Ganja Vibes Blog

Sacred Waters - National Geographic Magazine

From the droplets in a baptismal font to the scattering of ashes on a holy river, water blesses our lives. By Cathy Newman Photograph by John Stanmeyer If I were called in / To construct a religion / I should make use of water, wrote the English poet Philip Larkin in 1954—and most religions do. Waters, religious historian Mircea Eliade explained in the 1950s, are “spring and origin, the reservoir of all the possibilities of existence; they precede every form and support every creation.” So it has been since human history began and, by legend, before. The world, Genesis says, was brought to life by a God who created a “firmament in the midst of the waters.” Babylonians believed in a world made from a commingling of fresh and salt water. Pima Indians have said Mother Earth was impregnated by a drop of water. The cataclysmic flood that destroys a civilization is also an aqueous archetype and part of Hebrew, Greek, and Aztec cultures. The body thirsts. So does the spirit. “I must live near a lake,” wrote Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who waded into the depths of the psyche and equated water with the unconscious. “Without water, I thought, nobody could live at all.” From our worldly entrance in a burst of amniotic fluid to the ritual washing of the dead (taharah in Judaism; ghusl al-mayyit in Islam), water flows through our lives, scribing a line between sacred and profane, life and death. We are doused, dunked, dipped, sprinkled—and blessings flow, deep and wide as the River Jordan of Scripture, wondrous as the spring at Lourdes, cathartic as tears. professional swimmer underwater in abyss isolated on blue backgr via Sacred Waters - National Geographic Magazine.  

Bar Owner Tells Pot Smokers to Light Up

Published: Monday, 10 Dec 2012 | 3:39 PM ET

Thanks to a successful ballot initiative last month, Washington state residents can legally smoke marijuana in the privacy of their living rooms as of Thursday.

When that gets old, bar owner Frank Schnarr suggests, area stoners have another option: grab a booth at Frankie's Sports Bar & Grill in Olympia and toke up there.

Schnarr, 62, says he is not acting out of a love of cannabis - he says he hasn't smoked the stuff since he was a soldier stationed in Southeast Asia in the 1970s. Rather, he's looking for new sources of income.

"I stay up at night," he said. "I'm about to lose my business. So I've got to figure out some way to get people in here."

Schnarr, who waged an ultimately successful battle with local and state officials over Washington's 2006 smoking ban, appears to be the first restaurant or bar owner in the state to test the recently expanded limits on recreational marijuana use.

So, is he breaking the law?

Federal, state and local officials appear unsure. Or if they are, they're not saying.

"Marijuana remains illegal under federal law," said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle. "I can't tell you whether what he's doing is legal or not."

Says Tom Morrill, Olympia's city attorney: "We're looking into it. There are a lot of changes in state law right now. That's all I can say."

Mikhail Carpenter, spokesman for the state's Liquor Control Board, newly empowered to make rules for and oversee the state's planned regime for the cultivation, processing and sale of marijuana, is similarly noncommittal.

"The board is weighing its options with regard to Frankie's," he said. "It's not perfectly crystal clear as to who this falls to."

Carpenter said he knows of no other bar or restaurant in the state that allows marijuana smoking.

The legal gray area that Schnarr is exploiting exists in part thanks to his earlier fight over the smoking ban.

In order to flout it, Schnarr renamed his establishment's smoking-friendly second floor as "Friends of Frankie's," a private room limited to those who pay a $10 annual membership fee.

A full range of alcoholic beverages are for sale and the room is staffed by comely bartenders and cocktail waitresses. They are volunteers entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses and childcare but otherwise making their living off tips.

"Frank's ahead of the curve on (allowing marijuana use)," says Shawn Newman, Schnarr's attorney. "A lot of other taverns, bars and restaurants would like to do this, but they didn't have enough chutzpah to fight the smoking ban so they're locked into non-smoking operations."

Schnarr says "Friends of Frankie's" has over 10,000 members, with upwards of 40 joining in the two days since he announced that marijuana would be welcome.

To help appeal to his new target market, Schnarr has introduced a $4.20 appetizer menu - included are breaded shrimp, breaded cheese sticks and breaded mushrooms - and he is toying with the possibility of opening a medical marijuana dispensary on a nearby property.

But he isn't looking to attract Olympia's sizable transient crowd, or stoned college students.

"I'll have security in here, and if I see a bunch of guys just trying to get ripped, they're gone," he said.

Early last Friday evening, a few dozen customers played pool, drank beer, smoked cigarettes and loosened up for an impending shuffleboard tournament.

Only a small group at the back of the bar appeared to be smoking pot, a glass jar of the stuff sitting on the table between them.

