Marijuana Victory for Dispensaries and Adult Tokers in San Francisco

INTRODUCTION – Marijuana victories on any level is worth shouting about.  Today's topic is obviously focusing on the newest victory for the cannabis camp.  In case you haven't already heard the DA and police in San Francisco have been basically told to back off!  Read my article:  Marijuana Offenses: San Francisco DA and Police Department's Lowest Priority on All Voices.  It provides details about Supervisor Tom Ammiano and the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's marijuana tolerance decision.  You can get my personal thoughts on the issue below in the Today's Topic section.

PREVIOUS UPDATE - Okay, so right about now, I've given up on indicating just when I'll have a decent log of my medical marijuana smoking habits.  I write all day, I smoke all day, and quite frankly, I think I'm too frequent a smoker to document it! LOL – I guess that's not a good thing, but hey, it is what it is. 

TODAY'S TOPIC - Marijuana Victory for Dispensaries and Adult Tokers in San Francisco

All I can say right now is YAYYYYYYYYY!  More later :-)

RAMBLINGS -It's still early guys, I'll write more a little later.

Cannabis Companions - Enjoying the Freedom to Medicate

INTRODUCTION – Cannabis companions regularly take advantage of getting together and enjoying the freedom to medicate.  In doing so, they generally have various things in common, besides the obvious.  This blog post briefly discusses  me and one of my favorite peeps to smoke cannabis with.  The information helps to highlight a few of the social elements associated with those who medicate together.

PREVIOUS UPDATE - Okay, for the last few days, I've been mentioning the dispensary stress.  No, I'm not referring to the stress that cannabis smokers are experiencing, due to the threats of possible closures.   I'm talking about the highly potent marijuana that I've been smoking lately, though it is labeled as stress.  Previously, I was totally content with the quality/quantity combination and felt I was getting some pretty good band for my buck.  Yesterday, I was not particularly impressed with what appeared to be less than the two grams I actually paid for.  Under the circumstances, I think I've had enough stress for a while.

TODAY'S TOPIC - Cannabis Companions - Enjoying the Freedom to Medicate 

Medical cannabis smokers typically have a lot of different things in common, besides their freedom to medicate . This is also true of casual stoners who are still viewed as illegal pot smokers. Some enjoy particular comics, music, video games, and other forms of entertainment.  The cool thing is, the cannabis adds another element of enjoyment to an already fun past time.  For instance, one of my most favorite past times is sharing a joint or blunt of excellent medical cannabis with someone close to me. That person is Trevonne Haynes, another medical marijuana smoker who regularly medicates with me.

Creative Artist:  Trevonne Haynes

Trevonne is a videographer, film producer/editor and overall film buff. To his credit, among other things are the Simply Sinful Dining podcast that he directs for his good friend Michelle, and the Backwash Spitz video of another Haynes man (Trevonne's brother), Tyrell "Fust" Haynes (view video on youtube).  Trevonne is seen in the above picture , showing off his newly acquired Medical Marijuana card. (Sources didn't confirm this, but judging from the grin on his face, he may had just returned from his first visit to a dispensary :-)

Cannabis, Tre, and Science Fiction
Trevonne and I often sit and discuss a number of topics revolving around past and current sci-fi shows. One of our favorite things to talk about is the awesome Fringe television show.  We've actually sat and had Fringe marathons, watching the episodes budded, back-to-back.  Doing this is a serious TRIP, as anyone who's ever saw an episode of Fringe can tell you.  When we're not watching the show, we're discussing all the "out there" but yet plausible theories that the show comes up with.  At least we think they're plausible.  Who really knows when you're medicated???

