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The Secret Service Can Now Smoke Marijuana

Mike Adams
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The Secret Service Can Now Smoke Marijuana

It has become so difficult for the U.S. Secret Service to find recruits that have never before experimented with marijuana that the agency’s new director, Randolph Alles, has thrown his hands in air on the issue, announcing last week that he has relaxed the drug policy for potential new hires.

During a recent press briefing, Mr. Alles, who has been at the helm of the agency for less than three months, told reporters that it has become necessary for the Secret Service to be a little more lenient when it comes to dealing with job candidates that may have used marijuana at some point in the past.

It is for that reason that, as of last month, the agency’s drug policy has been revamped to not immediately disqualify a candidate with a history of cannabis use. Instead, the Secret Service is now giving consideration to the length of time a person has refrained from using the herb when reviewing his or her application.

For example, applicants younger than 24 are only required to show they haven’t used marijuana for a period of 12-months. Other candidates, 28-years or older, are expected to be pot-free for at least five years.

Although the agency will no longer discount candidates who admit to smoking a little weed, Alles said the agency would still maintain a strict interview process, which includes a polygraph and an extensive background check.

Now that marijuana has become legal in a growing number of states, and attitudes over the dangers associated with the substance have become more relaxed among the majority of civil society, it has become next to impossible for federal agencies, like the Secret Service, to track down qualified applicants that have not at least tried smoking weed.

If the previous drug policy were to continue, Alles said the agency would struggle to fill thousands of positions.

The agency’s new drug policy is expected to facilitate in the placement of nearly 10,000 new employees over the next several years.

“We need more people. The mission has changed,” Alles said, according to CNN. “It’s more dynamic and way more dangerous than it has been in years past.”

There is speculation that the Secret Service, whose only two jobs are to provide security for the president and his family and investigate financial crimes, is beefing up personnel in an attempt to deal with all of the anti-Trump cases that are expected to emerge over the next four years. It is the duty of the agency to investigate every threat made against the President of the United States, even if the supposed menace comes in the form of Photoshopped image posted by a D-list comedian.

5 Weird Factors That Predict Good Sex

Maria Loreto
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5 Weird Factors That Predict Good Sex

People worry about so many silly things when it comes to good sex, like acrobatic technique and how many orgasms they can produce in the shortest amount of time. But they forget about the most important detail: a positive attitude.

Experts agree that a good attitude is one of the main reasons why we enjoy great sex, and it’s not limited exclusively to the bedroom. In fact, to have great sex you must have a positive attitude that reflects on all aspects of life.

Here are 5 weird factors that predict whether or not you’ll have good sex:

Discussing Sex With Friends

Great sex happens when you like the person you’re having sex with obviously, but your attitude towards sex and how “good” you are at it can be super influenced by the relationship you have with it. If you’re open about sex and you don’t think that it’s a taboo topic, you’ll be willing to explore more things and to let yourself go.

I think talking about sex with your friends can help normalize interests and behaviors and it can also spark your imagination.”

Sarah Watson, sex counselor and therapist, believes that talking about sex with your friends can push you to try out new things and to be educated on the matter.

Laughter

Making your partner laugh and having an easy going relationship with them is always a plus, especially when it’s reflected on all aspects of your dynamic, not only when it comes to sex. Being silly and playful means that you’ll be able to overcome any awkwardness that arises when you’re having sex and you accidentally elbow your partner in the eye.

Chemistry is very hard to define, but if you’re making each other laugh then you’re on the right path.

Honesty

We know it’s embarrassing to be open about human things that you don’t want to remind your new love interest, like constipation or how much it hurts to shave, but studies have discovered a direct link between honesty and great intimacy. It’s not sexy to discuss a bad day, but in the long run, your honesty will be appreciated and will lead to some great things, re: sex.

Messiness

If you’re a slob that’s amazing, because it means that you won’t be afraid or get skeeved out during sex, which is a messy messy process. If you’re an organized person who likes to maintain a schedule and to have a lot of control, try shaking things up once in a while and to be a little bit less uptight. This “looser” mentality will leave a positive impression on your sex life, allowing you to enjoy the emotional and physical intimacy that comes out of this process instead of the minutia like the fact that the sheets are a little coarse and that you haven’t shaved in three days.

