Ross Mirkarimi wants to bring medical weed to Uruguay

For those of you wondering what former San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has been up to, he just got back from Uruguay — where he’s been working as a consultant to the government on how to clear the path for legalizing medical marijuana.

“You may recall in 2005, I was the supervisor who sponsored San Francisco’s first regulatory framework for medical cannabis dispensaries,” Mirkarimi said in a text.

And, he added, it later “also turned out that I was the only sheriff in California to support legalization (of weed) for adult use.”

The marijuana mission is the opening chapter in Mirkarimi’s new career as the head of RMir Pro Civicus Consulting firm, which intends to specialize in environmental, law enforcement and general public policy work in the U.S. and abroad.

Mirkarimi is also a consultant — think expert witness — for one of the plaintiffs suing over an in-custody death in the Santa Clara County Jail.

“Naturally, I’ve been apprehensive about what life would be like in this new chapter,” Mirkarimi said. “After all, I worked for local government for 22 years.”

Incidentally, Mirkarimi’s wife, Venezuelan actress Eliana Lopez, is still performing and refining her one-woman play, “What Is the Scandal?” about the domestic violence case that haunted her husband throughout his four years as sheriff.

According to former Mayor Art Agnos, a friend of Mirkarimi, the play “will next be performed in Los Angeles, where script writers are interested in adapting the show to TV or even a movie.”

Bad buzz: No sooner did Oakland police send out a warning about being buzzed while driving on Cinco de Mayo than they pulled back the release — with an apology for being insensitive.

“In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become synonymous with festive fiestas and salty margaritas,” the warning said. “Historically, the fifth of May commemorates Mexico’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War, but present-day celebrations often lead to drunk driving — and there’s no victory in that.”

The heads-up was to remind people that drunken driving accounted for about a third of the 343 traffic deaths nationwide over the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend in 2014.

“So before your first margarita, cold beer, or shot of tequila this Cinco de Mayo, make sure you have a designated sober driver or arranged another safe way home,” the release said.

In quick order, the police PR folks shot out a second memo to media outlets, calling the first release “completely insensitive to the cultural holiday” and saying, “We are taking appropriate steps to ensure that this does not happen again.”

Police spokeswoman Johnna Watson declined further comment.

Where there’s smoke: Public Defender Jeff Adachi called a news conference Tuesday to decry San Francisco’s lopsided arrest and prosecution of people for smoking — saying that 7 out of the 10 people arrested for lighting up within 15 feet of a building were black, and all were cited in the Tenderloin.

“Take a walk around. See how many people are smoking? This is another sign of racial profiling,” Adachi said.

In particular, Adachi cited the case of Cleveland Webb, 44, who was approached by cops as he was smoking a spliff at Golden Gate Avenue and Larkin Street on June 2.

Webb had a medical marijuana card. What Adachi didn’t say at his news conference was that during a pat-down, the cops also allegedly found a couple of hundred pills on Webb.

“Mostly Oxycodone,” a popular painkiller, Adachi later told us.

Adachi has asked for the police and district attorney reports on all seven of the smoking arrests, with the idea that if the defense can show there was racial profiling at work, the more serious drug charge against Webb will go up in smoke.

On guard: The courtroom battle over the future of the $500 million Koret Foundation has turned a bit embarrassing for plaintiff Susan Koret.

Koret, the widow of foundation founder Joseph Koret, claimed in her lawsuit that she had been unfairly kept out of the loop by her board colleagues, despite her lifetime appointment by her late husband as the organization’s chairwoman.

Koret also has charged that Tad Taube, the former board president and a Peninsula real estate magnate, steered millions of dollars to conservative causes despite the group’s intended purpose to concentrate on poverty and Jewish issues.

However, when Koret was called to testify the other day in San Francisco Superior Court, she was at a loss for words when cross-examined by foundation attorney Susan Harriman about the Holocaust, a key focus of the foundation.

“Holocaust. Yeah, I mean, I hear that.” said Koret, who is of Korean descent and whose first language is not English. “But can you can explain to me exactly, you know, what you’re asking me?”

“I’m asking you if you have an understanding of what it was it was,” Harriman said.

Still, Koret seemed confused.

“Holocaust, I can’t explain,” she said.

It’s not the first time it came up in the trial. Earlier, board President Anita Friedman testified that Koret had attended a meeting at which Friedman gave a Holocaust-related presentation. Afterward, Friedman said, Koret told her, “I didn’t know about the Holocaust. Joe never told me.”