Ellis gets Combed Over

The NBA's method of determining All Stars is an absolute joke. Allowing the fans to have so much pull in deciding who gets to be an All Star is absurdly flawed; hence Allen Iverson starting in this year's All Star game. He's barely played this year due to injury and personal reasons, not to mention he's on a pretty crappy team (76ers, currently 20-32). He's nothing more than a sentimental fan favorite.

But eliminating, or drastically reducing the fan's influence, apparently wouldn't improve the system either. David Stern, in his infinite wisdom, selected Chris Kaman of the LA Clippers (21-31) to replace the injured Brandon Roy; giving Monta Ellis of the Warriors the chance to go fishing this weekend. Ellis, 6th in the league in scoring, got the snide based largely on the Warrior's third worst record in the league (14-37). Total BS! The Warriors have been crippled with injuries all year; most of the year dressing eight players (three of which are usually NBDL temps on 10 day contracts).

A constant reality every year, the Clippers blow hard. This year is no exception, they too have NO shot at the playoffs (yet again), despite having a few more wins than the Warriors. Oh and in case you missed it, the Warriors beat the Clippers last night 132-102 with both Ellis and Maggette out with injuries. Kaman, however, did play; racking up 13 points and 4 boards!

Bottom line, a player's team record and/or how good he was five years ago should not affect wether or not he's selected to the All Star Game. It's not like either affects who goes to the Rookie-Sophomore game, the 3 point shooting, or dunk contest. David Stern is simply not good at this aspect of his job. Monta Ellis is an All Star, regardless of not playing for a Major-Market franchise. Oh well, I'm sure getting to watch Iverson hobble and Kaman lumber up and down the court this weekend will be The Chronic!

Don't Haight the Player, Hate the Game

The Haight-Ashbury, a neighborhood best known for the crucial role it played during the spawning of the hippy/drug culture in the 1960s, was recently given a rather short-sited stigmata. An article in the business section of the San Francisco Chronicle does a little slam dance on one of the city's most storied neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the dance wasn't being performed by brightly colored bears or skeletons.
The article focuses on the price of real estate in the Haight being really high, despite the neighborhood being overrun with transients and their pit-bulls. With the approval of Whole Foods, the neighborhood prices stand to increase even more; which apparently confounds the writer(s) of this article.
Honestly, at first glance, Haight Street is quite the spectacle; home to countless vagrants (with their dogs), bong shops, and artsy clothing stores . And yes, you can smell Marijuana in the air as you wander about this urban Hippy-Haven. Overlooked in this article, however, are all the great things the Haight has to offer (in addition to the bong shops, cool clothing stores and wonderful scent of ganja.)
Nestled between the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park, the Haight offers numerous outdoor outlets; of which, most other neighborhoods in San Francisco are deprived. It's home to the Urban School, a Boys and Girls Club, a public library, and Buena Vista Park. What is more, it's a few blocks from USF, several hospitals, Lower Haight, Cole Valley, Inner Sunset, Divis', and Inner Richmond.
As for the transients and their pit-buls, of course they're annoying; but the vast majority of them are non-aggressive and non-violent. Which brings us to safety, (with no statistical basis mind you, rather my experience living in San Francisco and word-of-mouth), there are fewer car break-ins, thefts, and muggings in the Haight-Ashbury than in at least 4-5 other neighborhoods in San Francisco.
Pretty sure the thousands of tourists flocking to San Francisco every year appreciate the unique vibe that only the Haight can provide: A vibe that can be largely attributed to the copious consumption of The Chronic!

Now That's A Spicy MeatBall

Some lady in New York was, supposedly, so upset that her husband did not retire after twenty-plus years of service from the Police Department. To get him back, she got him fired by cooking marijuana in his meatballs; unbeknownst to NYPD Officer- Anthony Chiofalo, of course. It's obviously stupid to get fired after 22 years of distinguished service for having a little marijuana in your system. But come on buddy, you really had NO idea? Unless you like your meatballs super heavy on the oregano, it's pretty obvious when food is cooked with The Chronic!

WARNING! Pot Cookies too Potent for Plane

Kinman Chan, age 30 of San Francisco, attributes his recent freak out during a cross country flight to eating double dose Marijuana cookies prior to boarding the plane. Chan was taken down by flight attendants after aggressively busting out of the bathroom with his pants down. He was then charged with interfering with the duties of a flight attendant, a charge that carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
If consumed in moderation, edibles are great for pain and stress relief. But once you consume a cookie that is too potent, you'll know it right away. For those of you who aren't familiar with 'edibles,' in particular the ones made available at Medical Marijuana Dispensaries; they are super strong. It's a pretty intense body high that can often times become way too intense, leading to dizziness, utter absent mindedness, or even freak outs. A buddy of mine had a near freak out experience after eating edibles for his flight to Hawaii. And trust me, this buddy is a major league chronnoisseur. A non-chronnoisseur suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, after consuming an edible, once told me:

"...basically, I didn't really feel anything anywhere else...the colon goes in, more or less, a circle around the navel. I felt like a round pulled muscle floating in space, rest of me--uber relaxed."

