A recent video of a moth with tentacles coming out of its behind has been circling different social media sites and has people freaking out, wondering what the hell it is.
While it looks like a baby Demogorgon from “Stranger Things,” it’s actually just a moth from Indonesia, doing it’s thing. By thing we mean sex.
Moths normally look pretty harmless and kind of cute, if you’re into that sort of thing, but this type of moth, known as the Creatonotos gangis – an appropriately creepy name – does this weird dance when it’s ready to mate and have little monster moth babies. The tentacles are known as “hair-pencils” or coremata, and they’re used to release the moth’s scent, luring some unlucky lady moth to have sex with it. Or male moth, we’re not sure about the biology here.
People on social media were understandably surprised and creeped out, wondering if the moth had some sort of infection or tumor, but no, this is just it’s natural sexy state.
Germany is veering toward a political deadlock over the formation of a coalition government. Among the issues at stake are immigration reform, climate change regulation … and marijuana legalization.
Among European Union nations, Germany has the largest medical marijuana market. But no country in Europe has allowed for full adult recreational sale or consumption of the herb. Will Germany become the first?
“The time is right for a solution,” Dr. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, deputy federal president of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) told the newspaper Stuttgarter-Zeitun.
Tom Angell of Marijuana Moment was the first to report on the developments earlier this week:
Members of a potential German coalition government, including the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, are nearing agreement on a deal to legalize marijuana, reports indicate.
As the legalization movement spreads across the globe — particularly in the United States and Canada — a change in German law would be a significant development. The European marijuana market is estimated to be worth more than $65 billion (56.2 billion in euros), according to the European Cannabis Report.
Germany’s medical marijuana market, only one year old, is valued at nearly $12 billion (10.2 billion in euros, according to the report.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is an outspoken opponent of marijuana legalization, but her conservative Christian Democratic Union party has been forced to hammer out a coalition among the FDP and the environmental Green Party. As negotiations among the parties continue, compromises on key national issues must be agreed upon.
As Angell reports:
Members of the so-called “Jamaica coalition” (because the colors of the involved parties are reminiscent of those on the Caribbean nation’s flag) are expected to formalize a marijuana policy agreement toward the tail end of the talks, after other issues are settled.
“We are ready to do that,” Fritz Becker, chairman of the German Pharmacists Association, said of distributing marijuana through pharmacies.
Last year, the Germany legalized medical marijuana with a unanimous vote from the Bundesregierung (Cabinet). The law went into effect this March.
Living in urban areas provides great access to foods and seasonings from all over the world. Living anywhere with internet access gives you an even wider range of options. Sometimes I feel like I will never taste everything just from one shop, let alone our entire exotic, endangered earth. It’s a daunting and exciting part of being alive in these widely traded times.
I finally spotted Yuzu Kosho in its long standing corner in my favorite Japanese market after seeing well traveled and excellent cook friends playing with it on their hashtag #jescipes. It was the best food day of this year for me. A fermented paste of Thai chilis, salt, and the zest of the potent yuzu citrus make up the treasured ingredients list, you may just freak out at how it lights up your taste buds with just a tiny dab. I’ve since been putting it on a very large variety of foods, and its easy to stock up online if I run out without a shop on hand. Here’s the best ones for a cannabis cook.
Ready in moments and much richer than your usual instant soup, chef Roy Choi’s iteration of ramen is a great landing strip for some extra sour and spice, and even includes a pat of butter that’s swappable for some cannabutter. Prepare your favorite instant ramen according to package. With one minute left in the cooking time, lower the heat and stir in ½ tsp of Yuzu Kosho with the seasoning packet (use less if you’re watching the salt) before you crack in an egg and pile the noodles over the top to help poach it.
Let 1 tablespoon of cannabutter* float in the hot broth while the egg cooks, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer into a bowl, lay a sheet of American cheese over the top, and sprinkle on some scallions, dried fried onions, and black sesame seeds. You will never make ramen the same way again thanks to Choi, and this tweak with yuzu is packed with terpenes that can help enhance your high.
Chicken Soup
Photo by Danielle Guercio
Another soup but hey it’s fall! I make mine vegan with Quorn Chk’n tenders, which are super yummy and made from mycoprotein, but you can go ahead and chicken it up if you are a bird eater. Sautée about 2 cups of mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion) with a few cloves of garlic in 4 tablespoons of cannabutter* on gentle heat until translucent.
