WE SCENE IT >>>

Walking upstairs to the Friends of Frankie's Club in Olympia Tuesday night, I have to admit I was a little nervous. I mean, Frankie's Sports Bar & Grill supposedly allows pot smoking in the bar - for a $10 yearly membership fee, of course.

I paid the bartender lady for membership, ordered a beer and stated I was on assignment. She just kind of laughed and told me not to talk to anyone with an eye patch or a cane, and not to smoke near them either.

It seems at Frankie's there is an unspoken divide between the weed smokers and the cigarette smokers. Frankie's owner Frank Schnarr privatized his upstairs bar for smokers when the smoking ban passed in 2008.

A little put off that we couldn't smoke wherever we wanted, but wanting to appease the old-timers, my partner in crime and I scooted off into a corner to smoke one of her medical joints.

The bartender scooted by, carrying glasses and told us that was the wrong place to smoke too. WTH?

A walk passed a coin-operated Breathalyzer machine, toward the back of the bar, where four shiny shuffleboards were parked; we found the true "smoking section."

What tipped us off was the giant, ice-filled bong, just chillin' on a table, while a group of 30-somethings played pool nearby.

Aha, now we could light up - and we did. The nervousness had passed now, and the once-over powering smell of cigarettes had faded. It wasn't long before we made friends with two guys who owned the bong.

"Carl" and "Matt" told us they were both state workers, and they both love coming to Frankie's every Tuesday night.

"Once I heard about their fight for freedom, I was on board," says Matt.

The two both claim to be heavy smokers, and true believers in "dabs" - smoking hash oil by dabbing a bit onto an apparatus that looks like a nail head, then vaping the smoke through an ice-filled bong.

"It bothers my lungs otherwise," says Matt. "Carl" and "Matt" don't smoke cigarettes.

After a good round, the conversation began flowing into the social stigmas still associated with marijuana smoking - hence the fake names and faceless photo above- how marijuana can be a performance enhancing drug (Joe Rogan, master jujitsu artist, believes), how the overall outlook for Washingtonians is health and productivity - right in line with legalization - and how Frankie's is cool for giving us an opportunity to meet other like-minded stoners.

As "Carl" put it, "We're some of those employed, responsible stoners."

And now, as if to prove it, I have a little laminated card with an American flag and my name, stating I'm a Friend of Frankie's.

FRANKIE'S SPORTS BAR & GRILL, 3663 PACIFIC AVE. SE, OLYMPIA, 360.412.1330

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDDY HAGGARTY! >>>

Some bars lure customers in with specialty selections, great pizza or killer open jam sessions. Some places, such as Stonegate Pizza & Rum Bar, do all three. Mondays, blues/rock fusion guitarist Rafael Tranquilino leads a rockin' blues jam. Tuesdays, swampbilly blues band Junkyard Jane founding member guitarist, singer/songwriter, percussionist Leanne Trevalyan hosts an acoustic open mic. Thursdays, the other Junkyard Jane founding member Billy Stoops commands a blues open jam night, rocking his guitar and throwing out one-liners. Between the three nights, a who's who of local musical talent hops on and off Stonegate's stage.

Last Thursday, Billy Stoops' open jam night became Junkyard Jane's open jam night as several members of the band sat in with Stoops, playing Junkyard hits and covers.

Tonight, it's Trevalyan's turn to host the Junkyard Jane takeover. Stoops and crew are scheduled to join her on stage under a local birthday umbrella - Tacoma artist Teddy Haggarty's 60th birthday celebration.

It's the perfect storm: Haggarty's vast friend contingent will join Trevalyan's normal Tuesday crowd, adding to Stonegate's new marijuana smoking customer base. Stonegate's upstairs lounge has been converted into the Vape Club, where members pay a nominal fee to puff vapor pens loaded with their own, previously purchased cannabis-infused oil. Vape Club co-owner Green Light Expo encourages members to purchase their medical marijuana vaporizing oil from its business, which is located across the street from Stonegate.

As part of Haggarty's birthday celebration, DJ Ninja will spin in the Vape Club.

So, to recap, Stonegate will host Teddy Haggarty's 60th birthday celebration tonight featuring Junkyard Jane-ish performing downstairs and DJ Ninja spinning upstairs for Vape Club members and those who want to purchase a membership day-pass, or something, to watch card-carrying marijuana members puff away.

Exciting.

STONEGATE PIZZA, TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 7 P.M. TO CLOSE, 5421 S. TACOMA WAY, TACOMA, 253.473.2255

CNN IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Sometimes, the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters' breakroom turns into the greenroom. After all, the giggle bush paraphernalia is kept next to the company fridge, which is full of diet Shasta and Rainier (perfect for cotton mouth.) Except for the vape machine; Pappi Swarner likes to keep that beauty next to his Mac. Anyway, we have "Sasquatch" the eight-foot bong (a morning time favorite), "Alice" the hookah (group brainstorm sessions) and "Sneaky Pete" (for when we step out the back door for a little Lakewood fresh air).

