WeedLife News Network

Clinical trials have shown that the world is about to unlock this potent cannabinoid that will enhance the benefits we get from cannabis.

One of the most exciting things to discuss regarding cannabis are cannabinoids. Yes, those excellent chemical compounds in the cannabis plant. But most conversations on cannabinoids are always hung up on THC and CBD, as these are the most utilized and significant cannabinoids known.

However, within the cannabis plant lies many other cannabinoids that hold the potential of making a tremendous impact in the lives of those who use cannabis. One such cannabinoid is cannabidivarin (CBDV).

Photo by Bacsica/Getty Image

The cannabis plant is one attractive component to consider because of the myriad of advantages it provides users, but for now, the spotlight is on cannabidivarin. What makes this chemical so unique?

People smoke cannabis and get high for different reasons, and in some cases, your reason for smoking can determine when you should smoke.

Anyone who starts smoking pot and enjoys the exhilarating feel it brings will want to know the best time to get high. Of course, you don’t want to get high at crucial meetings or close to someone uncomfortable with cannabis. There are different times, and we will highlight all of them, so work with a time that best suits your schedule.

In the morning

Getting high in the morning is often referred to as “wake and bake.” When we wake up, our body comes alive, but we also have to get the body energized, which is why some people go to the gym first thing in the morning.

Photo by rawpixel.com

Just as you enjoy the working out in the morning, you can also enjoy weed in the morning to get that kick into your day so that you show up at work ready to take over the day.

After years of stops and starts, the Cannabis Control Commission announced Friday that eligible applicants can now seek pre-certification and licensure as marijuana delivery operators, a business type that regulators and advocates said will be an important part of an equitable industry.

The new “marijuana delivery operator” licenses created in the new industry rules the CCC approved late last year will be available exclusively to participants in the CCC’s social equity program and economic empowerment applicants for the first three years.

The new license allows its holder to buy products wholesale from growers and manufacturers and deliver them to their own customers, and requires them to follow customer verification and safety regulations.

“The release of this application serves as an important step in acknowledging the excessive hurdles that many people of color and those disenfranchised face when it comes to starting a cannabis business. This license type is a major piece of the equation in making the Massachusetts cannabis industry more diverse, equitable and inclusive,” Aaron Goines, president of the Massachusetts Cannabis Association for Delivery, said.

The CCC said there are 122 certified economic empowerment applicants and nearly 400 social equity program participants who are eligible for the new delivery license, which the CCC said was “created in direct response to a robust public hearing and public comment process” last year.

Shortly after Nevada officials announced that licensed cannabis stores and medical dispensaries could reopen after lockdown, Nicolas MacLean said cars were lined up for five blocks waiting for curbside pickup.

Like many industries in Las Vegas, the cannabis industry used to rely on tourists for sales, but that changed when the pandemic hit, MacLean, who serves as the CEO of Las Vegas-based cannabis producer Aether Gardens, told The New York Times.

"Locals are very discerning — they want something they aren't going to find on the black market," MacLean said. "Especially when you are stuck at home."

The year of 2020 saw extraordinarily strong sales of legal cannabis in the US, up 46% from 2019 to a record $17.5 billion, according to cannabinoid market research firm BDSA.

"I expect this will be the first year Nevada does over a billion in cannabis sales," MacLean said. "And it happened on the back of what I think no one expected."

The number of dogs becoming ill from accidentally consuming THC-containing cannabis products is – like the dogs – becoming higher, according to data from a new University of Guelph study.

According to experts, the increase in cannabis-intoxicated canines is directly linked to the increased legalization and/or decriminalization of the drug across North America in recent years.

“We found in the data that there was an association between a reduction in penalties for cannabis use and possession and dogs being poisoned with cannabinoids,” the study’s lead author Mohammad Howard-Azzeh said in a press release. “There is some evidence to suggest these poisoning events are increasing in the U.S.”

The research team studied data from calls to the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) via veterinary database AnTox, which “stores comprehensive clinical animal toxicology data related to those calls, identifies and characterizes toxic effects of substances in animals” gleaned from reports from veterinarians and pet owners.

