WeedLife News Network
There are serious trust issues within the CBD space. Between a lack of regulation and the lack of transparency, consumers are rightfully cautious about making purchasing decisions.
Here are four things CBD brands should be doing to build consumer trust:
1. Go organic
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic certification program is a rigorous multi-step audit process to increase supply chain sustainability. Organic certification is a form of elective, self-regulation for manufacturers that consumers have eagerly welcomed.
According to Nielsen Data cited in a recent Bloomberg article, COVID has accelerated organic food sales in the United States due to increased demand for health-conscious products, with sales of organic food and drinks surging 25% during the 17-week period that ended June 27.
From a consumer perspective, organic certification provides supply chain transparency and increases confidence with brands and products they already love. It also provides a form of quality assurance to skeptical consumers, especially those who avidly read product labels prior to making a purchasing decision. Members of this “label reader” demographic consistently choose organic products for the quality and transparency it provides with pure and natural ingredients.
There are various traditional treatment options that help combat obesity, however, cannabis and different cannabinoids like CBD and THCV have shown to be very useful.
Currently, being overweight and obese is categorized as the fifth leading risks for worldwide mortality. Annually, at least 2.8 million people die due to being overweight or obese. Unfortunately, being overweight or obese often plays havoc on one’s well-being and quality of life, especially due to the plethora of health risks and complications that can occur as a result of these diagnoses.
Although millions of adults struggle with being overweight or obese, they’re not the only ones. Nowadays, millions of children are becoming overweight and obese at much younger ages. Specifically, in 2011, more than 40 million children younger than five years old were overweight. There are various traditional treatment options that help combat obesity, however, cannabis and different cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) have shown to be very useful.
What to Know About Obesity & The Complications It Can Cause
According to the World Health Organization, obesity has almost doubled over the last three decades. Then, in America, obesity has tripled in children since the 1970s, and it continues to increase. Based on report estimates by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, one in five children of standard school-age are obese. Not only is this a dangerous diagnosis for young children but being obese will likely cause many health issues before the child becomes a teenager.
In general, obesity is much more than just being overweight. Obesity means that an individual’s body fat substantially surpasses the amount of body fat that’s considered healthy. Whereas, being overweight refers to a person who weighs more than the ideal weight for their age and height.
To say the pandemic has been stressful as hell would be to state the glaringly obvious. Back in March, which feels like a century ago but also somehow like just two weeks ago, parents were suddenly thrust into distance learning and unable to find toilet paper to wipe the butts that would be home for many more hours per day. We hoped against hope that we would be dealing with a three- or four-week inconvenience. No such luck.
Instead, phrases like “new normal” have become worn and tired, and we are stressed and depleted in ways we never could have imagined. Anxiety disrupts our sleep or depressed thoughts make us sleep too much. We feel sluggish and heavy or antsy and desperate to get out and move. We worry our kids will fall behind in their learning and we want to be there to help them with their schoolwork. We also want to crumple that schoolwork up and throw it in the trash and shove our kids outside because it is all just too much.
Parents have adapted to this “new normal,” however grudgingly — and sometimes with a little assistance from outside sources. Memes on social media might suggest that folks have been turning to alcohol in their efforts to relieve pandemic stress, but a recent Harris Poll conducted on behalf of Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. suggests otherwise. It appears that, since the pandemic began, to help them cope, many Americans have been turning to cannabis.
According to a new survey, cannabis use is on the rise.
The Harris Poll surveyed nearly two thousand people, 772 of whom had used cannabis at some point in their lives. Of the group who had ever used cannabis, 42% reported that they had either started or increased their cannabis use of it since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons survey participants gave for their increased use were about what one might expect: to help reduce stress and anxiety (54%), to relax (50%), or to improve their sleep (48%).
For parents, the numbers were even more pronounced. Since the start of the pandemic, 52% of parents who had previously used cannabis had started or increased their cannabis use. Parents were also more likely than non-parents to use cannabis mainly for medical use.
Nowadays, there’s numerous ways to smoke cannabis. Here are some things you should consider before making your purchase.
Buying your first marijuana smoking piece is a big deal. It’s the moment when you say to yourself that you’re committed to your weed habit. Once you own a pipe, bong or other piece of equipment, you won’t need to depend on the whims of your stoner friend, which is a clear step forward.
Despite the excitement you’ll feel over the prospect of buying a cute pipe in the shape of an elephant, it’s important to first do some research. What is it that you’re looking for? Is it something discreet or something geared for premium enjoyment?
Here are some tips that can help you find what you’re looking for:
Pipes
Photo by SharonMcCutcheon via Pixabay
Over 22 million marijuana arrests later, the political consequences of Reefer Madness are still being hidden from the American people.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article solely belong to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Fresh Toast.
