WeedLife News Network

Governor Greg Gianforte on Tuesday signed the Montana adult-use cannabis bill that will establish a newly formed recreational marijuana program in the state, months after voters in Big Sky country approved a measure to legalize pot.

Gianforte, a Republican in his first term as governor of Montana, attached his name to House Bill 701, which paves the way for the state to become the latest to implement a program overseeing legal adult-use pot sales. 

The Daily Montanan reports that the bill “implements and regulates the recreational marijuana program that voters approved in a ballot initiative last year and funds a substance abuse prevention program that the new governor has championed since his first days in office,” with sales for customers 21 years and older slated to begin in January of next year.

According to the Daily Montanan, “the half of Montana counties that voted for I-190, the ballot initiative legalizing adult-use cannabis, will have recreational in their borders by default, while voters in the the other half of counties will have to take an affirmative action to bring recreational marijuana in their boundaries if so desired.” 

Other provisions in the bill, per the Daily Montanan, include a tax rate of 20 percent on recreational pot sales (compared with five percent on medical marijuana sales), while also shifting “the operation and regulation of the state’s marijuana program from the Department of Public Health and Human Services to the Department of Revenue.”

This is obviously not good for CBD companies, though there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

If you’ve been reading our blog for the last few years, you know that California has taken a pretty absurd position on hemp-derived CBD for the last few years. Though the state led the charge to legalize cannabis (in California, “cannabis” is legally defined as only marijuana and not hemp), the state just can’t get its act together with anything that’s made from hemp.

In 2018, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) published an FAQ that said that hemp CBD could not be added to any kind of orally consumable product like foods, beverages, dietary supplements, or animal products, which has been the rule ever since.

You can read an older analysis of mine on the CDPH’s position here. In my opinion, the CDPH’s position was highly suspect – there is no law in the state that actually forbids adding CBD to anything; the CDPH just followed the federal Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) position. While the FAQ did not expressly say so, it appears that the CDPH actually took the position that CBD was an adulterant under the state’s Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law (which is similar to the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act laws that the FDA enforces).

Photo by pmv chamara via Unsplash

Researchers believe the only natural way to prevent getting hammered with cannabis-related health issues is to sidestep it.

Ever since marijuana started going legal in the United States, the news has been filled with countless reports of people getting their butts handed to them because of it. At first, much of the trouble was blamed on edible pot products — or rather, the average citizen’s ignorance over how much THC is too much to take at one time.

But then, the terror grew into the potential harms of vaporizers, how smoking was as bad as cigarettes and a slew of other hazards that one might encounter if they dance with the doobie. However, scientists now believe they understand how cannabis can be used safely, and they want to share their thoughts with the public.

Researchers from Canada recently published a list of guidelines in the American Journal of Public Health, providing cannabis users with 10 ways to increase their chances for survival in the modern stoned age. According to Dr. Benedikt Fischer, senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the team has uncovered “factual, science-based information” to help the average cannabis user avoid both short and long-term health problems associated with cannabis.

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Starting on July 1, Virginia residents will have the ability to possess small amounts of cannabis and use it in their homes. But that doesn’t mean those already in jail on similar charges will get a quick release.

The complicated process of expunging past criminal records and releasing current inmates incarcerated on marijuana possession charges could take as long as a year or more. That’s a disappointment to those who spearheaded the Virginia legalization effort.

“It makes no sense to me,” state Sen. Louise Lucas, who co-sponsored the legislation that led to legalization in Virginia, told the Virginia Mercury. “That was urgent to me, because now we’re going to be in a situation where you’ve got people still sitting in jail for the very thing that we’ve already legalized.”

An effort to speed up the process got removed from the legalization bill.

The Virginia Legislature voted to make adult-use marijuana legal in the state in April. Lucas and other supporters attempted to include language that would have granted resentencing hearings to people in jail on certain marijuana-related charges, such as possession. But other lawmakers would not approve those provisions.

Retail cannabis sales will not start in Virginia until 2024. But starting July 1, residents can possess up to one ounce of cannabis and grow up to four plants per household.

