are extremely in favor of medical marijuana…)

("We find e.coli in hash. We’re seeing pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria that’s found in filth."

—Robert Martin, of the Association of California Cannabis Labs. Martin was quoted by David Downs in the East Bay Express, 4.11. 2012.)

("It’s a nasty little secret in the medical marijuana world that many growers spray their plants liberally with pesticides…"

—Robert Gammon, the East Bay Express, 7.28. 2010.)

(In places like Berkeley in 2018, where cannabis production is encouraged, much cannabis waste is generated. Some of the waste is toxic if consumed. Moldy marijuana, marijuana contaminated with chemicals, contaminated hashish, and contaminated cannabis concentrates do not seem to be rare. Some homeless people, alcohol addicts, and methamphetamine addicts find these sometimes poisonous contaminated cannabis products in garbage containers and sell them on the streets…)

("A 2015 study published in The Journal of Toxicological Sciences found that more than 80 percent of the concentrate samples were contaminated by residual solvents."

"In the same 2015 study, pesticides were detected in one-third of the concentrate samples."

—Kathleen Richards, The East Bay Express, 3.21. 2018, in an article about vaping cannabis.)

("…the true danger in untested cannabis comes from the potential pathogens–pseudomonas, aspergillis, and E. coli are routinely found by our laboratory [CW Analytical]."

—David Egerton, in a letter to the editor of the East Bay Express, 7.18. 2012.)

("…Anresco Laboratories conducted tests on all of the cannabis featured at the HempCon Festival held in San Francisco in August 2017. The San Francisco-based laboratory discovered that 80 percent of the cannabis at the festival was contaminated with unhealthy levels of solvents, pesticides, molds, fungus, or various bacteria."

—John Geluardi, East Bay Express, 9.20. 2017.)

(Over the decades, I have seen MANY careless and ignorant people with hands contaminated by perfume, cologne, cosmetics, grease, oils [and a number of other toxic substances] use their fingers to prepare marijuana for smoking. I am dismayed by the amount of marijuana I have had to throw away because of toxic substances that stupid and/or careless people have allowed marijuana to come into contact with!)

("Illegal Vapes are Killing People. Blame the ‘Legal Market’"

—title of an article by Dan Mitchell, 9.11. 2019, East Bay Express. This San Francisco bay area newspaper is extremely pro-marijuana.

"Legal cannabis has created a market for manufactured products like vapes and gummies. If not for that legal market, there would likely be far fewer pirates out there making what look like legal vapes–complete with legit-looking packaging–but were actually made half-assedly by random cretins. When it comes to vapes, half-assed production can mean illness and death."

There is a full color ad for the Magnolia dispensary in Oakland on the same page as the article. "Dab Bar and Vape Lounge Open 7 Days 9AM–9PM".)

("People like to make poison. If you don’t understand this, you will never understand anything."

—Margaret Atwood, in a short story, quoted by Jia Tolentino in her review of Atwood’s 2019 novel THE TESTAMENTS, a sequel to THE HANDMAID’S TALE. The review was in the 9.16. 2019 issue of The New Yorker.)

("Mycobutanil…was found in a product recently recalled by Mettrum Ltd., a Toronto-based medical marijuana company."

Mycobutanil, used to control mildew, is said to emit hydrogen cyanide gas when heated.

"The Mettrum discovery was made recently, when a random screening of the company’s products by Health Canada turned up the unauthorized use of pyrethrin, a pesticide…that is also not approved for medical cannabis…"

—Grant Robertson, The Globe and Mail, 3.10. 2017.)

("While I am grateful for access to the pot clubs…I am at a bit of a loss to understand why, given the virtual absence of risk in producing and distributing pot, it is still so expensive."

"What we have…are facilities charging the high end of street prices to people who are already ostensibly facing hardship."

["An ounce for $300 to $400…"]

"…besides basic capitalist greed, why does it still cost so much? Most of the truly disabled and terminally ill are on a fixed income, rendering the cost of pot not at all that compassionate."

— Quotes from a letter written by Steve Stevens to the editor of the San Francisco Weekly, 1.20. 2010.)

("Each one-gram container of flower are packaged together in a wine bottle-shaped tin, topped with a version of Coppola’s signature label and an embossed pot leaf. Each box will retail for $99 and comes with a branded pipe and rolling papers."

—Katie Shapiro, Forbes.com, 11.2. 2018, describing marijuana grown in California’s Humboldt County that will be sold by Francis Ford Coppola, who directed the 1972 film The Godfather.)

("According to Rand Corporation estimates…legalized…high-grade pot would cost just $20 per pound to produce. And low-grade weed would cost only $5 per pound."

—David Downs, East Bay Express, 10.9. 2013.)

(Since May 2011, four marijuana stores in Richmond, California [near Berkeley and Oakland] "…have paid $486,390 in police fees."

