The third installment of the stoner comedy franchise, “A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas”, will have a Christmas theme and might also be filmed in 3-D. It’s expected to be in theaters sometime in late 2011. Newcomer director Todd Strauss Schulson will take over for original creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg who will be working on an untitled “American Pie” reboot.

No word on whether Neil Patrick Harris will be resurrected in the new movie.

The new Apple iPad is set to hit stores April 3rd and Spark Report in honored to be the first marijuana site to get a hands on review the device. The iPad boasts impressive features such as 9.7 inch touch screen, 16-to-32GB flash drive, accelerometer and rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. The fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating makes a perfect surface for both breaking up and rolling your marijuana. Where the iPhone lacks in multitasking the iPad makes up for by allowing you to run apps or surf the web while rolling your joint or blunt. We did notice that some marijuana tends to get stuck in the cracks around the device leading us to believe Apple may of spent too much time on the secondary features rather than focusing on it’s core use as a marijuana rolling pad.

Our final opinion of the iPad is that it’s an awesome device for any serious marijuana consumer. The $499 price tag is hard to justify when compared to other rolling pads such as a magazine, notebook or DVD case but none of those offer the style that Apple devices are known for.

Happy April Fools Day. For year-round shenanigans, follow Spark Report on Twitter.

This November, Californians will cast an important vote on whether to legalize marijuana in their state. If they succeed many states may follow with similar legalization efforts. It seems with the rush to legalize marijuana, many people are overlooking several devastating side effects that legalization would bring.

Without black market marijuana, most criminal organizations would loose anywhere from 50%-80% of their annual revenue. This would surely lead to cartels being forced to layoff a large portion of their workforce in this already tough economic environment. Spark Report caught up with one local dealer who said marijuana legalization is just plain wrong and effects his way of life.

“Man if they legalize weed, nobody’s gonna be buying this brick weed anymore! I can sell this stuff at a 800% mark-up and I’m not even sure it’s really weed. If people are allowed to grow their own or purchase it at 7/11, my ass probably gonna have to go get a real job or something” – T-Dawg

With criminal enterprises collapsing under “legalized marijuana” there will also be a domino effect of less crime which directly effects thousands of law enforcement officers and agents. With no valid reason to spend millions of tax payer dollars eradicating naturally growing ditch weed, many D.E.A agents would either be out of a job or forced to focus on serious drugs like crack and heroin. It’s not only federal agents that would effected, many local law enforcement officers would loose valuable overtime without the hundreds of hours each month spent on processing people arrested for simple possession.

“If I couldn’t spend my day busting pot heads, what else would do? Go after real criminals? Everyone knows real criminals are way more violent, many even carry guns! I have a wife and kids to think about, you know.” – Sheriff Jones

Happy April Fools Day. For year-round shenanigans, follow Spark Report on Twitter.

South Park airs Wednesdays at 10/9 Central on Comedy Central.

After gathering enough signatures, California voters are almost guaranteed a historical vote on whether to legalize marijuana in their state this November.  While the majority of voters, activists and consumers are celebrating the real chance of marijuana legalization, there is strong opposition coming from more than just anti-marijuana lobbying groups.

Jack Herer, a well know activist and author who also has popular strain of marijuana named after him, has urged people to vote against the “Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010″. Herer’s main complaint about the initiative is that it will unfairly tax marijuana consumers. Supporters of the initiative are using the $1+ billion revenue for the state as a major selling point to voters but Herer, who spearheaded his own California initiative prior to suffering a near fatal heart attack last year, says marijuana should be legal without a tax or limitations on quantity or growing.

Herer is joined in his opposition by Dennis Peron, a primary author of California’s original medical marijuana initiative (prop 215). In addition to opposing the large tax, Peron also takes aim at what he calls “fatal flaws” of the new law, citing strict mandates on jail time for minors caught with marijuana or those 21 and over that supply minors with marijuana. He also says it unfairly discriminates against parents by banning smoking “in any space while minors are present” while no laws prevent parents from consuming alcohol in the same house as minors.

Another segment of the marijuana industry that is strongly against the legalization initiative is the thousands of marijuana growers and distributes that earn a living off the huge price markup on marijuana’s illegal status. With consumers able to grow their own marijuana and the impending gold rush of commercial businesses that will be looking to capitalize on the new market, prices are surely to drop as supply will overtake demand, forcing many industry outlaws out of business.

Fear of legalization is strong enough in Humboldt County, a self-proclaimed marijuana mecca of California, that civic leaders, activists and growers all came together for a town-hall style meeting to brainstorm ideas to stay relevant (and keep bringing in county revenue) in a legalized market. It’s not only the pot farmers of Humboldt that fear legalization, the entire county which has been the focus of several documentaries, rely on marijuana to drive it’s entire economy. One of the ideas made at the meeting was to make Humboldt a “Napa Valley of weed”, turning the vast  marijuana fields into a destination for marijuana aficionados, with tours, tastings and events. It’s too early to tell if any of the ideas might save Humboldt’s economy but most in the county would prefer to just keep marijuana illegal. Stickers with the saying “Save Humboldt County — keep pot illegal” have been appearing across local businesses in the area.

Lead photo by: psd

Ease of access to inhalants and parent’s prescriptions are an important factor in this trend but some blame should also fall on the failed drug war. Most kids today are still being educated on false myths about marijuana and common sense dangers of crack and heroin while unknowingly consuming far more dangerous substances found in their own home. Nobody wants a 12-year-old using any drug, including marijuana, but I imagine most parents would rather find their kid smoking a joint than laying lifeless on the ground next to an aerosol can.

