Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 12, 2008 3:45:41 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

On the Trail of Medical Marijuana

Posted Jul 21, 08 4:56 PM CDT in Glossies,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – California's legalization of medical marijuana helped create a cultivation and distribution network that promises big money for those willing to work in legal gray areas. Guided by an old friend, Blue, who's a dealer in all but name, David Samuels of the New Yorker follows the trail of Tibetan prayer flags from boutique-style urban dispensaries to lush fields in virtually lawless rural areas.

Starting with "the holistic health nuts, masseurs, d.j.s, art-school dropouts, and New Age types who populate the medical-marijuana scene in Los Angeles," Samuels crisscrosses the state, occasionally indulging along with his interviewees. One day, having woken up on the floor, he reflects on Blue's career path: "Though he is not a dangerous criminal, he is not exactly a hospice worker, either."

Source New Yorker

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Calif. County Cracks Down on Lax Pot Law

    Jun 5, 08 10:57 AM CDT
    Calif. County Cracks Down on Lax Pot Law Voters in a northern California county have backed a measure tightening one of America's loosest pot laws, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. State law allows Californians to grow six marijuana plants each for medicinal use, but Mendocino County allowed its residents 25 plants each for any use. The county's residents will now have to make do with the standard six. More »

  • Indoor Pot Farms Sow Calif. Discord

    May 31, 08 12:13 PM CDT
    Indoor Pot Farms Sow Calif. Discord Indoor pot farms are sprouting up around California and causing some bad vibes in the Golden State, the Los Angeles Times reports. In one northwest community, authorities estimate that 1,000 of 7,500 homes are devoted to cultivating marijuana, cutting into the housing supply and raising safety concerns. Many residents complain that out-of-staters are flooding in to take advantage of liberal laws about medical marijuana. More »

  • New 'University' Goes to Pot

    Mar 10, 08 3:21 PM CDT
    New 'University' Goes to Pot It's sort of a slacker's med school: An Oakland activist started Oaksterdam University to train students to work in the medical marijuana industry, reports NPR. Oaksterdam offers a single $75 course, which teaches students about pot's political and legal history as well as the botany of the much-loved herb. "You don't want seeds in your cannabis," says the founder. "It's like seedless grapes." More »

  • Only in LA: Pot Vending Machines

    Jan 30, 08 10:18 AM CST
    Only in LA: Pot Vending Machines Always on the leading edge, LA is now the first city to have 24-hour medical marijuana vending machines. The bulky black boxes scan patrons' fingerprints and a prepaid card, dispensing neat green envelopes of pot. The machines provide "convenient access, lower prices, safety, anonymity," the inventor tells the AP. More »

  • Feds Totally Uncool With Pot-Laced Candy Factory

    Sep 28, 07 1:45 PM CDT
    Feds Totally Uncool With Pot-Laced Candy Factory Feds yesterday kicked in the doors of a factory producing marijuana-laced candy, snacks, and drinks for the medical marijuana market, the AP reports. Three were arrested, but the company’s founder is still on the lam. Authorities fear Tainted Inc. is one of many large-scale marijuana-lacing operations capitalizing on legalized medical dispensaries in California and other states. More »

Supporters smoke marijuana with Ed Rosenthal, a grower brought up on cultivation charges, even after a federal judge urged them to drop the case.   (AP Photo)
Protesters protesting Drug Enforcement Agency raids on medical marijuana clinics in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo)
High-grade marijuana buds are displayed at an Oakland dispensary.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

California  • Los Angeles  • marijuana  • medical marijuana  • DEA  • police raids


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Arts & Living Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »