Commander-in-Leaf: Obama cracks weed joke

President Obama’s pot-smoking days are (probably??) over, but like his former secretary of state, he still gets a kick out of a good old-fashioned marijuana joke.

The president spoke to an audience of reporters on Saturday at the Gridiron Club dinner, a D.C. tradition where everyone is expected to leave their talking points at home.

Obama decided he couldn’t pass up a chance to riff on the District’s new marijuana law (remarks via The Washington Post):

This is my third appearance at this dinner as President. And I predict you will laugh harder than ever. I’m not saying I’m any funnier. I’m saying weed is now legal in D.C. (Laughter and applause.) I know that’s how you guys are getting through this dinner. That’s why you ate the food. (Laughter.)

Not only did he go there, he used the hippest 420 term available.

New trend: U.S. weed heading to Mexico

For decades, marijuana has moved northward from Mexico to the U.S. While that hasn’t stopped, there’s now a reverse flow, too.

Some Mexicans are seeking out the potent, branded weed you can find in Colorado and Washington, opening up a new illicit export market.

Although the drug is still illegal in Mexico, The Associated Press reports that some people in Mexico City simply text a drug dealer who delivers high-end marijuana to their doorstep — and even lets them pay with a credit card.

The AP said reports are still anecdotal, but the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration acknowledged some drug traffickers are selling American-made weed to wealthy Mexicans.

Mexicans are also growing at home and forming cooperatives, where they can share the costs of electricity and equipment, the AP reports.

Home grown ganja in Mexico City (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

“It comes out much cheaper than paying for even regular pot,” one source said, “and the quality is much higher.”

New Jersey math teacher arrested for home grow

While the president quipped about cannabis in D.C. this weekend, people were still getting busted for the drug elsewhere around the country.

Police in the South Jersey city of Bridgeton arrested a 33-year-old high school math teacher on Friday night after they found marijuana plants growing under ultraviolet lights in his basement.

Geoffry S. Portale was charged with possession of less than 50 grams of weed and possession with intent to distribute, the South Jersey Times reported. Authorities found three plants in total.

Police visited the house after a 911 hangup call and a babysitter allowed them to enter. In a statement, authorities said the house was “in total disarray, extremely filthy and unkept,” the South Jersey Times reported.

In addition to the marijuana charges, both Portale and his wife were charged with child neglect. The couple have three young children.

Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.