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You Might Be Able To Get Marijuana Without Doctor Approval In DC

Amy Hansen
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You Might Be Able To Get Marijuana Without Doctor Approval In DC

For most states (29 to be exact), a doctor referral and registration card are required to access medical marijuana. And our nation’s capital is no exception, which doesn’t sit well for one DC lawmaker.

Councilmember David Grosso wants to cut all the red tape and allow patients to self-certify. Under his proposed bill, the Medical Marijuana Improvement Amendment Act of 2017, patients would have easy access to medical marijuana just like any other medication.

It’s part of his plan to address the opioid crisis. In a statement, Grosso says:

Medical marijuana has been shown to be a viable alternative to the prescription of opioid painkillers, which can set people down the path to addiction. While we have made significant improvements to our medical marijuana program here in D.C., there is more we can do to improve access for patients and reduce opioid reliance and overdose.

Being able to self-certify means patients would be able to skip the time-suck of having to meet with their primary care physician, fill out all the necessary paperwork, and wait for the government to issue them a medical marijuana card.

https://twitter.com/cmdgrosso/status/910169196121739265

They could instead “simply visit dispensaries and present a signed affidavit affirming that they use cannabis ‘explicitly for medical purposes,’ are over 21 years of age, and are aware of local and federal marijuana laws.”

The bill would also allow medical cannabis dispensaries to open areas where patients could consume marijuana together socially.

Grosso’s press release also pointed out that medical marijuana programs have been proven to reduce opioid overdose death rates by as much as 25 percent.

The councilman co-introduce two other opioid focused bills: Opioid Abuse Treatment Act of 2017 and the Opioid Overdose Prevention Act of 2017.

How These Tech Bros Are Bio-Hacking Their Bodies Into Living Longer

Amy Hansen
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How These Tech Bros Are Bio-Hacking Their Bodies Into Living Longer

It’s not quite Fight Club, but there’s a community of people in Silicon Valley that undergo weekly fasts in order to live longer. In other words, they’re trying to hack death.

Geoffrey Woo, the CEO of Hvmn (“human”) went on the” Too Embarrassed to Ask” podcast recently to discuss, among other things, extreme dieting. He says his company adopted fasting about two years ago when they hired a guy who was obsessed with calorie restriction and fasting for longevity.

He says fasting is one way to grow neurons as an adult.

With a new employee that was all gung-ho on fasting, and then me having a dialog with a researcher looking at fasting as a way to jumpstart neurogenesis, it was like, “Huh. As biohackers, let’s try this out.” Paul, who brought fasting to our group here, was doing a 60-hour fast. It was a Sunday night to a Wednesday morning fast. He was doing it by himself, gung-ho. If I heard that three years ago, I would have been like, “That’s insane. Am I going to die?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYMVeAMH6Xo

Woo says the employee was ramping down from 500 calories to zero calories.

He would make this weird soylent protein powder shake to have exactly 500 calories at the time. He was feeling really good about it. I was like, “Oh, that’s interesting.” He wasn’t an overweight person trying to manage weight. He wasn’t necessarily looking sickly. He got me on the protocol, and then eventually the entire company started doing this fasting regimen.

Eventually, the company would engage in weekly breakfasts (big ones) where friends would join, which turned into a community.

A lot of human culture is built around food, but if you think about why we even have a three-meal-a-day system, it’s really a cultural artifact. The three-meal-a-day system is really an Industrial Revolution artifact where you had a meal before first shift, meal in the middle where there’s a break, and then a meal at the end of the second shift, if you actually look at how eating patterns change.

The community that subsequently formed is called WeFa.st which has thousands of members. Says Woo, “I think over 10,000 people fast with us on a weekly basis.”

You can read Woo’s entire transcript online.

It goes without saying, if this type of extended fasting sounds like something you’d like to try out, consult your doctor first.

Satisfy Your ‘Game of Thrones’ Itch With These Comic Books

Joe Mortimer
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Satisfy Your ‘Game of Thrones’ Itch With These Comic Books

In case you haven’t been keeping track, it’s been almost three weeks since “Game of Thrones” seventh season ended, and we won’t get any more hot dragon/zombie action until 2019 (maybe 2018 if the Lord of Light loves us). So, to fill that “Thrones” void, I went back and reread some of the “Game of Thrones” comics. Dynamite Comics publishes these bad boys and they are meant to closely follow George R. R. Martin’s first novel in the series which is called (you guessed it) A Game of Thrones.

