Actor, writer and director Kevin Smith, creator of films like “Clerks,” “Mallrats,” and “Dogma,” is no stranger to finding the humor in marijuana and cannabis culture, and has just finished production on “Hollyweed,” a half-hour comedy set in a Los Angeles dispensary. Smith wrote, directed, and stars in the project.
Author Archives: Tom Batten
Chuck Lorre Plans New Sitcom Set in Colorado Dispensary
Chuck Lorre, the big shot co-creator and executive producer behind shows like “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mike and Molly,” and “Mom,” is apparently shopping around a new multi-camera sitcom set at a Colorado marijuana dispensary, according to Deadline.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Zayn Malik Smoking Pot
In a new, wide-ranging interview with Billboard, Zayn Malik, the “Bradford Bad Boy” who rocked tumblr by quitting pop group One Direction last year, expressed his devotion to sativa.
Celebrity Chef Mindy Segal Enters the Edibles Game
Celebrity chef, restaurateur, and author of the cookbook “Cookie Love,” Mindy Segal is known for putting a fun, modern spin on classic desserts and pastries, and she has now set her sights on bringing some gourmet elegance to the growing market for cannabis-infused edibles in partnership with Cresco Labs.
New Australian Anti-Marijuana PSAs Featuring Sloth Monsters Flop
A rich tradition of anti-marijuana propaganda has been embraced by cannabis fans, stretching back to the film “Reefer Madness” in the 1930’s and continuing today in New South Wales, Australia, where a new series of public service announcements depicts stoners as confused anthropomorphic sloth creatures.
7 Strains for ‘Star Wars’ Fans
Since 1977, fans of “Star Wars” looking to fill their lives with as much branded merchandise as possible have had little trouble doing so, with characters adorning everything from bed sheets to cleaning products. While none of the following strains are officially endorsed or approved by the people behind “Star Wars,” they do exist.
Make Your Festival of Lights Funky With the Menorah Bong
David Daily, a 35-year old businessman and owner of Grav Labs, a manufacturer of “high quality scientific glassware,” has combine his love of Judaism with his life’s work to create “the Grav Menorah,” a fully functional glass bong with room for eight night’s worth of candles as well as the shamash, which is used to light the others.
AnnaBís Introduces High-Fashion, Cannabis-Toting Handbags
Jeanine Moss and Ann Shuch are self-described “fashionable women of means,” but it’s not enough that they look good; they want you to look good, too. That’s why they created AnnaBís, a line of handbags and clutches specifically crafted for users who appreciate the sweet leaf and high fashion in equal measure.
Rihanna Denies Launch of Branded Marijuana Line
The story seems to have originated with 18karatreggae.com, which quoted the singer of hits like “Umbrella” and “Disturbia” as saying “MaRihanna by Rihanna is truly the first mainstream cannabis brand in the world and proud to be a pioneer … .”
Marijuana Arrests in Virginia Skyrocket, Especially in Black Communities
The Commonwealth of Virginia is rich in history, home to beautiful beaches, rich mountain ranges, and some of the most regressive drug policies in the entire United States, according to a new report authored by Shenandoah University professor and researcher Jon Gettman and published by the Drug Policy Alliance. The report showed a consistent increase in both arrests and racial disparity.
Comedian Ron White Launches Pro-Pot Presidential Campaign
Comedian Ron White, best known for being the one guy from the Blue Collar Comedy tour that people who don’t like the Blue Collar Comedy Tour will admit they like, has filed the necessary paperwork to enter the current presidential race as an independent, and widespread legalization of marijuana is one of his chief concerns.
Pop Star The Weeknd Teams With PAX for Limited Edition Vaporizer
Canadian rhythm and blues star The Weeknd has joined with high-end vaporizer brand PAX to release a product called The Madness Fall Tour Limited Edition PAX, to be sold along with other, more traditional merchandise.
Nick Lachey Really Hopes Marijuana Becomes Legal in Ohio
Cincinnati native Nick Lachey has been a musician as part of boy band 98 Degrees, the star of multiple reality shows, a restaurateur, a TV host, and probably some other stuff—and if the citizens of Ohio pass a proposed marijuana legalization bill on Nov. 3, 2015, he’ll be able to add marijuana kingpin to his resume.
NFL Asks Pittsburgh NORML to Stop Using Steelers-Inspired Logo
A National Football League team is demanding that another group change its logo, claiming that the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (better known as NORML) logo, which basically looks just like the Steelers logo with the throwing-star things swapped out for marijuana leaves.
