Top 5 Fresh Toast Stories Of The Week: Sept. 18, 2020

ICYMI: Here are the headlines making news this week on The Fresh Toast.

The post Top 5 Fresh Toast Stories Of The Week: Sept. 18, 2020 appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

The Vermont House of Representatives has finally approved a bill to legalize taxed and regulated cannabis sales. The Green Mountain State already legalized cannabis possession, home-grows, and use in 2018, but weed sales remain illegal. Like Washington DC, the only other US territory to legalize weed use but prohibit sales, this has led to a “gray market” of quasi-legal pot dealers.

The new bill would put an end to this confusing situation by officially allowing licensed cannabis businesses to grow, process, and sell weed to adults. The bill would create a new Cannabis Control Commission, which would regulate adult-use weed sales and take over regulation of the state’s existing medical marijuana industry. Adult-use sales would be taxed at 14 percent, plus the standard 6 percent state sales tax.

“Why do we tax and regulate and control particular substances? We have several reasons,” said state Rep. Tommy Walz (D) during the legislative debate, Marijuana Moment reports. “One, of course, is that we can get revenue out of it. But also because we can provide some harm reduction. It can provide some protections.”

The bill also contains social equity provisions that would prioritize business licenses for minorities, women, and people from communities ravaged by the war on drugs. An independent regulatory commission focused on helping small businesses compete with larger corporate cannabis firms would also be established. And like many other adult-use states, the bill will allow individual municipalities to choose whether or not pot shops will be allowed in their communities.

The state House and Senate each passed slightly different versions of the bills, so a bicameral committee was convened to sort out the differences between the two versions. During this debate, state senators acquiesced to a number of restrictions proposed by the House. The final version of the bill now imposes a 30 percent THC limit on cannabis flower, and a 60 percent limit on concentrates. The bill will also allow police to conduct roadside saliva testing for THC, as long as they obtain a warrant.

The state House approved this compromise bill with a 92-56 vote. The state Senate must still approve this version of the bill, which they are likely to do. But to finally become law, the bill must still be signed by Governor Phil Scott. The governor has reportedly discussed the bill with lawmakers, but has yet to indicate whether or not he will approve it. In 2017, Scott famously vetoed lawmakers’ first attempt to legalize weed, and there are concerns that he may veto this bill as well.

“It’s exciting to see that Vermont is on the cusp of ending cannabis prohibition for adults,” said Matt Simon, New England political director of the Marijuana Policy Project, in a statement. “Most Vermonters are not interested in growing their own plants, and many are unable to do so because it is prohibited by their rental agreements, so the only sensible policy is to create a regulated market for adult-use cannabis in Vermont. Governor Scott should recognize the merits of this bill and sign it into law after it passes the Senate.”

The Vermont House just passed another bill to automatically expunge all criminal records for former cannabis offenses, but this bill must still be approved by the Senate. Lawmakers have also proposed a bill that would decriminalize the use of natural psychedelics throughout the state, but this bill has yet to advance.

Image via

If you’ve smoked weed for a long time, then, realistically, you’ve likely also been burned and ripped-off by a weed deal that’s proved the age old maxim: If something seems too good to be true, it is. 

The latest harsh lesson in “Don’t believe it ’til you smoke it” came yesterday when the House of Representatives announced it will not vote on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act on September 21 as was scheduled.

After posting the MORE-free House floor schedule for next week, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (sort of) promised that Democratic lawmakers would fight to pass the bill before 2021. First, Hoyer said, the House needed to focus on avoiding a government shutdown and securing another round of coronavirus relief action.

“The MORE Act remains a critical component of House Democrats’ plan for addressing systemic racism and advancing criminal justice reform,” Hoyer said, “and we are committed to bringing it to the Floor for a vote before the end of the year. Right now, the House is focused relentlessly on securing agreement to stave off a damaging government shutdown and continuing to do its job addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Later this autumn, the House will pass the MORE Act with strong support as yet another crucial step toward making our justice system fair for all Americans.”

