Missouri now has its first cannabis cultivation center.

Authorities are calling this the largest seizure in this port’s history.

GSC is one of the most famous cannabis strains worldwide. There’s not a single dispensary that doesn’t carry some form of its genetics. And even past the dollars, what makes this strain special is its influence on modern weed culture. 

Initially known as Girl Scout Cookies, GSC was bred sometime around 2012 by the Bay Area’s famed Cookie Family, also known as Cookie Fam Genetics, a collective that includes well-known breeders like Berner, Jigga, and Sherbinskis, amongst others. The group spent most of its time in the shadows, so a lot of their genetics are secret, but it is believed that GSC is a cross of an OG Kush and a Durban Poison. The result is a sativa-dominant hybrid with a potent high that makes many consumers feel relaxed, euphoric, and happy. 

GSC’s impact has allowed its group of breeders to create iconic brands. Berner’s Cookies brand is the most influential — simply put, without GSC, there would be no Cookies. 

Brands like Cookies, Sherbinskis, and Los Angeles-based Jungle Boys carved out a section within weed culture centered around hype and expectation. The hype is seeing a new Cookies product, like the Runtz or Lemonnade product lines, and thinking “Man, is it really as fire as everyone’s saying?!” The expectation is that it should be, based on the GSC legacy. 

The story of Cookies’ influence on weed and rap culture begins with GSC, when in 2010 Berner “turned on Wiz Khalifa, then a little known rapper, to the now uber-famous strain GSC,” as written by fellow Weedmaps News contributor Lindsay MaHarry. “Ten years later, and what started with a single GSC strain has now become Cookies, one of the biggest brands in cannabis.”  

“Very few strains reach such an exalted place” Aaron Justis, CEO of Buds & Roses, told David Bienenstock for Vice in 2015. “[GSC] is perhaps one of the top five strains of all time, and the biggest new strain since OG Kush and Sour Diesel.”

Over the years, GSC has won several High Times Cannabis Cups including first place for Best Hybrid at the 2013 Southern California Cannabis Cup. And like OG Kush before it, GSC influence has led to a new generation of strains that push weed culture and tastes into the future.

7 strains that came from GSC Strains

Thin Mint

Cannabis strain phenotypes have the exact same genetics, but for whatever reason, the genetics produced seeds/plants/children with different physical and chemical characteristics. Think about it in terms of you and your sister: y’all have the same parents, but completely different personalities; that’s GSC and its phenotypes.

Thin Mint, sometimes called Thin Mint GSC, is the most popular GSC phenotype. It produces a minty aroma with a sweet cookie dough taste from its frosty dark green and purple flowers.

It’s top reported effects are relaxed, aroused, and uplifted, versus GSC’s effects of relaxed, euphoric, and happy. Thin Mint is also thought to be the GSC strain used to create the renowned Sunset Sherbert.

Platinum GSC

Platinum GSC is another popular phenotype of GSC. Or at least it’s thought to be a phenotype of GSC, as its genetics remain unconfirmed. Some think it has the same GSC parents of OG Kush and Durban Poison; others believe there was a third strain tossed into the hybrid mix. 

Like the original GSC, Platinum GSC has the familiar strong aroma of sweet earthiness, however it usually has a little bit more of a fruity flavor than its big sister. 

This strain’s top reported effects are hungry, relaxed, and creative, so if you’re looking to smoke while you kick back in deep thought, Platinum GSC could be the one for you.

OG Kush Breath

OG Kush Breath, also called OGKB for short, is another GSC strain with a murky history and unconfirmed genetics. Some believe it is the third lesser-known Cookies phenotype; others believe it is Cookies crossed with Cookies. Though we can’t declare its genetics for certain, we do know that the plant leans toward the Sativa side of hybrids.

OGKB has a vast array of flavors. Some simple like the floral and earthy profile that’s most apparent, some complex like those hashy undertones that are tough to describe to less experienced cannabis consumers.

With its much smaller reputation than the preceding strains, there isn’t too much information about the effects you get from smoking this strain. But if it is a GSC phenotype, or a GSC backcross, then the effects will most likely be potent and relaxing, though you’d have to try it to know for sure.

