WeedLife News Network

New Mexico might implement new laws that would limit recreational cannabis tourism. Officials claim these limits would ensure public safety.

Regulators in New Mexico held a public hearing this week to discuss rules for the state’s forthcoming recreational cannabis market. 

The state’s Regulation and Licensing Department, as well as its Cannabis Control Division, fielded questions and comments from the public during last Thursday’s hearing over the rules that will govern cannabis retailers and manufacturers.

According to the local website NM Political Report, the comments at the hearing “varied from proposed regulations for packaging requirements, general business practices to cannabis deliveries to both businesses and residences.”

“Requiring all manufacturers to prove water rights for their application, I think, is unreasonably burdensome, because it’s just not going to be a factor for a number of them,” Duhigg said, as quoted by NM Political Report. 

Lawmakers in New Mexico passed a bill legalizing recreational pot use for adults during a special legislative session in the spring. The legislation was signed into law in April by Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. This means big things for New Mexico, as for the first time ever, they will finally have a legal cannabis industry. 

For Christopher Fevry, the CEO and co-founder of cannabis delivery company Your Green Package, October has brought a milestone of crossing 2,500 deliveries.

PHOENIX – An MMA event at Celebrity Theatre is not unusual. Pairing that competition with a cannabis expo is.

That was the case Saturday when promoter RUF 44 hosted “RUF, Puff & Rumble, the first time the two industries have collided in the Valley.

Marijuana and sports have often had a precarious relationship. Within combat fighting, various state commissions have looked down on the plant in years past, handing out suspensions of up to five years for repeated positive tests of THC, the psychoactive property within marijuana. Times have changed however, as the Arizona State Boxing & MMA commission adopted the UFC model of testing, allowing fighters to consume marijuana freely until fight day, making more events like RUF 44 possible.

Dr. Joel Lopez, the CEO and Founder of RUF Nation, first thought of teaming MMA and marijuana two years ago but his vision finally came into fruition once Trap Culture Promotions, a local organization promoting cannabis-related events, reached out to Lopez. From there, the two sides met and turned what was once an idea into a reality.

“So I went to their office. First we passed around a good smoke. Alright, what’s up? And they’re like, `We got an idea,’” Lopez said. “This is what we do. We go to social events, mainstream events, and we provide an event itself. They go to like arcades and just provide full consumption areas. I’m like, what? Holy crap. I got it: RUF, Puff & Rumble.”

Drive-thru windows to purchase cannabis likely won’t be allowed in Manteca once marijuana dispensaries are legal.

A representative of marijuana retailers pitched the possibility of drive-thru windows saying it would be an effective marketing tool for a Manteca dispensary located near Highway 99. He noted curbside service for orders placed online had been effective and without problem at a number of dispensaries when pandemic lockdown rules were stringent.

The suggestion was made during Wednesday’s City Council workshop on ordinance that would allow marijuana dispensaries and possibly other cannabis related businesses to open in Manteca as early as 2022.

Several council members quickly batted the idea down.

“We don’t want to create another (Chick-fil-A),” said Manteca Mayor Ben Cantu in reference to the fast food restaurant that often has its drive-thru lane traffic back up onto Yosemite Avenue and even the nearby southbound Highway 99 off-ramp.

The council was open to a suggestion that dispensaries be allowed in commercial mixed use zones that allow apartments and similar residences after it was pointed out the designation covered most of the Yosemite Avenue and Main Street corridors. As such, it would exclude almost all likely locations for dispensaries to open in existing buildings in Manteca.

Attorney Advises Businesses To Heed The Warnin

Some seven months after former Governor Andrew Cuomo signed recreational marijuana into law, New York cannabis regulators are still figuring out which rules and guidelines are needed to make this complex program function properly. (Article orginally appeared on Benzinga by Nina Zdinjak)

Just last week, the Cannabis Control Board proclaimed marijuana gifting to be illegal, writes WSKG. 

Tremaine Wright, former state Assemblymember who leads the regulatory body for the state’s cannabis industry addressed the increasingly popular cannabis gifting activity. 