The elephant in the room is the November election, with the Democrats now favored to win the Senate and, of course, the White House up for grabs (please vote against Trump as early as you can).  

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, the bill’s sponsor, indicated that the elections did likely figure into the push. “It might get postponed to the lame-duck [session],” Nadler said, referring to the period between election day and the swearing-in of new Congress members and — please, please, please — a new President.

Rep. Barbara Lee, who co-chairs the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, said on Wednesday she’d be okay with postponing the vote if it meant persuading more lawmakers to approve the bill. Lee also told Marijuana Moment that she and other House members would be “doing everything we can over the next week to build broad coalitions of support to ensure that happens sooner rather than later.”

Following the delay confirmation, Lee and cannabis advocate Rep. Earl Blumenauer released the following joint statement: “As Americans confront hundreds of years of systemic racial injustice, ending the failed war on drugs that has disproportionately hurt Black and Brown Americans must be front and center. As co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, our goal has always been a vote on federal marijuana legalization and restorative justice this Congress. Thankfully, the leadership has now given an ironclad commitment that the House will consider the bill this fall. The public deserves this vote and we will continue to build support to meet our objective of passing the MORE Act in the House and sending it to the Senate, which is one step closer to enacting it into law.”

Not everyone is buying the rationale, though, beginning with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “I feel like the impulse to delay the expungement of people’s records is a fear-based response to Mitch McConnell and the Republican Party,” the New York representative said. “And I personally don’t think that we should be governing that way. I don’t think that when Democrats have power, like a House majority, that we should be drafting our agenda based out of fear of Republicans.”

AOC further questioned the wisdom of the delay by saying, “We already had a COVID vote. If the argument is that we should not be voting on legislation because we haven’t voted on COVID yet, then why are we voting on anything? Why is it that the one racial justice bill is the one that’s being singled out?”

And, so now we wait until the House of Reps are prepared to vote. Stay tuned!

Why What You Drink First Thing In The Morning Is So Important

What you drink in the mornings can have an impact on the rest of your day. Here’s what nutritionists have to say on the kind of drinks you should consume and avoid.

The post Why What You Drink First Thing In The Morning Is So Important appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

Tommy Chong exceeds the status of cannabis celebrity. Though he and Cheech were technically the stoner celebs, rising to international stardom in the 1970s by pioneering the genre with their Cheech and Chong franchise, they’ve since surpassed such worldly roles. 

50 years later, Chong functions more as a cultural monolith in the weed world and beyond. Like Jesus, Santa Claus, or Jerry Garcia, the mere mention of his name evokes something magical, mythical, and in his case, super stoned. This kind of ascension can only be achieved through a lifetime of hard work, good vibes, and above all else, being a cool fucking dude.

In addition to his Tommy Chong’s line of tinctures, sublingual strips, energy potions, and more, he’s slated to pair back up with Cheech — who’s been busy building his own weed brand, Cheech’s Stash — to open a chain of Cheech and Chong dispensaries in California, starting with San Francisco, then on to Los Angeles.

“On the West Coast, Cheech and Chong are semi-gods,” Chong told Weedmaps. “We’re not fully gods, but we’re semi. So we’re just going to provide the best product we know is out there, and a delivery service in every one of our dispensaries. And we’re also going to provide a fun location to go to. It’s not going to be as, you know, weird as some of them are.”

Ideas for the dispensaries include television screens playing Cheech and Chong movies, “as well as other stoner movies,” nonstop, appearances by the duo, and virtual art shows.

“Cheech is a world-renowned collector of Chicano art,” said Chong. “They’re building a museum in Riverside just for Cheech’s art. So we’re going to have virtual art shows on the screens too,” he paused, “and I’ve got a killer bong collection to display.” 

In honor of his new venture(s) in a market he helped create, here are the weed products Tommy Chong can’t live without  — straight from the Godfather himself.

Chong Bong

“My preferred method of smoking is to use a Chong Bong,” said Chong. “It’s one of my vintage bongs from the nineties. Jason Harris made it for me.” 