Eye Contact 

While it may make some people uncomfortable, eye contact is very important when it comes to romantic relationships, establishing a bond of trust and openness. It’s a good thing when you can’t keep your eyes of each other, don’t lose that.

Gossip: Kourtney Kardashian Worried Scott Disick Has ‘Gone Off Deep End’; Kim Kardashian Calls For Stricter Gun Control Laws

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Kourtney Kardashian Worried Scott Disick Has ‘Gone Off Deep End’; Kim Kardashian Calls For Stricter Gun Control Laws

Kourtney Kardashian ‘worried’ Scott Disick has ‘gone off the deep end again’ with his partying.

A source close to both reality stars tells ET that “Scott has gone off the deep end again,” and it’s been going on “for a few weeks now.”

“This is something that Scott has struggled with for years, and something Kourtney has dealt with since she has known Scott,” the source explains. “When Scott starts partying, he can’t stop. There is no middle ground for Scott — it’s go all in or none at all. This is how he has always been.”

The source claims Disick, who shares three children, Mason, 7, Penelope, 4, and Reign, 2, with Kardashian, “goes into the dark, depressed stages” where he “turns to partying for help.”

Kim Kardashian Calls For Stricter Gun Control Laws

On Friday, the mother of two took to her personal app with an impassioned post calling for stricter gun control laws in the United States. She also announced that she will support the cause by wearing orange for the day, and mentioned previous mass shootings, including Columbine High School, Virginia Tech University and Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

“In almost 20 years, our country has made very little progress in enacting laws that would help protect innocent Americans from people who should not have access to firearms,” she writes. “Right now, there are more guns owned by civilians in this country than in any other country in the world.”

“In February of this year, President [Donald] Trump actually signed a bill revoking a regulation recommended by President [Barack] Obama that would have added 75,000 names of people with registered mental illnesses to a national background check database,” she adds. “This is Crazy!”

But as a survivor of an armed robbery, Kardashian West made it clear that she’s not against “people buying guns.”

“After what happened to me in Paris, I know how important it is to be safe and to have armed security,”she explains. “All of my security team is armed, but they also support stricter gun control laws and believe that we should restrict access to firearms for people with mental illness, anyone previously convicted of a misdemeanor, those who have been subject to a temporary restraining order and those at a higher risk of committing gun violence.”

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

You Will No Longer Go To Jail For Marijuana In New Hampshire

Al Olson
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You Will No Longer Go To Jail For Marijuana In New Hampshire

Sometime this summer, New Hampshire will almost certainly become the 22nd state in the nation to decriminalize marijuana. The New Hampshire House of Representatives on Thursday voted to eliminate the criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of cannabis. The bill now is headed to the desk of Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who has publically supported the plan.

According to state law, the long-awaited measure will take effect within 60 days of receiving the governor’s signature. New Hampshire would become the last New England state to remove criminal penalties for cannabis possession.

In November, voters in nearby Maine and Massachusetts made adult use of recreational marijuana legal. In Vermont, the legislature passed a legalization bill but it was vetoed last week by Republican Gov. Phil Scott. There are hopes of a compromise bill passing in Vermont this summer.

“It makes no sense for New Hampshire to be an outlier, putting people in prison for possessing small amounts of pot,” Democratic Rep. Renny Cushing, who has pushed for reforms, told the Concord Monitor.

Earlier this year, Gov. Sununu has signalled that he will support the measure.

“We’ll let the legislature go through their process and we’ll see where it ends up but I do believe in the decriminalization aspect of marijuana,” Sununu said in April. “Obviously not the full legalization. Those are two very different issues.”

And in May, Sununu posted this on his Twitter page:

A recent poll reveals that 68 percent in the state support legalizing marijuana.

Supporters of sensible cannabis legislation were pleased with the vote and expressed near certainty that Sununu will approve.

“We applaud the New Hampshire House in voting to concur with the Senate version of the bill and urge the Governor to sign into law without delay,” Devon Chaffee, the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, wrote in a prepared statement. “It is time for New Hampshire to join the rest of New England in adopting more sensible marijuana possession laws.”

