WeedLife News Network

More and more cities and countries are leaning towards the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis , which opens up many business possibilities. Uber does not plan to be left behind and is already considering adding home delivery of marijuana to its portfolio of services.

Dara Khosrowshahi , CEO of Uber , said the company could deliver cannabis through its private transportation network. This as soon as the federal regulation in the United States is approved and depending on how the legislation is.

“When the path is clear for cannabis, when federal laws come into play, we are definitely going to take a look at it. (...) We are excited even though we have to review the law and that will take time , "Khosrowshahi said in an interview with CNBC .

The CEO of Uber assures that, for now, the company will focus on the services that it can offer and that have brought it good results: the delivery of food, medicine and alcoholic beverages.

"For now, with the grocery store, food, alcohol, etc., we see a lot of opportunities out there and we are going to focus on the opportunity that we have at hand," said the CEO of the company.

The popular TV show "Chopped," as every foodie knows, involves four chefs who face off against one another in a timed cooking contest. The goal is to prepare a three-course meal using four secret ingredients. The one who gets the best score from a panel of judges wins.

A new spinoff of that show is designed to appeal to a cannabis-loving audience. It's one of the surest signs yet of the mainstreaming of cannabis in American culture.

The new show, called "Chopped 420," will debut on Discovery+ on - you guessed it - April 20. That's because 420 is considered a holiday for cannabis users or at least a time to reflect upon how the code for cannabis by California high schoolers became a global phenomenon. 

The goal of both "Chopped 420" and another spinoff on Discovery+ called "Chopped Next Gen" is to draw in younger viewers to "Chopped"-related shows and other content, according to Variety.

The new show will run for five weeks on Discovery+.

For the initial run of the show, five episodes will stream on Discovery+. Comedian Ron Funches will host, and the judges' panel includes chefs Esther Choi, Luke Reyes and Sam Talbot. Other judges will consist of drag performer and cannabis activist Laganja Estranja and comedian Tacarra Williams.

California’s licensed marijuana shops are doing an excellent job at preventing sales to minors, according to a first-of-its-kind study commissioned by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

That means the industry is living up to a key promise advocates made when voters legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older nearly five years ago.

“Licensed marijuana retailers are clearly keen to follow the rules,” said Angela Eichelberger, a research scientist with the Insurance Institute who authored the report with University of Chicago and University of Minnesota experts. “They’re aware that the industry hasn’t won everybody over yet, and they don’t want to get shut down.”

The study did find isolated violations of state law at some legal shops, such as workers giving out free samples of edibles. And researchers offered suggestions to further boost protections for minors.

But the study’s authors said the California’s still vibrant world of unlicensed retailers is the biggest problem when it comes to selling cannabis to underage consumers. Statewide, the illicit market remains three times larger than the legal market, since the lack of taxes and regulations allows unlicensed shops to sell cheaper products to anyone who comes shopping — including minors.

Prerolls make up 10 percent of California's cannabis market, and their popularity is growing. The last few years have shown excessive growth for mini joints in particular. With one-gram singles historically dominating the category, it's great to see more consumer choice regarding serving sizes.

Minis, often known as dogwalkers, offer more options. The joints range from .25 gram to .5 gram and several infused versions. Additionally, minis have served us well over the last year as COVID changed when and where we consume and brought new consumers into the fold. The combination of events makes me think the mini moment is here to stay. Here's why:

They take the edge off

It's no secret that everyone's "vice" consumptions got a nice lil boost this year, and that's especially true for cannabis. We've all experienced our fair share of stress this year, and many people are turning to cannabis to help make these uncertain times a bit more bearable, whether it's to relax, sleep, or take the edge off. Mini joints are a great introduction into the world of prerolls and give consumers the ability to customize their dosage. Start with a few pulls on a mini, see how you're feeling, and polish that bad boy off. The best part of all - weed gives you the ability to make every night a Friday night with no hangover to cope with before your 9 AM Zoom call.

They're all about community

There's an incredible sense of community you get from sharing a joint with someone else— the sacred puff-puff-pass. Of course, amidst a pandemic, we can't freely pass around a shared joint to take on together. To the rescue? A pack of minis that covers the small party. Everyone gets their own little joint, making your BBQ a little safer and a little more fun. This allows us to smoke, commiserate, and laugh amongst friends while still respecting CDC guidelines and protecting ourselves.