PUBLSIHER: What Nikki wrote is not true.

So when we caught all the "buzz" (giggle, giggle) about CNN's investigative report from Thurston County on marijuana's affect on driving skills, we had to share.

PUBLSIHER: I have a cup of tea next to my Mac.

We must add, the daily, "heavy user" medical marijuana patient - a 27-year-old babe that exclaims "awesome!" around every turn - can come to our parties anytime.

PUBLISHER: Obviously we do enjoy the word "awesome," but we haven't had any parties since Matt Driscoll left.

And so can the driving instructor, who basically said everyone drove fine, up to like seven times the legal limit of 5 nanograms. What a bro.

PUBLISHER: Did Nikki just call the driving instructor "bro"?

You know what? Even that cop who agreed with the instructor, and the "occasional" smoker - invite them, too! They can all come to our parties - as long as they bring some of that Blueberry Trainwreck.

PUBLISHER: Don't come to our office. And don't bring muffins.

THIS IS REALLY A JOB >>>

Area woman Aunt Mary marked a new level of commitment to her marijuana habit by grabbing her bong, "Ol' Frederick Greenmeister," and filling out the paperwork to be Washington state's pot consultant. Yesterday, during her break at the licensing department, Aunt Mary joined the sea of ponytails and flannel at a briefing in Tacoma hosted by the Liquor Control Board. The agency is looking for an advisor who knows weed, inside and out, and could assist in developing regulations.

The 37-year-old feels her nightly ritual of smoking several ounces of marijuana and then microwaving a turkey pot pie gives her cred for the new position.

"Sure, I might not have the five years of regulatory experience, or the preferred law degree, but ask Ol' Frederick Greenmeister, I certainly have the extensive knowledge of all things marijuana," said Aunt Mary.

After passing a law legalizing the recreations use of marijuana this fall, Washington state must set up a system of state-licensed growers, processors, retail stores and such where adults can score an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis.

"I'm not saying Mr. Greenmeister has a soul or anything like that," Aunt Mary said with a cackle. "But I mean, how cool would it be if I was allowed to bring my bong to my new office at the Liquor Control Board."

Aunt Mary then affectionately chucked the bong where its chin might be.

South Sound Sidekick series offers advice from experts living in the, well, South Sound. It posts every Friday. We had legal advice from Jim Foley regarding the legalization of marijuana, and we all know the law won't get straightened out for another year, so in the meantime, where and how do we get safe access to marijuana? Pot activist Jeremy Miller weighs in on the medical end of the weed spectrum.

Jeremy Miller writes,

High, my name is Jeremy Miller. I have been a local cannabis activist/lobbyist in the Olympia area for more than 20 years. In 2003, I decided to take my activism up a notch and started the Olympia Hempfest to help raise awareness of the social injustice of cannabis prohibition. In 2007, I opened a medical cannabis information center and worked with the Olympia police department to help educate and develop policies to protect medical cannabis patients. In 2010, I ran for state representative and started the world's first Cannabis Farmers Market. Let me just say that we have come quite a long way since. I'm glad to see so many seeds that were planted long ago - by myself and many others - sprouting so rapidly here in Washington.

Here are a few questions and answers regarding medical marijuana. 

Where can I find a doctor? Try CannaHealth with clinics in Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia, or 4Evergreen in Seattle, Tacoma and Kennewick.

What are some of the qualifying conditions? The conditions are cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy/seizures, chronic pain, spasticity disorder(s), cramping/muscle spasms, migraine headaches, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, glaucoma, arthritis, nausea, anorexia, and asthma.

What documents will I need? Bring medical records that diagnose your condition.

How much will it cost? On average, it costs about $100 for a one-year authorization.

Where can I find a community of other medical users? Stop by the Cannabis Farmers Market at 1912 Center St. in Tacoma. It's the largest source of medical cannabis in the state. It is a great place to meet others.

I'm sure that everyone still has many questions. Unfortunately I can't predict the future and the Washington State Liquor Control Board has until Dec. 13, 2013 to finish the rule-making process. At that point I will be able to have more information for you to stay safe in this new world we find ourselves living in. I hope to see everyone down at the 10-year anniversary of the Olympia Hempfest July 27 and 28. Keep an eye on www.olympiahempfest.com.

LINK: Smoking marijuana in Washington state advice

LINK: How to harvest geoducks

LINK: Speeding ticket advice

LINK: DUI advice

LINK: Music business advice

LINK: First tattoo advice

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