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Burning Man Festival Nixes Marijuana During Event

Maria Loreto
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Burning Man Festival Nixes Marijuana During Event

Burning Man is a festival – some say a life-altering experience –  that happens once a year in Nevada. Weird shit goes down here. Rumored orgies, dancing parties, and drugs of all kinds are kind of a package deal here, but apparently, smoking marijuana is too much.

Even though the festival takes place in a desert in Nevada, a state where marijuana is legal, consuming the plant will be banned because of complicated state laws. Turns out, you’re not able to smoke cannabis on public spaces, and the Black Rock Desert Wilderness, the place where Burning Man takes place, is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Bummer. It really sucks that you can’t smoke a little weed for a festival that costs around 425 dollars to go to.

While some people may claim that they’ll still smoke marijuana because they’ve done it at other festivals that are located in states where the plant is illegal, this year’s security may prove to be a little more tight than usual. Burning Man representatives have remarked that they’ll be on the lookout for cannabis and other drugs that people may try to sneak in. Local authorities will also be monitoring the area, having arrested more than three dozen people at last year’s Burning Man for drug related offenses, the most common ones being the consumption of marijuana, cocaine, and LSD. 

Welp, now you know. If you’ve already paid for that crazy expensive Burning Man ticket, be sure to consume only what’s allowed in there. It’s a wild and artsy temporary city with a lighter approach towards the rules of society, but it’s still a place that’s carefully monitored by the police and you know, other responsible people.

Medical Marijuana Can Help With Cancer-Related Weight Loss

Richard Faulk
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Medical Marijuana Can Help With Cancer-Related Weight Loss

We have reliable documentary evidence for medical cannabis that goes back almost 2,000 years. (And not-so-reliable evidence that points even hundreds of years farther back.) Among the various other medical properties first recognized in the plant, physicians of ancient India and the later medieval Islamic empire numbered cannabis’s power to stir the appetite and battle weight loss. But in an era of chronic food scarcity, there wasn’t great demand for a drug that made users even hungrier.

A decline in appetite and subsequent weight loss, however, is a hallmark of AIDS wasting syndrome, a nasty condition that frequently marks the progression from HIV to full-blown AIDS. The syndrome is defined as a ten percent or greater drop in body weight, and it is accompanied by weakness, fever, and diarrhea. And so marijuana’s effect as an appetite stimulant has been a godsend for thousands of people living with AIDS.

Unlike some effects of cannabis that habitual users adjust to, such as intoxication and (for at least some) cardiovascular alterations, marijuana’s appetite stimulation seems constant. Therefore, cannabis has the potential to be a long-term treatment. As far as clinical efficacy goes, a 2015 JAMA meta-analysis of cannabis studies found “low-quality” evidence associating cannabis with weight gain. (Given the low numbers and limited nature of the studies analyzed, JAMA’s “low-quality” rating is not as damning as it appears, but is closer to a guarded endorsement.) The synthetic THC pharmaceuticals Marinol and Cesamet have both been granted FDA approval as appetite stimulants for the treatment of AIDS wasting syndrome. About 17 years ago, an estimated eighty percent of Marinol prescriptions were for HIV/AIDS patients.

In terms of sheer weight gain, megestrol acetate, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone, has had greater clinical success than cannabinoids. However, the additional ability to quell nausea and induce relaxation and feelings of euphoria has made cannabis a very attractive solution for both AIDS and cancer care.

Vermont Is Reconsidering The ‘Sniff Test’ When It Comes To Cannabis

Maria Loreto
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Vermont Is Reconsidering The ‘Sniff Test’ When It Comes To Cannabis

The Supreme Court of Vermont is considering reviewing a case where the law protected a policeman who searched and seized the car of driver because it smelled like cannabis. This case took place in 2014 and Greg Zullo, the driver, was left stranded on the road in the middle of winter.

Zullo was 21 at the time of that stop and was pulled over because his license plate was partly covered with snow. He also had to pay a 150 dollar towing fee to retrieve his car. When the vehicle was searched, authorities reported that they found a grinder and a pipe that contained cannabis residue, but Zullo was never ticketed or charged for the crime which made the ACLU and others think that Zullo was arrested simply because he was black.

The officer in question lost his job 5 months after this event, with the public commissioner highlighting the officer’s history of unwarranted searches and abuse of power.

On 2014, the judges ruled in favor of the policemen, claiming that the sniff test was enough of a reason for him to search and seize possession of the car. On 2017, more states have begun to reconsider the sniff test and things are not as simple as they used to be. The reevaluation of this case could set a sweeping precedent for the future of cannabis in Vermont, where policemen would require more evidence than smell to search the vehicles of drivers.