He was not on a plane.

The most crucial thing to be aware of when consuming an edible is the dosage; most people don't need, nor can they handle, more than a dose (or two, if you're a huge stoner) at a time. But 'COME ON MAN!' When your 35,000 feet in the air your blood becomes super thin and oxygen levels are decreased, thereby making you way more susceptible to the affects of drugs and alcohol. To ensure you don't get too high on your next flight, go easy on The Chronic!

Colorado About to Get Miles Higher

Or are they? Though the Colorado Senate recently passed a bill in favor of Medical Marijuana; the bill comes with some pretty serious restrictions. Unlike some states, where you can get your club card by sneezing near a doctor; Colorado's new bill establishes strict guidelines on the usage of Medical Marijuana and the attainment of any such privilege. The new bill prevents doctor's from recommending patients from inside dispensaries. It also requires a full medical review of the history of the patient seeking medical marijuana. As for the 18-21 year olds in Colorado, you have to get two doctor recommendations before getting any ganja. Seems like a lot of hoops to have to jump through just to get some weed, I can think of at least ten easier ways to get The Chronic!

B-Legit

B-Legit is a rapper from the Bay Area. But the B-Legit we're more interested in is the giant blunt commonly used during extremely large 'blunt sessions.' In general, a blunt session consist of 3-5 people who take turns puffing on a hollowed out cigar that is filled with Marijuana. The B-Legit differs from the more standard blunt in that it's two cigar papers rolled together; basically consisting of two blunts combined into one really big blunt. So next time you're partaking in a large smoke session, give the B-Legit a shot. Just hollow out two swisher cigarillos, combine the two, and fill it to the brim with The Chronic!

Mary(Juana)Land

Maryland is likely to be the 15th state to legalize Medical Marijuana, as Senators on the Left and Right indicated in a News Conference this past Thursday (Jan. 26th). A major focus of officials, however, will be to enact a standard for taxation and regulation for jurisdictions throughout the state; all in efforts to ensure uniformity and prevent the potential problems that have taken (and are taking) place in Los Angles and parts of Colorado.
Maryland intends to establish strict doctor-patient standards in the prescribing of Medical Marijuana, as well as enforcing a difficult licensing process for the development of dispensaries. Essentially, the standards of Medical Marijuana in Maryland wont' be as 'willy nilly' as they have been in areas like LA. Most importantly, the citizens of Maryland in need of relief will now be able to legally use The Chronic!

"Legalize It - Don't Criticize It"

Apparently there are some seriously motivated chronnoisseurs out here in California. This past Thursday, 700,000 signatures (roughly 250,000 more than required) were submitted to state officials in efforts to get the legalization of Marijuana on the California Ballot. The next step in the process falls on the shoulders of Debra Bowen, California's Secretary of State; she has until the 24th of June to certify the initiative.
While Medical Marijuana is already legal here in California, if passed by voters in November's upcoming election, the use of Marijuana would be legal for anyone over the ago of 21. That is, citizens of California over 21 would be able to possess up to an ounce of Marijuana and be able to grow for personal use. Recent polls indicate that 56% of California voters support the legalization of Marijuana. What is more, Richard Lee, founder of Oaksterdam University (who has already invested $1 million in the campaign), intends to raise $10 million more.
Taxation and regulation of Marijuana would not only assist in an already struggling State Economy, it will make the prices of pot decrease considerably. So let's vote already, so we can finally just stop by the store to grab a sack of The Chronic!

San Jose Law Makers, Dazed and Confused

San Jose officials utterly confounded when it comes to regulating marijuana. It appears that they don't know where they stand on much of anything that pertains to Medical Marijuana. They don't know what to say about people growing it in their yards, or what to do about the 30 dispensaries that have sprouted up over the past year. The article on this was pretty boring and lacking any seeming significance, but at least it was about The Chronic!

Cannabis Clubs Doing the West LA Fadeaway

It's official, LA City will be closing over 600 Medical Marijuana Dispensaries . The newly established limit will stand at 70 clubs, all of which must be at least 1,000 ft. from schools, churches, libraries, playgrounds and other 'sensitive' areas. This makes a ton of sense, in a city of nearly 4 million people spanning nearly 400 square miles, with notoriously bad public transportation.
Well at least there was no bill passed closing any of the thousands of liquor outlets (roughly 15,000 currently preside, not counting the 10,000 restaurants that also serve alcohol). According to a vastly more knowledgeable chronnoisseur than myself, however, this could be good for the marijuana movement. The president of Oaksterdam University, Richard Lee says: "The ordinance is good in some ways...Cannabis should be regulated and taxed, and will generate jobs and income like other commodities."
Be that as it may, hundreds of local businesses, providing medical marijuana for thousands of prescribed citizens, are being forced to close; which is nothing more than hasty and extreme. The one sure thing coming from this newly passed bill, LA has never been and will never be The Chronic!

How Could The Jersey Shore Get Any Cooler?