According to an analysis performed by the ACLU, New Hampshire spent more than $6.5 million enforcing marijuana possession laws in 2010. The study also concluded that African Americans were 2.6 times more likely than white people to be busted for possession.

Matt Simon, New England Political Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said:

“It’s been a long time coming, but New Hampshire is finally moving toward adopting marijuana policies that are consistent with the state’s ‘Live Free or Die’ motto.”

So what happens if you get caught with cannabis in New Hampshire? Here are some highlights of House Bill 640:

  • Possession of up to three-quarters of one ounce of cannabis or up to five grams of hashish will only be a fine. No arrest. No criminal record. Before decriminalization, this infraction would have been punishable by up to one year in jail
  • The final under the new law will be $100 for a first or second offense.
  • A third offense within three years of the initial offense will result in a fine of $300.
  • A fourth offense within three years of the original offense can result in a misdemeanor charge, but no arrest or jail time. and a $2,000 fine.
  • Those caught possessing cannabis who are under 18 will be sent to juvenile court.
  • Adults who fail to keep edible marijuana secure, allowing access to minors, are subject to a new misdemeanor offense.
  • 100 percent of the revenue from fines imposed under the law will go to a special fund for substance abuse prevention programs.

Why Is The Marijuana Industry So Damn White?

Joe Dolce
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Why Is The Marijuana Industry So Damn White?

We may be in the midst of the “green rush” but 90 percent of the marijuana industry is another color, and that color is white. (And male. And probably straight).

Jacob Plowden, founder of the Cannabis Cultural Association and his Aunt Molly Adams, want to change that. They span three generations of use within one family, but because of when and how they grew up, share totally different experiences.

(Listen to the podcast with Plowden and Adams on iTunes or Google Play.) 

Historically, there are several reasons for this color/gender imbalance. It began as far as the 1930s when marijuana prohibition became the law of the land.

Marijuana came from Mexico, the land of poor, brown people, and when those people started flooding across the border to flee the economic misery unleashed by the Great Depression, a tide of anti-immigrant fervor took hold.

“Reefer” was also big in the American jazz scene, led by African Americans. A big fear was that the evil weed would cause white women to have sex with black men. Those implications persisted for long time.

Today, the issues are as much socio-economic as social. The ACLU says that of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests from 2001 to 2010, 88 percent were for possession. African Americans are nearly four times as likely to be busted for possession than whites, which means that a bust for a white guy like me is a slap on the hand. For a person of color, it’s a ticket to orange.

Today, even as legalization spreads, many states ban applicants from obtaining cannabis business licenses if they have any criminal record, even for misdemeanors. California is changing that when it goes legal in 2018. Their laws recognize that it’s unfair is it to punish people throughout their lives for a crime that most of us don’t consider criminal at all. Not every state is as forgiving. Add in the high cost of launching a cannabis business and the barrier to entry is even higher.

For more, tune in to this podcast and hear one approach to tackling the challenge:

Joe Dolce is the author of “Brave New Weed” and is the former editor-in-chief of Details and Star. His book follows his adventures into the fascinating “brave new world” of cannabis, tracing its history and possible future as he investigates the social, medical, legal, and cultural ramifications of this surprisingly versatile plant. Rolling Stone magazine called it “one of the most fascinating accounts of the state of marijuana. A charming, honest look into pot’s past—and what that says about its future.”

What’s It Like To Have Sex With A Guy Who Has A Bionic Penis?

Sam Jones
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What’s It Like To Have Sex With A Guy Who Has A Bionic Penis?

Earlier this year we brought you the story of a man with a bionic penis who wanted to date a sex robot. If you were wondering what having sex with such a man would be like, now we know, or at least we have one woman’s first hand account of it.

The Daily Star, citing a column in Men’s Health, writes that a woman named Anka Radakovich recently slept with a 39-year-old man who’d been rendered impotent by diabetes. To fix the problem, he’d been fitted with an artificial penis, which wasn’t a problem at all for Radakovich .

“He was so cute and funny, I didn’t really care,” she wrote. “Besides, an erect, on-demand, rock hard schlong that could go for hours? I was in.”