They come in single servings

The smaller size of the mini makes the dose and experience more intuitive, giving consumers the perfect amount for a bit of buzz while also reducing the risk of going overboard. Many people can't finish an entire 1 gram preroll and end up wasting the weed (no Bueno!) or having to put the half-smoked j back in their bag. Minis are made to be smoked in one sitting, leaving you hands-free and without any lingering odor. Gone are the days of the dirty doob-tube or smelly purse lining. 

When Nevadans buy marijuana at local dispensaries, it must be consumed at home.

Tourists are not allowed to do it in public, most hotels ban it, and it can’t be used in the dispensary where it is purchased.

Social use legislation would change that and create two new categories for cannabis consumption lounges: retail (attached to existing dispensaries) or independent

Existing retailers could let people buy their products and consume them on-site. Independent lounges, places not permitted to sell cannabis on their own like barber shops or nail salons, could have marijuana products delivered or people could bring it in on their own.

Oasis Cannabis Dispensary, near downtown Las Vegas sees on average about a thousand customers per day.

In recent years, CBD (cannabidiol) edibles have become quite popular. And out of the different types of edibles, gummies have come up as the favorite of the majority. After all, there is nothing not to love about CBD gummies. They are tasty, portable, convenient, and discreet. Additionally, there is no need to measure anything, which means they are easy to dose. Thus, CBD gummies enjoy equal popularity among first-timers and experienced users. One of the prime reasons why people use CBD is to get relief from pain and stress.

Though CBD is largely safe to use, it still has risks involved. The FDA does not regulate over-the-counter CBD products. Thus, it is vital to research and know if you are choosing the right brand. Thankfully, we have done all the research to bring you a list of the five best CBD gummies to get relief from pain.

1.  

Joy Organics Premium CBD Gummies

Once you hear the true story about Joy Organics came into being, your trust in the brand will get strengthened. Joy Smith is the CEO and co-founder of Joy Organics. She is a grandmamma who was looking for organic support to cure her health problems. She found CBD in the process and eventually thought about starting her business based on the natural substance she loves so much.

After years of trying to participate in male-dominated online cannabis growing communities, April Brett was done with the disrespect that was directed at her just because she was a woman. So, in February 2020, she decided to create her own Facebook group: O’Cannabis: Canadian Ladies Growing Together.

“I wanted to create a group just for women where they can feel safe and have no drama and learn to grow,” says Brett, who lives and grows in Hamilton, Ont. “We build each other up and support each other, which is what women are supposed to do.”

Brett’s timing was impeccable. A month after she launched her group, pandemic lockdowns swept across the country and people started picking up home-based hobbies to stave off stress and boredom, and looking for community online. Many women decided to plant pandemic gardens with cannabis, and Brett watched her membership shoot up by the hundreds to more than 3,500 today.

“Growing is so therapeutic,” says Brett, who uses cannabis to manage her anxiety, depression, migraines and chronic pain. “It’s a huge stress reliever. I feel so at peace when I’m in my garden, watching my plants grow and flourish.”Brett sees many benefits to growing her own cannabis: it tastes better and is less expensive than buying it from dispensaries or medical cannabis suppliers and she knows exactly what she’s getting and what she put into it. She notes that commercial growers may use chemical fertilizers, pesticides and mold inhibitors—and consumers have no way of knowing. (Health Canada regulates the use of these substances and requires licensed producers to have their products tested.)

While growing cannabis may seem daunting, Brett says it’s simple if you follow a few basic principles. “People who can’t keep houseplants alive can grow cannabis,” she says. “Just keep it simple.”

Although there is an available and thriving market for cannabis art, most e-commerce websites and platforms prohibit artists from selling art that depicts cannabis.

Is there any section or industry without cannabis influence? It’s starting to look like there isn’t any, as, throughout history, cannabis users have displayed their creative capabilities in various ways.

In this article, we will talk about one industry in particular where budding artists are gaining ground: ART!

Photo by Matthew Henry via Burst

Cannabis users and enthusiasts are some of the most innovative people you’ll ever meet, and their inspiring works of art have been admired for decades. Most of the works created by cannabis enthusiasts have also sparked debate for centuries, dating William Shakespeare’s times.

More women are buying cannabis, which could lead to shifts in product demand. Women still make up a minority of adult-use marijuana purchasers – 33.6 percent in February – but that’s increased almost a full percentage point from 2020. While that trend might not be a dramatic shift in the gender makeup of retail marijuana sales, it could have a lasting effect because men and women shop differently for cannabis products.