With much of the country vaccinated and summer around the corner, it might finally be time to dust off some of those vacation days you’ve been hoarding. After a year of travel bans and border closures, the European Union has announced that all vaccinated Americans will soon be able to travel freely to and from Europe – which is usually the most popular destination for international travel from the U.S.

But, ban or no ban, travel is always complicated for cannabis-enthusiasts. Cannabis is still federally illegal in the United States, and while an increasing number of countries in Europe are legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing recreational use, the way those laws are actualized varies wildly from country to country.

If you’ve got the travel bug but are reluctant to leave your pot behind, here are three things you should know:

1. Don’t try bringing cannabis into or out of the U.S. (even if it’s medicinal)

Even though recreational cannabis is becoming legal in states all over the country, medical marijuana and adult-use cannabis are both still fully illegal at the federal level in the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) abides by federal U.S. law, not state law – so, even if you’re leaving the country from California, a state where recreational marijuana is fully legal, attempting to enter another country with cannabis will be considered drug trafficking and a federal offense.

Drug trafficking is a much more serious crime than drug possession. Depending on the quantity found, it can lead to a hefty fine and anywhere between three to five years to life in prison – not exactly something you want to risk, even if you’re using cannabis for medical purposes. We reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to find out what happens if you are caught smuggling cannabis on an international flight.

It’s entirely likely you or someone you know has made the unfortunate and all-too-easy party blunder of imbibing too much alcohol and then adding cannabis to the mix. What seems like a natural social combination of a few drinks and a few joints can quickly turn into nauseous, seemingly unending awfulness. The effects of both cannabis and alcohol can creep up on you unexpectedly, as your body interacts with the intake of chemicals at different speeds. I’ve certainly questioned on many a dark morning the plausibility of ever combining the two reliably, under any circumstances. The jury’s still out.

In the meantime, I can report firsthand that enjoying the two individually is the best plan. To take it even further, you can replace an alcoholic beverage with cannabis-infused mocktails, which is beneficial to your body, as opposed to the known havoc wreaked by alcohol. Instead of drinking a numbing poison for kicks, there is now the option of enjoying a plant that has been used throughout recorded civilization as a holistic natural medicine.

The question is, however, how can you enjoy cannabis consumption as innocuously and acceptably as drinking an alcoholic beverage?

Welcome to the world of “mocktails”: cannabis-infused drinks that are a delicious, effective and subtle alternative to an alcoholic beverage. Take extra care when drinking cannabis, as liquids are processed more quickly by your body than edibles, so you may feel the effects in as little as 10-20 minutes. Let it ride for at least 45-90 minutes before drinking more, to be on the safe side.

Remember: you can always drink more, but you cannot go back in time and drink less.

Almost every American supports some marijuana legalization, which is nothing short of amazing in these divided times. The only difference is in what exactly they support. Also, the level of support differs depending on the age of the American you ask.

That said, a new report from the Pew Research Center finds Americans largely in agreement about the legalization of marijuana. That’s worthy of note at a time when so many Americans agree over nothing. 

The latest numbers come from an April 2021 study.

In a survey conducted in April 2021, Pew researchers found that 91 percent of adults in the United States say that marijuana should be legal. Of those, 60 percent say they support both legal recreational and medical marijuana. The other 31 percent support legal medical cannabis only.

Notably, only a small number - 8 percent - opposed legal cannabis in any form.

The support numbers are even higher than those seen the last few years in annual Gallup polls, where support for legal marijuana reached 70 percent last year.

Promoters of Medical Cannabis in Missouri said the fledgling business continues to see major success.

Medical Cannabis officials said dispensaries seem to be the only business without a hiring problem.

In fact, they are dealing with the opposite, too many people want to work there.

They said Missouri dispensaries are setting records for tax revenue and it's only going to get better.

The spokesperson for Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association, Jack Cardetti, said the revenue has been massive.

Having a regulated system of naming cannabis strains takes the pressure off marketing and PR strategists that most consumers feel are coming up with meaningless names.