Chong’s Cancer Returns as He Prepares For New Talk Show
Comedian and marijuana advocate Tommy Chong has revealed he is preparing to undergo surgery for prostate cancer after previously suggesting that hemp oil treatment and a medical marijuana prescription had rendered him “99 percent cancer free.” Meanwhile, he is also preparing to launch a new online talk show.
Melanie Griffith’s Pot Movie Isn’t About Pot, Film Commissioner Says
Actress Melanie Griffith is set to return to the silver screen in “Miss Cannabis,” a movie about a wealthy woman who loses her riches to swindlers and moves onto a medical marijuana farm.
Snoop Dogg Blesses Colorado Pot Tax Holiday
Rapper and marijuana entrepreneur Snoop Dogg continued his quest to become regarded as the Johnny Appleseed (or maybe make that Stems-and-Seeds) of cannabis for future generations by offering a benediction to the good people of Colorado following that state’s inaugural cannabis tax holiday on Sept. 16.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Talks Pot in Playboy Interview
In a new interview with Playboy Magazine, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt speaks frankly about his love for and experience with marijuana. Gordon-Levitt tells the highbrow nudie mag that he uses marijuana as a creativity booster.
Zayn Malik Marijuana Pics Fail to Stoke Moral Outrage Online
In an absolutely revolting and completely surprising turn of events, former One Direction member Zayn Malik is now a burgeoning bad boy, having recently posted two moody, monochrome pictures of himself smoking what appears to be marijuana to his Instagram account.
MTV Criticized for Promoting Marijuana at Video Music Awards
The Truth Initiative seems peeved to have paid to run two anti-smoking ads during the MTV VMAs on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2015.
Campus Marijuana Moves From Dorm Room to Classroom
As attitudes toward marijuana are changing and laws are becoming more reasonable, some students are getting the opportunity to actually study marijuana for credit—as opposed to the traditional detriment of their GPA. Campus marijuana is moving from the dorm room to the classroom.
Army Bans KIND Bars Containing 0.001 Percent THC
U.S. Army soldiers reaching for the popular KIND brand energy bars for a snack better watch out, because certain bars have been banned by the military. They contain hemp seeds and very low levels of THC which might cause soldiers to fail drug tests.
Princeton Review Releases Annual Reefer Madness List
The Princeton Review, an education company that specializes in test preparation, online tutoring, and college rankings, has released its annual Reefer Madness list of the best schools to attend if one of your educational priorities is getting a buzz on.
D.A.R.E Briefly Relevant Due to Mistaken Advocacy of Marijuana Legalization
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was briefly relevant to the actual concerns of 21st century life Saturday afternoon when it mistakenly posted an op-ed by former Ohio Deputy Sheriff Carlis McDerment to its homepage urging the widespread legalization of marijuana.
Keith Richards Admits to Regular Marijuana Use
In a new interview with Mojo Magazine, 71-year-old Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards has bravely admitted to using marijuana recreationally.
Famous Women Love Cannabis And Don’t Care Who Knows It
Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Stevie Nicks, Kelly Clarkson, and Melissa Etheridge are among the famous women who love cannabis and don’t mind saying so. Sarandon responded to a shout out in A$AP Rocky and Action Bronson’s new single “1Train” this week by tweeting the two rappers with an invitation to “blaze one.”
New Delivery Service Flow Kana Has Lofty Goals
Flow Kana, a new San Francisco-based medical marijuana delivery service, has much loftier goals than just dominating the delivery market—they’re looking to change the world. The website details their farm-to-table ethos, advertising 100-percent sun-grown, pure-green, and connoisseur-grade product from Mendicino County.
Vulture.com’s Stoner Week Highlights Pot in Pop Culture
New York Magazine’s pop culture blog Vulture.com has just completed Stoner Week, a celebration of the myriad ways marijuana has worked itself into entertainment culture. It’s an in-depth, decades-spanning look at the evolution of marijuana in music, television and film.
Pueblo for Positive Impact Resists Marijuana Industry in Colorado
Pueblo for Positive Impact is an advocacy group in Pueblo County, Colorado that, according to its website, supports “Robust economic development for Pueblo County” and stand against “Government bodies which devise policy without sufficient citizen input,” but basically they don’t want marijuana around.
Attention Colorado: Marijuana is Taking Over Your Radio Dial
Colorado sports fans beware: two local sports talk radio stations have switched format to cover marijuana. The first to make the switch is K-HIGH in Colorado Springs, a former Fox Sports affiliate found at 1580 on your AM dial. Hot on K-HIGH’s tracks is Denver’s Smokin 94.1.
