WeedLife News Network

Maine is currently the only state in the country to kick off recreational marijuana sales during the pandemic.

According to the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy, even with nearly 45 active licenses given to growers, manufacturers, testing sites and retail stores across the state, the demand has been too high for the supply chain to keep up.

But officials expect that to change and they predict more sales in the future.

John Lorenz, the owner of Sweet Relief, agrees.

“There's Downeast travel again. If 3 million people head to Acadia again every year for lodging and restaurants and food, they will pass my location,” said Lorenz.

Marijuana sales in Colorado in November pushed the industry’s annual revenue over $2 billion for the first time since cannabis was legalized for recreational use by a 2012 ballot measure.

Recreational and medical sales for marijuana accounted for about $175 million of revenue in November, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Revenue.

While the month’s revenue was down about 12% compared to October, the numbers were sufficient to help the state surpass the $2 billion annual revenue threshold, The Denver Post reported.

The state collected about $32 million in taxes and fees from marijuana sales in November.

The 2020 uptick in marijuana revenue coincides with political momentum that saw voters in South Dakota, Mississippi, New Jersey, Arizona and Montana legalize some form of use in the November election.

Oregon recreational cannabis sales soared in 2020, peaking during a challenging summer of racial justice protests and coronavirus lockdowns.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the result was a record year of business for the state’s marijuana purveyors, based on data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees marijuana sales.

Total marijuana sales in Oregon jumped from $795 million in 2019 to more than $1 billion, for the year that just ended.

State tax revenue from marijuana sales in 2020 likely will exceed $150 million. Much of that will go toward substance-abuse screening and programs to address addiction.

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/business-coronavirus-pandemic-oregon-marijuana-b08fe949276ae844d4e5181f31affbc7

As with so many things between 2016 and 2020, the idea that marijuana damages IQ became popular in some circles because soon-to-be-former President Donald Trump said it.

In audio secretly recorded in 2018 and leaked in early 2020, President Trump told a group gathered at a White House dinner party that marijuana "does cause an IQ problem. It lowers your IQ." 

Interestingly, his son, Donald Trump Jr., disagreed with him, saying: "I will say this, between that and alcohol, as far as I'm concerned, alcohol does much more damage. You don't see people beating their wives on marijuana. It's just different."

Research shows that the belief marijuana lowers IQ is mostly a myth. But the IQ thing stuck. In December, North Carolina Rep. David Rouzer Tweeted that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) "states that regular marijuana use can reduce IQ by 8 points." 

That sounds very authoritative. But it's not true, according to the NIH itself.

Marijuana use increases throughout the calendar year, with use up 13 percent on average at the end of each year (2015-2019) compared to the beginning, according to a new study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

We found that marijuana use is consistently higher among those surveyed later in the year, peaking during late fall or early winter before dropping at the beginning of the following year. We think this may be due, in part, to a 'Dry January' in which some people stop drinking alcohol or even stop using marijuana as part of a New Year's resolution. We're now in the time of year when people are the least likely to use marijuana."

Joseph Palamar, PhD, MPH, Study Lead Author and Associate Professor of Population Health, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University

Palamar is an affiliated researcher with the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at NYU School of Global Public Health

Prior research shows that alcohol and drug use vary by time of year, with drug use often increasing during summer months, possibly due, in part, to social events. These seasonal variations can inform interventions--for instance, studies show that programs to reduce heavy drinking among college students should begin during the summer.

The year 2020 was a dud in many, many ways due to the pandemic. However, it was a record year for the emerging cannabis industry. Cannabis entrepreneurs around the globe sold a record amount of cannabis and cannabis-infused products.

Unfortunately, no countries legalized cannabis for adult use in 2020, but a number of countries either allowed medical cannabis industries to launch or expand. Many cannabis industry projections from years ago focused on the year 2020 and virtually every one of those projections proved to be too conservative.

So what does 2021 have in store for the emerging cannabis industry? Ultimately, only time will tell. Below are some things to consider.