“There is no gray market in New York state,” Wright said. “This conduct is not legal and must stop. Individuals who do not cease run the risk of severe financial penalties.”

HempSol CBD Gets The Ball Rolling 

In September, the Rochester-based HempSol CBD hit the headlines for giving away an eighth of an ounce of cannabis with the purchase of a $65 T-shirt. At the time, the shop owner said the promotional “gift” was legal under the state’s adult-use cannabis law, which allows for adults to gift each other up to three ounces of marijuana. 

Every year, we hear the same old myth about laced Halloween candy. But it’s just that—a myth, not a truth.

With every Halloween that passes, articles and news coverage warning parents about finding cannabis-infused edibles in their kid’s candy bags are revived. The fact is that these warnings and tall tales, while issued with good intentions, are simply not rooted in truth.

A new Snopes article dug into the myths and origin of this annual charade. While the first state to legalize medical cannabis was California in 1996, cannabis-infused edibles were largely produced as baked goods. At the time, perfecting the art of an infused gummy bear or other recognizable candy was not yet the norm. Snopes ascertains that the topic began to gain attention around 2010, when medical cannabis candies were being advertised in newspapers and other print media. 

Scare-tactic stories have real-life consequences. The Los Angeles Times reported that law enforcement confiscated cannabis-infused candies from dispensaries on October 30, 2010. 

University of Delaware Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice Joel Best recently spoke with Fox News regarding his thorough research on the topic. 

“My research stretches back to 1958,” Best shared with Fox News. “I have been unable to find any evidence that any child has been killed or seriously injured by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating.” 

Cannabis has been legal for recreational use in California for nearly five years. From delivery services and storefront dispensaries to the state’s first marijiuana competition, California residents can enjoy their herb medicinally, recreationally and freely — to an extent.

While weed is legal in the state, there are limitations and penalties for some.

Also of note: Individuals 18 and older can qualify for medicinal marijuana. Minors qualify in few situations. Otherwise, you need to be 21 plus.

For example, Proposition 64, the Adult Use Marijuana Act, only allows adults 21 years old and over to possess and grow marijuana for recreational use. Those under 21 who are caught with weed that is not medically licensed can face fines, mandatory drug education or counseling and community service.

Other ways you can get in trouble with the state for having weed include the following:

Congratulations to the winners of the Cannabis Cup Massachusetts: People’s Choice Edition 2021! Here’s what’s hot in Massachusetts!

The cannabis cup is virtual this year—virtually awesome, that is, with our People’s Choice Edition making it possible to judge safely from the comfort of your home. Here are the well-deserved winners of the Cannabis Cup Massachusetts: People’s Choice Edition 2021.

Thank you to all the judges who put their hearts and souls into judging the competition entries to help crown the best of Massachusetts! This is the first-ever High Times Cannabis Cup to be held in “The Bay State” of Massachusetts. We can’t wait to return next year!

For more info on how to become a judge and to sign up for updates, please visit CannabisCup.com/preregister.

Courtesy of Bountiful Farms

First Place: Bountiful Farms – Secret Formula

DENVER — Several nights a week during the fall, walking tours hit the flagstone sidewalks of Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, stopping in front of old mansions to be told the tales of ghosts and hauntings. But one of those stops, one of those mansions, has an added ‘history’ that is being celebrated along with its spirited past.

“The house was built back in the 1800s for the Creswell family,” April Reed explained, showing off the scenic lobby of the Creswell Mansion on Grant Street.

Fake spider webs cover the banister, and a variety of Halloween decor fills each room of the mansion.

“We’ve basically turned the Mansion into somewhat of a haunted house in a way,” Reed, the event director of the space, told Denver7.

Canadian cannabis firm The Green Organic Dutchman (TGOD) is celebrating its first medical cannabis shipment to Australia.

In September last year, TGOD inked a distribution agreement with LeafCann for Australian and New Zealand medical cannabis markets, where LeafCann will be the exclusive supplier of the company’s products in both countries.