"To some, the situation evokes…the protection racket."

—David Downs, East Bay Express, 8.28. 2013)

(Daniel Rush, the former chair of Berkeley’s Medical Cannabis Commission, was charged with 15 criminal counts, including extortion, fraud, and money-laundering. He later pleaded guilty to three felony counts.

["…federal authorities charged him for offering special treatment to one of the applicants for Berkeley’s fourth dispensary spot."

—Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside.com, 6.23. 2017.])

("I’ve never met so many greedy slugs in my whole life."

—Michelle LaMay, chairwoman of the Teapot Party in Colorado, describing having to deal with the more than 3,000 people who have contacted her because they want to start their own cannabis business. [Willie Nelson was arrested in Texas for possessing marijuana on November 26, 2010. Following his arrest, Nelson founded the Teapot Party.] The quote is from an article by Eric Spitznagel, Bloomberg Businessweek, that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle, 11.20. 2011)

("We did $20 million in sales last year."

—Steve DeAngelo, executive director of Harborside Health Collective, a marijuana store in Oakland. DeAngelo was quoted by Kathleen Pender in an article, "Push to Protect Banks on Legal Pot Business". The San Francisco Chronicle, 5.25. 2010.)

("California’s medical marijuana dispensaries now generate as much as $1.3 billion in sales and $105 million in state sales taxes each year, according to new—and dramatically increased—state sales estimates by California’s Board of Equalization."

"The Board of Equalization earlier this year estimated medical marijuana sales at only $98 million annually…"

— the Sacramento Bee, 5.8. 2010.)

(The Berkeley Patients Group is "a dispensary with about 10,000 patients in the Bay Area". In 2007 the DEA "pounced on a Southern California offshoot of the Berkeley nonprofit for distributing a federally controlled substance. Agents seized nearly everything on-site as well as $100,000 in funds in a bank account."

"The Berkeley dispensary actually got the money back after the City of Berkeley stood up for it. The city stated in a 2008 resolution ‘seizures of assets of medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives have blocked payments of taxes to the state of California and the City of Berkeley.’ The city asked federal authorities to back off and they did."

"Berkeley Patients Group, along with two other Berkeley clubs, net about $18.5 million per year."

—David Downs, the East Bay Express, 9.15. 2010.)

("The city of Berkeley filed a legal claim Wednesday in a federal asset forfeiture case against the landlord of a medical marijuana dispensary here, saying it would lose tax money from pot sales if the dispensary is forced to close."

—Doug Oakley, West County Times, 7.4. 2013.)

("Oakland’s lawsuit said the closure would damage the city, which expects to collect more than $1.4 million this year in business taxes from Harborside and three other city-licensed dispensaries."

—Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 10.14. 2012. Seeking to prevent the forced closure of Harborside Health Center, a "medical marijuana" dispensary, the City of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the federal government.)

Years ago there was a legitimate drug testing laboratory in California where a user could anonymously have a sample of their "dope" tested. Unfortunately, at one point such drug-testing laboratories were declared illegal by federal law enforcement officials and were forced to cease operation. As far as I can tell, the public does not have legal access to any federally-certified illegal-drug testing laboratory.

("This product was produced without regulatory oversight for health, safety or efficacy."

—quote from a blister-pack containing sixteen 10 milligram THC "Orange Zest"-flavored sublingual tablets that were made August 10, 2016 in Salinas, California for a company in Denver, Colorado. [The main isomer of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of marijuana.])

("This product has not been tested as required by the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act."

—quote from a childproof bottle containing one gram of "King Louis OG" cannabis flowers that was sold for $15 in February 2018 by KindPeoples Collective in Soquel, California.)

Many of the anti-drug police say they believe that "harm reduction" strategies increase drug use and are thus unacceptable. Some anti-drug police believe that the world would be a better place if users of illegal drugs died…

("Casual drug users should be taken out and shot. Smoke a joint, lose your life."

—Darryl Gates,
Head of Los Angeles Police Department, speaking to a
United States Senate Judiciary Committee on September 5, 1990.
[Gates said the above because he felt casual drug users were guilty of "treason", according to author Martin Torgoff, writing in his book CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME–America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945-2000.] )

("In 1996, Newt Gingrich introduced a bill mandating the death penalty for bringing two ounces of marijuana into the country!"

[quote from a document published by Unitarian Universalists for Drug Policy Reform].)

("William Bennett, federal drug policy coordinator, said Thursday night he had no moral qualms about beheading convicted drug dealers.

‘Morally, I don’t have any problem with that at all,’ Bennett said when asked on the CNN program ‘Larry King Live’ call-in television show…"

—Los Angeles Times, 6.16. 1989.)