Cannabis Reform in 2021

It is very likely that 2021 will be a banner year for cannabis reform around the globe. For starters, Mexico will hopefully, finally legalize cannabis for adult use, and if or when that happens, it will create the largest adult-use cannabis market on the planet.

It is also at least somewhat likely that one or more other countries will also legalize cannabis for adult use on the European and/or African continent in 2021.

America has a bad case of pandemic anxiety.

COVID-19 infections are rising.

Tens of millions of workers lost their jobs and face dismal prospects of getting new ones.

There is no end in sight.

Anxiety has gone mainstream and so has marijuana.

It all started with the nic-a-like (first generation), then clearomizer (second generation), and mod (third generation).

The pod, currently the fourth generation, is quickly gaining popularity.

Vaping is now widely accepted, and anyone wishing to delve into it will need a top quality vape starter kit, which is more user-friendly than box mods. 

Vaping technology is continuously evolving to achieve the best performance.

Here are more ways in which technology has changed the face of the vaping world.

New Year’s resolutions can help you start the year off motivated and excited. Here are 5 helpful ideas if you consume marijuana.

New Year’s resolutions have their limitations, but they’re a nice thing to do when looking ahead towards the coming year. These goals can range from something tangible, like losing a set amount of pounds, to something less easy to define, like getting more joy out of each joint you smoke. The latter one seems like an easier and more enjoyable thing to add to your resolutions.

No matter your objectives, resolutions should be done in a way that makes you happy and more fulfilled, never in a way that adds extra stress to your life or makes you feel like you’ve failed at something. For those trying to get more enjoyment out of your smoke sessions, or simply trying to change your relationship with marijuana, here are some healthy ideas for your New Year’s weed resolutions:

Make a smoking schedule

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A schedule can help you smoke more or less, depending on your needs. With lockdown measures and tons of people working from home, smoking and drinking can quickly transform into every day activities, habits that are easy to form but difficult to break. While this works for some, the majority of people need stretches of time where they’re sober in order to work and be productive.

The final numbers are in for Oregon cannabis in 2020, and as expected, they’re impressive — on both the adult-use and medical sides of the industry.

Combined sales were $95.9 million in December, up 39.2% compared to a year earlier, driving the total for 2020 to $1,110,520,723.

That was a 39.7% increase over the $795.1 million sold in 2019 — a big uptick from growth rates of 22.6% in 2019 and 24.1% in 2018, according to data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

Sales leaped when the pandemic hit in March and stayed strong, with some typical seasonal variation, as the year wore on. As the Business Journal reported, they crossed the $1 billion mark the day before Thanksgiving.

Adult-use sales alone topped $1 billion for the year, ending at $1,001,295,497, up 37.9%.

The city of Westfield received $45,000 this fiscal year that it didn’t get last year.

Quite the story in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt city finances and everything — especially the revenue picture — seems to turn out worse than expectations.

The payment, for the fiscal year’s first quarter, came from the state as the city’s share of marijuana taxes collected this year for the first time. The city’s first marijuana retailer, Cannabis Connection, opened in June.

Westfield is not alone in seeing new money from the state’s growing cannabis industry. But cities and towns, and the businesses themselves, don’t necessarily know what will happen next. As the industry begins to mature, there is burgeoning competition and market fluctuations as consumer acceptance and habits change following pandemic-related lockdowns.

Will the end of COVID-19 restrictions mean more business? Will new shops that open dilute receipts, or will greater social acceptance lead to more sales? Will new shops in neighboring communities — Springfield’s first opened in September, and its taxes aren’t in yet — change the bottom line in communities that had monopolies in the early days?

When it comes to Virginia and cannabis, Virginia didn’t see any big changes with the last US election. This is because the state had already decriminalized cannabis earlier this spring, and expanded on its own medical legalization policy this past summer. However, there’s one other thing when it comes to Virginia and cannabis, something that’s often misunderstood. Virginia was actually the first state to legalize medicinal marijuana, back in 1979.