While the first products were expected to be available to Australian patients by the end of the first quarter of this year, that didn’t eventuate for whatever reasons – and it’s not hard to think of a few.

In addition to challenges posed by the pandemic, anything related to cannabis tends to get bogged down by red tape.

Still, TGOD seems very happy with the way things have turned out.

The Batavia Town Board on Wednesday night voted to schedule a public hearing on a resolution that would enable the municipality to opt out of allowing cannabis retail dispensaries and on-site consumption sites through New York’s Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act.

“I don’t think there’s enough information from the State of New York to enter into something that we could never get out of,” Town Supervisor Gregory Post said following the monthly board meeting at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road. “The bottom line is that we can always opt in to it when we have more details and it is something that we can administer.”

Post said he was concerned that “a decision made by five people (the Batavia Town Board) probably isn’t a clear and transparent representation of the whole community.”

If a local law to opt out is passed following the public hearing set for 7:10 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Town Hall, it could lead to a permissive referendum organized by residents who disagree with its decision.

“People opposing that law could get together and find their way to the ballot and ask the community whether they want this or not,” Post said. “In my opinion, this is too early in the game … and jump into this thing not know what the down-the-road consequences and financial implications are.”

BOULDER, Colo. — Introducing jeng an alcohol-free, hemp-infused, ready-to-drink cocktail to excite the palate, inspire conversation, and elevate social experiences.

jeng is the brainchild of Christopher Lackner and John Enghauser, old friends who reconnected with an idea right before the pandemic hit. Using a recipe from John’s favorite “home cocktail,” jeng hit the shelves in New York in early 2021. The company is currently expanding into Chicago, with plans for national expansion in 2022.

“John and I are fans of bold flavored cocktails and craft beers. Rather than create another boring CBD seltzer, we set out to make a drink that we would enjoy, one that replicated the cocktail experience but without the alcohol,” said Lackner. “A cocktail is more than a delivery device for alcohol, it’s an experience to be shared. With jeng, you get that cocktail flavor, feeling, and connection. What you don’t get is the hangover.”

Bringing a refreshing, alcohol-free alternative to cocktail culture, jeng replicates classics like the Moscow mule, the paloma, and the gin & tonic. Eleven milligrams of CBD make the drink easily enjoyable and approachable for the sober-curious as well as the CBD-curious.

“We intentionally formulated jeng to have a “sessionable” amount of CBD to make it enticing, not intimidating,” said Enghauser. “It’s the perfect amount for someone who may never have heard of CBD but is eager to try it.”

Over the last decade or so, as marijuana acceptance has steadily increased, consumers have had more options from which to choose as far as consumption methods go. Nowadays, many cannabis consumers can simply take a stroll into their local dispensary and be greeted by a smorgasbord of edibles, cartridges, extracts and tinctures.Although they’re relatively new to most cannabis consumers, tinctures are actually one of the oldest ways of ingesting marijuana for medicinal purposes.

In fact, records reveal that before cannabis was deemed illegal in the U.S., it was a fairly common treatment for both people and pets.Thanks to the growing acceptance of medicinal marijuana, people are also becoming more open to tinctures as a method of pain relief. Both CBD and THC tinctures in the U.S. have proved popular methods for both relieving pain or simply relaxing. From the way they’re made to how they’re used, marijuana tinctures are probably far from what people envision when they think about weed.

Marijuana tinctures are typically alcohol-based cannabis extracts, although sometimes they’re made with vegetable glycerin and oil. They’re made by grinding down the bud, then decarboxylating it by heat.

Afterwards, the grounded, dried, bud is soaked in high-proof alcohol, in a jar-tightened lid. After it’s been stored, it ideally sits in a cool, dark area for a couple of weeks being periodically being stirred or shaken.

Before use, any remaining flower can be filtered out using a coffee filter. Once the grounds have been filtered, it gets transferred into a medicine bottle with a dropper for easy use.