How was the actual sex? Before they got there, she had some reservations.

“There are four levels of hardness: limp, half-chub, hard, and ‘OMG you’re going to kill me with that thing,’” she wrote. “I feared it would feel like I was fornicating with a baseball bat.”

But her fears turned out to be unfounded. After watching him inflate it by squeezing a bulb under his balls about 20 times, she said she watched it “inflate like one of those balloons at a carival.”

Once it was ready to go, Radakovich said it felt like any other schlong. “It felt like a normal stiffee in my hand, and I didn’t feel the pump or valve when I road tested it in my mouth,” she wrote. “It was rock hard, like it should be, but I didn’t feel like I was sucking a tail pipe or anything. And by the time we actually did the deed, I forget all about the implant and enjoyed myself.”

And now we know.

France Just Ended Prison Terms For Marijuana Use

Sam Jones
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France Just Ended Prison Terms For Marijuana Use

By the end of the year, French president Emmanuel Macron wants to end prison terms for cannabis use. Part of Macron’s campaign promises included marijuana reform. During their campaigns, four out of the five presidential candidates in France supported some type of marijuana reform. Only far-right candidate Marine Le Pen was against it.

Right now, offenders face up to a year in jail and a fine of 3,750 euros, or $4,200.

“Last year, 180,000 people were found to be in violation of drug laws. On average these cases take up six hours of police time and the same amount for the presiding magistrate,” government spokesman Christophe Castaner said, according to The Local. “Is the system effective?” No. What is important today is to be effective, and above all to free up time for our police so they can focus more on essential matters.”

This doesn’t mean marijuana will be decriminalized, but it will help simplify judicial procedures, something even the cops are pleased about. “It’s a good idea that takes reality into account,” said Patrice Ribeiro, of the police officers union. “Most policemen who arrest a user tell him to throw the joint away and then let them move on.”

Macron’s proposals involve handing out warnings and fines of up to 100 euros, instead of locking people up for marijuana use—something 17 million French citizens admit to having tried once, and 700,000 do daily, according to The French Observatory for Drug Use and Addiction.

California Closer To Being A ‘Sanctuary State’ For Marijuana

Drug Policy Alliance
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California Closer To Being A ‘Sanctuary State’ For Marijuana

The California State Assembly on Thursday evening passed legislation that would make Cali a ‘sanctuary state,’ and prohibit state and local agencies from using resources to assist federal law enforcement authorities against people in compliance with state law.

The successful Assembly floor vote means the bill has cleared its first house, before the Friday deadline, and now heads to the State Senate to be heard by the Senate Public Safety Committee.

The legislation, authored by Los Angeles Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, AB 1578, will protect Californians who are operating lawfully under our state laws by providing that absent a court order, local and state agencies, including regulators and law enforcement, shall not assist in any federal enforcement against state authorized medical cannabis or commercial or noncommercial marijuana activity.

In 2016, the voters of California overwhelming approved Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which provided that adults 21 and over could purchase and possess a limited amount of marijuana for personal use. However, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have hinted at a forthcoming crackdown on the recreational use of marijuana in states that have approved adult personal use.

President Trump made his intentions loud and clear in recent weeks when he turned rhetoric into policy with his signing statement to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, declaring the federal government’s intention to prosecute and punish states and their residents for using medical marijuana, never mind its recreational use. Additionally, Attorney General Sessions just doubled down by re-declaring the war on drugs. He called for reinstating mandatory minimum sentences and prosecuting all drug-related charges to fullest extent of the law.

These policies rollback the gains California has made in fighting mass incarceration and reducing the number of individuals in our overcrowded prisons and jails.

Black and Latinx persons have the most to lose. They disproportionately comprise the majority of individuals arrested on marijuana charges. For example, despite similar rates of drug use and sales across racial lines, from 2006 to 2015, Black people in California were five times more likely than their white counterparts to receive marijuana felonies.

“We supported and passed Prop 64 because of decades of California law enforcement applying marijuana prohibition unequally across racial lines,” said Alice Huffman, president of the CA-Hawaii NAACP. “We do not want to see local law enforcement going back down this path by supporting federal intervention into cannabis activity that is fully legal under state law.”

