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Dudes Keep Calling This Pennsylvania Gyno To Acquire Medical Marijuana

Brendan Bures
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Dudes Keep Calling This Pennsylvania Gyno To Acquire Medical Marijuana

Though medical marijuana is legalized in 29 states across the country, it doesn’t mean every patient has access to these programs or are even using them correctly. In states like Florida, we’ve seen institutions repeatedly fail to bridge the information gap between the medical community, the cannabis industry, and patients.

But in Pennsylvania, many individuals are so eager to apply for medical marijuana they’re calling an OB-GYN to secure prescriptions. One complication. An overwhelming amount of those individuals calling the OB-GYN—a.k.a. a doctor who specializes in women’s health—were dudes.

This is all started when local media noted that Dr. Liang Bartkowiak would be the first local doctor able to certify medical marijuana patients. So men were calling her to implying that they needed medical marijuana to deal with their health concerns.

“I was shocked,” Bartkowiak told the Altoona Mirror. “We’re fielding phone calls from male patients who want to schedule appointments.”

Pennsylvania has stricter medical marijuana laws than other states. The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act allows patients to access the program if they have “serious medical conditions,” which includes autism, Crohn’s disease, cancer, PTSD, and more.

But the program is still in its infancy and the state Department of Health told the Mirror that 200 more doctors are still undergoing the process of being trained. Bartkowiak is the only certified doctor in Blair County, and she underwent certification to help women who suffer from endometriosis or suffer severe pain following surgeries. Bartkowiak says she’d rather not add to the growing opioid epidemic and wanted a “non-addictive alternative” to prescribe patients.

“I still have people who have pain, legitimate pain, and I don’t know what to do for them,” she said. “I don’t know how to help them live through a day-to-day basis, to cope with whatever condition they have.”

Like in New York and Florida, medical marijuana patients still cannot smoke flower and it’s caused a confusion among the citizenry. This is why Bartkowiak hopes everyone could be better informed moving forward.

“The people calling my office … were not understanding that these are tinctures and vapors and balms in whatever form is targeted to the specific illness,” she told the Mirror. “I think laypeople are going to need very plain terminology. … You’re going to have to come right out and say, ‘You are not going to get a joint to smoke.’ That is not what medical marijuana is going to be.”

Josh Gordon: I Was High For Every Single NFL Game

Brendan Bures
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Josh Gordon: I Was High For Every Single NFL Game

The road to recovery has been long for Josh Gordon. Last week he was conditionally reinstated back into the NFL. To many, it was a surprising turnout as the breakout Cleveland Browns wide receiver has received numerous suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policies and hasn’t been eligible to play a full regular season since his rookie season.

Gordon’s issues with sobriety have long been documented. Recently he’s come clean about those problems, admitting that his star talent allowed him to take advantage of the system and never confront his troubles head-on.

While Gordon’s sobriety struggles were common knowledge, the scope of these issues were not. But in a recent GQ interview, Gordon admitted just how deep his problems with marijuana and other substances were.

How often was Gordon under some influence?

“Every game. Probably every game of my career,” he told GQ.

Gordon described his previous pregame ritual if he’d already been drug tested that week as taking “the biggest bong rip I could. And try to conceal all the smell off all my clothes. I’d be dressed up to go to the game. A bunch of guys smoke weed before the game. But we’re not talking about them.”

Via GQ:

We would stay at the team hotel and then players are allowed to go back home, get what they need, and then go to the game. So I’d leave the hotel early morning, go home, eat breakfast, do my little ritual, whatever it may be, some weed, some alcohol, and then go to the game. And then, I’d definitely be partying after every game, win or lose. Every game.

Gordon also went on to explain how his childhood, living through the tough upbringing he did, drove him to substance abuse.

“I didn’t want to feel anxiety, I didn’t want to feel fear. I didn’t plan on living to 18. Day-to-day life, what’s gonna happen next?” he said. “So you self-medicate with Xanax, with marijuana, codeine—to help numb those nerves so you can just function every day. That became the norm from middle school to high school. So by the time I got into my 20s, I was on an accelerated pace.”

While scientific research has suggested that marijuana can assist those suffering from substance addictions—be it cocaine or opioids or alcoholism—Gordon’s story demonstrates that it isn’t always the answer for everyone. Further testing on humans is required to test whether we develop physical addictions to marijuana, though some research suggests we don’t develop severe withdrawal symptoms because humans have natural cannabinoid receptors that continue to function long after quitting.

