The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency reports that a number of pre-rolls have been contaminated with human saliva.

What To Expect When Smoking A CBD Dominant Strain

Even if CBD isn’t known for its psychoactive effects, its presence in cannabis strains has been associated with pleasant and mellow highs.

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This November, the nation’s capital will vote on decriminalizing the possession and use of natural psychedelics like psilocybin, ayahuasca, and mescaline-containing cacti.

The ballot measure, officially known as Initiative 81 or the “Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020,” would direct city cops to regard plant-based psychedelics as their lowest law enforcement priority. The measure does not legalize these natural medicines, but would potentially allow DC residents aged 21 or older to grow and use shrooms in the privacy of their homes without fear of being sent to prison.

Decriminalize Nature DC (DNDC), a branch of a national psychedelics reform advocacy group known as Decriminalize Nature, initially submitted their ballot measure in February. The campaign had just barely gotten underway when the COVID-19 pandemic stopped it in its tracks. In March, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a citywide quarantine, making door-to-door signature collection impossible.

The advocacy group asked elections officials to grant them the right to collect signatures electronically, but this request was denied. Failing this, the campaign devised a new plan allowing them to continue on a much smaller scale. Activists mailed 10,000 petitions to individual supporters, who circulated them among their families and close friends and returned them by mail.

(Decriminalize Nature DC)

In June, the campaign saw another opportunity amid the protests over the death of George Floyd. DNDC set up tents along major streets during the protests, allowing activists to accept signatures with social distancing measures in full effect. During the first week of the protests, the campaign collected another 5,000 signatures.

All of the extra effort paid off in the end, and DNDC was able to submit around 35,000 signatures by the deadline. At a virtual meeting this week, the Board of Elections announced that they had successfully verified 25,477 of these signatures – just narrowly exceeding the 24,385 registered voters needed to qualify for this year’s ballot.

“Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our campaign saw strong support from DC voters for Initiative 81 from all eight wards,” DNDC chairperson Melissa Lavasani said in a press release, according to Marijuana Moment. “Every District voter who signed the petition to put the initiative on the ballot helped give DC residents this historic opportunity to change outdated laws that criminalize people who use natural substances to overcome anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other conditions.”

“We are excited to continue educating voters ahead of the election,” Lavasani added. “Although the pandemic is an added challenge, I am confident that Initiative 81 will pass on November 3 and that DC will take this important step towards ending another part of the destructive and wasteful war on drugs.”

Early polls suggest that the measure might pass with a narrow margin. A February poll found that 51 percent of voters supported the initiative, but after hearing a list of pros and cons regarding the proposal, support increased to 59 percent. DNDC will continue to educate voters about the benefits of natural psychedelics as the election nears.

Last fall, the Oakland chapter of Decriminalize Nature successfully helped their city decriminalize natural psychedelics, and are currently advocating to create the country’s first regulated psychedelics sales market. Denver and Santa Cruz have also passed similar decriminalization ordinances, and New York and Vermont are both considering statewide decriminalization. 

And this week, Canadian health officials granted four terminally ill patients the right to use natural psychedelics during their end-of-life care. This is only a small step compared to America’s larger push for reform, but is indicative of a growing tide of support for psychedelic-assisted therapy.

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The psychedelics space is heating up, and major players have taken notice.

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How To Smoke Weed Discreetly When Living With Others

When using marijuana around parents or disapproving roommates, it’s always important to be cautious.

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Earlier this week, the American Heart Association (AHA) reportedly made two public statements regarding marijuana that seemed to contradict each other — sort of.

First came a claim that smoking weed is dangerous to cardiovascular health and should be avoided. At the same time, however, the AHA called for cannabis to be removed as a Schedule 1 drug so that scientists can research it freely.

It’s difficult not to interpret the underlying message of these apparently disparate stances as: “Weed is bad for your overall health, but it’s a good way for us to get more money so we can conduct more studies to show that weed is bad.” 

Usually organizations like to hide the fact they have an agenda. But, let’s look at the individual statements and try to keep our heart rates in check.  