Seven in DC Hospitalized as Synthetic Marijuana Overdose Numbers Spike
About seven residents at a District of Columbia homeless shelter were hospitalized last week after overdosing on a synthetic marijuana product. Synthetics are making more people sick.
Chicago Ends War on Man Who Got Chameleon High
Bruce Blunt, the aptly named Chicago man charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after a video of him blowing marijuana smoke into the face of his pet chameleon Binna went viral, has been acquitted by a Cook County circuit court judge.
Media Scowls After Roger Daltrey Pauses Concert Due to Marijuana Smoke
A curiously high number of culture and news sources have reported a story, apparently originating in Newsday, that The Who front man Roger Daltrey paused in the midst of a performance at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York, on May 20, 2015.
David Letterman to Oprah Winfrey: You Smoking?
On Friday, May , 15, 2015, television and lifestyle icon Oprah Winfrey appeared on David Letterman’s “The Late Show” to say goodbye to the legendary comedian as he prepares to retire next week and discuss, amongst other things, smoking marijuana.
Celebrities on Cannabis: Jackie Chan vs. Morgan Freeman
International action star Jackie Chan and Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman have come out on opposite sides of the marijuana debate in the last few weeks.
Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde Capital Invests in Eaze
If you are interested in figuring out what international hip-hop superstar and marijuana advocate Snoop Dogg will be best remembered for, put another check in the cannabis column.
HBO Picks Up Web Series ‘High Maintenance’ for Six Episodes
Cable network HBO has picked up the popular web series “High Maintenance” for a six episode season, and will also make the previous 19 episodes of the series—which previously aired on Vimeo—available via its HBO GO streaming service.
Vanity Fair Article on Baby Boomer Penchant for Pot Treats Legality as Nonissue
A recent Vanity Fair article by Bill Bradley explores where baby boomer’s longing to relive their prime Summer of Love years but trapped inside states yet to legalize cannabis are scoring their product, and highlights how marijuana usage is quickly becoming a kind of mundane nonissue for many Americans.
Celebrity Marijuana Endorsements Range in Appeal
The recent announcement of Willie’s Reserve, singer Willie Nelson’s new branded marijuana strain and dispensary chain, garnered a lot of attention for the legal cannabis industry last week, but Nelson isn’t the only—or first—celebrity to get into the pot game.
Third Death in Colorado Linked to Edibles Sparks Debate
For the third time since recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2014 a death has been attributed to the consumption of edible products containing THC, furthering the debate about the safety of these products and the role of personal responsibility.
Wille Nelson to Launch ‘Willie’s Reserve’ Strains and Dispensaries
2016 will see the launch of “Willie’s Reserve” branded marijuana strains, dispensaries and associated paraphernalia.
‘Friday’ Director’s Cut Hits Theaters on 4/20 for Film’s 20th Anniversary
In one of the great no-brainers in the history of movie marketing, New Line Cinema will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film “Friday” by releasing a director’s cut of the cult classic stoner comedy in 700 theaters for one night only on April 20, 2015.
‘Entourage’ Film to Feature Vape Pen Subplot
The upcoming “Entourage” film is set to feature a subplot concerning comic relief sidekick Turtle, played by Jerry Ferrara, investing in a successful startup that distributes the popular devices.
Dating Sites Geared Toward Cannabis Consumers
Gone are the day when smokers seeking companionship had to track the cloud of smoke billowing down the hallway of their dorm back to its source.
NBC to Develop Workplace Comedy Set in Marijuana Dispensary
Actor Adam Scott, star of the current box office hit “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” and the recently completed NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” has entered into a deal with NBC to develop “Buds,” a workplace comedy set in a Denver-based marijuana dispensary.
California Cannabis Hemp Initiative Releases Ridiculous Advertisement
A new ad released by the California Cannabis Hemp Initiative (CCHI), in an attempt to raise awareness for legalization legislation in California, unwittingly serves as a great argument for keeping cannabis illegal.
FX Cable Drama Justified Features Criminals Vying for Legalization Dollars
Popular FX cable network cops and capers series Justified, now in its sixth and final season, currently features a multi-episode storyline revolving around the possible legalization of cannabis in Kentucky.
Internet Commenters Reveal Flawed Thinking of Legalization Debate
This was a case of parents exposing their child to a controlled, mood altering substance on their own, admittedly blurry cognizance.