Lightly brown the protein amidst the veggies, and top with 6 cups of either broth or water. Season with salt if you’re using water, and consider dropping in some veggie bullion to amp up the savory, even if you’re using meat. Add spices you like, but remember that Yuzu Kosho will be very standalone, so I would keep it minimal. Simmer for one hour, stir in 1 tsp Yuzu Kosho, and portion into four servings for a solid experience at about 10mg.
Tofu Scramble
Tofu already has a special place in Japanese cuisine, but scrambled with nutritional yeast and turmeric is an American vegetarian staple. It mimics eggs but also has a satisfying appeal on anything from tacos to chili. Drain a block of tofu for 30 minutes before breaking into chunks.
Sear on all sides in a pan with olive oil and then add chopped garlic and shallot. Break up the tofu chunks into smaller pieces and continue to brown it. When you have some crust going, stir in 2 Tbs cannabutter, ½ tsp Yuzu Kosho and 1 Tbs nutritional yeast. Once it’s mixed well, you’re ready to serve two people with a tasty egg replacer or meal filler and a nice 10mg.
Green Curry Noodles
Photo by Danielle Guercio
Such a good quick meal, this Americanized Thai curry with pasta was something I found on a blog years ago that legitimately blew me away tastewise. Instead of making a full curry with meats and vegetables, you’re really making a creamy pasta sauce that is vibrantly spicy and warms you to the core. Bring salted water to a boil. Fry ⅓ can green curry paste in a pan, then add 3 chopped shallots and a few minced cloves of garlic with a dash of coconut oil.
When the water is boiling, add desired pasta (I used whole wheat soba) and cook for manufacturer’s instructions for al dente. Add 4oz coconut milk to the curry, along with a handful of basil leaves and 1 Tbs cannabis infused coconut oil*. Season with a healthy dash of oyster mushroom sauce or your favorite salty stir fry base. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce. Toss until coated, serve garnished with cilantro and you’re getting three servings of 12mg THC.
Katsu
Photo by Danielle Guercio
This rice and cutlet combo is a knockout for a decently quick mean that you can call comfort food. It’s a takeout classic for a reason. Toss 1 cup steamed sushi rice with ½ tsp Yuzu Kosho and 1 tsp cannabis infused sesame oil. Plate with your favorite breaded cutlet and garnish with a splash of soy sauce and some Furikake seasoning.
*Cannabis Infused Oil or Butter
Decarboxylate 3.5g of finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees for 20 minutes in a tightly sealed, oven safe container. Put cannabis in lidded mason jar or vacuum sealed bag with cannabis and one stick of butter or ½ cup oil. Heat in water bath just under boiling for at least 1 hour. Strain and chill to use in recipes. Try this on French fries or a yummy kale salad, it pretty much goes anywhere you’d put salty, citrus and heat. SO fragrance and yummy that it keeps making its way out of the counter and into everything I eat, and it kicks up the experience just so when mixed with THC, they fit like puzzle pieces!
Social media can be frustrating and fun in equal parts. While it has the ability to suck us into our phones, it can also allow you to interact with people from all over the world, experts on topics that you’re interested in, or people you admire. You can also use Twitter as a way of developing your work persona, and finding different job opportunities. The more important the internet and social media become, the more they can be used to your advantage.
The internet is so pervasive that you are your brand on every platform you’re a part of, so it’s important to maintain your brand management in the most effective way for your career.”
Twitter is a great medium for developing this personal brand, giving you the opportunity to follow people you’d like to work with, publications and websites you enjoy, and gain notoriety via the smart use of hashtags and comments. The best part is that you can do all of this while still ranting and complaining about the world, because that’s the funnest part of social media.
Check out these 5 tips from experts that’ll help you transform your Twitter into your own personal brand:
By putting important work related words and hashtags in your bio you’ll gain notoriety and followers. People who are looking for users like you, or who have similar interests will have access to you more easily.
The easiest way to gain followers and show up on other people’s timelines is to have meaningful interactions with different users. According to Bustle, these interactions will help you gain notoriety over time.
By sharing articles that are related to your work, people will view you as an expert on the matter, and will notice that your tweets and account have a pattern.
Look through your followers and put yourself in their shoes, sharing the kind of stories that they’d want to read and making them value the content that you’re providing.
Blame it on high taxes. Or the catastrophic wildfires. Or governmental red tape. The reasons may vary, but one thing is certain: When legalized cannabis goes into effect on Jan. 1, California won’t be ready. Not even close.
Of course, all eight of the previous states that legalized the herb had trouble getting out of the gaits: Supply and demand issues. Regulatory confusion. Reconciling medical and recreational protocols.