Following a study published Wednesday in the journal Circulation, Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, the AHA’s deputy chief science and medical officer, said in a statement, “People who use cannabis need to know there are potentially serious health risks in smoking or vaping it, just like tobacco smoke. The American Heart Association recommends that people not smoke or vape any substance, including cannabis products, because of the potential harm to the heart, lungs and blood vessels.”

The study itself reportedly found “no cardiovascular benefits” in ingesting weed and claims that doing so may “trigger cardiovascular conditions or events, such as heart attacks and strokes.”

Addressing those alleged concerns, an AHA writing group led by clinical physician Robert Page II suggested that if people use cannabis medicinally or recreationally in measured doses, particularly in the oral and topical forms, some of the potential harms could be reduced.

Page’s group statement also called for regulators to standardize THC and CBD concentrations in legal weed and — in a potential move that might directly benefit the AHA — declared that cannabis should be rescheduled so more government funds can be directed toward its research.

“We urgently need carefully designed, prospective short- and long-term studies regarding cannabis use and cardiovascular safety as it becomes increasingly available and more widely used,” Page stated. “Research funding at federal and state levels must be increased to match the expansion of cannabis use.”

Did everybody catch that last part about “research funding… must be increased”?

Don’t get us wrong: We obviously need more research on cannabis, and we want it rescheduled (but descheduling might be better!). It’s just hard to trust an organization that uses its “findings” to release blanket statements such as “Weed is bad.” It doesn’t seem like the AHA is interested in genuine reform that will mend the wrongs of the Drug War by clearing recordings, pardoning convictions, and granting clemency to people sitting behind bars for a plant that is legal in some form across the majority of the US. 

Sure, smoking anything can have adverse effects on our health. But, numerous studies have already demonstrated the myriad benefits of marijuana when it comes to cardiovascular well-being and other health issues, particularly when cannabis is ingested orally.

One 2018 study from the University of Colorado concluded that weed users have a better chance of surviving a heart attack. A University of Mississippi Medical Center study published this past June also found no evidence whatsoever linking to an increased risk of strokes.

In other studies, hypertension patients saw a drop in blood pressure after using weed and researchers noted positive effects of cannabis on mice in slowing the progress of atherosclerosis and offering protection against chronic chronic heart failure.

The American Heart Association may have their own agenda in calling for rescheduling, but so do we: Legalize weed now because weed is good for you, and the Drug War is a racist fallacy designed to oppress Black and people of color. 

Is it just me, or does the time feel exceedingly right to disappear into the woods for a few hours and get astronomically high? 

The howling winds of uncertainty have all but blown 2020 to smithereens. It’s enough to make a person need reminding of how fleshy and insignificant their timelines are when compared to an endless forest or a mid-city wetland. Which is to say, losing one’s self in nature is a singular form of self-care. And since we are unequivocally in the era of self-care, let’s take a few deep breaths, strap on our fanny packs and face masks, and get hiking with these eight exhilarating and mollifying strains.

Remember, your endocannabinoid system is like your fingerprint, totally unique to you. Keep in mind that the effects described below may not line up across the board, and each person’s experience is theirs alone. 

Golden Pineapple

Golden Pineapple is gently energetic and relaxing at lower doses, making it an agreeable complement to a low-impact, meditative stroll. At higher doses, it becomes psychotropic and effervescent, which is an exceptional way to evolve a meditative stroll into an intense birdwatching session.

Golden Pineapple’s parents are Golden Goat and Pineapple Kush, so expect a funky fruit profile with savory herbal undertones and dense, sugar-dusted flowers.  Either low-dose or high, the strain is a lovely accompaniment to both the outdoors and mild physical activity. 

Clementine

Clementine has a reputation for being borderline frenetic before coming into focus. Those two disparate effects come together exquisitely while navigating the wild outdoors — or your closest city park, whatever works.  

Parented by classic sativa strains, Lemon Skunk and Tangie, Clementine takes after Lemon Skunk in terms of flavor profile and rubbery energy, but the distilled head high is boldly reminiscent of Tangie. Tangie flowers sparkle with fiery stigmas and sugary trichomes, and the strain is also a popular extract that makes for a mouthwatering vape.

Blueberry Headband

Blueberry Headband is an animated strain that promises to put a pep in your step while being social.  On a family hike around your closest Audubon Society (or commensurate nature park), it can potentially keep you fully engaged with both family and nature without ever stepping into giggle-fit territory. 

The inherent hurdle in enjoying Blueberry Headband is in knowing that the name has been attached to a number of phenotypes. For our purposes, we refer to the Emerald Triangle Seeds variation, bred from a cross of 76 Blueberry, Emerald OG Kush, Cali Sour D, and Pre-98 Bubba Kush. The result is a hybrid that expertly straddles the line between euphoria and calm sociability without ever falling too far into either lane.

White Fire OG

Since the effects of strains tend to rely on the individual, reports vary on the effects of White Fire OG. For some, it’s the quintessential wake and bake, for others, it’s immediate couchlock. White Fire OG is borne of The White and Fire OG, both indica bent hybrids with caryophyllene and limonene forward terpene profiles. White Fire OG defies both its parents by (most often) boasting a bright and buoyant high.

If your chemistry allows it to hit with enthusiasm, opt for a hike with a moderate skill level. This strain has the potential to keep your body receptive and elastic while your mind wanders, which is kind of what we’re going for here.

Sour Tangie

Sour Tangie’s uncomplicated lineage from East Coast Sour Diesel and Tangie, the child strain is every bit as lively as one would expect, coming from two distinctly upbeat cultivars. What makes Sour Tangie singular is the burst of creative energy that accompanies its exuberant body high.

A trail with a suggestion of moderate skill level that might find you leapfrogging over fallen trees and encountering the occasional rogue blackberry thorn will bring out the best in your Sour Tangie experience.

Quantum Kush

Quantum Kush is already popular with enthusiasts of getting high and walking in the woods, respectively. It’s a high THC varietal parented by Sweet Irish Kush and Timewreck, with a smothering relaxation effect that both soothes and elevates.. 

Any mild to moderate hike will activate the singular euphoria of Quantum Kush; a breezy waterfront or sunbleached beach where hikers can strip down on a hot day will most likely result in a “best day ever, best weed ever” type situation — and we could all use one of those every now and again. 

Space Candy

The most accurately named strain on this list is Space Candy. The charmed child of Space Queen and Cotton Candy is both candy-sweet and extra spacey. This strain exists in the complex intersection of euphoria and delirium, making more moderate to difficult conditions — think narrow pathways and loose scrabble — feel like a Bear Grylls fantasy.

Space Candy’s terpene profile is citrus dominant, but the underlying earthy notes add a sophisticated funk. Users should expect resiny buds flecked with red and purple, and a confectionary floral aroma that blooms into citrus at the exhale. 

Bruce Banner #3

Hiking challenges are why Bruce Banner #3 may potentially be your perfect hiking strain. Maintaining focus, eschewing stress, and staying bouncy and energetic during vigorous physical activity and elevation gain are all hallmarks of this Bruce Banner phenotype.

Bruce Banner’s storied lineage began in the labs of Los Angeles-based Dark Horse Genetics, where OG Kush and Strawberry Diesel cultivars were bred to produce five phenotypes. Numbers 2 and 4 were subsequently abandoned, while 1, 3, and 5 were selected for their high potency. Of those remaining phenotypes, #3 remains the most popular and widely available of the Bruce Banner strains. Expect a sharply herbal flavor profile, a tart, pungent mouthfeel, and a swooning onset that develops into a calm and creative euphoria.

Featured image by Dre Hudson/Weedmaps

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There’s Probably Too Much THC In Your Marijuana

Legal marijuana products contain extraordinary levels of THC, which could cause dependence and mental health issues with habitual use.

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Difference Between A Marijuana Dispensary And A Liquor Store

You might be surprised to learn that the two are very different.

The post Difference Between A Marijuana Dispensary And A Liquor Store appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

Massachusetts health officials are getting ready to phase vapes back in.