Do-Si-Dos

Do-Si-Dos is an indica-dominant strain that has had a strong run over the past couple of years, being crossed with damn near everything out there. The results gave us popular strains like Peanut Butter Breath, Slurricane, and Dolato, also known as Do-Si-Lato (Dosi-Lato). 

Do-Si-Dos was bred by crossing OG Kush Breath with Face Off OG. The buds are usually going to be thick, dense, and purple-accented with white trichomes everywhere. In addition to its aesthetics, Do-Si’s sweet grapey and hashy flavors make this plant a real treat for cannabis enthusiasts, especially those that like dabs.

The top reported effects of Do-Si-Dos are relaxed, creative, and happy and its potent high instantly lets you know the next few hours will probably be spent doing as little as possible. Get too comfortable and it might be night night time. 

Sherbert

When it comes to strains from Cookies hybrids, there aren’t too many that have gained the acclaim of Sunset Sherbert, sometimes simply known as Sherbert. 

Mr. Sherbinski bred the strain by crossing GSC with his Pink Panties. It has a traditional earthiness of GSC, how the strain is named for its fruity flavor that makes the experience like smoking a fruit cocktail.

With euphoric, giggly, and happy being its top reported effects, Sherbert tends to be less potent than the traditional GSC strains.

Animal Cookies

Sometimes known as Animal Crackers, Animal Cookies is a cross of GSC and Fire OG, the parent strain of WiFi OG. It has a cherry cookie flavor and is usually very potent, making most consumers feel happy, relaxed, and uplifted.

Gelato

Gelato is a cross of Sunset Sherbert and Thin Mint Cookies that has taken the world by storm. 

Named for having a sweet dessert-like taste, Gelato kicks out a fruity and gassy aroma and flavor that takes your senses on a ride. The high is potent as hell too, with the strain’s top reported effects being: relaxed, uplifted, and happy.

There are many popular Gelato phenotypes including Gelato #33 (Larry Bird), and Sherbinski’s Gelato line: Gelato #41 (Bacio Gelato), Gelato #43 (Gello Gelato), Gelato #47 (Mochi Gelato), and Gelato #49 (Acai Berry Gelato).

Featured image by Dre Hudson/Weedmaps

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Joe Biden has been a career politician for decades. Here’s how his stance on cannabis has shifted over the years.

When the state reopened in May, advocates scrambled to get signatures. They’ll need 130,000 by July 3.

The post Nebraskans hustle to get medical legalization on ballot, with July 3 deadline appeared first on Leafly.

Welcome to Leafly’s cannabis homegrow! Follow along with our video series as our writer Johanna Silver grows a set of marijuana plants from seed to harvest in her backyard in Northern California. 

The post Leafly’s cannabis homegrow appeared first on Leafly.

Cannabis couriers are rolling from the Golden Gate to Pacific Beach.

The post Leafly’s guide to California’s cannabis delivery services appeared first on Leafly.

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We could have told you this all along. But, now there’s proof: Medical cannabis users are healthier, happier, and more satisfied with life than non-users, according to a new cross-sectional study which will soon be published in the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research journal. 

Hundreds of research studies have already reported that medical cannabis can effectively treat specific medical conditions including chronic pain, epilepsy, anxiety, and depression — and even slow the growth of cancer. While studies on these specific use-cases continue, the researchers for this report chose to focus on the broader picture instead of specifics.

“Despite widespread legalization, the impact of medicinal cannabis use on patient level health and quality of life has not been carefully evaluated,” the study authors explain. “The objective of this study was to characterize self-reported demographics, health characteristics, quality of life, and health care utilization of Cannabis Users compared with Controls.”

To conduct the study, researchers used ongoing web-based surveys to determine the overall health and well-being of medical marijuana users and non-users between April 2016 and February 2018. Researchers recruited 1,276 subjects who were either registered caregivers or patients suffering from at least one diagnosed health condition. Each of these patients was registered with the Realm of Caring Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to medicinal cannabis research and education.

Out of the subject pool, 808 of the subjects used medical marijuana or low-THC hemp products, while the remaining 468 subjects did not. Each subject was asked to self-assess their quality of life, pain, sleep, anxiety, and depression, as well as to report their ongoing use of non-cannabis medications. Subjects were then asked to respond to follow-up surveys every three months after the initial survey. Only one-third of subjects completed all of the follow-up surveys, however.