Numerous NFL players have touted marijuana’s ability to as a holistic pain relief, but Gordon decided it wasn’t for him. He’s sober for good and he’s doing it for the right reasons.

“Only thing saving me at this point and time, and the difference between now and then, is that I’m doing it for myself,” he said. “And I want something more for myself. I’m trying to do it for myself.”

Cannabis Ice Cream Is Here To Mellow Out The Fam During Thanksgiving

Amy Hansen
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Cannabis Ice Cream Is Here To Mellow Out The Fam During Thanksgiving

As the holidays approach, it’s time to start thinking about what you’ll be bringing to the party — whatever party that is. We have the perfect suggestion: cannabis ice cream. It’s a treat the whole family can enjoy, whether they know it or not.

Introducing Drip, a THC-infused ice cream from Portland. The company launched three years ago, before marijuana was even legal in Oregon and now the nation is taking notice.

Mother daughter team Andi and Kathy Bixel have the honor of masterminding the city’s first canna-ice cream. Mom Kathy makes the ice cream and founder Andi runs the company. Currently, two flavors are on the board: Salted Caramel and Cookies & Cream.

https://www.instagram.com/p/tQY3nUDwKq

Past seasonal flavors have included Peppermint Bark with Chocolate Ganache, Peanut Butter & Jelly, and dairy-free Coconut Lemon Zest.

Each 4 ounce container contains 50 mg THC and even comes with its own plastic spoon for eating on-the-go.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BC8ouCiDwGU/

Andi Bixel tells Westwood that she operates with the mantra “It’s good to feel good” and that when she started the company, it was strictly medical and a fun passion project.

As to how she keeps up with legislation:

I have to be super involved with the politics and what’s going on. There are so many nuances in the ways the rules were written, I’ve learned that whatever is the harshest way you could interpret the law is the way you need to follow it.

For Andi, Drip is all about experiences, getting people to a place of imagination, creativity and intuation. That’s why she’s in the cannabis business.

Cannabis serves as a tool to get us to these places a bit faster. It opens up a space in our mind where we can shift our perception and play with the concept of reality.

She says Drip is just one way of allowing people to push their boundaries and “new levels of conversation” with other people.

Other business owners often focus on physical and medicinal values only…and I’m like, “What about our SOULS?” There’s some serious soul-work that needs to happen in this time for humanity.

Currently, Drip is on the shelves of more than a dozen retailers throughout Oregon.

Did You Know That Drake Is Kind Of Obsessed With Harry Potter?

Brendan Bures
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Did You Know That Drake Is Kind Of Obsessed With Harry Potter?

Drake is a man of many descriptions. A rapper, singer, actor, media mogul, social media addict, waverider, global superstar. But no matter how many masks we wear, an essential foundation remains underneath everyone’s surface and Drake is no exception.

So what’s hidden underneath Drake’s façades? Simple. No matter how big he becomes, Aubrey Graham is a cornball.

I mean that of course as a loving, teasing gesture. Because that cornball bedrock is what media critics and profile writers use to insinuate Drake is “relatable.” Personally I don’t need my celebrities to be relatable cornballs because, well, I know plenty of relatable cornballs in my personal life. But for Drake’s I’m sure that’s what they want!

That, anyways, is why a recent Hollywood Reporter profile about Drake’s ventures into the film and TV world couldn’t resist divulging the multi-hyphenate’s obsession with Harry Potter.

Via THR:

 For the past four years, he has been chasing a first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and it’s finally on the market for $160,000. “Yeah, I read them all,” he says of J.K. Rowling’s series, two tiny diamonds glinting from his front teeth as he breaks into a wide smile. I tell him I’m reading the series to my kids, and he immediately peppers me with questions, “What book are you on?” “Goblet of Fire,” I respond. “What part?” Then, as if to talk himself into the purchase, he says: “I should get it. My birthday’s coming up. Maybe I’ll buy it for myself as a treat.”

It’s such a juicy detail about a superstar like Drake that the writer loops back to the nugget by the piece’s end. His Harry Potter obsession represents Drake’s desire to still surprise people about who they think he is.

“When I get back into acting, I want to do things that make people go, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that.’ Like, it’s nice to hear you say, ‘You know, I didn’t expect you to like those things,” he told THR, in reference to the writer’s “surprise at his Harry Potter fixation.”