For example, female buyers are more likely to purchase products other than flower when compared to their male counterparts. Both men and women spend the most on flower, but women spend less on it, according to analysis of wallet share (the percentage of a customer’s spend on specific categories) from February 2021.

The demographic information, including age and gender, was self-reported by participants in customer-loyalty programs and collected by Seattle-based cannabis analytics firm Headset. The biggest gap was in California, where women spend $36.30 of every $100 on flower compared with $43.90 spent by men, an almost $8 difference.

Other states saw a similar breakdown in flower spending:

Women most likely spend the difference on non-flower products such as edibles, where they outspent men in each state analyzed:

The rise of the East Coast cannabis market gained another foothold in late March 2021 when New York became the most recent state to legalize adult use cannabis, joining ranks with other Atlantic stalwarts, including New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

In doing so, it opened the door to an industry that many experts agree could exceed $7 billion annually, once the market is fully established. That’s potential the cannabis market hasn’t seen since Washington became the first Pacific state to legalize adult use cannabis, almost 10 years ago (followed shortly after by Colorado, then Oregon in 2014 and California in 2016).

Unfortunately, the leaders of this great country have yet to follow suit, and cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. For those in the cannabis market, this means that state-licensed cannabis businesses must cultivate and sell their products within the confines of the state in which they are licensed. Nothing can cross state lines. Even if a business is licensed in both Vermont and New York, it can’t ship product from one state to the other without running afoul of federal legislation. Most in the East Coast cannabis market view this as a negative.

Virginia became the first state in the South to legalize adult use cannabis

From Snoop Dogg to Seth Rogen to Mike Tyson. One of the great things about being a celebrity is the ability to both back desirable products (for money, of course!), and start your own company. Sure, we’d all do it if we had the money, but since the majority of us will never be able to use multi-million-dollar paychecks to fund our projects of love, the best we can do is check out those who can. Cannabis is huge in popular culture, and used by the biggest stars out there. Let’s take a look at which celebrities have gotten into the field of starting cannabis companies.

Celebrities and their cannabis companies might be all the rage, but that’s not the only big trend in the cannabis world. One of the coolest stories of late is the addition of delta-8 THC products. Unlike delta-9, delta-8 produces less psychoactive high, and less anxiety to boot. For this reason, many people prefer this newer form of THC to the old standard. If you think this might be good for you, check out our awesome delta-8 THC deals, and get in on the latest cannabis trend.

Mike Tyson

We all know him, we all love him. Well, maybe not Evander Holyfield. But the rest of us have become pretty endeared to the face-tattooed, heavy-weight boxing champion over the years. And what is this face-tattooed, heavy-weight boxing champion doing now? Setting up cannabis ranches. When California changed its laws, and opened the door for cannabis production, Mike Tyson didn’t waste any time, setting up Tyson’s Ranch in El Segundo, California.

He even started a podcast called ‘Hotboxin’ where he chats with other celebrities, smokes, and promotes his other cannabis-related ventures. His company works as more than just a cannabis-growing ranch, functioning as a licensing and branding company as well. The end goal is for an entire entertainment complex with hotels, stores, entertainment venues and so on to be built.

Tyson didn’t stop with the continental US though, he’s been planning on taking his operation to the island of Antigua, which opened the door for medical cannabis tourism in 2018. The country does not yet allow recreational cannabis (though its working on it), but it does now have lax policies that allow for investors like Mike Tyson to come in and start businesses there. When the story was originally reported in early 2020, Tyson had submit a proposal to set up a wellness center on the island along with a hotel. While initial requests were said to have gone through just fine, a full proposal was subsequently requested.

For many, the jolt of caffeine and the mellowing effects of cannabis make a perfect combination. When the two meet in the body and mind, they can amplify one another, but research is limited as to how they interact on a chemical level.

Scientific studies on what happens when your morning joe meets your morning joint are scattershot and inconclusive, but they provide a rough map of what to expect of this mental terrain. But culturally, caffeine and cannabis seem like natural bedfellows, with everyone’s favorite (legal) upper most likely to be paired with cannabis from a retail perspective.

Murky Conclusions

For starters, we know caffeine operates in the endocannabinoid system – the same brain region that makes weed do its thing. Both substances have been shown to cause an uptick in dopamine activity, and some report that the kick from caffeine creates a brighter, more euphoric cannabis high.