Other shows we both enjoy and have in common include:

• Star Trek (o.g. Kirk version)
• Star Trek TNG
• Star Trek DS9 (although we often disagree over this one and I'm not as familiar with Capt. Sisko)
• Star Trek Voyager
• Star Trek (the prequel with Capt Archer - although Tre isn't really up on all the episodes

RAMBLINGS - Yesterday I read a very disturbing article from the Associated Press, concerning federal crackdowns on California marijuana dispensaries.  I believe that ALL medical cannabis smokers EVERYWHERE had better pay attention to how this case plays out.  Believe it or not, like it or not, if you are a medical marijuana smoker, it will ultimately involve you, no matter where you live.  If you want to know what the article was about and why I think it should matter to all medical cannabis smokers, check out what I wrote and published here on the All Voices News website.  The article is titled:  Medical Marijuana:  Trouble in Cannabis Paradise!  Feel free to return here and leave me a comment.  I would love to hear other people's views on this.

Cannabis Blogs: Getting the Most from Marijuana Related Resources

INTRODUCTION - Cannabis blogs are abundant on the internet, and just like The 420 Buzz, many  marijuana related blogs have tons of information.  So how do you sort through the facts and cannabis related details that you find, and narrow it down to what's useful for you?  This is the topic of today's discussion.  Hopefully, when you return to this blog, and others like it, you'll be able to start Getting the Most from Marijuana Related Resources.


PREVIOUS UPDATE - The other day I talked about some awesome stress that I've been finding at my nearby medical marijuana dispensary.  This particular dispensary is actually walking distance from where I live (YAY!), so naturally, I visit there pretty regularly.   [Notice the "Alternative Solutions" ad in the left column]

The image here is a picture of the stress I've been getting lately (I know, it's a lousy photo, but what can I say, I was already medicated when I took it :-).  The one and two grams that I've been limiting myself to didn't  even contain that many seeds or stems.  This stress is so potent, that the seeds are the only reason I can see the dispensary refering to it as stress.

On another note, I'm still dealing with actually organizing a daily cannabis log, but I am managing to keep a few good notes.  More on this later.

TODAY'S TOPIC - Getting the Most from Marijuana Related Resources

Much of the marijuana information and resources you find on the 420 Buzz blog is available in a multitude of other places.  That means, that my primary objective is to display the information in a unique, creative, AND user-friendly way.  With that in mind, I have decided to always enter my blog posts in a uniform way.  This will allow new and returning visitors to always find the stuff they want on the 420 Buzz blog.  You'll be able to zero into the areas that interest  you most.

Notice the little white box in the upper left hand corner that looks like the image you see here. Clicking on the icon will take you to the navigation details for this blog.  They explain the order of information in my posts, and what each Section of my blog posts are about.  This should create better functionality for the user.  That way, if you only want to read the details from the day's topic, you can bypass the "Introduction", and other areas.  Perhaps you read a previous blog post, and you're waiting to see an update on that particular post.  Now, you can go directly to the "Previous Update" section because you know that is where to find the updates.

Some people like to go straight to the more controversial stuff, which is probably going to be found in the "Ramblings" section.  Whatever it is you enjoy about reading here at the 420 Buzz blog, you can always know where to find more of the same.  This can save you a lot of time and effort when you're looking for something in particular about cannabis in general, or medical marijuana.

Not all medical marijuana smokers care about issues concerning casual pot smokers and those who smoke illegally.  On the other hand, there are medical cannabis smokers who want to be in the know about ANYTHING related to smoking cannabis.  Either way, when you visit cannabis blogs, you should be able to pinpoint the information that is specific to you and your circumstances. 

I think this system will also help me be more structured in organizing and posting my cannabis related thoughts and information.  Otherwise, everything I write and post here would turn out to be rambling.

ttfn - BudMaster

RAMBLINGS - Today, I have saved my ramblings for a worthy purpose.  I just finished and uploaded an article titled:  Joe Paterno and Joe Frazier: Two Icons Die! and it's published on the "All Voices" News website.  I encourage my blog readers to check it out, not because I wrote it when I was buzzed, which I was, but because of the article's subject matter.  I first got wind of  the story on ESPN (television) today when I sat down with my cup of coffee and began twisting the last of my current meds (the stress from the last dispensary visit).  As you will see, the Joe Paterno and Joe Frazier: Two Icons Die! story is worth following in the weeks to come.  That's exactly what I'll be doing, and I'm not even a football or sports fan!   

