5 Free Streaming Services For When You Need Something To Watch (Besides Election Results)
Despite the fact that you have to cope with their ads, these streaming services can complement your regular Netflix and Hulu binges.
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As social distancing becomes a more entrenched part of our everyday lives, you may be thinking, “How many people do I want touching my stash?”
The team behind THRIVE Cannabis Marketplace took that very question into consideration when opening their fifth dispensary in Nevada. The new Southern Highlands location has an automated conveyor belt to deliver cannabis to paying customers.
Founder and CEO Mitch Britten wanted a system that was not only efficient, but enhanced safety and security, drawing a strong line of separation between the employees who handle the product and the ones who handle the money. He initially considered a pneumatic tube system similar to what banks use, but when testing it out, he found that it was difficult to fit some of the packaging within the containers. So the company turned to the conveyor belt system, which isn’t much different in design from what you’d find at a dry cleaners. The main difference is the conveyor belt doesn’t start and stop. It’s always running.
Once an order is placed, the back-room fulfillment team packs it up and places it in a bag that’s attached to the conveyor belt, which twists and turns on a 210-foot track above the store before arriving at the front counter. From beginning to end, the journey takes 70 seconds. Every order — in-house, delivery, curbside pickup — is carried out with the conveyor belt system.
“There are a lot of advantages,” said Director of Compliance Ashley Blackwood. “In our previous dispensaries, you had to have a ton of cabinet space in our front-of-house, which caused a lot of issues … It was a little more cramped, a little less safe. Having [the product] back-of-the-house has really alleviated all of those issues.”
Rob KachelriessOnly a few employees actually have access to the storage room, which limits the amount of hands touching the product — although masks and gloves are required anyway. “There are fewer people coming in contact with it, or even just being around it,” said Blackwood.
Customers are already noticing the benefits of the conveyor belt. “It’s cool. It’s innovative,” said Renee, a transplant from Inglewood, California, who made a purchase during the dispensary’s grand opening weekend. She made a point to say the social-distancing aspect makes her more likely to come back. “I like the operation. Even the bags are socially distant,” she joked, noting the space between the transport containers on the belt.
The format makes full-use of the 10,000 square-foot dispensary. By keeping inventory in the back, more space is opened up in the customer service area, where the large rectangular counter offers plenty of room for customers to be six feet apart while quizzing their budtenders through plexiglass about the latest flower, edibles and concentrates.
“When you can only allow four people in the showroom, it’s very difficult to serve your customers in a way that makes sense to them and makes sense to us,” said Blackwood. “You don’t want someone standing in the lobby for hours on end. You want to get them in and out — and that’s a lot easier when you have a larger space to do that.”
Thrive is also the first dispensary in Nevada to introduce CocoonPod self-service kiosks as yet another way to enhance social distancing with technology. Customers can present ID, browse inventory, view specials and finalize transactions on their own with a digital screen. (Yes, there are ample amounts of hand sanitizer provided to use between turns on the kiosk.)
Thrive’s Southern Hills location is a dispensary that reflects the times. Even when the coronavirus is (hopefully) spoken of in the past tense soon, attention to sanitary habits and at least some degree of social distancing will likely stick around long-term — often with the help of technology and ingenuity.
Thrive isn’t alone in Las Vegas. Planet 13 uses density cameras to maintain proper occupancy levels throughout its off-Strip superstore, which is in the process of expanding to 23,000 square feet and adding 40 points-of-sale to provide extra personal space between customers. The+Source has QR codes on display throughout its Las Vegas and Henderson dispensaries to browse the current selection and join a rewards program via smartphone.
In addition to being practical, the conveyor belt is just plain fun. “People love it,” said Blackwood, comparing the excitement of receiving your purchase to spotting your luggage in an airport baggage claim. “They love watching it. They want to see their bag come down from the ceiling.”
The spectacle is complemented by a colorful art installation of quirky mannequins near the front entrance, continuing a trend of dispensaries evolving from dark, quiet, secretive shops to bright, open retail spaces, where visuals and interactive elements make buying cannabis even more attractive.
“This has been a great way to normalize it,” said Blackwood. “I compare it to a Macy’s or Louis Vuitton, where it’s an actual retail store. You don’t have to be shy coming in. It is cannabis, it is fun, but it is legal. So come on in.”
Photos by Rob Kachelriess
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A Concise Guide To The New World Of Marijuana For Older Adults
Baby Boomers are giving themselves permission to enjoy old and new ways of consuming cannabis, both recreationally and for the management of pain, anxiety and insomnia.
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5 Smoking And Vaping Alternatives For Marijuana Use
There are many ways to get lifted — some take longer than others, but also often last longer as well. Here are several methods to fit everyone’s cannabis fueled lifestyle.
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Oregon just voted to decriminalize all drugs and legalize medicinal psilocybin.
The Garden State was among four states to approve adult-use cannabis, but there’s still work to be done.