In many ways, however, the two seem to be awkward dance partners, canceling out certain effects and amplifying others.  Caffeine can have an anxiety-producing effect, while THC can make one mellower in low doses and freaked out at high doses (CBD seems to generally have a calming effect at any dosage). It’s possible for coffee jitters to add to cannabis shakes, paranoia or couchlock for an unpleasant cocktail. But it’s also easy to find individual reports of just the opposite effect, with the two mixing for a relaxed yet upbeat feeling. As always, it is advisable to take it slow when trying new combinations and pay attention to one’s own body.

Though coffee has been shown to enhance one’s cognitive powers, combined with weed, the overall effect may actually be the reverse from coffee alone: Some studies suggest that coffee and cannabis combine to inhibit memory. Others have shown that caffeine can partially protect against the forgetfulness associated with high doses of CBD.

At our recent Emerge Virtual Cannabis Conference & Expo, transformative thinkers and innovators voiced their insight on diversity, expungement, and prison reform to hundreds of eager virtual attendees.

The event hosted several prominent speakers from the industry, boasting a powerhouse assembly of cannabis enthusiasts.

Hemp and cannabis culture is all about community; it’s a space where everyone deserves representation.

As the demand for cannabis continues to grow, many revolutionary leaders within the industry, including Andrew DeAngelo, Wanda James, Steve DeAngelo, and others have been fighting for change within the hemp space to better reflect the inclusive nature of the plant. 

Wanda James

Not even a decade ago, the idea of legalizing cannabis was still a social taboo and a topic that was mostly avoided by mainstream media outlets, politicians, and celebrities. During its many years of prohibition, a lot of misconceptions about cannabis were born – some were minor marketing and industry blunders, but others were so damaging that they still contribute to the plant’s poor reputation and federal prohibition.

Finding the facts about cannabis can be a challenge. Prohibitionists will do anything in their power to diminish the health benefits of this plant. Usually, money in other industries is a motivator. Alternatively, pro-cannabis activists and particularly those with a financial stake in the industry may downplay any possible side effects, promoting cannabis as a be-all, end-all solution to all your problems; doing anything to progress legislation and sell their products.

As is usually the case in life, the reality lies somewhere in between these two extremes, and in the spirit of spreading accurate information, I wanted to quickly cover some of the most common misconceptions surrounding cannabis.

Common cannabis misconceptions: Indicas are stronger than sativas

This is one of those cannabis misconceptions honestly drives me a bit crazy. I’m a regular cannabis user – I smoke flowers, dab concentrates, and eat edibles. I love pot and use it daily, so as you can imagine, I spend quite a bit of time shopping in cannabis dispensaries. Here in California, options are plentiful. So much so, that when I’m trying to do a quick run and get in and out of the store quickly, the sheer number of product choices can get a bit overwhelming.

In this scenario, I’ll usually ask the budtender what their favorite strain or concentrate is that week. Nine times out of ten, they point me in the direction an indica and tell me, “I like this one cause it’s an indica and indicas are stronger.” Since it’s usually not the right time for a debate, I bite my tongue and move on, but in my head I’m screaming, “haven’t you ever heard of terpenes?!?”

If you’re shopping based on indica vs sativa alone… YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. To find a strain that will provide you with the desired effect, you have to search beyond indica and sativa and look at the entire package instead – strain name and genetics, terpene blends, and cannabinoid content. In reality, the entire indica vs sativa vs hybrid trend is basically just a big marketing ploy anyway.

The cannabis industry has seen some players make big bets on beverages, but so far it hasn’t paid off. The market is definitely growing, just not at the rate many had hoped for. Plus, the slow growth of this form factor is not an indication that it won’t continue to increase and eventually gain even more market share. Cannabis tracking firm  Headset recently released a report on the cannabis beverage industry and found that in the US, “The beverage category’s market share has held fairly steady between 0.85 percent and 1.1 percent over the last several years. In fact, market share to the category was slowly decreasing through late 2019 and early 2020 before maintaining just below 0.9% during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Despite the consumers tapping the brakes on beverages, the category has begun a turnaround and Headset believes the products are poised to reach an all-time high as pandemic restrictions ease. The report also noticed that consumers are at least giving the products a try as basket data is showing more people are tossing some beverages in the bag. The report said, “We can see a relatively steady march upwards over time rising from 1.6 percent in January 2018 to 2.8 percent in February 2021. Even though market share hasn’t drastically increased, Beverages are making their way into more and more baskets each month, indicating that more customers than ever are trying THC-infused Beverages.” Only a little over 20 percent of the shopping carts are filled with only cannabis beverages, meaning the other almost 80 percent are adding beverages to a larger order. By contrast, a third of edible consumers are buying just edibles when they go to the dispensaries. 

