Features
Odds & Ends: Tommy Chong, RockNess and Electric Daisy
Tommy Chong Using Pot To Fight Cancer
The plan was for Tommy Chong to go on CNN to talk about legalizing marijuana. However Chong, who with Cheech Marin make up the comedy duo Cheech & Chong, had more than legal pot on his mind.
“I’ve got prostate cancer, and I’m treating it with hemp oil, with cannabis,” Chong told CNN’s Don Lemon. “So [legalizing marijuana] means a lot more to me than just being able to smoke a joint without being arrested.
Chong said he didn’t believe his marijuana use was responsible for the cancer. The comedian said he first began experiencing prostate-related problems during a three-year period when he was drug free.
Chong, who served a nine-month prison sentence that resulted from when authorities busted his bong-pipe business, said he quit smoking marijuana about a year ago due to health reasons. Instead, he ingests hemp oil at night so he “won’t be woozy all day.”
Nature vs Electric Daisy
The strong winds began at about 8 p.m. Saturday night, resulting in the electronic music festival shutting down shortly after midnight according to Las Vegas Weekly.
Thinking the bad weather causing the shutdown would be a temporary situation, organizers at first directed festivalgoers to the speedway’s bleachers. Although the music resumed for a short time, officials ordered the festival to shut down for the rest of the evening after learning that strong winds were expected to plague the location through 5 a.m.
“I’m just glad they’re making sure we’re safe,” Las Vegas resident Amy Messmann told the Las Vegas Weekly. “Everyone here knows it’s for their own safety. They’re here for a good time, and they know being rowdy or violent isn’t going to turn the music on faster.”
The Electric Daisy Carnival resumed on Sunday.
‘Legal Highs’ At RockNess
So-called “legal highs” are thought to have caused the death of a 19-year-old at Scotland’s RockNess festival.
After collapsing Saturday Night, Portobello resident Alex Herriot was taken to a local hospital but failed to respond to treatment, according to the BBC.
“Early indications are that the man may have consumed drugs and this is one of the lines of inquiry at this time,” a police spokesman said.
Two people were treated for suspected use of “legal high” drugs. The BBC reports police were interested in a particular substance called “Benzo Fury.”
Although festival organizers in conjunction with local law enforcement officials used searches, drug dogs and “amnesty bins” in efforts to reduce drug use, there were also concerns about “legal highs” in the form of substances that are legal but not necessarily safe.
“Legal highs does not mean safe, and customers should not go anywhere near these dangerous substances,” RockNess organizer Jim King said, adding, “Festival-goers should heed the advice given to them by the health professionals and the police, and stay safe by avoiding drugs of any kind.”