As always, I'll try and keep you posted.

A Better Grade of Stress

Medical cannabis smokers in California will probably agree that they can get a better quality of "stress" at many of the local dispensaries.  If you're a new medical marijuana patient, visiting the dispensary for the first time can be overwhelming.  The large displays of quality sativas and indica are enough to make a O.G. pot smoker lose their mind!  But once you're accustom to going to the dispensary on a regular basis, you'll get over being overwhelmed.  Soon, you'll even start thinking about ways to reduce your weekly medical cannabis expense.

Choosing to Smoke "Stress"
When you have the advantage of having access to quality marijuana, it's hard to imagine choosing to smoke stress, which is a slang meant to represent the low quality, street grade of cannabis.  It is usually less potent and contains a lot of seeds and stems.  In most cases, the stress in NO way compares to even the "bottom shelf" dispensary cannabis (This is usually where they keep the most affordable marijuana).  However, since I've been going to certain dispensaries, I've found that you can usually obtain stress for some type of discount or bargain price.  In many cases, it's you may get some pretty good marijuana!  I did recently.  It had a lot of seeds, but the cannabis was potent.

You may find it hard to believe, that there will actually come a time that you occasionally return to buying stress..  Keep in mind, the dispensary stress is a better quality.of marijuana.  You can pay less than $10 bucks (like before you got legal) for a gram, but you won't have to hang around some strange location, hoping to score like in the past.  Before I obtained my medical marijuana card, like a lot of other cannabis patients, I used to get my medication the best way I could.  Many people who now medicate with cannabis have had to  make a few less than legal transactions before they became legitimate.  You may never want to see another bag of stress.  If the idea of medicating with stress is a turn off to you, I say at least take a chance and check out what your dispensary has to offer.  You may be pleasantly surprised!

Most of the week, I've been enjoying what you see depicted here in the photo  The budtender let me have it for $7 a gram and trust me, it's the "chokin kind!"

Medical Cannabis: Educating Myself and Others

Cannabis is becoming a topic I am not only educating others on, but myself as well.  That might sound like a strange statement, because typically, you do educate yourself, before educating others.  But as every internet writer can tell you, it's easy for us to obtain information and put it into a logical format to inform others.  Doing this doesn't always mean you end up educated on a topic, merely informed, yourself.  But some readers will take time to really dig into and digest the information, such as the details I provide on medical marijuana.  Not only that, but many will begin to start applying the information in their own lives, and find ways to benefit from it.  That  is my objective with the topic of cannabis, and every other topic I write about.  But being a medical marijuana patient myself, I don't merely write the articles and dismiss the information as part of the job.  I am therefore learning to educate myself about cannabis and like my readers (hopefully), I'm beginning to see the benefits.

Learning to Keep a Record

Learning to keep a record of your marijuana smoking pattern is a good idea, learning to keep a GOOD record of the marijuana you smoke is an even BETTER idea.  I medicate with cannabis everyday, but I've only logged what I've been smoking a few times.  This is just as bad as keeping no record at all.  I'm working on putting together an effective log that I can post here and display how well it works, but I have to actually make it work.  Although I did jot down the name of one sativa strain since my blog post a couple of days ago, I've been smoking some other types as well.  Included in the past few days was whatever "shake" the dispensary offered, in addition to some dispensary "stress" that was waaaay more potent than any stress I ever purchased!  Anyway, the log that I put together will need to include these two items, in addition to just straight indica, straight sativas, and also hybrids.  I'll continue to make mention of the record keeping until I actually post the log of my "journaling" progress.  TTFN

Medical Marijuana Signature Names

Who Thinks these Names Up?

