counterculture

Reggae star Tabby Diamond killed in Jamaica

Posted on March 30th, 2022 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

Tabby DiamondReggae group the Mighty Diamonds' lead singer Tabby Diamond (née Donald Shaw) was shot and killed in Jamaica in a drive-by attack on March 29. Five people were hit with two dying in the St. Andrew South area. Shaw was 67.

The Mighty Diamonds were founded in 1967, but didn't release their first album until 1976. Their best-known song, 1981's "Pass the Kouchie," is about smoking ganja. One year later, Musical Youth's cover of the song, retitled "Pass the Dutchie," was a No. 10 hit in the US.

Cannabis & counterculture in Ukraine: threatened by Russian aggression

Posted on February 21st, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

UkraineUkraine has been suddenly thrust upon the center of the world stage, as Russia pours forces over the border in defiance of the West. In the atmosphere of militarization, space for cannabis and alternative culture is likely to close in both countries—but at least such space had been, slowly and tentatively, opening in Ukraine. Russia, pursuing an aggressive drug-war police state at home, may now be poised to impose its cultural-conservative agenda and roll back the recent gains in its smaller neighbor.

Thailand approves home cultivation —a first for Asia

Posted on January 27th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

BangkokThere is jubilation among cannabis advocates in Thailand after authorities announced a change to the narcotics code allowing personal cultivation—a breakthrough for the Asian continent. But does the reform really presage full legalization?

Atlanta rapper faces sentencing on federal cannabis 'conspiracy' charge

Posted on January 13th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

raloAtlanta rapper Terrell Davis, better known by his stage-name Ralo, has been held for nearly four years on a federal cannabis “conspiracy” charge, and finally faces sentencing in March. He is potentially looking at up to 20 years in prison. Top names in the rap industry are mobilizing to plead for clemency in his case.

Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville opens in New York

Posted on December 19th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , .

Baba IsraelA multimedia extravaganza on the history, culture and politics of the cannabis plant opens in New York City next month.

It is certainly a propitious moment for a theatrical concert celebrating cannabis to hit New York's off-off-Broadway scene, as the Empire State this year actually legalized.

Five years in the making, Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville seeks to be didactic as well as fun, tracing the plant from its origins on the remote steppes of Central Asia straight through the hip-hop culture that animates the show.

Free speech under attack in Czech cannabis crackdown

Posted on December 11th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , .

PragueThe Czech Republic and especially its capital Prague have won a cachet among the international cannabis-cognoscenti. But now a local magazine dedicated to the cannabis culture may be forced to close by legal action — with its editor under threat of prison time.

Of all the post-communist countries, the Czech Republic is seen as the one that has best finessed the transition to an open society. Its predecessor state Czechoslovakia was at the forefront of the fight for freedom. Through it all, there was a strong whiff of alternative culture. The very word bohemia comes from one of the Czech Republic's two historical regions, Bohemia and Moravia.

Happy Munkey smoke out at Immersive Van Gogh

Posted on August 19th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , .

HappyMunkeyNew York City's Happy Munkey "cannabis lifestyle purveyor" held two after-hours affairs this month at the East River waterfront venue hosting the popular Immersive Van Gogh exhibit. The twin soirées were seen as marking the arrival of an open presence for cannabis in the Big Apple's vaunted cultural life.

Reggae icon Bunny Wailer passes on at 73

Posted on March 2nd, 2021 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

Bunny WailerBunny Wailer, a founder of the reggae musical genre, died in Kingston on March 2 at the age of 73. He was the last surviving member of the original Wailers, following Bob Marley's death from cancer in 1981, and Peter Tosh's murder during a robbery in 1987.

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