As a nutritionist and the co-founder of the Holistic Cannabis Academy, I get asked a lot of unsolicited questions about food and cannabis. After all, we imbue all of our social interactions with food. As a society, we have become intrigued with food and everything that pertains to it including cooking and, of course, my favorite topic — nutrition.

Cannabis is a great conversation starter for so many reasons. For one, it’s not federally legal, yet it’s legalized by individual states for medical or adult use (recreational) purposes in more than half the country. And, of course, the plant has literally come out of the closet, so cannaphobia is mitigated, and it’s become acceptable to talk about the plant. Combine talking about food with cannabis and you have a winning combination!

In that spirit, here are five winning combos for food and cannabis.

Avocado

Though thought of as a vegetable and often categorized as a fat, avocado is actually a large berry with a single seed. That means that avocado is a fruit, according to botanists. And, an amazing and versatile fruit it is. Of course, there’s the ubiquitous avocado toast found in hipster neighborhoods beyond Brooklyn. Guacamole was, of course, the first introduction to avocado to Americans.

Hemp Seed

Combining two cannabis plant ingredients together is a no brainer. Hemp as a food is from the seed portion of the cannabis plant and contains little to no THC. Hemp foods include protein powder, milk, hearts, flour, butter (which can also be used for skin), and pressed juice. Hemp oil as food from the seed of the plant is completely different from hemp-derived CBD oil processed from the aerial parts of the plant.

As winter approaches, so does the need to preserve the last of nature’s harvests before the arrival of the first frost. Cannabis is harvested throughout the year, but it is crucial to always preserve buds as best as possible upon purchasing.

Whether you procured the last ounce of a favorite strain, or take your time getting through your supply, preserving cannabis properly can keep your flower fresh and fragrant the entire winter, and beyond.

Studies point to UV light as the number one destroyer of cannabis potency. According to Medical Marijuana, Inc., “While direct sunlight is the most degrading to marijuana flower, even indirect light can cause a loss of potency.” With even indirect light affecting cannabis longevity, it is crucial to take time to purchase the perfect container.

There are several factors to consider when choosing a storage container for cannabis. According to Healthline, “Light, humidity, temperature, and oxygen can all mess with cannabis and affect its aroma, taste, and potency potential.” Therefore the container must be airtight to prevent unwanted humidity and oxygen from entering. Be sure to have a container with a secure seal.

The container’s material is also important. Many dispensaries provide cannabis in plastic containers. This works for quick storage purposes, but when preserving marijuana for a long period of time, plastic is an enemy. Plastic containers leak air and can release some of their chemical properties. This can transfer to cannabis and change its flavor and taste. Plastic can also cause sweating inside the container or bag, which can cause mold and deterioration in quality.

There are so many different opinions on what the best way to consume marijuana is and as a result, it can be challenging for the average person to know what they should do. Some people believe that smoking marijuana is the way to go, while others believe that edibles are a better option. It seems with so many opinions that there is no right answer, but if you’re having a hard time choosing a product or device that will suit your needs, it is best to ask for help in a cannabis store where experts will answer all of your questions. For example, The Joint, a chain of cannabis shops in Canada, has knowledgeable staff who will work closely with you to find the best product for your situation and answer any questions you may have about cannabis use. There are two  The Joint Saskatoon locations and many more across the country that offer both medical and recreational products.

Cannabis has been used as a substance to help people manage symptoms such as pain and many others because of its medical properties. There are so many ways that one can consume marijuana which leaves just one question: which method will deliver the best results? If you’re looking for answers, this blog will outline all the best available options as well as highlight some things you should consider before making your decision.

Dry herb vaporizer

Dry herb vaporizers are a battery-operated inhalation device that has risen in popularity in recent years. Incredible vape supplies such as those found in Cold Turkey St James are easily available and convenient, making the life of cannabis consumers more enjoyable in every aspect. Vaporizers are handheld, portable, and extremely convenient. You have the luxury of determining your temperature depending on what effects you want to experience. The main components of a dry vaporizer are the chamber, battery, mouthpiece, and LED screen. The small chamber means you use less dry herb compared to other inhalation methods such as joints. The main appeal of this device is that it is a healthier option compared to traditional smoking and that can be attributed to the fact that dry herb vaporizers produce vapor instead of smoke as well as the fact that the herb gets heated instead of burnt during combustion.