An analysis of the data revealed that medical cannabis users reported significantly better quality of life, greater health satisfaction, improved sleep, and a lower average pain severity than non-users. They were also significantly less depressed and anxious than the control group. Cannabis users also reported using fewer prescription medications, and were less likely to have been admitted to the hospital in the month prior to the survey.

“This study shows clearly that cannabinoids have a very positive effect on health outcomes across the board among all age groups and demographics,” said Jonathan Hoggard, PhD, CEO of Realm of Caring, to Grit Daily. “This publication will be the first of many based on the detailed findings of this extensive data set. Perhaps the most dramatic finding in this study was that medicinal cannabis use was associated with 39 percent fewer ER visits and 46 percent fewer hospital admissions.”

The study authors were able to find the most noticeable impact among subjects who were not using medical marijuana at the start of the trial, but began using these treatments in the midst of the study. After they began using medical cannabis, these subjects reported health and well-being improvements over their initial surveys. 

“People felt better when they started [consuming cannabis],” said lead researcher Ryan Vandrey, PhD, associate professor in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, to Grit Daily. “That is a powerful signal.” Vandrey also noted that some of the subjects said they had previously been using a prescription medicine to treat their illness, but that cannabis was able to provide the same relief with fewer side-effects.

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Swiss lawmakers are working to approve a pilot program that would allow temporary cultivation and sales of cannabis for adult use, but full legalization likely won’t happen anytime soon. 

Earlier this month, the lower chamber of Switzerland’s Federal Assembly approved a bill that would create a pilot program for researching the viability of large-scale cannabis legalization. If the bill becomes law, adults at least 18-years-old will be able to legally buy and use Swiss-grown organic pot if they enroll to participate in a five-year experiment.

Each of these participants must agree to have their health regularly monitored during the course of the experiment. The government will also notify each participant’s school or employer that they are using weed legally. Participants will be allowed to use this legal weed in the privacy of their own homes, but are prohibited from smoking in public.

The program will license a limited number of cannabis growers to provide legal weed for the experiment. Any producer licensed for this program must agree to follow the country’s strict standards for growing organic plants and must cap THC levels at 20 percent. 

“This scientific process is expected to last five years, which could be extended [by] two more, and the evidence collected from it is supposed to provide scientific arguments for a national debate on the opportunity to legally regulate cannabis for adult consumers,” explained Swiss drug policy expert Simon Anderfuhren-Biget, PhD, to Marijuana Business Daily.

“This is a positive step toward the normalization of cannabis in the country,” Anderfuhren-Biget continued. “However, this legislative process is still ongoing and somewhat uncertain. And according to this political agenda, even in the best scenario, I would be surprised to see distribution before 2022.”

Before the program begins, the Swiss Council of States must still debate and approve the legislation. The upper chamber could impose new restrictions on the bill, or reject it outright, but insiders still believe the bill will succeed. Conservative lawmakers already tried to impose several restrictions on the bill in the lower chamber, but each of these amendments was ultimately rejected.

If lawmakers do greenlight the program, recreational weed could be made available to test subjects by 2022. After five years, lawmakers will use the data collected on these test subjects to debate whether full adult-use legalization is viable for the entire country. If the program gets a two-year extension, however, the final debate over full legalization will not occur until 2030. And even if adult-use is approved that year, it is likely that it would still take years for a licensed and regulated legal weed market to fully open.

“On the other hand,” said Anderfuhren-Biget to Marijuana Business Daily, “Switzerland is known for its democracy, and a popular initiative at the constitutional level or a parliamentary proposal to modify the drug law could drastically speed up the process.”

Switzerland’s slow and cautious approach to cannabis reform is on pace with the rest of Europe. So far, the only European country that has announced concrete plans to legalize adult-use is the tiny nation of Luxembourg. The Netherlands is also conducting a pilot experiment where licensed cultivators provide legal weed to the country’s existing cannabis coffee shops, and France and Denmark are both conducting medical cannabis pilot programs, too.