Missing the holidays already? We’ve got an answer – keep shopping! Just because its about the be New Year’s, doesn’t mean you have to stop giving gifts. We’ve still got all the best Delta-8 THC deals for everyone in your family. So, don’t be bummed out over the end of the holidays…just keep giving gifts

Was Virginia really first?

Indeed it was! And it went through with practically no buzz at all. In 1979, Virginia did an overhaul of its drug laws which included the inclusion of the use of cannabis medicines for people specifically suffering from glaucoma and cancer. The medical legalization allowed patients with these illnesses to receive the medications, but wasn’t expanded on past that point for many, many years. In fact, it wasn’t until 2017 that the bill was finally expanded to include more conditions and generally looser policies. It was updated yet again in the summer of 2020.

So, what happened to the bill? Not much. The issue with legalizations is that they don’t come compact with finished frameworks for regulation. They merely state the decision to change the legality of a specific thing. Once the status is changed, especially when a former black-market product becomes a regular market product, there has to be some kind of setup for how it’ll work. Will it be taxed, at what rate, and by what entity? How can it be used exactly, and where? Are there age restrictions? What’s the cost, and is there a cost ceiling? Where can the product come from, and what are the regulations for producing it?

These things and more must be figured out, and if they aren’t, the legalization is open to much debate in court, apart from the fact that it stymies the ability to have an operational industry. For years the law sat, practically unknown to the Board of Medicine, attorney general, or court system in general.

It’s easy to sit back in seclusion and complain about what a difficult year 2020 has been. Yes, we have all encountered great tribulations and changes we never expected. But as an old hippy, I highly recommend you get comfortable, smoke a fatty, go with the flow and consider the benefits of living during a pandemic. There is always a silver lining, if you just take the time to look.

Of course, in the world of cannabis, the number one reward for Californians was issued last March when Governor Newsom announced that all licensed marijuana businesses in California could continue with business as usual during the imposed lockdowns, deeming it an “essential” business. Wow – from illegal to essential, thanks to COVID-19. Cannabis sales sky rocketed, although now they are primarily executed by delivery services or curbside pickup services at dispensaries. More time at home equals more time to get high.

Thinking Outside the Bowl

During these singular times, many people experiencing loneliness have undoubtedly turned to cannabis as a companion to heighten creativity and elevate their mood. While the old-fashioned art of sharing a joint may be gone forever, here at the Swami Select farm, we have been learning how to smoke out of our own bowls or personal paraphernalia. We’ve even had Zoom calls where we pretend to pass the doobie. And the cool thing is, we can do this with friends all across the globe! Having a big imagination helps a whole lot during lockdown.

It’s funny how quickly a word can become so ubiquitous. Take “Zoom” for example. It’s a noun (“Are you on Zoom?”); a verb (“Let’s Zoom”); and even an adjective (“She has Zoom burnout”). We found that Zooming is a great way to have a seshin’ with your friends, share stories and music, and even check out cannabis together. 

While the traditional December Emerald Cup is cancelled for the first time in 17 years, we do still plan to hold the contest virtually in March. Judging will happen with the help of some sort of Zoom arrangement. It’s simply the time to think outside the bowl.

The pandemic — and the pain that has come along with it for millions of families, small businesses, and bars and restaurants — didn't slow the stock market in 2020.

Sure, it did take a toll on the shares of some Columbus companies, but shares of other companies flourished last year as consumers began working from home and stocked up on groceries and sanitizer rather than going out to eat.

 "It's the craziest year," said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com's chief financial analyst.

COVID-19 has devastated large swaths of the economy — travel, lodging, small storefronts, spectator sports, entertainment, among them — while other parts of the economy are going gangbusters, including companies in technology and health care, said Chip Elliott, senior editor of Columbus-based investment newsletter Market Witch.

"About half the U.S. is ... unemployed, facing poverty, hunger and eviction, and about half is doing very well, adapting into a New Era, with plenty of discretionary income," he said. "I don't ever remember anything like this."

