can * nois * seur ( Kan' us sur' ), n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannibis.



Tonight, sipping a choice Sativa (Love Potion), seems like a good time to tell a story or two. Have a toke and i'll recount my tale of the day i smoked a J with Jack Kerouac.



Part One: The Score



Back in the day, the day being 1958, finding a bit of pot could take a month.

During my college years i had manged to hunt down the occasional (and treasured) joint but like every other seeker the trail often led to delays, excuses, dead ends and the dread oregano. The latter being the ultimate humiliation for the would-be hipster.

This all changed when I was drafted out of the Beat scene into the Army. (note: most of the poets and artists of the time were heavily into alcohol)

To my surprise I found that unlike the repressed civilian society of the fifties the Army was seething with drinkers smokers and jokers of every stripe. It was there that i came across my first legitimate pot connection.

i ran into a young soldier by the name of Frenchy Laboy. Now Frenchy was with it and for it when it came to the Army. A bouncy Latino cat full of energy and enthusiasm. i once wrote an Army poem that included him, the line being "Frenchy runs to feel his feet".

Anyway Frenchy came from the South Bronx and said we could score some pot from his homeboys. So come Saturday off we went to New York in a car full of other soldiers who had paid two bucks each for the ride.

Sure enough as soon as we reached his hood we ran into an older dude called Raoul who said he would go look for Bunny.

He returned with a young black man who was sporting the first gold ear stud i had ever seen. Now please understand, in 1958 even the most extreme bohemian males did not wear earrings. Most obviously because it wasn't...manly.

However i came to learn that Bunny wore the ring to signify his status as a "diddybop" or neighborhood streetfighter. Which is as manly as you can get considering the fact that he protected his turf with raw fists, perhaps a knife or some highly unreliable zip gun (UZI's and drive-bys have taken the honor out of gang fighting).

Now i had my own issues with it since being a poet was not considered manly by the mainstream. When i was plucked out of the NY reading scene i was nervous about mentioning
poetry to my tough, new Army buddies. It was a pleasant surprise to find that some actually liked my stuff. In fact i was asked to write love letters to girls back home by many of my barrack mates.

Back to the South Bronx.

i purchased a nickle bag from Bunny and we repaired to the room Raoul had in his mother's apartment to listen to Charlie Parker and smoke some boo. One J got the four of us very high and i read some of my poems along with Bird to an enthusiasticly mellow audience. That night, sitting in that dark, cramped apartment with three strangers from another life. the pot, jazz and poetry dissolved all walls, giving me a glimpse of the bright new world to come.


And that's how i scored my first nickle bag of pot.



Part Two: i get high with Jack Kerouac


(see my next post)


Suggested Viewing: Surfer Dude

Suggested Listening: Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk.

can * nois * eur ( Kan' us sur' ), n. one competent to pass critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannibis.





It seems fitting that the Alternative Patient's Cooperative is located in the Mint Mall at 953 Mission Street, Suite 108, in San Francisco. This small but extremely focused coop was voted

"Cannibis Club of the Year for 2009" by the San Francisco Cannibis Clubs and my first encounter was certainly first rate. Gaining entry is akin to airport security but once you put your shoes on you realize you're in the right place.



APC has a limited but select stock. As I've noted in previous blogs I'm a Sativa man and chose

Love Potion. This organically grown Sativa is sly coming on but soon lifts one to a brave new level of perception. Ideal for depression LP is quite creative and energizing with a long-range arc that is more like a fastball than a curve...well worth the $20 gram or $65 eighth.

(APC has an excellent web site...apcorganicsf.com)







While i'm here (bear with me on the lower case) it seems like a good time to puncture the myth of the bumbling stoner so popular in films such as Pineapple Express. One of the few films to get it right was Peter Fonda's turn-on of the alchoholic Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider.

As it happens Carl Sagan the noted astronomer was a dedicated smoker. And i know of at least one writer who manages to keep whole novels and lyrics in his head (pun intended).

The real effect of Cannibis is to tune the senses like an intrument and create healing harmonics.

Good boo opens doors we didn't know were there.


Suggested Listening: Tangled Tales, the new CD by Dan Hicks, especially his killer version of Song for My Father written by Jazz great Horace Silver

Suggested viewing: Easy Rider

can*nois*seur (kan' us sur'), n. one competent to pass critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannibis.










In the interest of exploration we went out to taste some Cannibis Indica.


While basically a Sativa man (one of my novels is titled Lady Sativa) i'm always grateful for the full body armor of a bold Indica. It's especially soothing for stiffness and stomache ailments.



Our first stop was the venerable Hope Net Co-Op at 223 ninth street off Howard, here in San Francisco.
The club is one of the first and best of our local dispensaries and has a relaxed vibe and good selection. The Indica we chose is called Mendocino Madness and proved to be an
outstanding value at $10 a gram. At that price i thought it might be shake but MM is all tight
buds with a warm, friendly high that curls up beside you like a big shaggy dog. It has a long, easy arc and is relatively light on the munchies.

Speaking of munchies Hope Net also features some tempting edibles including small jars of honey.



If Mendocino Madness is like stepping into a cozy truck on a rainy night Blackberry Kush is like driving a Cadillac with a good radio. One of Grass Roots' top-shelf strains, its big, billowy presence keeps rolling on. BK is notably light on the throat perhaps due to organic soil from which it sprang. At $60 an eighth it is a tad pricey but a little goes far into the distance.
Grass Roots is located at 1077 Post Street, San Francisco.

Later that night, enjoying a glass of Well Red organic wine (Trader Joes) and sipping a sassy thin J of Jackpot (see previous post) i realized why i'm into Sativa. I prefer to be high as opposed to stoned. But i'm grateful for the yin/yang of this herb that gives us so much.

Suggested reading: One Hundred Camels in the Courtyard by Paul Bowles.

Mission Statement


can * nois* seur ( kan' us sur' ), n. one competent to pass critical judgement on the qualities and merits of Cannabis.

The advent of medical marijuana his created a proliferation of pot clubs across California. Never before have so many different strains of the sacred herb been available in any one location.
Brands such as Purple Kush, Sour Deisel, God's Gift, Headband, Grandaddy Purple, Blue Dream and Silver Kush can be found at clubs across the state.
It can be daunting-and expensive-for the seeker to make the right choice to satisfy madical needs and the needs of the soul.
For every strain of Cannabis, no matter how lowly, has its own distinct properties.
Just like wine.
So our mission is to review the qualities and merits of the herb currently available at the clubs here in San Francisco.
In time we hope to expand our scope and review the clubs both here and LA.


My first recommendation is called Jackpot.
Jackpot is a Sativa with a sweet minty taste and a lofty high that has a long-lasting arc.
While it stops a bit short of exceptional it is a great value at $50 an eighth ( 3 1/2 grams )
It was suggested to me by a lovely clerk at Grass Roots located at 1077 Post Street in San Francisco.


Heads Up!
The Re-Leaf Herbal Center, 1284 Mission Street@ 9th is offering
INDICA SHAKE at a righteous $20 an eighth. There may be a little Sativa in there but it's ideal for stash or as a mixer.

So there it is dear heads. Let us know what's on your brain...



Suggested reading: Red Dirt Marijuana by Terry Southern

Suggested listening: Jonah and the Whale by Lord Buckley.

"Jonah! What you smokin' down there?"
the Whale