California is the sixth-largest economy in the world and is the state produces more cannabis than any other state. (Medical marijuana has been legal in the state since 1996. The state’s black market is responsible for most of the domestic inventory.)
According to most experts, the combined legal and illegal market for marijuana is worth an estimated $30 billion. The legal California market is estimated to be valued at $7 billion. But those working in the illegal market are reluctant to go legitimate, so the black market is unlikely to remain strong.
Earlier this week, a report from the Associated Press detailed some of the warning signs for California. According to the report:
Los Angeles and San Francisco are among many cities still struggling to fashion local rules for pot shops and growers. Without the regulations, there could be limited options in many places for consumers eager to ring in the new year with a legal pot purchase.
“The bulk of folks probably are not going to be ready Jan. 1,” conceded Cara Martinson of the California State Association of Counties.
Almost one year ago, voters in the state overwhelmingly supported Proposition 64 — The Adult Use of Marijuana Act. And one year later, there remains a lack of clarity as to how the herb will be regulated. This confusion is becoming a major headache for state regulators, local governments, law enforcement, growers, distributors, manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Basically, nobody know what the hell is going on.
The state will not even issue permanent licenses at launch. Instead, those companies switching to the Prop 64 market will be given “temporary licenses.” The hope is that the dust will clear soon after the program begins and permanent licenses will be disbursed.
With recreational legalization fast approaching, “we don’t have enough of anything,” said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association, a marijuana industry group.
According to the AP report:
Adam Spiker, executive director of the Southern California Coalition, an industry group, warned last month that L.A.’s draft rules could upend the emerging industry by failing to provide a prompt way to license suppliers, potentially forcing them to shut down. And he’s dubious that the city will be ready to begin issuing licenses on Jan. 1.
“There’s not a lot of calendar days left in the year,” he said.
One thing is guaranteed: Californians are in for a bumpy ride.
Montel Williams is going to court over claims a fraudulent cannabis company used his name to promote their CBD oil.
Williams, who has been very public about his use of marijuana since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, says the Arizona schemers used social media to rope victims into an automatic monthly fee with no clear way to opt out.
“It’s important to remember that these scams are anything but victimless,” said Williams’ spokesman, Jonathan Franks, via press release. “They are, in fact, calculated to prey on vulnerable consumers, many of whom have chronic illness or other disabilities.”
Franks said this was no mistake, that this lawsuit stems from the “deliberate theft of Mr. Williams’ name and reputation to weaponize it against sick people.” He says the lawsuit is not about lining the pockets of Williams, “it’s about holding the perpetrators of these scams accountable and to stop them from continuing to deceive consumers.”
Williams has said he will use marijuana every single day until “the day I drop dead.” During a 2010 interview, he said he medicates himself every morning, afternoon and evening the same way he’d take prescription medication.
SHOULD MILEY BE WORRIED? A new report says that Miley Cyrus may need to hire a private eye! Her longtime boyfriend Liam Hemsworth was spotted on a lunch date with an attractive blond woman.
A source says, “Whoever she is, Liam seemed to be enjoying her company… He had a massive smile on his face….. There definitely looked to be some flirting going on.” This sighting comes as Miley And Liam are in couples therapy to try and fix their relationship.
In a new interview , filmmaker Tony Montana is accusing the House of Cards star of groping him.Montana was editing a documentary at Los Angeles hotspot Coronet Pub in 2003 when Spacey walked in with a group of friends.
“I went up to order a drink and Kevin came up to me and put his arm around me,” Montana says. “He was telling me to come with him, to leave the bar. He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package.”
Montana claimed a seemingly intoxicated Spacey, 58, then said to him, “This designates ownership.” “I put my hand down and turned his thumb back to get his hand off it,” Montana said. “I paid for my drink and got away from him.”
But the alleged incident didn’t end there, as Spacey then followed him to the restroom. “I backed him out the door and I pushed him,” he said. “One of his friends was in line and I said, ‘It’s time to take your boy home. ‘They all ended up leaving.’”
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California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 with Proposition 215. It was a time when the wild west was full of marijuana warriors who literally laid down the law — and their lives at times. Which might help explain why California has been so resistant to full on legalization with all its taxes and regulations. Things start sounding more like Nottingham and less like Sherwood Forest when you hear the words “45 percent sales tax.”
