Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert. Email him questions at is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert. Email him questions at ask420@newsreview.com Advertisement

I hear Los Angeles has a farmers market for marijuana. How cool is that?

—Mr. Hella Green Jeans

Way cool. Too bad the city of Los Angeles is trying to shut the market down.

A recap: This past Fourth of July weekend, West Coast Collective held a medical-marijuana farmers market in a warehouse behind its dispensary. It worked just like any other farmers market: The growers set up tables to display their wares, and patients got a chance to meet with and purchase from the people growing their medicine. The market was a success (a huge crowd with many patients saying they really appreciate the vibe and the low prices), so they held another one the following week.

Of course, the city of Los Angeles won’t stand for it. Last week, L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer sought and received an injunction to force the farmers market to close. Sad news for now, but I am sure the market will reopen somewhere else soon.

By the way, cannabis farmers markets aren’t a new thing. There used to be one in Sacramento a few years ago.

And before Washington legalized cannabis, there were farmers markets all over, especially in the Seattle and Tacoma area. Cannabis farmers markets are great; it’s like visiting a weed bazaar. Plus, buying directly from the growers means that the prices are phenomenal. I never saw any cannabis, even the best stuff, for more than $10 per gram. Those are like 1989 prices.

We should actually be encouraging more things like this. The solution seems pretty simple: Find a spot, designate it as the only farmers market allowed in L.A., and make sure everyone pays their marijuana sales taxes, and leave them alone. It’s not rocket science.

As marijuana becomes more and more legal, the parallels between weed and wine become more and more apparent. People like to go around and look at different kinds of marijuana and hear the story of the plant, just like people like to go to wine tastings and meet the vintner and hear about the grapes that were planted in 1923 from a cutting of an old French vine someone’s grandma smuggled in during prohibition. Whether it’s a wine tasting or a “kind” tasting, it’s the same sort of thing. Maybe Los Angeles could try to be ahead of the curve and on the right side of history. As if.

Senate Bill 1262: yay or nah?

—Willie Wonkette

Eh. S.B. 1262 would regulate MMJ dispensaries in a California. It has garnered some support on both sides of the aisle. I can’t say I am a fan. It doesn’t prevent cities from banning collectives (to be fair, no legislation has done that, not even in Washington or Colorado). Also, it would essentially cut out all of the outdoor growers in the northern counties unless they followed the regulations and paid the fees. Good luck getting the outlaw hippies to go along with that. Seems a bit unworkable to me. I say let’s get a good legalization initiative on the ballot for 2016 and end this legislative BS.