Marijuana is now legal in more states than ever before, with medical marijuana proving an essential tool to relieve symptoms caused by chemotherapy and AIDS, or for those in chronic pain. Others just use it to relax, especially during stressful times (like the ones we're going through now). But it's important to note that smoking marijuana doesn't come without risks, particularly if you do it every day. Here is what could possibly happen, so you can be aware of the risks as well as the rewards. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus. 

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Daily marijuana use can lead to "feelings of fatigue or apathy; feelings of anxiety, paranoia, or panic; temporary hallucinations," says Dr. Jenna Liphart Rhoads. As well as, "trouble taking care of oneself and lack of hygiene practices; disconnecting from activities or people they once enjoyed; impaired memory and confusion."

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Allergies are no fun and the impact millions of people around the world. There are some common allergens out there like grass, pollen, and dust – but what if you find yourself allergic to something less common, something you enjoy or that may be therapeutic for you… what if you were allergic to cannabis?

As unfortunate as that sounds, yes, you can be allergic to cannabis. With weed becoming more mainstream throughout the world, reports of allergic reactions are also on the rise. Budtenders and growers, recreational users, and medical patients have all experienced allergy symptoms after using cannabis. Does it have to do with the pollen? Is it just certain strains? And what can you do if you’re affected?

What are Allergies?

Allergies are simply the bodies immune reaction to certain foreign substances. When you have an allergic reaction to something, that’s your immune system making antibodies to fight a particular allergen that is has categorized as harmful, although that may not be necessarily be the case. Like peanuts, which trace amounts of can cause severe reactions in some people, but peanuts are not normally a dangerous substance.

Allergic reactions vary from person to person and can range in severity from mild irritation all the way to life threatening reactions, typically anaphylaxis which includes symptoms such as dizziness, tightness in the chest, and trouble breathing.

Most allergies don’t get cured, per se, but they do change over time and can disappear in some cases. Many people develop allergies as infants or children and eventually grow out of them. For example, it’s very common for babies to have lactose allergies and leave them behind by the time the turn one year old.

There are many reasons to include a cannabis-inspired cocktail at your holiday mixer this year.

Whether it’s an intimate gathering or virtual happy-hour, cannabis cocktails are becoming increasingly popular.

And luckily, the best place to start experimenting with cannabis-infused cocktails is right in your own home.

Here are three easy cannabis infused cocktails that you can make at home, specially crafted by Chief Innovation Officer Austin Stevenson of Vertosa, a premier cannabis and hemp technology company.

Vertosa infuses dozens of beverages, topicals, and other brands’ products with THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids.

Let’s be honest, 2020 sucked for everyone. Okay, everyone not named Bezos, Musk, or Zuckerberg. But when the going gets tough, the tough get… stoned?

Cannabis sales were up 38 percent from last year, as many of us have hunkered down at home with whatever helps us handle the stresses of the day: our favorite foods, TV shows we still haven’t binged, and yes, even our cannabis of choice. Well, we now have more options than ever, and with that in mind, here are some of my favorite stocking-stuffers to put 2020 behind us and hope for a better 2021.

For the Socially Conscious

Wyllow Flower

Once Pasadena’s Rose Queen, Camille Roistacher is a woman of color and the founder of Wyllow, an inclusive cannabis brand launching in partnership with Stiiizy in California. Wyllow is a part of The Floret Coalition, an anti-racist small business collective. They offer indoor-grown, premium exotic flower in strains like Mimosa, Gelato, and Lemon Kush Mints for the conscious cannabis connoisseur. I’ll smoke to that.

For The Health Conscious

Wana Edibles and Fast-Acting Gummies

Even during a pandemic, 'tis the season of giving and gifting loved ones with cannabis seems to be the latest holiday trend. That finding is from a new poll conducted by Glass House Group, a California-based cannabis and hemp company, which runs several dispensaries and a couple of grow sites.

So what are the top choices for holiday gifts? Flower, edibles and pre-rolls. Also, most of the 630 respondents who were surveyed said they plan on replacing alcohol consumption with cannabis during the holidays.

Highlights of the poll’s findings include: