In the beginning, there was the Grinder Card — a flat, wallet-ready shredder launched in 2010 that instantly set the 420 accessory business ablaze. It also established V Syndicate as a cutting-edge leader in the realm of smoking accessories.

But, V Syndicate has since upped its game even more. The inventors behind these useful products recognize that where buds are ground, proper storage is also required to keep your greens ultra-fresh. And thus, the SmartStash was born. 

It’s a calculated move on V Syndicate’s part because the SmartStash is an all-in-one jar that features a detachable magnetic grinder plate, a wooden bowl that doubles as a lid, a cavity for a humidity packet (which comes included), and an exquisitely designed glass jar. It’s functional, durable, and designed with a clean, sharp aesthetic. The SmartStash even fits other brands’ humidity packets, like Boveda and Integra.

To use the SmartStash, you simply grind your bud against the holes on top of the container. The shake then falls into the hollowed out, bowl portion of the lid. From there, you can funnel out the weed through a metal lip and onto your rolling paper (or pipe). And, anything you don’t smoke can be stored in the jar where a humidity packet keeps it fresh. Nifty, right?  

“The SmartStash was created by combining the innovation of the Grinder Card, and the necessity for a high-end stash jar that keeps herb fresh,” said Melissa Breccia, V Syndicate’s communications director to MERRY JANE. “We realized ‘flat is where it’s at’ in 2010 when the company was founded.”

If you’re a long time toker, you remember the importance of discretion and portability when trying to get stoned out in the world. Hell — discretion and portability are still critical to getting stoned outside the comfort of your home. It’s not convenient to lug around bulky grinders. That’s why the Grinder Card was clutch, Breccia explains. “People could just throw it in their wallet and no one — except that person’s chosen few — would know.” The SmartStash takes it a step further, however.

“We tested various types of glass jars, different humidity packets, magnet strength, and grinding on our newly designed surfaces,” Breccia said, ultimately explaining why the SmartStash is so effective and handy. “Although we are always looking for ways to improve our products, we work hard to ensure that each [accessory] is the best version of itself before hitting the market.”

 Old school stoner aesthetic will forever have its place in our culture. But, the evolution of who a “pothead” is and what it means to smoke weed has also played a key role in developing the SmartStash. As of currently, the SmartStash comes in three sizes and in a dozen different colors and designs, including owls, Calaveras’ (also known as sugar skulls), and other high-vibe symbols. 

“Currently, the industry is shifting in a direction of creating products that are less in the niche of the ‘classic stoner,’ and more for the everyday consumer that doesn’t necessarily want to brand themselves in that manner,” Breccia said. “We want to offer a product that can sit in a home and blend well with the décor, as well as one that is multifunctional, so users don’t need several accessories to enjoy a sesh.”

Despite these shifts, creating the SmartStash was a risk for V Syndicate. Fortunately, it worked, and the rewards have proven more than fruitful — especially for smokers. “When we introduced SmartStash, it was the highest-priced and most different product we’ve ever created,” Breccia explained. “However, people caught on quickly and we had a great response off the bat.”

Another change is that, unlike V Syndicate’s wildly popular past partnerships with Snoop Dogg, Cheech and Chong, Wiz Khalifa, Rick and Morty, and other stoner icons, the SmartStash is not available for private labeling.

“We’re always excited to collaborate with various names and to work on something that speaks to their following,” Breccia said. “It’s always a delight to see what artwork they’ll send our way, and we get just as excited as they do when the final product is in our hands.”

Despite the warm response to collaborations, V Syndicate departed from their usual approach. “Through social media, we have been able to gauge a better understanding of how individuals enjoy them and have used their feedback to make some small changes. New designs are set to be released over the next few months.”

Using the SmartStash makes getting high and inspired easier than ever. No wonder people have discovered other ways to utilize V Syndicate’s dope accessories. “We’ve seen people use V Syndicate products for all kinds of other tasks. Our customers are creative, so you never know what you’ll see when you introduce the next item!”

Doctors And Patients Agree: Doctors Aren’t Good Sources For Medical Marijuana Info

The majority of medical marijuana patients do not consider their primary care physicians a good source of information regarding cannabis, according to a recent survey.

The post Doctors And Patients Agree: Doctors Aren’t Good Sources For Medical Marijuana Info appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

Colorado Recreational Marijuana Shoppers Switching Back To Medical

Since the COVID-19 pandemic took its hit on the economy, the U.S. Cannabis industry has proven remarkably resilient with a surprising resurgence in Colorado.

The post Colorado Recreational Marijuana Shoppers Switching Back To Medical appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

They may be cute, but deer will eat your growing weed plants. Here’s how to prevent them and other critters from destroying your weed.

The post Do deer eat weed? And other pests to watch out for when growing cannabis appeared first on Leafly.

Trump To Republicans: Keep Marijuana Legalization Off The Ballot If You Want To Win

“The next time you run please don’t put marijuana on the ballot at the same time you’re running,” said Trump.

The post Trump To Republicans: Keep Marijuana Legalization Off The Ballot If You Want To Win appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

Here’s What You Should Know About CBD Suppositories

Cannabis suppositories are becoming increasingly more popular. Here’s what they can do for you.

The post Here’s What You Should Know About CBD Suppositories appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

A worker making pre-rolls in Michigan decided to lick them closed. State regulators shut the whole operation down.

The post Hey, who pre-licked my pre-roll? A cautionary tale in the time of COVID-19 appeared first on Leafly.

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Last week, a new research study linking prenatal cannabis use to autism made headlines, raising further concerns over the unknown risks of using weed while pregnant. 

Mainstream media is quick to seize on attention-grabbing research headlines like this one, but reporters are generally content on taking these studies at their word, without examining the limitations of the research. Clinical researchers are now urging people to take the study’s findings with a grain of salt, as it does not conclusively prove that prenatal pot use causes autism.

The original study, published in Nature Medicine, looked at data from every birth recorded in Ontario, Canada, between 2007 and 2012. Researchers then identified 2,200 women who admitted to using pot while pregnant, but did not use tobacco, alcohol, or opioids. The study authors also tracked diagnoses of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions among children born during this time period.

Out of all the babies covered in the study, 7,125 were diagnosed with autism. A further analysis of the data revealed that women who used cannabis were more likely to give birth to children with autism than those who abstained. “Women who used cannabis during pregnancy were 1.5 times more likely to have a child with autism,” said study author Dr. Darine El-Chaâr, maternal fetal medicine specialist and clinical investigator at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada, to CNN.

The results of the study are particularly concerning, especially given the large study size. But as a purely observational study, there are a number of limitations that prevent scientists from conclusively proving that prenatal cannabis use causes autism. For one, recreational cannabis use was illegal in Canada until 2018. Some mothers who used pot while pregnant may have lied about their use for fear of recrimination, and therefore wrongly been counted as abstainers.

“There’s a long history of efforts to harshly criminalize drug use during pregnancy, and this is damaging to mothers and babies because it shunts women from the healthcare system to the legal system in really damaging ways,” said Stephen Sheinkopf, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, to Spectrum News. “We as clinical scientists need to advocate for the findings to be used to improve healthcare and not for the purposes of criminalization of moms.”

The study was also unable to collect information on what kind of cannabis these expectant mothers used, or how often they used it. Given that non-medical cannabis was illegal at the time of the study, it is likely that some of these mothers were using black market cannabis. Other studies have found that illegally-grown weed is often contaminated with molds, toxic pesticides or other chemicals, or heavy metals, and it is entirely possible that these contaminants were responsible for the increased autism risk.

The authors of the study are well aware of the limitations of their research, and specifically emphasized “a cautious interpretation of these findings given the likelihood of residual confounding.” Lead investigator Daniel Corsi, senior research associate at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada, told Spectrum News that “this is still a database study and it’s not going to answer all the questions… We don’t have perfect data.”

Keely Cheslack-Postava, research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, said that the study does not prove a link between cannabis and autism, but does show that the issue is “a question that deserves further examination.” The researcher added that the original study made “great use of the data that was there,” but added that he “would like to see that kind of evidence in the future to help us really assess if this is a true association.”

Other research studies have found that cannabis use among pregnant women has definitely been increasing over recent years. Clinical research evaluating the actual risks of prenatal pot use has been a mixed bag, however, and few of these studies have been able to present conclusive proof of their findings.

Until further research can conclusively prove or disprove these potential risks, health experts urge expectant mothers to err on the safe side and refrain from cannabis use during pregnancy. 

How To Incorporate CBD Oils Into Your Daily Routine

If you’ve been wondering how to start using CBD oil, you’re in luck. Here are some tips and tricks for incorporating CBD oils into your everyday routine.

The post How To Incorporate CBD Oils Into Your Daily Routine appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

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President Trump warned his fellow Republicans on Monday not to include cannabis reform on state ballots because it attracts extra voters who tend to lean liberal rather than those who support him and his party. Somehow it’s worse when all this evil is just conducted out in the open, isn’t it?   

This latest declaration of suppression occurred at a Trump campaign event in Wisconsin attended by Scott Walker, the state’s former governor who once described weed as “a gateway drug” and who was quickly voted out of office in 2018.

“The next time you run please don’t put marijuana on the ballot at the same time you’re running,” Trump said, addressing Walker directly. “You brought out like a million people that nobody ever knew were coming out.”

While shocking (but not uncommon), Trump’s comments showcase his ignorance. Walker had nothing to do with “putting marijuana on the ballot” in 2018; instead, elected officials in each district put reform measures up for the vote. That’s how the process works, Mr. President.  

Trump’s latest outburst marks his first explicit opinion on marijuana initiatives during this phase of the campaign, although it’s certainly not his first blatant boast about strategizing to suppress votes.

Of course, Trump did also blurt that presumptive Democratic VP nominee Kamala Harris “lied” when she laughingly recalled smoking weed in college. And he called her “nasty.” In 2019, Harris came out in favor of federal legalization.  

Meanwhile, Harris’s running mate Joe Biden has thus far stuck to his support for decriminalization, legalizing medical marijuana, and enacting other piecemeal reforms rather than just legalizing weed — a change supported by two-thirds of Americans.

Disappointingly, Biden’s task force on the issue (co-created by staunch legalization advocate Bernie Sanders) reached conclusions in July that backed decrim over adult-use legalization. So, that’s where Biden remains as the Democratic National Convention unfolds this week.

Despite the focus on the presidential race, there’s a chance Congress could make a final call on cannabis next month. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act in September.

If passed, the MORE Act is a sweeping bill that would deschedule cannabis on a federal level, entirely expunge prior marijuana conviction records, and attach a five-percent sales tax on weed — the revenue from which would go back into rebuilding the communities most torn apart by the drug war.

No matter what, just get out and vote against Donald Trump this November — the prospect of cannabis legalization, our lives, and the future of (non-fascist) America depends on it.