Drake’s a sly savant at navigating the media. The piece ends with the writer following up weeks later if he bought the $160,000 book. “Nah, not yet,” Drake replies, laughing. “But I will. My birthday is still a few days away.”

You almost wonder if Drake ever intended to buy the Harry Potter book in the first place, almost as if that anecdote served to underscore and reinforce that cornball relatability his fans love so much about him. Makes you wonder is all I’m saying.

PD Threatens ‘Stranger Things’ Spoilers To Would-Be Criminals

Brendan Bures
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PD Threatens ‘Stranger Things’ Spoilers To Would-Be Criminals

File this under a new law enforcement strategy. To dissuade would-be criminals, the East Lansing police department warned of employing a new method of punishment—TV spoilers.

The official East Lansing PD issued a warning Sunday, informing potential enemies of the law that “Stranger Things” spoilers lined their jail cell walls. The popular Netflix series just had its second season debut on Oct. 27.

“Some extra motivation for you to not end up there,” read the tweet.

The tweet went semi-viral and had curious fans interested in finding out the validity of such a warning. “get arrested and verify this,” one user responded to a friend’s retweet. To which the friend replied, “I’ll do. can’t leave the curiosity door locked.”

However the East Lansing PD admitted it was “just humor” and no “Stranger Things” spoilers will line their jail cell walls. Yet another weird example of government institutions acting like regular social media users. Anyways, hasn’t everyone binged the second season by now?

Science: Gamers Are Better At Learning Than The Average Person

Maria Loreto
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Science: Gamers Are Better At Learning Than The Average Person

It seems that not all is bad when it comes to wasting away hours of your day playing video games. Science Daily reports that during a study, gamers beat and performed much better than non-gamers in a learning competition that had nothing to do with video games. 

The research was conducted by two scientists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and studied 17 volunteers who claimed to play video games for over 15 hours a week. This group competed against a control group of 17 people who claimed that they didn’t play video games regularly.

The main task that was given to the participants was the weather-prediction task, a complicated test that measures the learning of probabilities. This task demands participants to learn on the basis of feedback.  Volunteers are showed a combination of three cue cards with different symbols. They pick cards and get feedback from researchers, learning gradually to pick the correct cards when it comes to making better weather predictions. After the task is completed, volunteers filled out a questionnaire that measured their overall learning.

Gamers were notably better than the control group, and displayed best results when the card combinations gave high chances of uncertainties. Researches believe this is due to the gamer’s brain, principally their hippocampus, which is trained and developed as they play video games.

Problems and changes in the hippocampus are related with memory issues and with poor memory performance. Maybe in the future, memory loss problems can be prevented or treated with video game therapy, changing some of the bad rep that video games have earned over the years. 

Wall Flower Kryptonite: These Canna-Truffles Will Get Any Party Started

Seth MacKenzie
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Wall Flower Kryptonite: These Canna-Truffles Will Get Any Party Started

Inspiration hit for these canna-truffles when I was invited to a party at the last minute, and I wanted to make a great impression. It’s one of the easiest ways to use cannabutter and you can enjoy it as a nice midday pick-you-up without overdoing things.

For molding, I use silicone ice cube trays that you can grab at most grocery stores and then wrapped them in foil. They were a big hit at the party and sure to be a staple in my fridge from now on. Here’s how you do it:

Mise En Place

  • A large pot
  • A small pot
  • A large mixing bowl that sits on top of the pot
  • A whisk
  • A rubber spatula
  • Silicon molds (see notes)

Ingredients:

  • 20 ounces of milk or dark chocolate
  • 5-10 ounces of cannabis butter depending on how strong the butter is and how strong you want the final product to be.
  • cannabis sugar cookie crumbs (optional)
  • a dash of chili powder (see note)

Method of Preparation:

  • Fill the pot about halfway with water and set to simmer on the stove
    You’re cooking at home, it doesn’t have to be perfect

 

  • Pour the chocolate chips in the bowl and set on top of the large pot with water.
  • Let the chocolate melt while melting the butter in the smaller pot
  • Once both the chocolate and butter melt, slowly add the butter to the chocolate whisking well
  • Add the cookie crumbs and chili powder and then pour into the molds
  • Let em set in the fridge for a few hours or even better, overnight.
  • You can wrap them in foil if you’re giving them away or just keep em in your fridge for a quick pick me up.

