Pubdate: Thu, 24 Jul 2014
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

SHOULD THERE BE MARIJUANA FARMERS MARKETS?

I hear Los Angeles has a farmers market for marijuana. How cool is that?

- -Mr. Hella Green Jeans

Way cool. Too bad the city of Los Angeles is trying to shut the market down.

A recap: This past Fourth of July weekend, West Coast Collective held 
a medical-marijuana farmers market in a warehouse behind its 
dispensary. It worked just like any other farmers market: The growers 
set up tables to display their wares, and patients got a chance to 
meet with and purchase from the people growing their medicine. The 
market was a success (a huge crowd with many patients saying they 
really appreciate the vibe and the low prices), so they held another 
one the following week.

Of course, the city of Los Angeles won't stand for it. Last week, 
L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer sought and received an injunction to 
force the farmers market to close. Sad news for now, but I am sure 
the market will reopen somewhere else soon.

By the way, cannabis farmers markets aren't a new thing. There used 
to be one in Sacramento a few years ago.

And before Washington legalized cannabis, there were farmers markets 
all over, especially in the Seattle and Tacoma area. Cannabis farmers 
markets are great; it's like visiting a weed bazaar. Plus, buying 
directly from the growers means that the prices are phenomenal. I 
never saw any cannabis, even the best stuff, for more than $10 per 
gram. Those are like 1989 prices.

We should actually be encouraging more things like this. The solution 
seems pretty simple: Find a spot, designate it as the only farmers 
market allowed in L.A., and make sure everyone pays their marijuana 
sales taxes, and leave them alone. It's not rocket science.

As marijuana becomes more and more legal, the parallels between weed 
and wine become more and more apparent. People like to go around and 
look at different kinds of marijuana and hear the story of the plant, 
just like people like to go to wine tastings and meet the vintner and 
hear about the grapes that were planted in 1923 from a cutting of an 
old French vine someone's grandma smuggled in during prohibition. 
Whether it's a wine tasting or a "kind" tasting, it's the same sort 
of thing. Maybe Los Angeles could try to be ahead of the curve and on 
the right side of history. As if.

Senate Bill 1262: yay or nah?

- -Willie Wonkette

Eh. S.B. 1262 would regulate MMJ dispensaries in a California. It has 
garnered some support on both sides of the aisle. I can't say I am a 
fan. It doesn't prevent cities from banning collectives (to be fair, 
no legislation has done that, not even in Washington or Colorado). 
Also, it would essentially cut out all of the outdoor growers in the 
northern counties unless they followed the regulations and paid the 
fees. Good luck getting the outlaw hippies to go along with that. 
Seems a bit unworkable to me. I say let's get a good legalization 
initiative on the ballot for 2016 and end this legislative BS.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom