According to a new study, the frequency of migraines may be reduced with consistent cannabis treatment.

According to a new study, the frequency of migraines may be reduced with consistent cannabis treatment.

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Pennsylvania residents who are on probation are no longer barred from using medical cannabis, thanks to a new ruling by the state’s highest court.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of several residents of Lebanon County. Last September, county officials notified all individuals currently serving probation that they had 30 days to get all traces of cannabis out of their systems. Anyone who tested positive for THC after Oct. 1, 2019 would be in violation of their probation, even if they were using state-legal medical marijuana.

One of the plaintiffs in the case, Ashley Bennett, was barred from using medical marijuana to treat her PTSD symptoms because she was on probation for possessing marijuana. “For years, I’ve been living sick every day, and medical marijuana allows me to lead the kind of life I want,” said Bennett to New Castle News. “When probation banned medical marijuana, I was sick, couldn’t get out of bed, and lost 30 pounds. This ruling is exactly what we all hoped for.”

Most Pennsylvania counties actually already allow people who are serving probation to use medical pot. Eight conservative counties, including Lebanon, have drafted policies blocking probationers’ access to this medicine, however. 

“Although most county courts have allowed registered patients to use medical marijuana while on probation, there are still some that ban medical marijuana for people on community supervision,” said Sara Rose, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, to New Castle News. “Any attempt to enforce those policies will be challenged.”

True to their word, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Lebanon County residents who were using medical marijuana while on probation. Last October, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court temporarily overturned the county’s ban until the case could be decided. This Thursday, the court unanimously ruled that Lebanon County’s ban violated the state’s medical marijuana law. Although the ruling only specifically overturns the county’s policy, it still applies to every county in the state.

“The MMA [Medical Marijuana Act] contains an immunity provision protecting patients from government sanctions,” wrote Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor in the ruling. “Per the statute, no such individual ‘shall be subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty in any manner, or denied any right or privilege… solely for lawful use of medical marijuana… or for any other action taken in accordance with this act.’”

The county’s attorneys argued that since probationers can be barred from using alcohol, they could also be barred from using medical pot. The court shot down these arguments, ruling that medical marijuana should be treated as a prescription drug because it is recommended by a physician. The defendants also argued that the federal prohibition of marijuana allowed them to ban medical cannabis, but the court ruled that the state had no obligation to enforce federal law.

The ruling only prevents blanket orders preventing probationers from using medical marijuana, though. Judges and probation officers are still authorized to conduct hearings to determine whether any individual under court supervision is legally using medical cannabis or not. 

“Nothing in this Opinion restrains judges and probation officials supervising probationers and others from making reasonable inquiries into whether the use of marijuana by a person under court supervision is lawful under the Act,” explained Saylor in the ruling.

“This is a major victory for people who rely on medical marijuana to treat their medical conditions,” said ACLU of Pennsylvania executive director Reggie Shuford to New Castle News. “We are grateful that the justices understood the legislature’s clear intent that people who lawfully use this treatment should not be punished for it.”

“This decision provides further validation that cannabis is medicine and that those Pennsylvanians who rely on it should not be treated any differently or be denied any rights under the law,” said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano in a statement.

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According to a new study, marijuana can be used as a therapeutic tool for men who connect negativity or shame with sex.

The post How Marijuana Can Be ‘Strategic Resource’ For Sexual Minority Men appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

Can Cannabis Help My Obsessive Thoughts?

Whatever the worry that plagues you, it can be very hard to get relief from obsessive thoughts.

The post Can Cannabis Help My Obsessive Thoughts? appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

If you’ve ever smoked Viola then you’re probably familiar with CEO Al Harrington.

Al Harrington is a 16-year NBA veteran turned cannabis entrepreneur. He owns multiple brands across the industry including Viola and Harrington Wellness, which produces his re+PLAY CBD brand. 

As the story goes, Harrington started using cannabis during his NBA career as an alternative to opioids. He had many injuries that sidelined him over time, and knowing the negative effects that pain pills can have on the body, he knew there was a better way. Weed was that way.

After retiring from the NBA, Harrington moved into the cannabis industry with his company Viola. Viola was named after his grandmother, who he introduced to cannabis and all of its healing properties. 

We got the chance to chop it up with Viola frontman about some of the cannabis products he can’t live without.

re+PLAY Hemp Extracts

As you’d expect, most of the products Harrington uses are from his own companies. He quite literally gets high off his own supply. Of those products, the one brand he champions the most for healing supplements is his re+PLAY capsules, tinctures, and topicals.

“Our topicals are really good. We have some technology in our cream base that penetrates the skin five times faster and deeper than anything on the market. I obviously use that on a daily basis, usually, a lot on my neck, believe it or not. It kind of like just loosens me up for the day.”

After 16 years in the league, Al’s body simply couldn’t take anymore NBA basketball. His next journey became Ice Cube’s BIG3 League, which hosts retired NBA veterans and overseas talent. The Big 3 was the first professional league to allow the use of CBD for pain management and recovery.

“If I had re+PLAY Hemp Extract available towards the end of my [NBA] career, I feel like I could have played longer. I could not get the swelling out of my knee is why I retired. I started using [hemp topicals], that’s why I was able to play in the BIG3 for two years and pain-free, no swelling.”

Available: Nationwide

Puffco Peak

“I don’t leave home without my Puffco Peak,” Harrington told us. 

The Puffco Peak is one of the best portable vaporizers on the market. It bolsters an incredibly flavorful smoking experience from four different temperature settings: Blue (450 degrees F), Green (500 degrees F), Red (550 degrees F), and White (600 degrees F). Al prefers the Red.

Portability and ease of use, complete with a carrying case and customization through accessories, are why stoners hold this device in the highest regard.

It comes with a hefty price tag, but being able to hit perfectly-tempered dabs in 20 seconds’ time — without all the torches and butanes — makes it well worth the ticket. 

Viola flower  

Viola offers a complete product line including flower, concentrates, pre-rolls, vape pens — everything, all of that. Harrington keeps a fresh eighth of Viola’s premium indoor flower on him at all times. 

The company produces a full slew of strains and chemotypes, of which Al says, “I like all of our OGs and our hybrid indicas because I like to relax when I consume.”

Viola concentrates

What’s inside of Harrington’s Puffco Peak? Viola concentrates, of course. “My favorite strain of concentrates right now is Papaya OG.” 

You can get Viola concentrates in many forms including Live Resin, Shatter, Budder, and Sauce. They also make vape pens.

Viola pre-rolls

Last of Al’s top 5 products are his Viola pre-rolls. They’re made with premium indoor flower.

Viola products are available in California, Oregon, Michigan, and Colorado. If you’d like to try their pre-rolls, flower, and concentrates all at once, scoop up the Viola Influencer Pack. It contains a half-ounce of bud, 1 gram of dabs, and a couple of glass-tip pre-rolls.

Viola’s THC products are available in these states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon

Viola’s CBD products are available in these states:  Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Washington

Interview by Nic Juarez. Written by Dante Jordan. Graphic design by David Lozada.

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Bernie Sanders: If You Want Police Reform, Legalize Marijuana

Sanders gave a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, discussing several solutions to address police violence in the country.

The post Bernie Sanders: If You Want Police Reform, Legalize Marijuana appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

Photo via iStock user Yaman Mutart

This November, New Jersey residents will go to the polls and vote on statewide cannabis legalization. But in the meantime, state legislators are looking to significantly curtail the Garden State’s notoriously harsh cannabis policing.

According to NJ.com, the New Jersey State Assembly approved a decriminalization bill this week that would reduce the penalty for carrying up to two ounces of cannabis from an automatic arrest to a $50 fine at the worst. The bill, which passed with a 63-10 margin, would also reduce jail time and fines for people arrested for carrying more than two ounces.

“New Jersey is being really progressive in starting this conversation,” DeVaughn Ward, senior counsel at the Marijuana Policy Project, told NJ Cannabis Insider. “At two ounces, it would still be progress for the region. The reality is that for every increase is another life that could potentially be saved; somebody that could not be forced to encounter law enforcement.”

Under a concurrent decriminalization proposal unveiled in the New Jersey State Senate earlier this month, New Jersey residents would be able to carry and sell up to one pound of cannabis and only receive a warning or $25 fine if caught. But while the Assembly decriminalization bill has already passed a commission and the full State Assembly, the state senate has not yet debated the alternate measure. 

As cannabis activists count down the days until they can vote for full legalization in New Jersey, both decriminalization bills now sit with the Democratic-led state senate. Governor Phil Murphy — who campaigned on a promise to legalize weed that he has struggled to keep — is expected to sign either bill if they pass in both houses of the state legislature.

“The time for lawmakers to take action is long overdue,” NORML State Policies Coordinator Carly Wolf told Marijuana Moment. “Law enforcement continues to arrest almost 100 New Jerseyans every day for marijuana violations, a disproportionate number of whom are young, poor, and/or people of color. Passage of this legislation is the first step in repairing some of the harms caused by the War on Drugs.”

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Whether you’re sheltering, loving, living, or chilling, pick up some Runtz, Lava Cake, GG4, and more, as they burn up the charts during this crazy year.

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