The 'Dirty Jerz' recently became the 14th state to create a Medical Marijuana Bill; which will enable patients suffering from various ailments to get relief from weed. An article in the New York Daily News discussed the potential detriments that legalization of Marijuana would have on pot dealers throughout New York City. With weed being made available to eligible patients for only $125 an ounce, dealers fear a drastic cut in their profits (with the street value of an ounce in New York going for $500). Something to be noted from this drastic discrepancy, in cost between the legal pot and the black market pot, is how absurdly expensive things are when they're illegal. Upon attempting to think of any other product that carries a $500 an ounce price tag, I draw a complete blank. This is emblematic of how the black market thrives, the demand (thus the cost) goes up dramatically the second the government says you're not 'allowed' to use a particular substance. Blows to think of all the money us innocent chronnoisseurs have lost over the years thanks to our government's ignorant stance on such a fantastic part of nature. But whatever, at least Snooky finally has something to take her mind off snagging the perfect guido-- what else, but The Chronic!

High Class Discussion

An interesting question- should medical marijuana be allowed in schools? Any realistic legalization measure would come with some sort of an age limit, so how to deal with kids who are prescribed it for various ailments. Also, does weed really help with ADD/ADHD? Seems to me it doesn't necessarily help with memory or concentration, and it should be noted this is coming from someone who was just posterized three consecutive times by Lebong James.

Well certainly if homeroom consisted of consecutive bingers from a three foot bong, not much is likely to be accomplished. Although Marijuana, when consumed in more manageable amounts, does relieve stress and anxiety; both of which adversely affect one's ability to concentrate on things like schoolwork. As someone who uses, and has used for the past three years, Marijuana to minimize stress and intensify concentration at work; I would much rather my children (if I had any) be smoking a joint before lunch than popping pills.

Most importantly, think of all the time kids would save if they could go to the nurse for a few hits, instead of having to go all the way out to the parking lot. Now that would obviously be The Chronic!

LA City Voting to Close 800 Canibis Clubs

It appears as though several special interest groups have combined forces in an effort to make the establishment of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries extremely difficult. Not only will it make it difficult to establish any further dispensaries, it plans to close 800 clubs throughout LA City. If this ordinance passes in its current form, dispensaries must be located "more than 1000 feet from various 'sensitive uses' -- including churches, public parks, schools, rehab centers, and other dispensaries."
In the article, linked above, a LA City Cannabis patient references the nearly 25,000 locations throughout LA where liquor is available for purchase. This is a significant juxtaposition, but let us not forget the countless other substances we Americans readily ingest that lead to far worse things than a mellow and relaxed demeanor, namely: Doctor prescribed and over the counter medications, Coffee, Soda, Fast and Junk Foods, Tobacco. LA city residence should rest easy in knowing they'll still have plenty of places to rot their teeth, clog their arteries, and kill their brain cells. If this ordinance is voted through, however, there will be 800 less places to legally purchase The Chronic!

A Unanimous Step in the Right Direction

This Just in, if you have your Cannabis Card, you can have a whole lot of weed! The California Supreme Court recently upheld an appellate court's decision involving a man who had 12 ounces of Marijuana and several plants growing outside of his place in Lakewood, CA. In his defense was no evidence of attempting to sell his ganja; but more importantly, was his Medical Marijuana Card. It's nice to have the government on your side on an issue so crucial for so many--Marijuana helps people suffering with countless health related problems (Anxiety, Depression, Aphagia, Glaucoma, Cancer...). Thus making the recent decision by the California Supreme Court The Chronic!

"Things Are Tough All Over," even for Republicans?

Pioneers for a a worthy cause, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong were recently aired, on FOX News of all places, on behalf of their goal to "Get it Legal." Gotta love these guys, not just for their hysterical movies; but more importantly for what they've done, and are still doing, to bring the use of marijuana out of the dark ages of denile and into the mainstream along side alcohol as a commonly used, legal substance in the United States. Support a great cause and check out Cheech and Chong's upcoming Tour, it's sure the be The Chronic!

R.I.P. Barry Bongs

Barry was a fantastic addition to our lives, always keeping us on our toes with his bay splashing home runs. He was an absurdly hard hitter, whose brilliance is commonly frowned upon most everywhere outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. A career cut far too short, leaving us all longing for a few more hits. Shortly after shattering Hank Aaron's long standing home run record, Barry Bongs career was prematurely shattered during a routine, drunken attempt at a late-night cleaning. Gone but not forgotten, your hits will always be remembered as home runs. And for that my friend, Barry Bongs was 100% The Chronic!

The Doctor J

This is a monster Joint that was rolled using two, or maybe three, types of weed; a solid mixture of Sativas, Indicas, and hybrids. It was basically two large joints rolled into one really long joint. This was consumed by my roommate and me, one afternoon, about a year or so ago. If I recall, which I don't, it was a pretty delightful afternoon.
Joints are a fantastic addition to any morning, afternoon, or evening. The doobie, in its modest form, is sure to enhance everything. For example, take a joint on your next walk up to Corona Heights. But be sure to save a few puffs for the top of this urban plateau, the view is The Chronic!

A Work In Progress...

Relax, we'll be along shortly...