Celebrities Being Busted
for MJ is Nothing New

Three Arrested in 2017

Etheridge Smiles for Police Mug Shot

It is no surprise that lots of celebrities consume marijuana, so it should come as no surprise that some of them get busted. Melissa Etheridge was busted on August 17 for drug possession after a drug sniffing dog discovered marijuana on her tour bus when crossing the border from Canada into the United States in North Dakota.

It wasn’t even bud that Etheridge was arrested for – it was marijuana oil which she was using to mitigate the pain and suffering from the chemotherapy treatments she was receiving to treat breast cancer.

It was singer David Crosby, the sperm donor for Etheridge’s two children, who suggested the “Come to My Window” singer use medicinal marijuana to get through the chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004.

She has openly spoken about smoking marijuana with her two oldest children, 20-year-old Bailey and 18-year-old Beckett. In an interview with Yahoo News, Etheridge said "It was funny at first, and then they realized, it's a very natural, end-of-the-day (thing). And it brings you much closer. I'd much rather have a smoke with my grown kids than a drink. Oh, God no."

Etheridge is not new to cannabis advocacy and has often spoken out in favor of marijuana use and law reform. Last year she announced that her company, Etheridge Farms, will provide cannabis products to medical patients in California.

As for the bust, the famed singer plead not guilty to charges of possession of a controlled substance and is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Nov. 14.

Another marijuana bust at the same border crossing, but a couple weeks later on September 9 was 70’s rock icon and producer Todd Rundgren, best known for his 1972 singles "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light", which continue to have heavy rotation on classic rock radio stations.

Although the drug sniffing dogs who caught Etheridge failed to find anything in Rundgren's luggage, exasperatingly thorough border agents did find two vape pens and containers with liquid THC. Unlike Etheridge, Rundgren plead guilty with a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 11.

Another recent bust happened on October 21 when Corey Feldman, who starred in the blockbuster films The Goonies and The Lost Boys as a teenager, was arrested along with six others, for marijuana possession in Louisiana.

On the way to a performance of his band at the Live Oaks Bar and Ballroom in Monroe, Louisiana, the child actor turned musician was charged with one count of possessing marijuana and one count in regard to a traffic violation. The charge is a misdemeanor requiring payment of a fine. He was released without being booked into jail.

In a Twitter post, Feldman wrote that “it was a bit of a good ol shakedown! After we paid them in cash, they asked for pics and autographs and then called the local paper to do interviews.”

Although Feldman has previously spoken about the child sexual abuse he and co-star Corey Haim endured, the arrest happened a few days after he spoke out against sexual abusers in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

There has been a plethora of celebrity marijuana busts over the years. All the Beatles, save for Ringo, have been arrested along with most members of the Rolling Stones. Other notables include Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Bill Murray, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Chuck Berry, Woody Harrelson, Paris Hilton, Robert Mitchum, Oliver Stone, Gene Krupa ad infinitum.

What is so disappointing is that except for Willie Nelson and Woody Harrelson, most celebrities that have been busted for marijuana have done little to nothing to help end marijuana prohibition and stop the arrest, prosecution and imprisonment of over half-million Americans and millions more world-wide every year.

I guess that isn’t so surprising considering that only a tiny fraction of the tens of millions of Americans who have been charged criminally for marijuana law violations have gotten involved in ending its prohibition and allowing for its legal distribution. Celebrities though are people with name recognition that, like it or not, are role models for millions of Americans across all spectrums' of society. That they do not speak out is a shame and a disgrace.

Convincing local government to
allow outdoor personal cultivation
and commercial operations

Prop. 64 Provides Powerful Tools

to Make It So

November

MAPP meetings

Unlike the silent celebrities, you do have a chance to speak out and take action if you live in the Inland Empire, by attending any of November’s three meetings of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project.

All three meetings will be focusing on getting local municipalities to get with the program and allow for commercial marijuana operations and outdoor personal cultivation as allowed under Prop. 64.

Unlike our previous efforts to get cities and counties to allow for medical marijuana distribution, Prop. 64 gives us some carrots to entice local government officials to finally do the right thing. Numero uno is the taxes that they can collect from local taxation and the big bucks from grant funds generated by the state's marijuana taxes estimated to exceed one billion dollars in 2018 alone.

As pointed out by the League of California Cities in their Powerpoint presentation to cities:

Bans on cultivation or retail sale of cannabis will terminate local eligibility for grant funds. This includes bans on outdoor personal cultivation, which are often enacted locally due to nuisance concerns.

Got it? Cities and counties that BAN outdoor personal cultivation will not receive even one dollar from the one billion dollar plus state marijuana tax revenues if they do not allow outdoor personal cultivation. With so many cities throughout the IE banning outdoor cultivation, this can be just the ticket to get them to reconsider these reefer-madness and police supported bans.

For those who want to grow their own, this is exceedingly important. Indoor cultivation is expensive, tedious, time consuming and just plain difficult. Outdoor cultivation is way easier, magnitudes less expensive and if you are limited to only six plants per household, can still produce a lot of marijuana.

Come to one of the MAPP meetings below to learn what is happening in Riverside County and what should be happening in San Bernardino County. Specific goals and targets will be outlined at each meeting with actions that you can participate and even commence in your local communities.

Take the time to activate, communicate and motivate – your participation is needed.

Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. – Moreno Valley/Western IE MAPP meeting – Guest speaker will be Barry Glover with a review of the Commercial Cannabis Licensing Workshop sponsored by Riverside County that attracted close to 500 people. Meeting takes place at Greenview Medical, 22275 Alessandro Blvd, Moreno Valley, CA 92553

Saturday, Nov. 4 at 12 noon - Palm Springs/Coachella Valley meeting – Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon Dr., downtown Palm Springs 92262.

Saturday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. - Joshua Tree/Morongo Basin meeting – Beatnik Lounge, 61597 Twenty-Nine Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree 92252.

A captivating assortment of cookies and fresh milk will be served at all 3 meetings. Bring a friend and receive a free glass pipe!!!

There is so much to do to protect our
rights to access marijuana and we
could use a little help from our friends.
Become a friend and
hang out at our 420 Club

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