While cannabis consumption is rarely fatal for dogs, even consuming small amounts of the drug – whether by inhalation or, more commonly, by eating it – the results can still be extremely serious. Dogs can experience symptoms such as loss of balance, urinary incontinence, vomiting, breathing problems, seizures, tremors, or even a coma. Symptoms can appear as long as 12 hours after ingestion, and in some cases can last for days.

Cannabis remains illegal for any purpose under state law in North Carolina, with one major exception: The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has leaped ahead of the state's government, passing a new law that decriminalizes cannabis and allows people to use medical marijuana in the 100 square miles of tribal land known as the Qualla Boundary.

Tribal leaders decided in April. The land covers 56,000 acres, spanning five countries in western North Carolina. It's a sovereign nation where the Cherokee tribe sets its own laws.

The new law allows possession, for those 21 and older, of up to one ounce of cannabis and three-twentieths of an ounce of hashish.  Selling or growing marijuana remains illegal on tribal lands.

Cherokee Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed told The Cherokee One Feather that the Tribal Council decision "is a first step towards better meeting the needs of our citizens who use cannabis as a medicine. I join those citizens in applauding the Council for its historic, compassionate, and morally upright action."

The opioid crisis 

Joey Owle, Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the EBCI, and Jeremy Wilson, EBCI governmental affairs liaison, led the movement to change tribal law. Part of their motivation is an opioid crisis that has hit the Cherokee tribe particularly hard.

Rehydrating your weed is probably not something you want to be doing often. This is why prevention is always key.

One of the saddest things to happen to anyone is to roll a joint only to find out that their stash has gone dry.

There are two main reasons why weed gets dry: either it’s over-dried after harvest, or it hasn’t been stored correctly. If you are cutting down your weed to get ready to dry it, the stems will soon lose its stiffness. The best way to tell if it’s dried properly is if you’re able to snap a stem in half but if the stem continues to bend, then it requires more drying time.

However, if you’re living in arid climates, you may need a humidifier.

Photo by Elsa Olofsson via Unsplash

The year of the COVID-19 pandemic also appears to have been a year that more Americans got high. At least that’s where new research points.

Investors the ETFMG Alternative Harvest (ticker: MJ) exchange-traded fund, which holds a basket of marijuana-related stocks, will no doubt be smiling blissfully at the news. The fund was recently up 46% so far this year compared to gains of 12% for the S&P 500 index over the same period, according to Yahoo data. Neither figure includes dividends.

Billowing Use of Marijuana During in COVID-19 Pandemic

Drug testing of potential employees as well as testing of people who were recently involved in accidents showed there was a surge in cannabis use in 2020, according to drug testing firm Quest Diagnostics. The firm conducted 9 million such tests last year.

“[...] the rate of drug positivity remained stubbornly high despite seismic shifts to the workplace caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Barry Sample, a senior director of science and technology at Quest Diagnostics DGX +0.1%, in a statement.

More than one-in-eight of people given an oral fluid test showed evidence of marijuana use last year, up from less than one-in-10 in 2019, the company data show. Testing using hair samples also showed a surge with one-in-11 of the population testing positive in 2020 versus one-in-fourteen the previous year. Urine tests saw an increase in positive results for pot although they were much lower than with the other tests.

States that have legalized adult-use marijuana sales have seen billions of dollars in fresh tax revenue from cannabis, according to a new study.

The recently published research, which comes courtesy of the Marijuana Policy Project, found that, as of this month, “states reported a combined total of $7.9 billion in tax revenue from legal, adult-use marijuana sales,” while “cities and towns have also generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in new revenue from local adult-use cannabis taxes.”

That reported figure includes the states of Colorado and Washington, where voters passed legalization measures in 2012 and where sales began in 2014.

In Colorado, according to the study, there is a 15 percent tax on wholesale and a 15 percent tax rate on special retail (neither of which apply to sales of medical cannabis in the state). Since 2014, Colorado’s estimated tax revenue from cannabis sales is $1,557,878,973, with “$404.5 million of the total revenue generated from cannabis taxes has been dedicated to improving Colorado’s public school system.” The estimated tax revenue does not include “local sales tax revenues, which have been significant,” according to the study. In Denver, for example, $210.6 million in local tax revenue has been generated as of last month.