Approximately 92 percent of drug enforcement is done at the state and local level. Using state and local resources for the new administration’s agenda undermines the will of California voters and the state’s right to enact and enforce its own laws. California would be paying the feds to break its own laws.

In response, Lt. Commander Diane Goldstein (Ret.), executive board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, remarked, “The passage of AB 1578 will reduce the harms of the gray and illicit market in our communities, ensuring public safety and health. Critically, this bill demonstrates to Californians that law enforcement understands and respects that police legitimacy requires public support. Law enforcement cannot build community trust if we’re undermining the law.”

There is a real concern about giving the Feds access to information about California residents, especially dangerous for medical cannabis patients and industry providers. Thousands of Californians could suddenly find themselves targeted, harassed, intimidated or prosecuted by the federal government.

“Trump and Sessions’ threat to California is real,” said Drug Policy Alliance state director Lynne Lyman. “It threatens to ensnare law-abiding residents in costly—financially and personally—legal battles and possible incarceration or deportation. It is dangerous and it is expensive. Which means passing Assembly Bill 1578 is urgent.”

Cannabis Oil Will Help Olivia Newton-John Battle Breast Cancer

Brendan Bures
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Cannabis Oil Will Help Olivia Newton-John Battle Breast Cancer

Chloe Lattanzi spoke publicly regarding her mother Olivia Newton-John’s breast cancer return. She thanked fans for their love and support throughout the family’s difficult times.

In the post Lattanzi also revealed how Newton-John will battle the cancer that has now extended to her back. While also pursuing traditional modern medicine treatments, she will also use cannabis oil and “other natural healing remedies.”

“I want to thank all of you for your love and support. My mom and best friend is going to be fine,” Lattanzi shared in an Instagram post. “She will be using medicine that I often talk about. CBD oil! (Cannabis has scientifically proven properties to inhibit cancer cell growth) and other natural healing remedies plus modern medicine to beat this.”

Last year Lattanzi and her fiancé James Driskill opened their own marijuana farm in Oregon. Lattanzi has spoken openly regarding her cannabis support and has embraced the plant’s medicinal properties.

https://twitter.com/williamrejault/status/869661002585034753

“Cancer is the disease of our generation and it is part of my and my mother’s quest to beat this insidious monster,” Lattanzi also wrote on Instagram. “We both love you all, and anyone fighting this disease you can beat it. Look for natural remedies as well as what modern medicine can offer.”

Olivia Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and had to undergo a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and breast reconstruction. On Tuesday she confirmed the cancer had returned and postponed her North American tour dates in June.

“My mom is so powerful she will beat this in no time,” Lattanzi also added. “All my love to you. And I wish you health wealth and happiness.”

Due to “incredibly insensitive” comments over her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, Lattanzi shut down her Instagram as she was sick of the negative feedback.

Bitcoin Can Make You Rich, But What Is It?

Maria Loreto
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Bitcoin Can Make You Rich, But What Is It?

Bitcoin is the most popular form of digital cryptocurrency available, taking up 47 percent of the digital market alone. Bitcoin  is basically digital money, used for online transactions with no bank involvement. No banks mean that there’s no need to give out your personal information or to pay an extra transaction fee. Bitcoin is also popular because it’s kind of ideal for international transactions, since the currency is not tied and regulated by any country.

Bitcoin is currently valued at $2,483, an all time record. The currency was introduced in 2009 by an unknown developer and has faced a lot of ups and downs when it comes to its value, having a worth of $1,000 back in 2013 and then plummeting and losing its value for no explainable reason.

The growing interest in Bitcoin has helped out other forms of digital currency as well, like Ethereum and Ripple. Market watchers and analysts don’t know how why there’s such an interest in digital currency, but they speculate that economical instability from countries like Russia, Nigeria and South Korea have something to do with it.

A recent article was published on Marketwatch claiming that if you’d invested $1,000 on Bitcoin during July 2010, your investment would now be worth around $35m. If only.

If you’re still lost on what Bitcoin and digital currency are (understandable), watch this video that explains things further. We’ll probably need to know all of this information in the near future.

 

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