All in all, this series does a fine job. It was a cool idea that was well executed. The creators, Daniel Abraham (script) and Tommy Patterson (pencils) set out on an impressive undertaking. For each page of text in the novel, they attempted to adapt that page with artwork in comic book form. This made for a 24-issue series of 29 pages per issue.

While I think this is really cool, I can see where it might not be the first place to further your exposure to the Song of Ice and Fire universe. Those of us that have read the novels and/or watched the TV series already know the story of the first season. But worry not, for the night is dark and full of comics.

If you are in the mood for something you may not have read before, I highly recommend The Hedge Knight series. Published by Jet City Comics, this story occurs 90 years before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and follows the story of Ser Duncan the Tall (known as Dunk) and his squire Egg. A hedge knight is a wandering knight without a master. They roam Westeros looking for gainful employment as most are very poor.

Cover via Jet City Comics

Dunk and Egg meet and quickly share many great adventures. The story was originally written by George R. R. Martin in a fantasy anthology series titled Legends. This adaptation is scripted by Ben Avery and drawn beautifully by Mike S. Miller.

A short tale, but very worth the read, The Hedge Knight will bring you back to Westeros and provide worthwhile supplemental information about the wider Game of Thrones universe. It is followed by two sequels from the same creative team, The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight, the latter of which was recently published by Bantam books.

So, there you have it. If you read one page a day from each of these books we might have new Thrones when you’re finished. Winter has finally come to Westeros, but hopefully with this material, the night won’t be so long for you.

Are Marijuana Business Leaders The New-Wave of Politicians?

Kent Gruetzmacher
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Are Marijuana Business Leaders The New-Wave of Politicians?

The political state of the United States consistently goes through evolution, more often than not these changes manifest by way of social, cultural, and economic influences. These powers, in turn, directly influence those individuals who are chosen to lead the country: politicians. To put this notion in context, many see the election of President Trump as a direct result of an infusion of pop-culture into the U.S. political sphere, as Trump is undoubtedly the first president to be a modern-day media icon as well as reality television power-house. Point being, the-state-of-the-union directly influences who is in charge of the union.

As the cannabis industry continues to grow and gain a foothold as a legitimate field of business, it is also beginning to influence the sociopolitical environs of the United States. The state-of-affairs concerning medical and recreational marijuana is constantly receiving media attention in relations to both economics and politics. Business leaders from the cannabis space are taking notice, and beginning to utilize this attention by transferring into politics.

One cannot overstate just how rapidly the marijuana industry has established a foothold in contemporary America—it is easy to lose perspective of how quickly this is happening. For example, just 25 years ago President Clinton was deep in the thresholds of controversy concerning whether or not “he inhaled” cannabis smoke. Point being, for politicians past, during elections as well as terms of office, any affiliation with drug-culture—especially in capitalistic or business context—almost guaranteed controversy with career-ending damage.

Old Stigmas And Novel Representations

Cannabis industry leaders and advocates around the nation are noticing that their hard-won comfortability with controversial public-relations is directly transferable to roles as politicians. Why not? The history of the United States has largely been dictated by those forward-thinking politicians who have not been afraid to go against the established norms of the country—embodying the progressive thinking necessary in any healthy democracy.

As anyone familiar with the cannabis industry knows, business owners in this novel market are by necessity intimately acquainted with the ins-and-outs of bureaucratic movements within state and federal government. In a similar vein, attention to detail concerning public relations, legal maneuverings, and public awareness is essential to the success of any cannabis business—this traits are also directly applicable to political careers.

Cannabis Business Political Hopefuls To Watch

In coming elections industry, experts have identified 5 cannabis oriented political hopefuls to keep an eye on:

  1. Dylan Schwartz is running for NY City council—Schwartz has a number of years of cannabis industry consulting related to government dealings in his history.
  2. Bob Morgan is pursuing a spot in the Illinois House of Representatives—Morgan helped devise the IL State medical marijuana program in its infancy, leaving to pursue private industry interests in the last few years.
  3. Judy Appel is bidding for a position in the California State Assembly—Appel is a longtime cannabis advocate as well as promoter of the industry.
  4. Todd Mitchem is running for the second Congressional District in Colorado—Mitchem is well-established in CO as an industry consultant.
  5. Kayvan Khalatbari is hoping to win the mayoral election in Denver, CO in 2019—Khalatbari is professionally involved with both Cresco Labs and Denver Relief Consulting.