Parents are understandably concerned about their children being “indoctrinated” as they are supposedly being “educated”, but the general public should also be concerned, especially when the government has been lying to everyone for decades about marijuana.
Decades of “Reefer Madness” with absurd claims about marijuana endangered children by undermining effective education about really dangerous drugs… and adults about really dangerous government. Over 22 million marijuana arrests later, the political consequences are still being hidden from the American people.
For example, in a 2002 interview with the Baltimore Sun, John Walters, George W. Bush’s Drug Czar was asked about marijuana:
Cannabis has been popular in Europe for a very long time.
While it’s unclear when cannabis consumption first became popular in Europe, it’s as popular today as ever before.
Parts of Europe such as Amsterdam and Barcelona have been top cannabis tourist destinations among cannabis fans for many years.
Europe has yet to see a country fully legalize cannabis for adult use, although momentum for legalization has gained steam in recent years.
A court decision in Italy, similar to one issued in Mexico, determined that cannabis prohibition is unconstitutional, however, lawmakers in Italy have yet to implement the court’s mandate.
When a new cannabis user asks their budtender a question, they expect to receive an accurate answer.
Given that many doctors still don’t understand the medical science of cannabis, budtenders become even the medical user’s primary resource to understand dosing, cannabinoids and terpenes, and measures of quality.
But according to cannabis education expert Emma Chasen, most of those budtenders don’t get nearly enough training to be good stewards of cannabis.
“They go into these entry-level positions expecting some kind of educational opportunity, some kind of upward mobility, some allowance for growth and opportunity in this industry, and they often just don’t get it,” she says.
Budtenders, she argues, aren’t just any retail workers — many of them have big dreams of moving up the ranks in the industry, and take on entry level roles expecting to learn the ropes.
Even the most experienced consumers of alcohol and cannabis can find themselves in that dreaded over-intoxicated space, when a fun night sipping drinks and toking up with friends turns into a greened-out horror show.
Crossfading, or being high and drunk at the same time, is a difficult thing to master without going over the edge of either one. Most often, crossfaded highs are a terrible experience because they can be disorienting, nauseating, dizzying, and can even bring on anxiety and panic attacks. Motor skills are significantly diminished to the point of putting people in danger.
Some medical experts believe that consuming alcohol and marijuana can be straight up dangerous. For instance, cannabis is an antiemetic, meaning that it helps prevent nausea and vomiting. However, if you've consumed too much alcohol, the most efficient way to get it out of your system is to vomit. In this scenario, cannabis disrupts the body's instinct to rid itself of excess alcohol.
Cannabis and alcohol are both frequently consumed psychoactive substances, where they alter a person's mental state. Though they exert different effects, the combination of the two often leads to impaired decision making. We all know how dangerous it is to drink and drive, which kills one person in the U.S. every 50 minutes.
But, hey, you're only human. Sometimes the night simply gets away, and you've found yourself totally wasted, baked, and careening into crossfaded territory. Here are some of the warning signs to keep an eye on.
Arizona health officials have begun writing the rules for marijuana retailers the state will oversee following the passage of Proposition 207, which legalized adult, recreational use.
Sales of the drug could begin in the spring.
The election results were made official Nov. 30, meaning it's now legal for adults to possess as much as an ounce of marijuana and grow six plants at home, or 12 if there is more than one adult in the home.
But setting up the licensing and oversight of retail shops that sell the drug will take a few months.
Public can weigh in
The Department of Health Services on Thursday announced draft rules, much of which remain to be written, along with a survey asking the public what they like and what they see as deficient in the draft. The survey will be open until Dec. 17.
Do you know that incorporating hemp seed into your diet comes with loads of health benefits?
This superfood is loaded with a high concentration of beneficial minerals and vitamins.
If you are looking to add hemp seeds to your diet, you should know how to use them and why they’re beneficial.
Here, you will learn about their health benefits and how to incorporate them effectively into your day-to-day diet.
Hemp Seeds: What Are They?
Hemp plants are a special type of Cannabis sativa grown primarily for industrial use.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, social equity in the cannabis industry is a hot-button topic. Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in New York broke down last year primarily over a lack of provisions in pending legislation that gave members of underrepresented communities a clear path into the industry.
Progress has been made since then, however. The Illinois law that legalized marijuana for use by adults in June 2019 has been hailed as a model of social equity in cannabis. And the City of Detroit just approved its plan for a recreational cannabis industry last month, nearly a year after legal sales began in Michigan. The extra time invested in drafting the plan resulted in strong equity measures that include a guarantee that at least half of the licenses for cannabis retailers will go to longtime city residents, who will also get priority in the application process and other perks.