According to law enforcement officials with knowledge of the delivery, officials watched the tractor trailer travel to its destination. Soon after, several vehicles pulled up, left and then came back. The vehicles stayed several hours before leaving. When officials later checked the tractor trailer, the drugs were gone (surprise!).

It’s unclear why the police in charge of escorting the shipment did not intervene while the drugs were being unloaded. Keith Brown, resident agent-in-charge of the Memphis DEA office would only say “The DEA is conducting an investigation into drug trafficking, and I can’t comment any further than that,” when questioned by a reporter.

As Spark Report has already reported, police agencies around the country have increased focus on truckload shipments in the month of February, resulting in a large number of 1 ton or more busts already this month.

Story developing, check back for updates…

Some marijuana consumers around the U.S may experience shortages or price increases after a sharp increase in the frequency of one ton or more marijuana busts along highways. Avocados, bananas, batteries and toilet paper are just a few of the things police have found more than 29,000 pounds of marijuana hidden inside while conducting searches of tractor trailers already during the month of February. While many of the busts took place in Texas, it’s still unclear where any of the trucks final destinations was, or more importantly, where there is expected to be shortages of marijuana. It’s also unclear if the trend is a sign of increased marijuana trafficking enforcement or a result of police investigations and/or informants.

Although it’s presumed that all of the busts were of the popular brick or “shwag” weed variety, usually imported from Mexico, some market strain could be put on locally grown higher grade supplies as a result.

Tuscola, Illinois (4,400 pounds)

Three men from California are being held on $1 million bond each after Illinois State Police found more than 2 tons of marijuana inside a semitrailer truck they were driving through eastern Illinois, 30 miles south of Champaign. A police K9 unit discovered the bundles of marijuana hidden among crates of vegetables. The suspects, 31-year-old Jesus Guzman, 35-year-old Eric Cabrera and 32-year-old Joshua Cornillez are all from the Livingston, California  area. Charges have yet to be filed but marijuana trafficking charges are expected for each pending further investigation.

Loredo, Texas (2,317 pounds)

Around the 14th of the month, Customs and Border Protection inspectors discovered more than a ton of marijuana after conducting a secondary search on a trailer filled with 1,496 boxes of car batteries near Loredo. The unnamed driver of that truck was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) to continue with investigations.

Brownsville, Texas (2,161 pounds)

The same weekend of the Loredo bust, Border Patrol agents seized 2,161 pounds from a truck in Brownsville, Texas after agents found 66 bundles of marijuana concealed in metal boxes that had been welded shut. The unnamed driver in that bust was turned over to the D.E.A.

Rio Rico, Arizona (3,470 pounds)

on February 9th, ICE agents responded and established surveillance after receiving a tip about a mysterious semitrailer at a warehouse facility. During the investigation, agents discovered there was no truck associated with the trailer or driver in the vicinity. After obtaining consent from the warehouse manager, Agents discovered the 1.75 tons of pot in 156 vacuum-sealed bags hidden within a shipment of squash. No arrests have been made and the squash was turned over to a consignee.

Weslaco, Texas (2,500 pounds)

Around February 8th, a Weslaco, Texas police patrol officer stopped a tractor trailer hauling about 2,500 pounds of marijuana inside a shipment of avocados. Police arrested Marciano Noriega Gonzalez, 45, of Yakima, Washington, and Patricia Marquez De Haro, 47, of Corona, Calif after X-ray scans revealed anomalies inside the trailer.

Otay Mesa, California (3,877 pounds & 2,000 pounds)

During the first week of the month, inspectors at the Otay Mesa cargo port found more than 3,800 pounds of marijuana hidden in a shipment of peppers and green beans. An unnamed 46-year-old Ensenada man who was driving the shipment was taken into custody.

A few days later, the same inspectors at the cargo port nabbed another ton of marijuana stashed in a load of bananas. An unnamed 40-year-old driver was arrested.

San Antonio, Texas (2,512 pounds)

on February 3rd, ICE agents seized more than a ton of pot as the result of an investiagtion that started after an inspector became suspicious of a truck that entered through Loredo. Agents followed the truck to an abandoned used car lot where they set up surveillance on the rundown building. When agents went in for the bust, they found the drugs concealed behind a fake wall that was hastily constructed. One unnamed person at the scene was arrested and police say they expect more arrests to come after an investigation.

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania (6,000 pounds)

Around the first of the month, Pennsylvania State Troopers pulled over a truck that reportedly failed to stop at a weigh station on Interstate 81. Inside the trailer they found six plywood crates with about 3 tons of marijuana hidden behind boxes. Authorities have arrested Eric Emmanuel, 35, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, and Stanley Narcisse, 34, of Winter Garden, Florida.

The driver of that truck, 51-year-old Angel Guillen Raya of Ontario, California, pleaded guilty this week to transporting the marijuana with the intent to distribute it. A U.S. attorney’s office spokesman says no one else has been charged in the case, but an investigation into the source of the marijuana is ongoing. Good luck with that. Seeing as Raya pleaded guilty to such a significant charge, chances are he didn’t give up any names.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 12th.

Original Story:

A traffic stop on Wednesday led officers to conduct a search at the first house where swat team members found 1 suspect with a semi-automatic handgun and a house full of packaged marijuana (pictured). The marijuana was bundled into 20 pound packages and the final weight has yet to be calculated.

A second house about two blocks away from the first was searched shortly after, resulting in no marijuana or cash but reportedly contained information that led officers to a third house where they found 4 duffel bags full of cash.

Police have arrested 2 people in connection with the case and believe the marijuana is part of a Mexican drug cartel operation.

Developing story, stay tuned...