Swearing Helps Ease Physical Pain, According To Science

Brendan Bures
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Swearing Helps Ease Physical Pain, According To Science

Good news for all you foul-mouthed mother—well you know the rest. According to a recent study, it turns out intelligent people are more likely to swear.

Researchers at the University of Rochester conducted a study testing 1,000 people on 400 average behavior traits. The main objective was to identify if there were recognizable behaviors for basic personality types. Some key characteristics might surprise you.

According to The Independent, people who possessed a higher intellect were more likely to curse, walk around the house naked, and eat spicy food in the morning. Extraverts, meanwhile, were characterized by traits like driving faster than 75mph, gambling, telling dirty jokes, and heavy drinking.

These findings were published in the Personality and Individual Difference journal. They also coincide with another recent study that links swearing and intelligence. Marist College in New York researchers found a link between curse words and higher rhetorical skills. In addition, those that can name the most swear words within a minute often have a grander vocabulary.

“A voluminous taboo lexicon may better be considered an indicator of healthy verbal abilities rather than a cover for their deficiencies,” the researchers wrote. “Speakers who use taboo words understand their general expressive content as well as nuanced distinctions that must be drawn to use slurs appropriately. The ability to make nuanced distinctions indicates the presence of more rather than less linguistic knowledge, as implied by the POV [Poverty of Vocabulary] view.”

This battles against the long-held stereotype that people who swear have nothing nice to say. But that’s not cursing’s only benefit. University of Keele psychologists found that swearing can functions as a natural pain relief. Participants were asked to curse either before or during intensive workouts meant to cause physical discomfort. Among both trials, researchers found that cursing dramatically improved the participants’ performances.

Next time your mother tells you not to curse, just tell her to blame freaking science.

This Company Is Transforming Lip Balm Into A Luxury Cannabis Brand

Brendan Bures
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This Company Is Transforming Lip Balm Into A Luxury Cannabis Brand

Lip balm is an everyday tool, many use without thinking twice. Chapped lips, dry lips, damaged lips. Put on some lip balm. But one company has elevated lip balm into all-natural, luxury cannabis brand infused with hemp extracts. That would be Vertly, founded by former fashion editor Claudia Mata. It offers interested parties various levels of infused lip balms, including one with cannabis that acts as a topical (though that one’s only available in California).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYVBtTGB5Gj/?taken-by=vertlybalm

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX86NCShgwx/?taken-by=vertlybalm

Ingredients for the lips balms can combine cannabis sativa seed oil, hemp-derived CBD extract, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, cinnamon, Vitamin E, and more. The Vertly Green balm, which is infused with cannabis, provide the soothing, natural effects that the other lip balms do, but also contain “analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-anxiety properties,” according to the company’s website.

“When you apply cannabis topically, you’re never going to get that stoned high,” Mata told Vogue. “It doesn’t enter your system that way, but you have more of the subtle benefits.”

Of the hemp-derived CBD lip balms, Mata said, “[They] promote a subtle state of tranquility and generally helps to relieve anxiety. And it can help with headaches, cramps, and pain.”

Mata says she plans on releasing Chapstick-like tubes in the future that customers can carry with them anytime and anywhere. She views using Vertly lip balm as a form of nano-dosing, that will allow users to feel the calming health benefits without the possible disruption some experience while being high. As she told Vogue, “You can enjoy these throughout the day and never feel like you’re not in the right headspace.”

Gossip: Duchess Kate & Pippa Middleton Want To Be Pregnant At The Same Time; Has Taylor Swift’s Squad Abandoned Her?

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Duchess Kate & Pippa Middleton Want To Be Pregnant At The Same Time; Has Taylor Swift’s Squad Abandoned Her?

The fever struck Duchess Kate straight away. Soon after having her second child, Princess Charlotte, in 2015, the 35-year-old and husband Prince William began planning for baby No. 3. “She wanted another almost since giving birth,” a source reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. But as the reality of juggling the newborn and big brother Prince George, 4, set in, the couple decided to take a pregnant pause. “They promised each other they wouldn’t even think about having another child until they were mentally ready and it felt right,” explains the source. “Now is definitely that time. They would love to be pregnant soon.”

After all, their niece or nephew will need a playmate. Three months removed from her countryside vows, Kate’s little sis Pippa Middleton, 33, is fancying a family of her own. The writer and her hedge fund manager husband James Matthews, 42, “are currently trying for a baby,” shares a Pippa insider. The timing means the tight-knit sister could deliver on an oft-fantasized goal. “It’s long been a dream for Kate and Pippa to be pregnant at the same time,” notes a Middleton family friend. “To share that would be amazing.”