("Quinlivan told the judges that nobody has the right to use marijuana…"

"Judge Harry Pregerson asked Quinlivan whether it was OK for Raich to die or succumb to ‘unbearable suffering.’
‘So go ahead and die. That would be all right?’ he asked.
‘Congress has made that value judgement,’ Quinlivan replied."

—David Kravets, the Oakland Tribune, 3.28. 2006, in an article about a hearing before a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Angel McClary Raich is a very seriously ill patient that multiple doctors say must use marijuana as a medicine or she will likely die. Mark T. Quinlivan is an Assistant U. S. Attorney.)

("One child said ‘I love you, Mom’– for the first time in his life."

—Debra Kamin, Newsweek, 2.23. 2018, describing what happened when a severely autistic child was given marijuana oil. The quote is printed large, with the words "I love you, Mom" in bright red. The front cover of this issue features an image of neon marijuana leaves and the words "The Blunt Truth About Weed and Autism". The back cover is a full-page full-color advertisement for Kavalan whisky. [The article is about a study of 60 severely autistic children who were given an oil containing a 20-to-1 ratio of CBD to THC. The study was conducted by Dr. Adi Aran, a pediatric neurologist and director of the pediatric unit of Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedeck Hospital. "Most parents said their children improved. Nearly half saw a notable reduction in the core symptoms of autism."])

("You’re real! You’re really real!"

—Floyd, age ten, who had never spoken before, after being given a series of large doses of LSD at Fairview Developmental Center in California in the early 1960s. The quote was reported by Connell Cowan, at the time a psych tech, who was one of the people who were giving large doses of LSD to children. Cowan was working with Gary Fisher, a psychologist who had first taken LSD in 1959. [From "The Elementary Kool-Aid Acid Test", a podcast by Amy Standen and Judy Campbell, The Leap, KQED, 4.11. 2017.])

("…good people don’t smoke marijuana."

—Jeff Sessions, in a Senate hearing in April 2016. Sessions is now Attorney General of the United States. He is the chief law enforcement officer and the chief lawyer of the U.S. government. It is obvious that Sessions is very mentally ill, as is Donald Trump, who chose Sessions to be Attorney General.)

("I’m a firm believer that drugs are the root of all evil."

—Contra Costa County [California] deputy sheriff Andy VanZelf,
quoted 10.4. 2009 in the Conta Costa Times by columnist Tom Barnidge. "VanZelf [a police officer for 23 years] …was born to the job–his mother, father, and brother were cops–but that’s not why he stuck with it. ‘Putting bad guys in jail is very satisfying,’ he said.")

(“You can grow enough marihuana in a window-box to drive the whole population of the United States stark, staring, raving mad.”

—Winifred Black, an early Hearst anti-cannabis propagandist, in her 1929 book DOPE–THE STORY OF THE LIVING DEAD.)

("According to the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report, in 2007 there were 872,721 arrests in the U.S. for marijuana violations."

—Adam Tschorn, the Los Angeles Times, 9.3. 2009.)

("It was downtown San Jose and another police officer had made a stop on three kids who were touring San Jose on a Saturday night. You know, driving around in circles like American Graffiti. And the officer pulled three kids out of the car and he didn’t know but one kid panicked and tried to swallow a small bag of marijuana—and I pulled up just to watch and assist if needed and didn’t realize what was going on either. And this kid died in front of us choking on a bag of marijuana. He didn’t die because of marijuana, he died because he panicked over these stupid laws we have."

—former San Jose, California undercover narcotics detective Russ Jones, quoted by David Downs, the East Bay Express, 5.12. 2010. Russ Jones is a spokesman for the "Law Enforcement Against Prohibition" organization.)

("The general commanding Mexico’s drug enforcement unit–hailed by U.S. drugs czar McCaffrey as ‘an honest man and no-nonsense field commander’–was detained in 1997 for corruptly collaborating with Amado Carillo Fuentes."

—Kevin Williamson, in DRUGS AND THE PARTY LINE.)

(Because I am a disabled senior citizen who has VERY little money, I have never purchased marijuana from a store. I have never grown marijuana. Because of my extreme poverty, I have no place where I can safely grow marijuana.)

A randomly-edited selection of approximately 700 of my pictures may be viewed by clicking on the link below:
www.flickr.com/groups/psychedelicart/pool/43237970@N00/

Please click here to read my "autobiography":
thewordsofjdyf333.blogspot.com/

And my Flicker "profile" page may be viewed by clicking on this link:
www.flickr.com/people/jdyf333/

My telephone number is: 510-260-9695

Posted by jdyf333 on 2007-08-08 05:40:14

Tagged: , weed , visions , outsider , pot , memeray , lightshow , marijuana , jdyf333 , herb , cannabis , bliss , 420 , Cannabis Indica , Cannabis Sativa , hybrid cannabis , THC , tetrahydrocannabinol , hashish , bubble hash , Davivid Rose , education , PEACE