To put it blunt-ly (see what we did there?), the second annual Southwest Cannabis Conference + Expo at the Phoenix Convention Center this past weekend was a hit. Roughly 7,000 people blew through the vendor hall (packed with more than 200 exhibitors) and attended any number of the 37 panels…
Phoenix-based Discount Tire Company and its billionaire owner Bruce Halle face a growing boycott movement after making a $1 million donation to help defeat Proposition 205, the ballot initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Arizona. In August, local immigrant-rights groups organized a boycott after Discount Tire stores posted “Re-Elect Sheriff Joe Arpaio” signs in…
Dear Stoner: I was at my neighborhood “gardening” store recently and noticed an ingredient I was not familiar with: bat guano. What is that? L.L. Pot Seed Dear L.L.: The answer is poop. Bat poop, specifically. While bats may be disease-carrying flying rats with poor eyesight, their excrement is like…
“Don’t repeat our terrible mistake.” These words are delivered in extremely dour fashion by Wellington Webb, former mayor of Denver, Colorado, in a new 30-second commercial opposing Proposition 205, the measure to legalize limited recreational marijuana sales in Arizona. The proposition is clearly modeled on Colorado’s Amendment 64, which voters in that…
Doug Ducey received free tickets to the second annual Southwest Cannabis Conference, but event organizer Demitri Downing isn’t holding his breath for the Arizona governor to attend. Downing says he also sent complimentary passes to Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Secretary of State Michele Reagan, but they wouldn’t be shocking…
Legalizing up to an ounce of marijuana in Arizona could save taxpayers at least $1.3 million in jail booking costs alone, plus more than two man-years of police officers’ time. New Times came up with the figures by analyzing jail bookings and costs in Maricopa County, plus arrests statistics from…
Prop 205, which would legalize marijuana in Arizona, is gaining momentum in a new poll. The poll by OH Predictive Insights, conducted September 28-30, shows an increase in support in the past month for Prop 205, and that the proposition still has a chance at passing. However, it also shows…
The Arizona Department of Health Services awarded preliminary licenses for 31 new medical-marijuana dispensaries last week, creating a lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs and (soon) more shopping choices for patients. Most of the 747 applicants lost out on their hoped-for pot of green gold — not to mention the nonrefundable $4,000…
Dear Stoner: I’ve had a vaporizer for almost a year now and have a buttload of golden-brown vaped weed saved up. Is there anything I can do with it, or have I been wasting my energy? Nicholas Dear Nicholas: If your vaporizer isn’t turning your flower black, it might eventually…
Arizona’s marijuana-legalization ballot initiative, Proposition 205, has been endorsed by the Arizona Democratic Party and several other notable groups and politicians. Voters will decide the fate of the proposition on November 8. If it’s approved, adults 21 and older could legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana, grow six…
Dear Stoner: I have a drug test in a week and smoked weed ten days ago. I hadn’t smoked for a while before that. Will I be good? Should I be worried? Prickly Dear Prickly: It depends on what method the drug test uses to detect THC. If it’s a…
Tim Jeffries, the outspoken director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), wants people to vote no this November on Proposition 205, the ballot measure that seeks to legalize recreational use of marijuana in the state. Jeffries has donated a total of $1,500 personally to the opposition group, Arizonans for…
Dear Stoner: I’ve been smoking pot for a few years, but in the last six months I’ve started smoking more as I drink less (I’m 25). My parents have always been against marijuana, but I want to be honest with them if I continue to partake. How should I break…
Mayor John Suthers of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is an outspoken opponent of marijuana legalization — but even he doesn’t support Arizona’s felony-possession law. Suthers — also a former Colorado Attorney General — came to Arizona this week to denounce Prop 205 on behalf of the opposition group Arizonans for Responsible…
Demitri Downing, a former prosecutor and the son of Arizona Rep. Ted Downing (D-Tucson), wants to make the recently renamed Marijuana Industry Trade Association a strong voice for the growing number of Arizona cannabis businesses. The industry has been loosely organized since its inception in 2012, but now needs a…
Governor Doug Ducey’s work to defeat marijuana legalization in Arizona has included a lot of behind-the-scenes fundraising, including a pricey propaganda talk set for Tuesday at a posh hotel. Ducey’s the headlining special guest for the expensive “roundtable discussion” and reception that begins at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the…
Dear Stoner: Why are all you potheads so gung-ho about the benefits of smoking weed? I smoke it from time to time, but I don’t tell my friends to light up a joint instead of visiting the doctor. It’s pot, not magic beans. Grinding Gary Dear Gary: Magic buds, maybe…
Dear Stoner: Why does smoking weed make you hungry? Like, does science know why? Stewie Dear Stewie: The munchies are real, man. Although no one could definitively point to a brain reaction and say “There it is” for a long time, by 2015 marijuana’s ability to increase appetite was already…
A Chandler drug firm under investigation for its aggressive sales of a lethal painkiller claims that a large donation to a group opposing marijuana legalization was made to protect the public’s safety. Insys Therapeutics, which has made billions selling an opiate-based Fentanyl drug called Subsys, expects to soon launch a…
A ballot initiative that aims to give adults the freedom to use, possess, and grow marijuana in Arizona might pass if the vote were held today, a new poll shows. About 600,000 Arizonans 21 and older use cannabis, research from the State Legislature has shown. All face potential felony charges…
Dear Stoner: Does marijuana help with depression? Searching Dear Searching: Unfortunately, the answer is not a simple yes or no. There’s such a wide range of studies on the subject that trying to wrap your head around it can make your hair fall out — or leave you more depressed…
Proposition 205, Arizona’s controversial recreational-marijuana initiative, was the subject of yet another lawsuit this week. Last week a judge threw out a suit filed by opponents of the initiative who alleged that the 100-word summary on the petition to get the measure on the November ballot was misleading and fraudulent. …