Well before Pippa walked down the aisle, she and Matthews were envisioning the next step. “Starting a family is something they’ve spoken about since long before they got married,” says the Pippa insider. It’s a chat she also had with Kate. Says the family friend, “Pippa’s always said how great it would be if they were to be expecting together.”

The idea became even more enticing when Kate and William announced they’d be making their Kensington Palace spread their home base. Once they make the move to 22-room Apartment 1A in September, “they’ll be living right around the corner” from Pippa’s West London pad, says the insider, “So you can imagine how fun that will be: shopping for baby clothes, pregnancy yoga classes.” And sharing real talk about the struggles of parenting. The Middleton family source predicts Pippa will lean on her older sis: “Kate has so much knowledge to share. She’s a walking baby encyclopedia at this point!”

Though Pippa is no slouch. “She’s a brilliant auntie to George and Charlotte — they always look forward to playing with Pips,” says the Pippa insider. As does she. Says the insider, “They bring out a soft, playful side of her. She will make a fantastic mother.”
[From Us Weekly]

Has Taylor Swift’s Squad Abandoned Her?

As the Daily Beast points out, Taylor Swift’s squad has not really jumped to her defense this week:

But while Taylor is still talking about her squad—or at least, talking about how other people talk about her squad—they don’t seem to be returning the favor. Almost a week after Swift dropped her comeback video, a surprisingly small number of her well-documented BFFs have spoken out to congratulate their friend or hype the track. It’s almost as though Swift has purposefully disbanded her squad, fearing even more internet derision—either that, or her A-list pals are afraid of catching Taylor’s brand toxicity.
[From The Daily Beast]

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

9 Tips To Leave Work Early Before A Long Weekend

Taylor Berman
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9 Tips To Leave Work Early Before A Long Weekend

Everyone wants to squeeze as much out of a long weekend – here are some tips!

Lying to your boss so you can leave work early the Friday before a long weekend is as American as apple pie. (A friend once told us.) With Labor Day weekend just hours away, you better get your excuses and office exit-strategies ready. Here are nine proven methods that we, for legal reasons, can’t fully endorse. But they’ll probably work. 

Fake sick: This is a classic. If you’re hoping to miss the entire day, go with food poisoning. It may be overused, but it’s also difficult, if not impossible, to disprove. Just don’t overplay it–keep the phone call short and sweet, and don’t go into details about what exactly happened. Remember, the less you say, the less there is to forget or get caught in a lie with later. And if you’re just looking to leave a few hours earlier, say you have a migraine. Like food poisoning, a migraine is easy to fake and hard to refute.

RELATED: Science Explains How Marijuana Inspires Awe 

Doctor’s appointment: Another classic excuse for regular workdays. For privacy reasons, your boss can’t really pry into it too your medical history that much, so you can probably get away with one of these a month. That said, what kind of doctor schedules an appointment at 2 p.m. the Friday before a long weekend? A fake doctor invented by a lying employee, that’s who. Save this one for an extreme situation.

Sick dog or cat: If your boss is a pet lover, it should work once or twice.

Family emergency: Use sparingly, unless you have a large and sickly family. You should also be careful about cursing yourself by saying someone died who is still alive: In high school, a girl I knew lied and said she couldn’t go to a dance with some nerd because her grandfather had just died. Not two days later, her grandfather really did die. Spooky.

Say you’re locked inside your own apartment: This might be problem exclusive to New Yorkers and other big city dwellers, but I’ve locked myself inside my apartment several times, as have a few of my friends. If you’re trapped inside your apartment you definitely can’t go to work. Of course, you also can’t go on vacation, so be careful with those boastful Instagram posts.

Make up a fake holiday: Last year, The Awl’s Alex Balk created Happy National Duck Out For A Drink Day, which takes place the last week of August every year. No reason you can’t do something similar—National Drive to the Airport in the Middle of the Afternoon Day, for example—to give yourself a head start on your holiday.

RELATED: Great Fall Whiskeys

Just disappear: Find the nearest Emergency Exit in your office and make a run for it. Bring any personal items with you in case you get fired.

Blackmail: Technically illegal but if you have any dirt on your boss, now is a great time to use it.

Set a small fire in your office: Also technically illegal but only if you get caught. Use the smoke as a screen and sneak out the back.

Be honest: Just kidding. Don’t do this.

What To Expect From The First Cannabis Industry Retail Trade Show

MJ News Network
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What To Expect From The First Cannabis Industry Retail Trade Show

The RAD Expo, a national B2B trade show exclusively focused on the marijuana retail and dispensary business, is coming to the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on Jan. 17-18.