It’s A Girl Thing 

What has been learned is that women are the big buyers of cannabis beverages. In every single age category, women outspent men when buying cannabis-infused beverages. So, hands down, the main consumer for cannabis-infused beverages are women.

Where things get even more interesting in the report is when Headset dives into dosage. The two main categories for purchases are on either side of the spectrum – either low like a microdose or very high for maximum effect. The report stated, “In fact, most of the growth in the 10mg or lighter section over the last few years has come from the 0-5mg ‘microdosed’ cohort of Beverages, which has risen from 14.4 percent category share to more than 18 percent of sales this year to date.” For example, so far in 2021 beverages with over 100mg accounted for 59.8 percent of the market share, while products with less than 5mg were the second-largest category with a 19.5 percent market share. 

California Drinking

The report stated that “California Beverage sales in January 2021 clocked in at $15.5M, nearly six times greater than the $2.7M recorded during January 2018, the first month of recreational sales.” Also, since the competition is heating up and there are more beverages to choose from, the top three selling in 2018 brands have seen their market share decline. The data showed that some brands, like Kikoko and Cannabis Quencher have held firm in the market even though new brands have entered the space. “Legal Beverages, on the other hand, was unable to keep up, falling from the third top selling Beverage brand in 2018 to a market exit in 2020.” 

Cultivating cannabis is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding forms of gardening. Whereas some crops can take weeks or even months to show some growth, the cannabis plant grows fairly quickly.

It’s almost as if every day there are new leaves, and eventually, new buds on cannabis plants, which any seasoned cultivator will be quick to point out.

That near-daily gratification makes the cannabis plant one of the most fun crops to cultivate, especially considering that the plant is absolutely beautiful when in full bloom.

Harvesting cannabis and drying it out to be consumed is also an obvious benefit. The truly savvy cannabis consumer can also infuse their harvests into all types of things, from edibles to topicals.

Unfortunately, cannabis cultivation for adult use is prohibited on a national level in all but two countries, Uruguay and Canada. Although that could change soon in Malta.

Try these options and see what works best for you. If still unsatisfied, it may be time to explore even more ways of using cannabis.

With more states and countries embracing the use of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes, experts are continuously exploring new ways to get the most of this revered herb. So far, there are dozens of ways you can use cannabis. The method you choose determines how fast the THC gets into your bloodstream and stimulates you.

So, don’t confine yourself to only one method of using cannabis. It may get boring with time. For 2021, get a bit adventurous and try these other popular methods:

Tinctures

Photo by Thanit Weerawan/Getty Images

These are oil or alcohol-based CBD products. You can spray or place a few drops of CBD oil under your tongue. For better results, hold the oil under your tongue for two or more minutes. The area under your tongue has numerous capillaries that help with the absorption of CBD oils into the bloodstream.

Stoned drivers and weed-smoking workers take note: marijuana Breathalyzers will soon be in the hands of police officers and employers.

In fact, marijuana Breathalyzer prototypes have already been put to use for Covid-19 testing, after some innovations allowing them to detect SARS-CoV-2 antigens in breath.

Marijuana Breathalyzers have been in development for years and are finally approaching the launching pad as commercial products. Hound Labs, based in Oakland, California, says that market release is imminent for its Hound Marijuana Breathalyzer, which can detect the presence of THC molecules in the breath.

“The first commercial units of the Hound Marijuana Breathalyzer will be in the hands of customers this spring,” Dr. Mike Lynn, an emergency room physician who is CEO and co-founder of Hound Labs, told High Times. “Production will ramp up throughout the rest of 2021.”

This is bad news for workers who get high on the job. But it’s good news for employers who want to weed out such behavior. And it’s good news for anyone with safety concerns about bong-ripping motorists.

Advocates are calling New York’s legal marijuana program the best in the nation. One called it a watershed and a new era for marijuana justice, after hard work and long odds. 

Years of wrangling and tense negotiations finally ended in victory when adult use marijuana was finally legalized on March 31, 2021.

How Great is New York’s New Legal Cannabis Program? 

Let me count the ways.

First of all, possession by adults of up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate is legal, effective immediately.