Bubblers

A bubbler is a small water pipe that is used to smoke dry cannabis flowers. This device is similar to a bong in that it is a water filtration device that purifies smoke. Bubblers are generally small and can be handled with a single hand which also makes them very portable and easy to store. A bubbler hits similar to a dry pipe except there is a carb that builds and releases the smoke. If you are looking for healthier consumption, this is a method to consider because of the low heat temperature and lack of smoke. After prolonged usage, your lung health will start to be negatively affected so proceed cautiously. You will feel the effects within minutes.

Bongs and joints

Bongs and joints are two of the most popular marijuana consumption methods. A bong is a water filtration device and a joint is a hand-rolled inhalation consumption method that uses dry herbs and rolling paper. Both these methods use combustion because the dry herb has to be burnt; however, a bong has water which purifies the smoke to give you a smoother hit. Still, both bongs and joints are not the healthiest of ways to consume cannabis as they both produce smoke which is risky for your lungs. If you consume this way you can expect to feel effects almost instantly. Still, bongs are a bit healthier than joints, since the smoke is not as harsh.

Festival season in Austin has a pretty dope new addition: a one-day festival featuring music and highlighting a cousin of marijuana.

The first-ever Texas Hemp Harvest Festival is set for 10 am-11 pm October 23 at Carson Creek Ranch, a 58-acre event venue in eastern Travis County. Musical acts scheduled to perform include Jamaican reggae and hip-hop artist Ky-Mani Marley, son of the legendary Bob Marley; country musician Gary P. Nunn; and country music band The Derailers.

Sweet Sensi, an Austin-based seller of “artisanal” CBD products, is staging the “family-friendly festival.” The event will offer food trucks, beverages for adults and children, vendor displays, and games.

The festival also will put on a “Battle of the Buds” competition. Anonymous judges will vote for their favorites in four categories of hemp products made in Texas: flower/pre-rolls, edibles, topicals, and tinctures/capsules.

Organizers say the festival is being produced by farmers, processors, manufacturers, and retailers to celebrate the hemp harvest in Texas. In 2020, the state saw its first legal hemp harvest in more than 80 years, the Austin Chronicle says.

New Frontier Data, the premier data, analytics and technology firm specializing in the cannabis industry worldwide, publishes its latest report, Cannabis & Wellness: A New Consumer Paradigm, released in partnership with SōRSE and Jointly, examining various facets of health and wellness-related consumption patterns amongst current U.S. cannabis consumers. For each wellness practice identified in this report (medical, mental health, physical fitness and alcohol replacement), individuals represented by New Frontier Data’s cannabis consumer archetypes illustrate distinct motivations and use cases.

The study reveals, as cannabis normalization continues to build across the U.S. market, 23% of cannabis consumers now partake in support of their general wellness, while 79% report cannabis to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on their lives. From cannabis-friendly yoga to cannabis social lounges as alternatives to traditional bars, the growing acceptability of cannabis use outside of the home, as well as in regulated public and social spaces, now provides numerous options for consumers to access cannabis to enhance their physical, mental and social well-being.

“The U.S. consumer base is diversifying, and reasons for use are extending well beyond recreational use into broader medical and wellness applications,” noted Giadha A. DeCarcer, Founder and Executive Chair of New Frontier Data. “Our continued focus on data and reporting on the full spectrum of cannabis consumer behavior, now expanding into more nuanced aspects of medical use across North America and Europe, will provide industry stakeholders with a 360-degree view of the cannabis consumer opportunity.”

Key Findings:

Relaxation and stress relief are the leading reasons for cannabis use, and 52% of current consumers reported taking cannabis to improve their mental health during the pandemic.

Combining cannabis and exercise challenges the longstanding “unhealthy, sedentary stoner” stereotype, and 13% of consumers reported regular use of cannabis before exercise to improve training.