In Washington, where there is a 37% imposed on retail since July 2015 and a 6.5% sales tax, estimated state tax revenue from cannabis sales rounds out at $2,568,728,290, and that total does not include the estimated $167 million generated between July 2014 and March 2021.

The process to make canna-butter and canna-oil are the same, but I prefer to make my extractions using whole buds, not leaves or stems because the better and stronger the cannabis you use, the better the final product will be. It is best to make a strong extraction and dilute it to personal tastes with plain butter or oil when you prepare a meal.

You can extract cannabis into any cooking oil, I personally choose coconut oil for its health benefits. Additionally, it has a high fat content which means it binds to a lot more of the cannabinoids you are trying to ingest.

Most of my recipes suggest a serving size that contains between 2-3 teaspoons of medicated butter or oil. If I am planning a progressive dinner I will use less in each of the courses so I don’t overwhelm my guests. On occasion I will offer a medicated garnish that is optional, some folks can use it if they wish.

Ingredients:

1 ounce dried cannabis flower
2 cups butter or two cups oil; coconut, canola, olive, peanut

Equipment:

Large saucepan
Wooden spoon
Large clear bowl or container
Cheesecloth
String, rubber band or tape

I grew up on the East Coast and my earliest weed dealers used to offer only two choices: Take it or leave it.

I always chose “take it.”

Nowadays I live in California and the modern marijuana retail experience offers so many strains, concentrates, edibles, topicals and delivery devices that it requires a concerted effort (and consistent product sampling) to keep it all straight — never mind stoned. So I included a special section on pot shopping in my book, “How To Smoke Pot (Properly):  A Highbrow Guide to Getting High.”

Whether you’re buying recreational weed in Colorado, marijuana in Michigan, or ordering off a coffee-shop menu in Amsterdam, the retail cannabis experience remains both delightful and disorienting to the unaccustomed. So here’s a few tips for keeping your wits about you when faced with all those wonderful choices.

Make a Budget for Getting Bud

Unless you grow your own, or have some lovely hookup, cannabis is most definitely a luxury item. And while it’s certainly OK to splurge on the herb from time to time, that’s a decision best made in advance, not once you’re faced with a menu of enticing strains, concentrates, and edibles. So decide how much you can afford to spend and how long it’s got to last in advance, and you’ll have a lot of fun weighing your options when the time comes, without stressing out about next month’s rent.

Just a little more than two months after Validcare released the preliminary results of a study on cannabidiol’s (CBD’s) effect on the liver, the company has announced the release of a separate report on CBD usage among Americans that it simultaneously conducted along with consumer marketing research company Cannabis Business Experts (CBE).

More than 1,400 CBD users from across the U.S. participated in CBE and Validcare’s “CBD Motivations, Use and Benefits Study,” including the 839 users that took part in the liver research. CBE and Validcare’s study. Researchers looked at various information about users, such as their age; sex; weight; the amount and frequency of their CBD usage; perceptions of the cannabinoid’s effect on various symptoms; and interactions with other drugs such as prescription and over-the-counter medicines, nutritional supplements, alcohol and tobacco.

In a press release announcing the report, CBE stated the study answers the question, “How do perceptions of general wellness change with CBD usage?” While those interested in learning those details will need to purchase the report, CBE co-founder Ashley Grace told Hemp Grower that users have reported an improved perception of their personal wellness—-in other words, they feel their wellness has improved since they began using CBD.

“I can share with you that the overall efficacy of the CBD working in that regard is quite remarkable,” said Grace, who was also the founding chief marketing officer of Charlotte’s Web and HempFusion. “It's helping just about everyone at least maintain their status, if not improve. There are very few, if any, observations where things are getting worse for CBD users, which is quite remarkable from a research standpoint.”

As will all THC products, reading labels carefully, asking questions, and understanding how cannabis affects the body are all important steps before partaking in the compound.