Notes:

  • I like dark chocolate but you can also use milk chocolate or a combination of both.
  • I added the sugar cookie crumbs for a bit of texture and a little extra kick but you can feel free to add chopped nuts or even dried fruit.
  • Silicone molds. These are great to have in the Kitchen and I used ice cube trays I got a the local grocery store but you can find them in all kinds of shapes and sizes on amazon and they’re not too expensive for how long they last.
     

Gossip: Kathy Griffin To Tell All About Anderson Cooper; Taylor Swift Fired Her Mom

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Kathy Griffin To Tell All About Anderson Cooper; Taylor Swift Fired Her Mom

Kathy Griffin is mad that former friend Anderson Cooper never defended her after that infamous picture holding up a bloody mask that resembled Donald Trumps severed head. And now she is playing payback – big time.

“Kathy knows all Anderson Coopers secrets. She knows what he says about friends and political figures behind their backs. She knows who he has hooked up with and the real reason he never dated Andy Cohen. And now she is ready to tell all,” sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER. “Kathy has already called him a “spineless heiress’ and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Who do you kind he called after he moderated the Presidential debates. Who do you think he called after his talk show got cancelled or when pictures were released of his boyfriend kissing another man in Central Park? Plus, she kept his ‘gay life’ secret for all those years when he was in the closet. He has messed with the wrong lady.

Taylor Swift Fired Her Mom Manager

Taylor Swift started her career under the watchful eye of her brilliant mother, who was also her manager. But now sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER that Taylor is taking more and more control of her career and acting as her own boss.

“Taylor was very young when she started out in this career and can never be grateful enough for what her mother did and sacrificed for her. But now she is taking over control and making more and more decision,” sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER. “She wouldn’t be almost naked in her new video if her mother was still calling the shots. Taylor is growing up fast but she has a good head on her shoulders. After all, she was taught by the best – her mommy.”

Love the fresh dirt we bring over daily from Naughty Gossip? Let us know in the comments!

The One Thing 140 Clinical Trials On Marijuana Reveal

MJ News Network
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The One Thing 140 Clinical Trials On Marijuana Reveal

Scientists have conducted over 140 controlled clinical trials since 1975 assessing the safety and efficacy of either whole-plant cannabis or specific cannabinoids, according to a literature review published in the journal Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences.

A pair of German researchers identified 140 clinical trials involving an estimated 8,000 participants. Of these, the largest body of literature focuses on the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic or neuropathic pain.

Authors identified 35 controlled studies, involving 2,046 subjects, assessing the use of marijuana or cannabinoids in pain management. In January, the National Academy of Sciences acknowledged that “conclusive or substantial evidence” exists for cannabis’ efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain.

Cannabinoids have also been well studied as antiemetic agents and as appetite stimulants. Researchers identified 43 trials evaluating marijuana or its components for these purposes, involving a total of 2,498 patients. They identified an additional 14 trials examining the role of cannabis or cannabis-derived extracts for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Researchers also identified several additional trials evaluating the use of cannabis or cannabinoids for a number of other diseases, including Crohn’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma, and epilepsy.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that pharmaceutical drugs typically gain FDA approval on the basis of one or two pivotal clinical trials.

For more cannabis business coverage, visit the MJ News Network.

Oregon Congressman: Let NFL, NBA Players Have Marijuana

Brendan Bures
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Oregon Congressman: Let NFL, NBA Players Have Marijuana

The rising din of voices coming out in favor of professional athletes using medical marijuana to treat their pain and injuries continued to grow this week from perhaps an unlikely source—a member of Congress.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer stood up for professional athletes, saying we should stop treating them like “second-class citizens” when it comes to using medical marijuana. As he told TMZ, almost two-thirds of Americans can legally access medical marijuana, and players should be extended that right as “it’s healthier for them” than prescription opioids.

“What we’re saying is that there are a number of professional athletes, professional basketball, football [players] who choose to deal with really the terrible pain of their profession using marijuana for medical purposes,” he said.

“It’s much less damaging than the opiods, the painkillers, the shots, the pills … and it’s time professional sports stops punishing them but works with them.”

Blumenauer comments were spurred by a question regarding former NBA commissioner David Stern, who recently changed his stance on basketball players using medical marijuana. Throughout his time as commissioner Stern was a harsh marijuana critic but was convinced by former player and cannabis entrepreneur Al Harrington.

Blumenauer isn’t the only congressman favoring major cannabis reform. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has made marijuana a personal platform issue, introducing the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017 a few months back, and it would be the biggest federal cannabis legislation in US history.

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