Marijuana Venture, the national cannabis business publication producing the event, is offering free tickets to all current and future owners, buyers and employees of marijuana retail stores and dispensaries, if they register in advance. Admittance for qualified attendees is $25 on the day of the show. The general public will not be allowed admittance.

Exhibitors are expected to include companies and individuals who supply goods and services to existing and future retailers in the legal marijuana space.

“We looked around and saw that the retail side of the business was not being well addressed,” said Marijuana Venture Publisher Greg James. “There are dozens of trade shows that focus on growing and cultivation, but no national trade shows for the people who actually sell marijuana.  We anticipate that exhibitors will include retail design firms, fixture manufacturers, lighting experts, packaging companies, growers and snack food companies. The list of possible vendors is endless in retail. In addition, we plan on allowing qualified buyers and retail employees free admittance if they pre-register. We’re following the same model as major traditional shows like CES and BookExpo in which buyers are always allowed in free. This promotes a lot of foot traffic and qualified buyers.”

About The RAD Expo: 

  • Dates: Jan. 17-18, 2018 
  • Location: Oregon Convention Center 
  • Admission: Free for qualified future owners, current retail store/dispensary owners, buyers and employees 
  • Exhibitors: Booths and a variety of sponsorship packages are available. Use discount code EARLYBIRD20 for 20% off your booth. Offer ends Nov. 1, 2017. 
  • More Information: www.TheRadExpo.com 
  • Phone: 425-656-3621 
  • Email: TheRadExpo@gmail.com 

About Marijuana Venture: 

Marijuana Venture, the nation’s largest cannabis business magazine, is distributed at major retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada, including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Chapters, Indigo, Hudson airport stores and more. In 2015, it received an award as one of the nation’s fastest-growing magazines, and in 2016, it launched a quarterly spinoff, SunGrower & Greenhouse.

Gossip: Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Are Moving To London; Bradley Cooper Is Set To Marry Irina Shayk

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Are Moving To London; Bradley Cooper Is Set To Marry Irina Shayk

Will and  Kate are relocating to the capital from Norfolk.

For the first time since they married in 2011, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are now largely based at Kensington Palace.

The family have relocated from Norfolk, where they were living due to Prince William’s role with the East Anglia Air Ambulance. The Duke had his last day with the service last month, essentially retiring to become a ‘full time royal’ by increasing the amount of duties and engagements he will be undertaking on behalf of the Queen.

Bradley Cooper Is Set To Marry Irina Shayk

IS IT FINALLY HAPPENING? Insiders say that Bradley Cooper is SET to marry Irina Shayk after welcoming their first child earlier this year.

Sources close to the couple believe they will have a SMALL and private wedding in early 2018.

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

Big Changes Coming To New York’s Medical Marijuana Rules

Mary Schumacher
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Big Changes Coming To New York’s Medical Marijuana Rules

Walk up to a New York medical marijuana dispensary, just for the experience, but don’t expect to get a warm welcome without a medical card. Security is heavy at dispensaries like the one next to the L train at 3rd Avenue and 14th Street and the rules are strict. No card, no entry, period.

A WNYC reporter did just that and was almost kept from recording her conversation with a patient on the sidewalk. When she finally did speak to a patient, the report was grim. High prices and a very slim assortment of choices on how to consume the once plant make medicating complicated and expensive.

Finding a doctor is a challenge if you qualify. Don’t expect a primary care physician to whip out the prescription pad. Most of the time one must find a doctor via the internet then pay cash to see them.

Once a medical marijuana card is secured, the dispensaries currently only offer cannabis in pill or vaping forms. No flowers, no edibles, no topicals, no funny business. And the reports of price gouging make some patients question the program all together.

The proposed new rules won’t address all the above issues, but they very well may make life easier for cannabis patients.

For one thing, the new rules could make it easier for doctors to prescribe the herb and for another, the range of approved products may increase.

New York cannabis activists and program subscribers seem to be happy overall with the proposed changes. One doctor, who specializes in epilepsy, questions the efficacy of the available products. He said he had yet to see sustained benefits for his patients, outside of an isolated, pharmaceutical grade cannabinoid that cut seizures in half for many young patients. The good doctor has over 500 patients and keeps meticulous notes.

Surprisingly enough, dispensary owners are content with the products they must offer now. Hillary Peckham is the CEO of Etain, which just opened a new location in NYC’s Murray Hill neighborhood, said the stringent rules were a big reason why she can provide such high-quality products.

Etain is a family run business that oversees and operates all aspects of the enterprise. They cultivate the plants, make them into oils, run the dispensaries and even the transporting and security. Peckham’s mother is the CEO, her sister is the chief horticulture officer. Though happy with what they must offer, the family is also happily readying themselves for the new rules, getting ready for new products and the lifting of some restrictions.

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