Jason Harris, famed glass blower and founder of Jerome Baker Designs, got his start apprenticing with glass blowing god Bob Snodgrass in 1991. Since then, Harris has worked with numerous celebrities to create outlandish and wildly high priced smoking creations. For example, the $18,000 nug jar capable of holding a full pound of flower that he blew for Snoop Dogg. “The Chong Bong retails for about $5000 dollars,” said Chong. 

PurePipes

“I have this wooden pipe from Germany, and I actually just did a little commercial for it,” said Chong. “It’s a one-hander. There’s a built in lighter and a bowl, you can light it up and smoke and everything all with one hand.” 

Tommy Chong’s PurePipes are handcrafted in Erfurt, Germany. Not only can users light and smoke all with one hand, they’re designed specifically for smoking cannabis, with an attention to drawing resistance and volume of the packing chamber. 

Chong continued, “It’s great for me, because a lot of time when I’m doing cameos they’ll want to light up. So I just grab my little solo pipe and away I go!” 

Find Tommy Chong’s Classic PurePipe

Tommy Chong’s Infused Strips 

“I love my breath strips,” said Chong. “They don’t carry that telltale odor, so you can do them anywhere, in church, in prison, or in court! And the best part is, you can function. You can function all day.” 

Tommy Chong’s Infused Strips come in three flavors: Strawnana, Blueberry, and Chocolate Mint. Each sublingual strip hits in about 15 minutes, and packs 10 milligrams THC. 

Check out Tommy Chong’s Strawnana Strips

Tommy Chong’s CBD Good Vibes Energy Shot 

Though this product hasn’t hit the shelves just yet, I tried one of these little shots and they really work. I felt alert, focused, and not jittery or anxious like I often do after coffee. And the ingredients are even approved by Chong’s uber healthy wife. 

“Oh my wife, she’s my tester,” he said. “She is so fussy and so healthy. But she loves that energy drink! She takes ballet, and she’ll do a bottle before she does that. I should be doing it more.” 

Find CBD Good Vibes Energy Shot

All weed, literally. 

When I asked if there were any strains he was particularly into right now, Chong replied, “Honestly, I’ve lost track of all the strains. When people ask me, I tell them my favorite strain is cannabis. It’s crazy because in the government, people try to treat cannabis like alcohol, or some kind of weird drug, and you can’t. It’s not a drug. It’s a medicine that’s an herb. It grows wild in the forest. The animals love it. It’s a plant that should be respected.” 

He continued, “And the people who say it’s a gateway drug, well, those gates can be phenomenal. They can swing you into becoming an artist, or a rapper, or an author, or a conductor. Those gates open to all the creative outlets that exist on this planet. So, as we go along with our dispensaries, we’re going to really educate the people. It’s going to be so much fun. Then, we’re going to make so much money that we’re just going to retire and never have to work again. You’ll see.” 

Graphic by David Lozada/Weedmaps 

The post 5 weed products Tommy Chong can't live without appeared first on Weedmaps News.

Vermont Takes A Step Closer To Legalization

Vermont had previously legalized recreational marijuana, but not cannabis sales. The new bill would prioritize small and minority-owned businesses for licenses.

The post Vermont Takes A Step Closer To Legalization appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

House Democrats Postpone Marijuana Legalization Bill Until After The Election

Moderate Democrats had urged Democrat leadership to hold any marijuana bill, concerned with how any votes could affect their re-election.

The post House Democrats Postpone Marijuana Legalization Bill Until After The Election appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

Some studies suggest cannabis can help the immune system, while others imply the plant can suppress it. Learn more about the current research on how cannabis effects the immune system.

The post Does cannabis help or hurt the immune system? appeared first on Leafly.

A sexy and streamlined device with more than a few surprises

The post New Dart-X provides next-level vaping experience appeared first on Leafly.

Between 2015 and 2019, nearly 90% of those arrested for cannabis-related crimes in Washington, D.C. were Black, although African-Americans make up only 45% of the city’s population.