Supporting Communities With Commerce
But no matter how progressive they are, social equity measures in cannabis regulation won’t help businesses owned by members of underrepresented communities unless consumers buy their products. The challenge of connecting companies with consumers who want to support them is the goal of a new initiative rolled out by cannabis online marketplace Jane last month. By using the new ownership tags feature, shoppers on the platform can find dispensaries owned by entrepreneurs who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or people of color), women, LGBTQ, or military veterans, and direct their purchases to communities they want to support.
Edward Bullock takes his order from a Pure Oasis employee during the grand opening of Boston's first ... [+]
BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES
The cost of cannabis flower has fluctuated throughout the years.
For many decades the standard cannabis flower that was available in most parts of the world originated in third-world countries, was compressed into bricks, and then distributed to various markets.
The cannabis flower was often low-quality and not that potent, and it was priced accordingly.
Cannabis was more expensive than other crops due to the illegalities involved, but for the most part it was affordable for many consumers.
Prices for cannabis started to climb as sophisticated cultivation practices were implemented, such as hydroponic cultivation methods.
Americans may be divided, but its citizens agree on one thing: Life is better with cannabis.
For proof, look no further than our most recent election. On November 4th, citizens in four diverse states voted to legalize cannabis for adult use. These wins reflected the will of a vast spectrum of the American populace, from fiercely red South Dakota to deep blue New Jersey to newly purple Arizona. Not a single race was particularly close, and most saw cannabis win in a landslide. Those despairing about America's future may take solace knowing a leafy green thread runs throughout our country.
Some telling numbers
Consider the following statistics:
70 percent of U.S. adults now consider smoking cannabis to be morally acceptable—a five-percentage-point uptick from the previous year (Gallop)
91 percent of U.S. adults favor some form of sensible cannabis legalization (Pew Research Center)
If you’re a young person in America today, there’s a chance you have smoked marijuana. In a 2019 report, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that 22.3% of 12th graders and 18.4% of 10th graders who were surveyed reported using marijuana in the past month, and 35.7% of 12th graders and 28.8% of 10th graders reported using marijuana in the past year. Considering the growing legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in states across the country, it seems that weed will only continue to become more pervasive and accessible. Because of this, it’s important that everyone — and young people especially — becomes educated about how to smoke weed safely, if they choose to at all.
Psychologist Jami Wolf-Dolan emphasizes that there is no such thing as completely safe drug use, even with marijuana. For young people particularly, smoking weed can impact your health.
“The human brain does not stop fully developing until the age of 25,” Wolf-Dolan explains. “Smoking pot at such an early life stage can impact how one learns certain life skills such as managing emotions or making friends, or can even potentially impair cognitive skills and memory. I think the safest way to smoke pot is to abstain during adolescence, but I also understand that’s a bit naive to ask of young people today.”
There is no hard or fast rule to determine how often one can smoke marijuana and still be “safe,” but there are certainly signs to look out for. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signs of marijuana dependency include trying but failing to quit using it, giving up important activities and relationships in order to use marijuana, and using it even when you know it causes problems in your daily life. If you are a regular marijuana user, look out for these signs, but also know it might not be so cut and dry.
“There are definitely varying levels of marijuana dependency,” says Wolf-Dolan. “Typically, we would say if you answer yes to one or two of the questions [we ask to diagnose dependency], you have a mild dependency.”
Colorado dispensaries sold more marijuana in the first 10 months of 2020 than they did during a record-setting sales year in 2019.
October sales totaled more than $199.7 million in October, pushing the state’s annual revenue to more than $1.8 billion, according to the Department of Revenue. By comparison, sales totaled about $1.75 billion in 2019, making this the highest selling year since recreational weed hit the market in 2014.
Sales were poised to crush the record following several lucrative summer months, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Colorado hit an all-time monthly high in July with $226 million in sales. That was also the first time monthly totals surpassed $200 million.
Consumers purchased about $170 million worth of recreational cannabis and about $38.8 million worth of medical marijuana in October. That’s down 3.2% compared to September, but up nearly 33% compared to October 2019.
The state collected roughly $35.4 million in taxes and fees during the month.
For the first month since the start of coronavirus pandemic, recreational marijuana sales in Illinois last month did not set a new record, according to state regulators.
Illinois cannabis dispensary patrons purchased about 1,000 fewer items in November than the month before, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Overall, pre-tax sales declined by more than $78,800 last month, even as out-of-state pot purchasers bought $93,000 more worth of adult-use cannabis products than they did in October.
Under state law, residents are allowed to legally buy or possess the equivalent of up to 30 grams of marijuana flower. Those without an Illinois ID can only have half that amount.