Chris Sapp, 28, a long-haired diesel mechanic and longtime Frankie's member, said being able to smoke pot at the bar makes him feel like he's in Amsterdam.

"If I wasn't a friend of Frankie's already I'd be one now because you can come here and smoke and feel free," he said after taking a pull from a small pipe. "That's how it should be. We shouldn't have to hide weed."

Across the room, another patron commended Schnarr for welcoming pot use but begged off giving his name. As a volunteer firefighter, he said, he wasn't supposed to be in contact with marijuana smoke.

"I cannot be in this room," he lamented. "It's not like I'm sitting here smoking a joint or anything. My problem is that I'd love to, but I can't.

Bar Owner Tells Pot Smokers to Light Up.  

Medical Marijuana Community Cultivating Pot Farmers Markets | Marijuana.com

Posted July 24th, 2012 by Johnny Dank & filed under 420 Jam, Events, Marijuana and Food.

‘Cheers’ had it right — people love going to places where they know your name — a community of friends in all walks of life embracing one another. Washington being a pro marijuana state with legalized cannabis, the “Ever-Green” state has fully embraced the “community” in medical marijuana community, with some cultivating to physically build one. On one hand we have medical marijuana card holding patients that like to get their pot and run, debating on where to smoke weed; and others that mash-up their love of marijuana with mingling and shopping — Mary Jane meets the farmers market. This idea isn’t just an idea in a haze…Washington Farmer’s Market in Olympia provides a stoner’s haven for market fare. Open to the public and not being exclusive, the 420 friendly patients and vendors welcome all passerby’s with a smile and open arms; even if you’re the novice stoner still learning how to smoke from a bong.

The marijuana farmer’s market embodies why marijuana laws need to be re-addressed. The market is all about weed; having fun, enjoying the marijuana treats, while learning about all the medical benefits of pot and the exponential medical possibilities of THC and cannibinoids. With about 20 tables, vendors offer anything for the medical marijuana patient to salivate over from marijuana flowers, pot brownies to pot seeds and dank concentrates. Competition helps to have high quality pot products for a low cost, with free weed to sample for patients that donate. With energetic sativas for the day stoner and sedative indicas for the night pot smoker. With many people with a ‘wake and bake,’ on the go mentality, Sonshine Organics provides relief. This medical marijuana collective runs on the same high grounds as the Washington Farmer’s Market and has a unique feature – a drive-thru. Sonshines own Sarena Haskins says, “It’s perfect for the busy mom on the go, who don’t want to leave her children in the car.”

A staple for the growing marijuana niche market is their food, like any other well-groomed farmer’s market. The BBQ pork slider, infused with cannabutter, from Chef Bilbus Yeoldshire is a must have for all patients. A bang for your buck being less than $5. For stoners with a sweet-tooth, there is a bevy of potent medicated weed treats which include: hash brownies, dark chocolate chip pot cookies and cannabis peanut butter cups. With a serene and energetic atmosphere for all ages to enjoy; the Washington Farmer’s Market, hopefully, is the start of an ongoing influx of Pot Farmers Markets around the country so more medical marijuana patients can take pleasure in — A safe and nurturing environment for the medical marijuana community. Vendors and patients alike entertaining, educating one another for the greater of medical cannabis. Identical to the typically, socially-accepted local farmers market minus the cannabis – there’s never a bland moment. With live music, smoking lounges, entertainers at every corner. Hopefully one day there will be a “C” answer to: “Want to go to the farmer’s market?” A.) Yes B.) No C.) Which one? Pot or not? Source: Marijuana.com via Medical Marijuana Community Cultivating Pot Farmers Markets | Marijuana.com.

You're not ready for my big move...

http://youtu.be/2cephI-s26g

Sexiest Weed Ever = Berry White

Berry White: Photos and Strain Review

Posted April 3rd, 2012 by Barry Bluntman & filed under Strain of the Day. Oh Berry White, I can’t get enough of your love babe. This salacious and sweet cross between White Widow and Blueberry is as soulfully dank as the pipes of the legendary chanteur its name plays off of. Berry White is an extremely tasty treat that includes the best traits of its parents. That blueish tint and berry smell with a snow white frosting of trichomes acting as the cherry on top of this mint chip sundae. If Barry White and Betty White had kids, do you think they’d be this beautiful? As is the case with most berry based buds, this Berry White tastes like a million bucks. Berry fruity, berry mellow, and berry smooth going down. So don’t you go-a-changing, Berry White–I love you just the way you are. You damn sexy thang you. Featured Berry White comes from Desert Organic, which is currently in stock. via Berry White: Photos and Strain Review | Marijuana.com.  
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