Prop 215 was the perfect medical marijuana model thanks to one of its key authors, Dennis Peron, who changed the marijuana and LGBT landscapes of our nation. It was perfect in it’s numerous imperfections (hindsight) that allowed almost anyone to obtain a medical use card. But California is the world’s sixth largest economy and that means tourism. Also, full on legalization is looking better and better on the states that make it happen.
High sales taxes, however, are threatening to bring California cannabis back into the black market when they finally go all the way on January 1, 2018. “High effective tax rates on California cannabis may complicate the state’s efforts to establish legal markets” analysts Stephen Walsh and Karen Ribble said within a Fitch Ratings report on California’s pot taxes.
Rates will vary between municipalities with both state and local taxes added to the price. Growers, sellers and consumers all have their own sets of taxes with consumers paying 22.25 to 24.25 percent tax, though also reaching as high as an outrageous 45 percent — depending where one is in the state. The taxes include the state excise tax and additional state and local taxes.
The Fitch report believes that these higher taxes could send people back into a black market that’s never stopped flourishing. “California’s black markets for cannabis were well established long before its voters legalized cannabis in November 2016 and are expected to dominate post-legalization production,” read the Fitch report.
It’s all going to really come down to the consumer. Plenty of Californians and visitors are going to be pleased as punch to pay the extra taxes in order to just walk into a legal dispensary and pick up their cannabis supplies. However, those already prone to doing things under the radar? Well, we can predict one thing clearly, California’s legalized marketplace will be nothing if not dynamic.
Ohio is not usually considered marijuana-friendly, but there are signs that things are changing in the Buckeye state.
Earlier this week, Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill announced his candidacy for governor. O’Neill, 70, boldly put marijuana legalization atop his platform for the Democratic nomination. In making his announcement, O’Neill declared:
“The Democratic Party has always been the party of ideas, but we have somehow lately become the party of careful consultants who advise, ‘Don’t do anything that is going to annoy anyone.’ So today I am going to do something that will surely annoy some people: I’m going to talk about ideas.”
Aside from marijuana law reform, the liberal Democrat will focus on climate change, clean energy, higher minimum wages and improved mental health care.
According to a report by the Associated Press:
He says Ohio can make $200 million on the [marijuana legalization] effort and save another $100 million by releasing all non-violent marijuana offenders from prison. He proposes using the money that will be saved to build a state-run mental health system that would “treat addiction like the disease it is.”
Ohio’s cannabis laws are not overly draconian compared to other states, especially in the South. In June 2016, Gov. John Kasich signed into law a bill allowing a medical marijuana program. That program, however, will not go into effect until September 2018 — 2 1/2 years later. The bill does not allow for smoked marijuana. In 2015, a ballot initiative to legalize cannabis failed.
In 1975, Ohio became the sixth state in the nation to decriminalize cannabis. Under Ohio law, the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana is a “minor misdemeanor” which carries a maximum fine of $150. Possession of more than 100 grams but less than 200 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by up to thirty days in jail and a $250 fine.
Because of age limits, O’Neill will no longer be able to serve on the bench at age 70. He joins an already crowded field for his party’s nomination. Four other Democrats have entered the race and there are four Republicans in the race. Because of term limits, Gov. Kasich cannot seek re-election.
Industry-respected medical cannabis advocates United Patients Group is launching a new initiative to make sure you’re buying the best marijuana available – setting badly needed standards and best practices in an industry that still bears the wild west hallmarks of its black market past.
Evaluating every step to insure safety and quality – from rigorous contaminant testing with top labs to product manufacturing and packaging quality control – United Patients Group is launching the Seal to empower patients and consumers.
“The most common question we get at United Patients Group is: ‘What companies can I trust to provide quality?’ The cannabis industry is moving so fast that many companies, frankly, don’t operate to the standards we would hope for,” said John Malanca, Founder of United Patients Group. “We’re launching the Seal of Approval to raise the bar within our cannabis industry, so patients and adult users can purchase with confidence.”
The Seal of Approval comes from the most respected patient advocacy network for medical cannabis, known nationwide for setting the standards for quality, safety and ethical business since its creation in 2011. With a track record of advising thousands of patients, doctors and companies worldwide, United Patients Group is also known as a leading provider of medical cannabis education for universities.
“United Patients Group is known throughout the medical community to be highly respected as a resource for cannabis products, services and advice for medical professionals and patients,” said Jmîchaeĺe Keller, CEO of Steep Hill Labs, Inc. “Steep Hill is proud to be among the first to accept the United Patient Group Seal of Approval for cannabis testing and analytics.”
For more cannabis business coverage, visit the MJ News Network.