Gossip: Teresa Giudice Running For New Jersey Governor; Kylie Jenner Calling The Twitter Police

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Teresa Giudice Running For New Jersey Governor; Kylie Jenner Calling The Twitter Police

Real Housewife Teresa Giudice, isn’t happy just being a reality star, now the New Jersey girl is getting advice that she should run for governor.

“Teresa couldn’t do a worse job than Chris Christie. At first it was suggested that she run for Governor as a press stunt but now she is really thinking about it,” sources tell Straight Shuter. “She has a massive social media following to get her message out and she has a lot of good ideas about how to help her State. Plus, she isn’t going to be shutting down any access to bridges. It’s about time real people took back political power and after her stay in jail, Teresa isn’t frightened of anyone.”

Kylie Jenner Calling The Twitter Police

Be careful what you say about Kylie Jenner on Twitter because you might end up in social media jail.

Twitter-user Zimmerman tells Straight Shuter that after retweeting a naughty item titled “Kylie Jenner Is A Nipple-Freeing Space Queen In New Photo Shoot (NSFW)” that included a note to Kylie to show some class, her account got suspended.

“Isn’t that weird!” Zimmerman told Straight Shuter. “Maybe she marked it as offensive? Twitter said if I deleted it, they’d lift the suspension, so I did.”

Kylie and Twitter need to calm down. Let’s remind them that it was Jenner herself who posted the nipple free picture in the first place!

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

First African Marijuana License Could Lead To Continental Gold Mine

Brendan Bures
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First African Marijuana License Could Lead To Continental Gold Mine

While African countries are known to produce profitable cannabis product—including some of the most sought-after strains in the planet—no one has ever participated in the trade legally. That will soon change thanks to Lesotho’s Ministry of Health. The department recently bestowed one South African Medical Company an official license to cultivate marijuana medicinally.

Verve Dynamics characterizes itself as “a dedicated Vegan friendly manufacturer of highly purified botanical extracts and specialty ingredients sourced exclusively by us from around the world.” Utilizing proprietary technologies, they develop and manufacture extractions and compounds for users.

“Access to medicinal cannabis on the African continent has taken another major step forward today and Verve Dynamics is honored to be the first company in Africa to have been granted regulatory approval to begin the process of growing and producing high quality cannabis extracts commercially,” Verve Dynamics Managing Director Richard Davies stated in a release.

Lesotho is a small, high-altitude country in the heart of South Africa. Residents have already been producing cannabis they would export across country lines to South Africa. The country’s decision to view marijuana as a possible revenue instead of illegal activity demarcates a shift in thinking. Africans regularly consume and export cannabis, but now Lesotho might participate in the burgeoning global cannabis industry if its country can regulate its product, something few African countries have managed to do.

“The Government’s decision to move forward with this historic decision means that Lesotho will play a significant role in developing this industry, both locally and internationally, as well as establishing itself as a pioneer on the African continent with regards to state of the art extraction equipment,” reads the statement.

Other African countries already participate in the cannabis trade. Swaziland growers have relied upon the plant to support their families for year while Malawi legalized chamba, what they call marijuana, after realizing the lucrative opportunities.  Zimbabwe too is considering legalizing production of mbanje—their local dialect for marijuana—after a Canadian firm approached the country with an offer.

In the United States alone, the cannabis industry produced $6.7 billion in North American sales and American sales are expected to reach $37.3 billion by 2024. If Africa becomes serious about cannabis, the continent could blossom into a gold mine. The efforts in Lesotho could be the signal of those potential changing tides.

Watch This Barber In China Shave People’s Eyeballs

Amy Hansen
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Watch This Barber In China Shave People’s Eyeballs

If you’re squeamish about eyeballs, this is not a story you want to hear about. RUN AWAY NOW!!

For some reason, shaving eyeballs is a thing — and ancient art — that a barber in China continues to practice And yes, shaving is the correct word here, because the dude literally takes a straight edge to the actual eyeball to clean off the residue. No matter that eyes are self-cleaning machines, because who doesn’t need a sharp blade to the retina once in awhile to show it who’s boss?

Xiong Gaowu, now 62-years-old, claims he’s never hurt anyone in the 40 years he’s been practicing. But it’s a technique professionals warn against. The practice was widely used in hospitals in the early 20th century to treat a bacterial infection called trachoma known to cause blindness. But in the wrong hands, it can cause eye damage and even spread infection.
Sichuan barber Liu Deyuan, now in his 50s, has been practicing the art of eyeball shaving since he was 17-years-old. One of his customers says that he’s still a little nervous going under Liu’s knife (who wouldn’t be???): “I do not dare to move even a bit during the process,” but admits it’s not an unpleasant experience and that his eyes “feel moist and my vision is clearer.”

