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| Pot-Friendly Inn Marks Two Years |
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Posted by FoM on April 20, 2002 at 07:47:28 PT By Marna Malikoff, Sentinel Correspondent Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel 
When the nation’s only bed, bud and breakfast opened here two years ago, it created quite a stir. The marijuana-friendly hotel was front-page news in the Los Angeles Times. The New York Times, High Times, People Magazine, and CNN also picked up the story.Why, even Jay Leno cracked that, instead of mints, guests would find a complimentary joint on every pillow. When someone knocked on the door, quipped Leno, the "whoosh" of the inn’s toilets flushing could be heard for miles. While the media frenzy has for the most part dried up, business at the Compassion Flower Inn has begun to bud, and Saturday will mark its two-year anniversary. The fact that the celebration falls on 4/20 is no coincidence. The date is an annual counterculture holiday known as the stoner New Year’s, widely believed to have originated at San Rafael High School in 1971 by a red-eyed group of teen-agers who would meet daily at 4:20 p.m. to fire up a fattie. "The bed, bud and breakfast has caught the attention of several million people," said Andrea Tischler, who co-owns the handsome 1865 Gothic-Revival Victorian inn with her partner Maria Mallek. "I think this is going to be our best year yet. We might even break-even or make a little." Indeed, the one-of-a-kind establishment, which caters to medical-marijuana users and open-minded vacationers, has drawn guests from around the world, due largely to Internet advertising. Though the guest register typically includes a 50-50 mix of heterosexuals and homosexuals, many of those who stay here suffer from AIDS and cancer, or are simply curiosity-seeking travelers. Occasionally, Tischler says, an unsuspecting tourist will make a reservation to stay in one of the classy joint’s five themed rooms. "We had an FBI agent stay here once," laughs Tischler, recalling a casual breakfast conversation with the man, in town for a triathlon. "We put him in the ‘Hemp Room.’ " After the agent checked out, Tischler discovered he had left some clothes behind. "I took them to him in San Francisco, and he said ‘This is the first time a pothead has brought my clothes to me’," Tischler said, pausing. "I’m not exactly a pothead." Like the FBI agent, local police, too, have taken a very mellow position on the Laurel Street hemp hotel, where guests with a physician’s prescription can smoke pot on the "toker’s deck," where it is strictly BYOP. The chill attitude reflects that of Santa Cruz voters, who overwhelmingly supported Proposition 215, which passed in 1996. The California law allows patients under a doctor’s care to be treated with marijuana. "To my knowledge, we have had no calls, no complaints, and no issues (with the inn)," Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Jeff Locke said. "I would say that 50 percent of the serious calls we get for service are alcohol-related. Alcohol is by far more costly to the community for enforcement than marijuana would be. Unless we get a complaint, (the inn) will not get priority treatment." For more information, visit: http://www.compassionflowerinn.com Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA) Related Articles & Web Site: Pictures From The Compassion Flower Inn Calif. Innkeepers are Mellow About Marijuana Bed, Bud and Breakfast Opens in Santa Cruz Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #2 posted by Patrick on April 20, 2002 at 08:24:16 PT |
| See: http://www.hightimes.com/News/2002_04/lakota.html She expects to pass many pleasant hours among her hemp plants this year, too, and she intends to see them through to a bountiful harvest. "This year is going to be different," Ramona said. "I'm really feeling encouraged. I'm tired of being poor and I'm tired of being oppressed," Ramona said. "This crop is going to change that for us this time." And our government damn well ought to let it be. Thanks for the link Jose! [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by Jose Melendez on April 20, 2002 at 08:11:11 PT:
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| This will be the third attempt, hopefully this raid will get actual video and news coverage... See: "This year is going to be different,"... [ Post Comment ] |
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