Cannabis products are named the same way everything else in the world is named. Some names are unusual, some fascinating, some silly, and others logical. Most of these names have a tale behind them.

There are also cannabis strains that are named after the other older strains in the generation. A perfect example of this can be found in the naming system of the Kush varieties. Strains like Sputnik and Pre-98 Bubba Kush were named after unforgettable events in history.

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And finally, we have names that give an idea of the taste or flavor of the product, for example, Sweet Dreams or California Orange, etc.

It’s no secret that the cannabis industry is bringing in all kinds of money for the industry, but now, there are official numbers backing it up. Even without full legalization, legal cannabis is reportedly poised to bring in almost $100 billion to the US economy in 2021. 

This is up 30 percent from last year, and the projected number for 2025 is $169 billion. According to the MJBizDaily analysis, this was done by looking at similar industries and using a standard multiplier of 3.5 on projections of sales, and it includes agriculture, manufacturing and retail activity. 

When examined closely across the board, this shows what the future of cannabis will look like and how it will be able to continue to benefit the US economy as the years go on. In this particular instance, the analysts predicted that for every $1 spent by consumers and patients in the retail and medical markets, an additional $2.50 gets put back into the economy. This also has a major impact on local economies throughout the country. 

This is the case because of the daily needs of workers in the industry, including spending on housing, transportation, food, and entertainment. By adding more jobs to the legal and regulated cannabis industry, cannabis keeps on giving back and helping to boost the local, state, and national economies. 

Additionally, the taxes generated from selling recreational and medical cannabis also puts hundreds of millions of dollars into the economy via taxes, which in turn go back to fund local government and state activities. How those tax dollars are funneled back into the local area varies state to state, but some popular uses are funding schools, roads, and addiction treatment programs. 

Data recently released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency shows that federal law enforcement agents and their state and local partners seized more than 4.5 million marijuana plants in 2020, a figure that is up nearly 20% over 2019. The annual DEA report also shows that federal law enforcement officers made nearly 5,000 cannabis-related arrests in 2020, a year wracked by the social and economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the data published in the DEA’s yearly Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program Statistical Report, approximately 4.54 million cannabis plants were seized and eradicated in 2020, up from about 4 million plants in 2019. The totals include more than 3.7 million cannabis plants seized from 4,151 outdoor grow sites and more than 830,000 plants confiscated from 1,286 indoor cultivation operations.

“In 2020, the DEA continued its nationwide cannabis eradication efforts, providing resources to support the 127 state and local law enforcement agencies that actively participate in the program,” the agency wrote on its website. “This assistance allows the enhancement of already aggressive eradication enforcement activities throughout the nation.”

The data in the DEA report also showed that nearly 5,000 arrests for federal marijuana-related offenses were made by law enforcement officers in 2020. That figure is up slightly over 2019 when 4,718 arrests for federal marijuana crimes were made by agents. 

California saw the largest percentage of both arrests and confiscated cannabis plants in the country, a trend that continues from previous years. In 2020, approximately 82% of the seized cannabis plants and 40% of the marijuana-related arrests nationwide occurred in California. Nationwide, agents seized more than $41 million in assets related to the DEA’s marijuana eradication efforts in 2020.

These past two years have been an unprecedented whirlwind to say the least.

Many mothers were forced to adjust to the pandemic’s new normal, which includes juggling work, homeschooling, and parental care, without having the ability to destress outside the home. 

This Mother’s Day, you deserve to be pampered like the queen you are. 

Do a D.I.Y home spa treatment, light some candles, unwind with your favorite strain or tasty CBD gummy.

We picked out some of the best Mother’s Day gifts that will make this holiday a day to remember for you, or another mother in your life.

Many would argue 2020 has been the most stressful year in a generation.

Between a polarizing U.S. presidential election, a novel coronavirus pandemic claiming more than 268,000 lives from 13.6 million reported cases (as of November 30),, the fluctuating, unreliable data, and millions of people who may be stressing out due to ongoing isolation from their loved ones due to rolling lockdowns and social distancing measures, as well as rising unemployment with no end in sight, it is understandable for Americans to have a sense of heightened anxiety and insecurity.