Now, give your eyes a nice rub, because they are about to witness something truly nerve-racking.

Reno Is Hosting A ‘Bud And Brew’ Festival Without The Bud

Amy Hansen
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Reno Is Hosting A ‘Bud And Brew’ Festival Without The Bud

Um, okay Reno. We get you. You want to boats you’re getting your own marijuana and beer festival, but not break the law. Smart move. Boring as hell, but smart.

When the Reno Bud and Brew Music Festival debuts September 23 in Wingfield Park, police will be one of the first guests, making sure nobody actually indulges in the consumption, sale or purchase of weed. You know, because who goes to a Bud and Brew festival expecting both? Amateurs.

Instead, the festival will be more of an educational affair, teaching event goers about medical and recreational marijuana use, both of which are now legal— medical since 2000 and recreational since January 1, 2017.

What the riverfront festival will have plenty of is beer and music. More than a dozen acts will perform and there will be a beer village composed of local craft beers.

This event could have had marijuana if a bill had passed earlier this year (authored by Sen. Tick Segerblom) that made it legal for events and businesses to have marijuana on their premises.

The bill also aimed to give local governments the ability to issue licenses that allow people to smoke weed in designated public areas. The proposal (Senate Bill 236) was intended to provide the locals, as well as the tourism community, with “marijuana safe-havens,” which would most likely operate in bars, dispensaries or even yoga studios, Sorry, Reno. Maybe next year?

Hi-Tunes: Buy A Joint, Get A Music Download For Free

Terry Hacienda
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Hi-Tunes: Buy A Joint, Get A Music Download For Free

Some things just go naturally together … as if they were made for each other: Peanut butter and jelly. Cheese and crackers. Marijuana and music. A Seattle-based company wants to give cannabis consumers a chance to combine the last pair. Hi-Tunes, a new marijuana-focused music distribution service, announced this week it will begin offering pre-rolled joints with a QR code for free music downloads. Scott McKinley, co-founder of Hi-Tunes, said the concept will originally be unveiled in the state of Washington.

“Hi-Tunes is music distribution through marijuana”, McKinley told the website Complete Music Update. “We are giving artists their own branded marijuana lines to push. If they do well with joints and participate with stores in our Washington market, we will put out more products on that artist’s line, and we can get really creative and fun.”

A study released earlier this year suggests that the euphoria you experience while enjoying music is triggered by the same brain chemical system that gives humans pleasurable feelings associated with sex and recreational drugs. “This is the first demonstration that the brain’s own opioids are directly involved in musical pleasure,” says cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin, senior author of the paper.

Yoshi Gish is one artist willing to jump on board this innovative concept. “Scott approached me in 2016 with the concept of selling music with marijuana,” Gish told Complete Music Update. “I was looking for something new, just like this. Records, tapes and CDs are now so slow and bulky compared to our network, but now a simple scan on a smartphone can connect people with my music. I feel cannabis can influence many new avenues of distribution.”

McKinley sees the concept as the next iteration in music retail. “Music used to sell sheet music, then records and record players, tapes and tape players, CDs and CD players, MP3 players — and now music has nothing to sell. We intend to change that by matching music with marijuana. Smoke this, listen to that. It’s a beautiful concept,” he said.

Gossip: Rosie O’Donnell’s Estranged Daughter Is Pregnant; Mariah Carey Has Very Expensive Taste In Liquor

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Rosie O’Donnell’s Estranged Daughter Is Pregnant; Mariah Carey Has Very Expensive Taste In Liquor

Rosie O’Donnell’s estranged daughter, Chelsea Alliegro, is pregnant.

The 19-year-old revealed that she is expecting in an interview with Daily Mailon Tuesday, but said that she doesn’t want O’Donnell to be a part of her baby’s life.

“I’ve always wanted a family and I’m looking forward to it. But Rosie will not be in my child’s life — and no, I do not feel sad about that to be honest,” Alleigro said.

Mariah Carey Has Very Expensive Taste In Liquor

The singer recently ordered a case of Dom White Gold, which cost more than $2000 a bottle! And she polished it off in a WEEK! Sources say Mariah has been “guzzling it like it’s water!”

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

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