Sales data shows about twice as much adult-use cannabis was sold last month than at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when the cannabis industry was declared "essential" amid Pritzker's stay at home order.
Looking back at 2020, the Brightfield Group determined the cannabis product shelf space winners. A review of the first three quarters provided a snapshot of which products cannabis consumers wanted most. This type of information is invaluable to producers and dispensary owners alike. The producers can make sure that they have these products in their portfolio and dispensaries can make sure they stock their shelves with the items that customers want.
Increased 2020 Shelf Space:
CandyCartridges/PodsResin/RosinDisposable PensBaked GoodsCandy
Brightfield’s report found that since January 2020, the candy category has captured 12% of the shelf and in August held 14% of the shelf its largest position to date. The category has grown by 41% in 2020. The report also noted that the shelves saw a shift towards luxury and premium prices. Consumers have also been drawn to natural marketing and like options that are vegan, non-GMO, and additive-free.
Top Candy Flavors:
RaspberryWatermelonStrawberryFruityChocolateTop Candy Brands
Cheeba ChewsSmokiez EdiblesKiva ConfectionsWyldVapes
Despite the vape crisis of 2019, vape products commanded 22% of the shelf space for 2020. The report found that cartridges and pods grew shelf space by 3% in 2020. 74% of these products were in 500mg packages and a majority were marketed for relaxation and stress relief. The price preference was the opposite of candy, but that’s probably because vapes in general are more expensive. Budget-priced products saw an increase in shelf space and premium-priced products saw shelf space declines.
Top Vape Attributes
RelaxationStressFocus & CreativityTop Vape Brands
StiiizyJetty ExtractsRaw GardenCuraleafPure VapeAlpineResin & Rosin
THC concentrates continue to win over new consumers. The product packs a bigger punch than vapes or traditional flower that typically deliver 15%-35% THC. These concentrates can provide doses of 60%-90% THC. While dabbing shatter, wax, or crumble has been the predominant concentrate method, rosin and live resin are coming on strong. Rosin is made with a solventless method that relies only on heat and pressure to extract cannabinoids and delivering a “cleaner” dab. Live resin is made with more traditional extraction methods and preserves the terpenes. This category increased its shelf space by 3%, while the shatter, wax and crumble categories fell.
Cannabis products make for great gifts. Here are some recommendations for every type of friend, from seasoned stoners to newbies.
Christmas is right around the corner and it’s expected to be a lonelier affair than usual. A simple way to feel closer to your friends this year is to mail them thoughtful gifts. An even better way is to send them thoughtful weed gifts.
Making cannabis gifts is getting easier every year, with new products targeting a wide variety of people, from the canna-curious to seasoned users.
Here are some gift suggestions for this holiday season:
For your friend who needs to relax
Photo by Pharma Hemp Complex via Unsplash
Cannabis is illegal in Nigeria. Its production, distribution and use are criminalised by local laws. Cultivated mostly in southern Nigeria, the drug is affordable and readily available through street drug-running. Cannabis users are also widely seen as social deviants, and are liable to arrest and imprisonment.
Despite the stigma and danger from the law, the use of cannabis in Nigeria is growing fast. Studies show that it ranks just below alcohol as the second most used psychoactive substance in Nigeria. It is mostly used by people aged 25-39 years.
In my recent research leading to two publications, I explored access to recreational drugs, and the factors that encourage and motivate young adults in an eastern Nigerian city to use cannabis. My study also examined cannabis normalisation among users and their social networks. I recorded how the participants connect cannabis to their academic, leisure, social and sporting lives.
It’s important to understand why young people are using drugs, and if policy and legal frameworks are to be effective in reducing any harm. My findings show that cannabis is readily available in the city where I conducted our interviews, and it is easily accessible.
Cannabis has many uses
For my study, I selected 23 young men and women who were either university undergraduates or graduates who use cannabis. I interviewed them to find out their habits and why they use the drug.
Starting with the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report in 1893 ending with the US Drug Czar’s own Institute of Medicine report in 1999, no major study has found any basis for the criminalization of cannabis.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article solely belong to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Fresh Toast.
Gizmodo.com a website whose motto is “We come from the future” has an article titled, What Is the Biggest Scientific Fraud of the Past 50 Years? It asked some distinguished scientists what they would nominate for that dubious distinction.
Robert N. Proctor, Professor of the History of Science and Professor by courtesy of Pulmonary Medicine at Stanford University, named the “Council for Tobacco Research, the cigarette industry’s chief instrument for denying that cigarettes cause cancer…
“Twenty-seven Nobel laureates took money from Big Tobacco, and every major university was showered with cash…”