However, one set of data that can be relied upon is that Americans are turning en masse to cannabis, and cannabis delivery, to ease their tensions during these trying times. 

Enter the rise of cannabis delivery companies and the ancillary services that power them. 

Lantern: A Light in the Darkness 

Lantern is an independently-operated cannabis e-commerce marketplace and delivery platform in the U.S.

Smoking weed is getting more popular than ever with people of all age brackets. Though it is not yet completely legal worldwide, the legalization movement has gained a lot of traction over the last few years. It remains to be seen when it becomes fully legal. What are the reasons for this consideration of legalizing what was once vehemently frowned at? There have been proven successes with using weed medically. It is known that the cannabinoids in weeds may reduce pain by altering the pathways for pain perception in the brain.  It can be helpful for treating chronic pains like those from arthritis. Smoking weed normally has its immediate effect on the brain. So, is it likely that this can affect one’s creativity? Let us find out together.

The science and neuroscience of doing weed

From renowned PhDs in science laboratories to those kids with dreadlocks in their dormitories, the effect of weed on creativity has been studied extensively. The findings have been somewhat of a mixed bag situation. Creativity is like divergent thinking or the ability to view things in several other different ways from the norm. When people see innovations that practically beat normal human imagination, you do hear remarks of “wow, what did he smoke?”. It is proof that some people believe that there is some temporary genius that comes with smoking weed.

In 2010,  a study by Rothwell Morgan showed that one of the properties of weed is the ability to make connections among concepts that seem unrelated. It is like increasing hyper-priming. Weed also causes the brain to release dopamine, a neurochemical substance that gives users a calm feeling. People high on weed usually discover that their thoughts and feelings move more freely. More research on the use of weed shows that it blurs the lines between the human five senses, increasing the capacity for some creative display.

The high and creative

If we move away from science a little bit, another evidence of the importance of weed to creativity is the way celebrities fight over it. Many famous people have made their conclusion on their use of weed clear. Steve Jobs once remarked that the best way he could define the effect of weed is that it made him relaxed and creative. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys claims that smoking weed helped him to write the massively acclaimed pet sound album. Another actor, screenwriter, and director named Kevin Smith credited his ability to climb out of his failures with films, to the smoking of weed

Weed and creativity in music production

Most musical artists especially the ones in rap and rock do showcase weed in their videos and the probability is high that they patronize it. Studies have shown that one of the ways in which weed helps the user to be creative is in the production of music. Some of these artists smoke weed to get new ideas either with their rapping, singing, disk jockeying, playing musical instruments, or even while using music making software.

In honor of all the moms out there, we’ve curated a special list of hemp-based products mothers will surely swoon over. High-quality CBD topicals always make for a nice gift, but Mom also deserves a thoughtful gesture—a massage at her favorite spa, breakfast in bed, a relaxing afternoon to herself, or maybe just spending some time together.

Along with premium, best-in class CBD products, this list also features fun hemp-related products along with ideas for incorporating the benefits of CBD into a memorable Mother’s Day. From waking up on Sunday morning, to falling asleep at night, the mom in your life will be feeling the love.

1. Cannabis Leaf Waffle Maker by Waffleye

Wake Mom up this Mother’s Day with cannabis-themed waffles. The Waffleye Waffle Maker features a large cannabis leaf design and adds some fun and creativity to breakfast, regardless of whether you infuse your waffles with cannabis or not. If she likes to wake and bake, be sure to check out Waffleye’s cannabis-infused recipes, ranging from easy to more difficult. Top it off with this pure, grade-A CBD maple syrup by Northwoods Maple Farm for an added treat.

