news story / By Emily Hobelmann

Durant, Durant

The Times-Standard’s Fat Guy on Dope is a total lightweight

(Oct. 18, 2007)  Everyone knows that October is harvest month, and that good food and marijuana abound. The 2007 National NORML Conference was strategically scheduled right smack dab in the middle of this magical time, down in Los Angeles.

For those of you who aren’t hip on weed knowledge, the first thing you must know is that the acronym NORML stands for National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws. And secondly you should know that NORML is a well-organized, nationwide group that has been fighting for pot-related rights for over 30 years. The group’s three-day conference took place Oct. 12-13 in the tall tower of LA’s Sheraton Universal Hotel.

GALLERY >

Now, the Journal reserves its pages for local news, Humboldt County tales if you will, and at this point you’re probably wondering why you’re reading about a gathering of potheads that took place outside of the Redwood Curtain.

Well, dear reader, it turns out that Humboldt contains plenty of folks interested in pot affairs. Who knew?

For example, Humboldt State University has a NORML chapter that you can catch up with at any number of weed-related events about town. The county is also home to a chapter of Americans for Safe Access — that is, safe access to high-quality pot. Even beside those two nameable groups, there are tons of people in Humboldt that are wrapped up in the weed industry in some way, shape or form. Many growers, sellers, activists, recreational users and patients live right here in our haven. Yes, yes — learn something new every day.

Further proof of local interest in such an event lies in the fact that one of our cheap-ass local dailies, the Times-Standard, went so far as to send a reporter down to L.A. to cover the conference. We’ve all seen that weed leaf emblazoned on the Times - Standard’s front page, and, naturally, coverage of a national conference about marijuana law reform is a great opportunity for the paper to throw that leaf on the cover some more.

An event of this magnitude demanded coverage. Not coverage of the conference — coverage of the reporter covering the conference. How would the Times-Standard’s Chris Durant play it in LA? As a straight-laced newsboy wearing out shoe leather to get the story, or as the major-league smokehound we always kind of suspected him to be? The Journal got lucky and just happened to have a willing and able weedy affiliate — yours truly — ready to step into action.

The verdict? Let’s just say that if the Journal hadn’t been in the house, the world-class stoners in attendance would still be wondering what ever happened to the legendary heads of Humboldt County.

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