7 Expert Marijuana Hacks You Need Right Now
Some of you out there may consider yourself experts on all things weed, but how many of these expert marijuana hacks do you know?
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Back in August, I believed that 2020 could still be a big year for the cannabis legalization movement. Today, voters have finished casting votes in five states to determine whether or not to legalize cannabis use. Here are the results for Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota.
Arizona Proposition 207, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, has been approved by voters, according to several news sources.
This ballot measure legalizes the possession and use of cannabis for adults 21 and older, places a 16% excise tax on cannabis sales, and requires the Department of Health Services to develop rules to regulate commercial cannabis activity. Proposition 207 also includes provisions to establish a social equity ownership program to benefit communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization, as well as allow those with certain cannabis-related convictions to have their records expunged. The Department of Health Services will begin accepting early applications for marijuana establishment licenses beginning January 19th, 2021.
Voters in Mississippi had the option to vote between two competing medical cannabis legalization ballot measures. Initiative 65 was the result of a citizen-led petition, whereas Alternative 65A was placed on the ballot by the Mississippi Legislature. When a ballot measure is successfully filed in Mississippi, the legislature can either pass or reject the initiative with a majority vote or introduce an alternative ballot measure alongside the original initiative.
Mississippi’s Initiative 65 ballot measure has passed, according to several news sources.
Initiative 65 received majority approval over Alternative 65A, therefore Initaitive 65 will become law. Initiative 65 legalizes the use of cannabis as a medical treatment for 22 qualifying conditions, and patients will be allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis. The Mississippi Department of Health must adopt all rules and regulations for the medical program by July 1st, 2021 and begin issuing identification cards and treatment center licenses by August 15th, 2021.
Montana residents voted on two different cannabis-related ballot measures this year.
Montana CI-118, the Allow for a Legal Age for Marijuana Amendment, has been approved by voters, according to several news sources.
CI-118 amends the Montana Constitution to allow the legislature or a citizen initiative to set a minimum age for purchasing, consuming, and possessing cannabis. CI-118 adds two words to the Montana Constitution, underlined below:
“A person 18 years of age or older is an adult for all purposes, except that the legislature or the people by initiative may establish the legal age for purchasing, consuming, or possessing alcoholic beverages and marijuana.”
Montana I-190, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, has been passed by voters, according to several news sources.
I-190 legalizes the possession and use of cannabis for adults 21 and older, places a 20% excise tax on cannabis sales, and allows for those with certain cannabis-related convictions to apply for resentencing or expungement. Montana residents will be allowed to possess, consume, and cultivate cannabis on January 1st, 2021. The Montana Department of Revenue will have regulatory authority over all commercial cannabis activity.
Disclosure: Weedmaps is part of a consortium that funds the NJ CAN 2020 campaign
Public Question 1, the Marijuana Legalization Amendment, has been approved by voters, according to several news sources.
Public Question 1 will add an amendment to the New Jersey Constitution that legalizes the possession and use of cannabis for adults 21 and older. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission, originally tasked with overseeing the state’s medical cannabis program, will have regulatory authority over the commercial cultivation, processing, and sale of adult-use cannabis. The constitutional amendment will take effect on January 1st, 2021.
South Dakota residents voted on two different cannabis legalization ballot measures this year- one initiative that would legalize cannabis for medical use and one initiative that would legalize cannabis for adults over 21.
Both ballot measures were approved by voters, making South Dakota the first state to legalize both medical and adult-use cannabis in the same year.
South Dakota Constitutional Amendment A, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, was approved by voters, according to several news sources.
Amendment A legalizes the possession and use of cannabis for adults 21 and older. Cannabis sales will be taxed at 15%, and the South Dakota Department of Revenue will have regulatory authority over all commercial cannabis activity. The measure will take effect on July 1st, 2021. The Department of Revenue must adopt all rules and regulations for the medical program by April 1, 2022. The amendment also requires the South Dakota State Legislature to pass laws to create a medical cannabis and hemp program by April 1, 2022.
South Dakota Initiated Measure 26, the Medical Marijuana Initiative, was approved by voters, according to several news sources.
Initiated Measure 26 legalizes cannabis for medical use for those with debilitating medical conditions. The South Dakota Department of Health will have regulatory authority over the medical cannabis program and is required to adopt all rules and regulations no later than 120 days after the effective date of the initiative. The expected effective date of the measure is July 1st, 2021, therefore all rules must be adopted by October 29th, 2021. The Department of Health is also required to issue registry identification cards to qualified patients no later than 140 days after the effective date of the initiative.
Featured image by Gina Coleman
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Oregon Becomes First US State To Decriminalize Drug Possession, Begins Psilocybin Program
Voters in Oregon have approved two measures that mark an unprecedented change in the history of U.S. drug policy.
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Marijuana Is Biggest Winner In The 2020 Election
It’s a brave new world out there today, friends. Welcome to it.
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