With new cannabis-based beverages hitting the market, dispensaries are seeing a rise of individuals asking for the liquid delivery method. Citing a $4.4 billion legal cannabis market, the Long Beach Business Journal stated that liquid-based cannabis sales are set to skyrocket.

“According to data from Seattle-based cannabis analytics firm Headset, sales of cannabis-infused beverages increased 40.3% last year compared to 2019 across all states where recreational cannabis is legal, meaning the submarket slightly outperformed in terms of growth the overall cannabis market, which increased 39.4% in the same time period.”

Photo by skeeze via Pixabay

For the average consumer looking for new ways to consume cannabis, liquid-based offerings can be exciting. With THC-infused beverages taking off in dispensaries and beyond, here are three things to know before you indulge.

New York Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes estimates that the first legal sales will begin between 18 months and two years after the signing of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), which occurred on March 31, 2021. That means that the first legal sales would start between September 2022 and March 2023.

In order for those sales to happen, New York must first establish a regulated marketplace. That’s because under the MRTA, a license is required to produce, process, distribute, deliver, or sell cannabis. Those licenses will be issued by the Cannabis Control Board (the Board) with significant input from the Office of Cannabis Management (the Office).

The website for the Office launched on April 2. The next likely step for the Office will be the appointment of an executive director. The executive director will be nominated by the Governor with advice and consent from the state legislature. In addition, the five members of the Board must be selected. The MRTA provides that the Governor shall appoint three members, with New York Senate and Assembly each appointing one of the remaining two members. Peoples-Stokes estimates that the Board will be “set and running” before the legislative session ends in June 2021, according to a report from The City.

Once the positions on the Board and the Office are full, these regulators will need to establish robust rules under the MRTA, governing adult-use cannabis, medical cannabis, and hemp in the State of New York. This will include establishing an application process and rules establishing a criteria for granting licenses.

The New York State Administrative Procedures Act requires that government agencies notify the public sixty days before adding, amending, or repealing rules. Agencies must also provide 60 days notice before holding a public hearing on a proposed rule. These time periods are called “notice and comment” periods and, as the name suggests, they are required so that the public can provide comment on proposed government regulations.

Humans have been consuming cannabis for thousands of years, that we already know. We also know we’re a population of animals that sure loves to eat! Put them together and you’ve got a fantastic market for cannabis edibles. But we’re not talking about any old edible right now. Here we’re looking at the most interesting edibles, and the most creative ways of eating cannabis.

Food is the best, and there are a million interesting edibles on the market for cannabis! Whether you like your edibles sweet, or salty, there’s something for everyone. Some are higher in CBD, some in THC, and some are made with delta-8 THC, the alternate form of THC on the market, which produces slightly less psychoactive effect, and a more energetic, clear-headed high. No matter how you like to consume cannabis, there are plenty of options, and that goes for delta-8 as well. If you have yet to try D8, check out our awesome Delta 10 THC and Delta-8 THC deals, and pick up a new kind of cannabis product.

How they used to do it

There are a lot of cool and interesting edibles on the market for cannabis, though its good to remember that cannabis has been eaten throughout history, just not as the edibles we know today. Back then, it wasn’t understood that cannabinoids are fat soluble, or that they can be leached out into substances like butter. One of the first mentions is from China back in 1,500 BC when cannabis was being consumed as a tea. The records from this time are actually written in the past tense, indicating this tradition might be even older than the dated records.

Cannabis became big in Hindu culture around 1,000 BC, when the drink bhang came into play. Not only is the drink still big today in India, but it was even the basis for the cording in the current international law that governs cannabis legality globally, the Single Convention on Narcotic Substances treaty.

A little less ancient history

Obviously, there’s a huge difference between edible cultures of ancient history, and the edible culture of today. Today’s edible culture started with an American in Paris. Enter Alice B. Toklas, the life partner of American author Gertrude Stein, who was a part of the Paris literary upper class in the early-mid 1900’s. Alice was famous for her cannabis fudge, which ended up in her 1954 cookbook, the Alice B Toklas Cookbook, which can still be bought today. The recipe for ‘Haschisch Fudge’ which shows up in the cookbook, uses ground cannabis, not hash, creates more of a fudge than a brownie, and apparently was not Alice’s own recipe, but had come from someone else.

Marijuana, while mild in comparison to other drugs, still packs enough of a punch in some cases to bring on a wealth of misery.

Marijuana is legal in a lot of places. Rest assured, that means there’s a stoner bro sitting around in a frat house somewhere staring down at a 1000mg cannabis edible while his college buddies double dare him to eat that sucker all at once. And in the spirit of the party culture, he’s probably going to do it, too. Little does he know, it’ll be worse than the worst mistake he’s ever made.

Although most states require cannabis dispensaries to sell edibles with a limited amount of THC (usually 10mg per serving), it’s common to find these products packaged with 10 servings — the equivalent of 100mg of THC. For the newcomer to the world of edible pot, 100mg is going to put them on their backside in a matter of hours and will likely induce enough panic to swear them off drugs forever.

Photo by Sarah Pender/Getty Images

There’s nothing stopping a consumer from buying multiple packages of pot edibles and devouring it in one setting. There have been accounts of pot journalists, many of which believe documenting their drug use makes them the next Hunter Thompson, eating 500mg to 1000mg of THC and sharing their experience with their readers. You can find these articles all over the internet, and they are written in such a way that cautiously suggest that a person shouldn’t be afraid.

While consuming copious amounts of THC might be okay for some, it’s not the most practical move for most. Forget about all the stuff you’ve heard about pot users being more active, creative, and functional. Eating 1000mg of weed will almost assuredly lead to drooling fear, total inactivity, a loss of creative control and you won’t even be able to pronounce the word functionality.

Safe to say, the comments have no sources or scientific backing to support them. - by Jessica Campbell

The debate surrounding the legalisation of cannabis has always been one prone to fiery debate and controversy and given the nature of drugs to divide social opinion, the path to decriminalise cannabis here in Australia has been rife with obstacles. While American states have led the way in making cannabis-related products available to the public and change the deeply entrenched stigmas surrounding the drug, Australia has been much slower to adopt such changes. But while the ACT has since decriminalised cannabis, the quest to do so in Victoria has now seen an interesting (yet bizarre) argument come forward from Drug Free Australia. 

Historically, cannabis was portrayed as the scourge of humankind. Films like ‘Reefer Madness’ were coupled with other forms of propaganda and spread throughout the world.

That propaganda had one goal – to demonize cannabis users. Cannabis consumers were portrayed in horrific ways that weren’t based in fact in an attempt to convince society that the ‘harms’ of cannabis were significant and factual.

The fact of the matter is that cannabis is much safer than many other legal substances, including and especially alcohol.

One study found that cannabis was 114 times safer than alcohol. A more recent study found that cannabis may actually be able to reduce alcohol cravings.

CBD and Alcohol Consumption Study

The cannabis plant is composed of dozens of cannabinoids, with THC and CBD being the two most popular cannabinoids.

Working out while enjoying a cannabis high is a popular habit for a reason. Here’s how to do it safely.

The influence of marijuana’s legalization has had wide ranging implications, from attracting a more varied base of users to the production of a larger selection of products. It’s also launched a growing “weed and workout” following.

Many people call their weed workouts invigorating and joyful, going against the harmful and pervasive lazy stoner stereotype. Cannabis has always been pretty malleable. Once you know how to use it, you can pretty much add it onto any activity and obtain positive results. Still, whenever you ingest a substance, it’s very important to prioritize your health and well being.

Here are a few tips that can make your workouts on weed safer and just as efficient:

Start off small

Photo by Alessandro Zambon via Unsplash

There seems to be a new bud on the block that people are turning to for a legal high in Texas.

It's called "Delta 8 THC" and for now... it's being sold legally at CBD retailers.

Delta 8 comes in the form of chips, gummies, chocolates, even bath bombs.

It's not just junk food feeding the craze either, it comes in all the old-school ways to get that ‘altered state.’

When asked, "Do these products get you high?" CloudPonics owner Toyice Garrett said, "Absolutely, yes they do."