Medical marijuana dispensaries all have their own styles, when it comes to the way the interior is set up.  They also have their fair share of signature names for the different strains of indica, sativas and hybrids.  Purple Wreck, Old Yeller, South Central OG, Orange Haze, Bubba Dream, and the list goes on.  Where do the names come from I wonder?  Just who gets to think up these names?  This is something I've decided to do some future research on, just for my own satisfaction.  Whatever I find out, I plan to share here on the blog.  I invite you to drop me a note or comment if you have any insight on this.  Later, I hope to display some of my own made up signature names, and you can do the same.

Medical Cannabis Dispensary Styles
I think the medical marijuana signature names often reflect the area that the dispensary is in.  The same is true about the style of the dispensary.  Some medical cannabis dispensaries are more clinical looking.  In fact, at some dispensaries, the whole experience there makes you feel like you're in a hospital pharmacy.  I guess that's okay, because, after all, a medical cannabis dispensary is a pharmacy of sorts.  They dispense products for medicinal purposes.  But those more cold and clinical type atmospheres are not what you will typically find in a cannabis dispensary.  Most are kind of upbeat and trendy.  They generally tend to cater to the medical marijuana patient who is also appreciative of the whole "marijuana cultural scene".  That is why this can actually be a culture shock for those patients who didn't previously "smoke pot". 

Remembering What You Like and Why
One thing about the medical marijuana signature names, they make it hard to remember what you like.  At least I find this to be the case with me.  It's hard to keep up with the meds that I especially like.  I don't know how many times I've picked up a good indica or sativa from the dispensary that was really effective.  But when I go back again, I can't remember for sure what I had.  It can be difficult to keep up with the names, because so many of the names are similar.  For example, I've had Purple Wreck, Purple Diesel and Lavender Diesel.  I like them all, but the only thing that stands out in my mind is the color!  When I return to the dispensary, I know I want something purple or lavender.

This makes it hard to keep up with which one actually provides the affect that I need to focus on my writing.  Recently, I've vowed to be more attentive to how specific meds affect me.  The best way to do this is with a log of all the medical marijuana I use, and the signature names that I've tried.   I will begin my official logging today.  If all goes according to schedule, my blog post tomorrow will indicate what I smoked today, and the positive or negative affects, with regard to my writing.  Maybe keeping a public log will help me remember not just what particular medical marijuana I like, but why I like it.  If you've had this problem in the past, you can start your own log of the medical marijuana signature names you've tried and your reaction to them.

Cannabis: Appreciating the Freedom to Medicate

I got up thinking about how much I truly appreciate the freedom to medicate with cannabis. Living in a 420 friendly city like Los Angeles helps a great deal in the whole scheme of things. Having a medical cannabis card, I wake up and decide what I need to do for  the day, so I know exactly what meds I need to take.  My time isn't wasted trying to figure out how and where to get marijuana since I'm now legal and free to medicate with cannabis.

Don't Take Your Meds for Granted
It is important that new medical marijuana patients NOT take your medical cannabis for granted.  You have to STOP viewing yourself as the casual pot smoker you used to be! I've adapted this attitude recently, although I've been medicating for pain ever since 2004. That is when I was diagnosed with cubital tunnel in my right wrist, along with a related condition that affects my inner elbow. You can read about my trip to legal marijuana (pun intended).

I'm a full time freelance writer, so as you can imagine, my medical situation affects my work a lot. But I refuse to stop doing what I love best, writing. That is why I had to learn the right way to get the benefits from my medical cannabis. I still experience pain and discomfort from my condition, but smoking marijuana helps me to push through it and get my work done. Cannabis has always been a source of relief for me. I get distracted, if not relief, from the intermittent pain in my wrist and elbow. Thank goodness for medical pot. This blog is my show of appreciation for the freedom to medicate this way.

The remaining week will focus on obtaining choice information to discuss on this blog, in addition to my affiliate blog sites. In order to do this, I will need to steer clear of Indica strains, and note the best Sativas that I find. This will help my mind stay focused and in the right state of mind, and my body not too relaxed. For those who need to know more about exploring the benefits of Indicas and Sativas:    Read Some Related Articles.