The World is Spinning…

Since moving to Boulder, I have always been aware of the states’ view on medical marijuana and the laws that are in affect, but I never dreamed it would become what it is now. Starting about six months ago, I began to notice marijuana dispensaries popping up all over town, and the subject of MMJ (medicinal marijuana) has been receiving increasingly more media attention as more of these stores open up. As of last week, Denver has issues more than 300 sales-tax licenses for dispensaries all over the state. The number of dispensaries now exceeds the number of Starbucks in the metro Denver area.

If one were to take a drive down any major street in Denver, its almost impossible to ignore the bright neon signs flashing “Daddy Fat Sacks”  or “Ganja Gourmet.” So many of these dispensaries were popping up in towns all over the state that some counties put a moratorium on them, which would ban the opening of any new businesses that provided MMJ to licensed users. Many citizens of Denver thought there wasn’t enough clear regulation in the system and wanted the rules changed. So thats what happened in the capitol building today.

Many of the members of Denver’s City Council have voiced an intent on restricting dispensaries to open within 1,000 feet of any schools, child-care facilities, and even one another. For the dispensaries to obtain a sales-tax license, they must show that they have a location to open the facility to conduct business, and show that they plan to open within 90 days. Although there is much opposition to these dispensaries, the City of Denver doesn’t seem to mind, as long as there are clearly defined rules that card-holding patients and dispensaries adhere to. With Denver having a serious budget crisis, these businesses might alleviate the economic strain felt throughout the city as they will bring in millions in taxes, and that number will only go up with the number of dispensaries and MMJ applicants increasing.

The number of patients in Colorado now is estimated to be 20,000 and that number is expected to rise to 40,000 by this time next year. The MMJ registry office in Denver is receiving up to a thousand new applications a day, and at $90 an application well…you do the math. Also, that $90 is only good for one year, and after that the MMJ patient must re-submit their application with another $90. So you can see how the state is benefitting from this whole deal.

There are also other rules that are being enacted such as no felons can work at any dispensaries in the state, and there can be no on-site comsumption of marijuana at the dispensary. A MMJ card-holding patient is only allowed to possess two ounces of dried product and have six marijuana plants. Of the six only three can be in the mature flowering stage. A card-holder can also name a “Caregiver”, who is someone who grows the product for the patient in case the patient cannot grow themselves. And this is the loophole that is allowing all these dispensaries to go into business. The owners of dispensaries are offering incentives for people to name them as their caregiver as this allows them to grow more plants, and therefore make more money.

One would think that since MMJ is legal in Colorado, the prices would be different than the price of marijuana on the street. WRONG! Prices are actually the same, with 1/8th ounce (3.5 grams) costing anywhere from $45-$70. The only thing is that the product is only of the best quality, and the dispensaries know the actual strains they sell, and the medicinal effects each strain posessess. Dispensaries also carry a variety of other MMJ products such as edibles, oils, tinctures, drinks, and some even have lotions that provide the same effects one would get if it were smoked….Crazy right?

“If you smoke like I smoke, then ya’ high like every day…”
~Warren G – Regulators

~Andy

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So it begins… The Ultimate MIDI Controller Monome 40h DIY Build – AKA the Arduinome 40h. So here is the start to another project of mine which I had promised in an earlier post. I have ordered all the parts and they should be at my house in Boulder when I return from the sunny state of Florida for Christmas break from my dads house in Tampa.

Here are all the parts with pictures of what one would need to build an Arduinome. The stock Monome 40h costs around $500 to buy outright, but if you have the wherewithal to build one, it will only run you about $150 without labor costs. Here is what you will need to build da’ damn thang:

Sparkfun

Digikey

There are just some of the pictures of the parts, there are a few more things from Digi-Key that weren’t pictured because they all look like the last two pics but you get the gist of it. Anyway I want to give credit where credit is due. I had copied the parts list verbatim from the Flip-MU blog which initially inspired me to do this build as they have posted instructions on their blog as well, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing the wealth right?

So that’s it for now, hope all my loyal readers had an awesome Christmas, or Kwanzaa, or whatever ya’ll celebrate as I know I had an awesome one with just my pops and I. My brother and sister just flew in from Maryland and now the family is happily together in the warm climate of Florida where we will be for the next few days, and then it is back to Boulder, CO for me. Until next time (which will probably after the new years) I’ll catch ya lata! Happy new years and a word from the wise: don’t drink and drive-or as they say in those ghey commercials: BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING!!! hahaha yea right

~Andy

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Sitting at my moms is pretty boring so I’m posting another song that is not finished, just hoping to get feedback on it.. And also I have officially taken the artist name of “Two Stone River” which was our  [our as in my brother Dan, my neighbor Steve - who is the big brother of the girl at the bar (Read below post), and me]

Here it is, well the screen shot anyway:

And the music:

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Obviously its not done yet but any comments are appreciated… Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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So I flew back to my home town of Woodbine, MD yesterday from school out in Boulder, CO and I knew I was in for a treat. My brother picks me up from the airport at BWI and we decide to head straight to the bars. We travel to Old Ellicott City and I end up getting denied at the bar because the stupid bouncer won’t accept my Colorado ID (which got me on a federal flight out here). Its a good thing I got denied at the bar because my neighbors who were inside ended up getting into a fight….an all chick fight-and this is how it was explained to me:

A girl who was at the bar was getting eyed by another chick across the room, and I guess they had a history from some altercation that had happened months ago at her school (Towson University). The girl across the room started rushing the girl at the bar in full fledged linebacker style and in efforts to stop the tackle the girl at the bar put her hand out like a crossing guard at an elementary school, the only thing she was missing was the stop sign… Anyway the girl at the bars friend tries to intercede only to be ripped by her hair down the floor and pummeled in the face on the bar floor til blood was running down her face like a sieve. Two more girls join in the hair pulling face bashing frenzy and the fight was now a full out brawl with all the hair ripping and face bashing any man could ask for….So I’m glad I didn’t get in the bar because I might of ended up getting arrested and thrown in jail on the eve of thanksgiving, but at least I got a first hand account…from the original girl at the bar (my neighbors little sister.)

So my night ended up being a very drunk one, and Im upset I missed the sweetest chick brawl of the year, but I did get hit on by a slammin hot girl…who came up to me believe it or not at the bar. Although I’ll never see her again it boosted my confidence and to all girls out there….coming up to any guy and talking to him makes you a million times sexier, at least in my book…. SO that was my night last night, Im sitting on the couch waiting for my mother to cut the turkey, and updating my blog because there is really nothing else to do…….anyway from Woodbine, Maryland :: Over and Out..

~Andy

Mmmm….turkey is ready

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