2. CBD Coffee by Strava

Strava’s specialty coffee is infused with broad-spectrum CBD for a delicious cup of joe that delivers energy, focus and alertness without the jitters. Whole bean, K-Cup or Nespresso formats make it easy for you to prepare her favorite way. Strava coffee is available in three different strengths of CBD (4mg, 10mg, and 20 mg) so that you can make Mom the perfect morning cup. Not only are the beans delicious and sustainably sourced, but we love how the synergy of CBD and caffeine sets you up for an energetic, fulfilling day, and we think she will too.

3. Italian Sparkling Rose & Prosecco by Weed Cellars

Whether it’s breakfast in bed with mimosas, or an afternoon soaking up the sun and sipping on rose that she wants, Weed Cellars has you covered. This fun brand name reflects the changing times, but none of their products contain THC or CBD. Their sparkling rose and prosecco are produced from Glera grapes in Friuli, Italy—an ideal location for sparkling wines. At $12.99/bottle, both styles showcase a full range of flavors at an affordable price point. Not too dry and not too sweet, these wines hit the mark.

During the pandemic, cannabis delivery and drive-thru options became more of a hot topic than ever before. In addition to the logistics and safety it provides, delivery offers a stress-free, convenient system that is here to stay. According to a recent poll from Ganja Goddess, a California-based, online brand for cannabis consumers, cannabis users want to keep getting their weed delivered.

According to the poll’s results, cannabis use has increased and is driven in many cases by managing mental health issues. Edibles have become even more important than flower as a way to consume, and vape pens are not as popular—or at least they weren’t last year because no one was on the go. 

“Since the start of the pandemic, Americans are spending more time than ever at home, leading to an overwhelming national demand for delivery services,” said Ganja Goddess CEO Zachary Pitts.

“The initial spike in cannabis delivery sales was noteworthy, but its continued prevalence more than one year later speaks volumes. A rise in cannabis consumption and greater emphasis on managing health further highlight the impact of these challenging times. Ganja Goddess has been tracking and sharing a variety of cannabis consumer trends throughout this time frame to uncover lasting shifts in consumer preferences and behaviors. The results help our industry make more informed business decisions and better satisfy customers’ needs and desires as we move into the mainstream.” 

Cannabis Delivery Booming During Pandemic And Not Slowing Down

The poll showed that according to 89.9 percent of respondents, cannabis delivery services are the primary purchasing method during the pandemic. This is up 70 percent from pre-pandemic times. Only 6.4 percent of people say they go to retail shops, and 60 percent said they used delivery apps out of convenience, predicting that this new model should be here to stay if businesses want to keep consumers happy. 

You have to know what ratio suits you best. And the only way to do this is to sample some strains.

The expansion and growth of the legalized marijuana market in several countries imply that cannabis smokers are free to choose from several options of cannabis. People that procure their products from the right legal sources tend to notice the THC and CBD content percentage stated clearly on the product. In addition to the CBD to THC ratio other key details are also stated.

However, some consumers have no idea of the usefulness of the CBD to THC ratio, the few that do tend not to pay attention to it unless they have to.

Photo by jopstock/Getty Images

Most times, the consumers that pay the most attention to the ratio are the medical patients being prescribed cannabis-based medication.

There are nearly 800 strains of cannabis available on the legal market, with more being cultivated all the time. On top of that, there are countless formulations of edibles, tinctures and other cannabis products.

Like the wine industry, cannabis is a complicated market for consumers. In the wine industry, sommeliers guide consumers into making choices based on region, vintage and other attributes. Cannabis is primed for a similar approach, but not nearly enough dispensaries are staffed with the sort of experts to provide it.

For new cannabis consumers, purchasing product can be a daunting experience. Indica, sativa or hybrid? Flower or concentrate? How much of this candy bar are they supposed to eat? The choices can be overwhelming, and they’re compounded by the gnawing fear that getting the answers wrong will lead to money wasted on a bad experience.

Well-intentioned budtenders do their best to guide the shopping experience, but their advice is almost exclusively based on subjective experience and often delivered while simply trying to make a sale (maybe even a sale of a particular product that’s been on the shelf too long) and keep the line moving. It’s not an ideal situation for consumers.

The retail cannabis industry is ripe for customer service and expert advice provided by certified cannabis concierges.