Our ongoing column today covers a doctor’s take on marijuana topicals and arthritis.
Dear Dr. Green,
My grandfather is 85 and suffers from arthritic pain. I would like him to try a cannabis-infused lotion to help mitigate the daily aches and pain. Is there anything I should be wary of? — Stephanie K., Manhattan Beach, Calif.
I have heard excellent anecdotal reports about the benefits of cannabis creams for arthritic pain and muscle injury. There are few clinical studies using THC or CBD absorbed through the skin. Nevertheless there are multiple preparations sold with different combinations of THC and CBD.
When using cannabis as a local cream, we have to consider the unusual possibility of skin irritation or allergic response where the lotion is applied. If this occurs, it generally responds well to simple washing or a local anti-histamine cream.
In the elderly, we have to be very cognizant of any medication that may affect their brain function. It is unusual for a cannabis lotion to cause drowsiness, sedation, impaired coordination, decreased concentration, feeling high, euphoria or depression. Since CBD appears to have less of an effect on cognitive function than THC, I would be inclined to search out a lotion which has a higher percentage of CBD.
Personally, I feel the use of cannabis cream is very low risk in his age group and might be a worthwhile addition to other allopathic treatments. I would always advocate for a thorough evaluation by a rheumatologist for arthritic pain since there are different types of arthritis and different therapies.
You no longer have to decide between missing your flight or grabbing breakfast. Two new apps make on-demand gate delivery possible. Airport Sherpa is Seamless for airports.
Airport Sherpa is a lot like any other food delivery company. Essentially, travelers input their flight info and the app will spit out a list of food and other items — gifts, magazines, etc. — that are available for purchase in the airport, spanning all terminals.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV8Apf0ldtV
There is a dedicated location for pick-up, but those who are in a hurry or don’t want to leave their gate (“gate huggers”) can get their items delivered straight to them for a fee ($4-$8).
According to USA Today, Airport Sherpa will “calculate delivery time for each order based on preparation time from the store and the time it will take the Sherpa to walk from the store to the delivery location.” They also have precautions in place to make sure your products would arrive before boarding.
Airport Sherpa debuted at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) this week. And a similar app, At Your Gate, is coming to San Diego Airport (SAN) in August. The latter, so says USA Today, is partnering with Grab, a mobile-ordering app that currently lets travelers preorder food for pickup at 150 concessions in 18 airports.
The actress posted a sweet pic on Instagram on Monday, July 17, clutching her baby bump and holding a balloon with the number 3 alongside her two children, Honor, 9, and Haven, 5.
“First thing we’ve got to get Colin to do is cut his hair. Listen, I’m not up here to try to be politically correct. Even if he puts cornrows in there. I don’t think he should represent himself in that way in terms of just the hairstyle. Just go clean-cut. You know, why not? You’re already dealing with a lot of controversy surrounding this issue. The most important thing that he needs to do is just try to be presentable,” he said.
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Baked into hip hop culture is the notion of hustling for success. Whatever tools you have available to you in your situation, you should exploit them for all their worth. This is why more and more rappers invest in products outside rap itself, using their name and brand to develop larger business ventures previously closed to them.
Within recent years, one of the biggest industries rappers have flooded toward is cannabis. You know the big names, but you’d be surprised just how successful multiple rappers are when it comes to selling weed as legal business. Here are the 13 rappers currently thriving in the industry.
Snoop Dogg
You know how involved Snoop Dogg is in marijuana culture. He is one of the driving forces in demystifying the drug and introducing it into the mainstream. His brand is called Leafs by Snoop and has been a major success thus far. Let’s medicate, elevate and put it in the air,” as Snoop writes on the brand’s website.
Wiz Khalifa
Another rapper already well-known for his ties to the cannabis industry, we don’t need to go into too much detail. Wiz has his own strain called Khalifa Kush and his own brand of rolling papers. He also launched is own educational marijuana mobile game this year named Wiz Khalifa’s Weed Farm.
B-Real
Though not as high-profile as Snoop or Wiz, Cypress Hill’s B-Real has close ties with the cannabis industry. He has developed highly-regarded strains and created Phunky Feel Tips, which are glass tips you can place on the end of joints or blunts to smoke easier. He recently opened his own dispensary called Dr. Greenthumb, where you’ll find many cannabis products from fellow rappers on this list.
He also hosts a popular web series called The Smokebox, which features cannabis conversations with everyone from Michelle Rodriguez to Doug Benson and ScHoolboy Q.
Like others, Freddie Gibbs decided to release a weed strain of his own called “Freddie Kane OG.” Gibbs has been adamant about helping the development of the strain into something he would want to smoke. A press release describes it as “‘euphoric, tranquilizing and analgesic’ and is a groundbreaking collaboration that highlights the natural synergy between the worlds of cannabis and music.”
Berner
More recognized for his weed game than his rap name, Berner has quietly built one of the largest cannabis brands in the country. It all started with the infamous Girl Scout Cookies weed strain. Berner turned fellow rappers like Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, Curren$y, Alchemist, and more onto the strain and its popularity blew up.
Capitalizing on that success, Berner built the lifestyle brand Cookies now known around the world. Berner claims the clothing line alone did more than $8 million in sales last year. It also has brick-and-mortar locations around the country where you can purchase streetwear, paraphernalia, and scent-free bags to transport your product. Not close to one of the store locations? Don’t worry. It’s also sold in stores like Zumiez.
In addition, he launched a line of hemp-infused vitamin waters called Hemp2o. He is also involved in Weed Maps, a directory system, and hosts his own marijuana documentary series on YouTube. Don’t get it twisted, Berner is a bona fide cannabis industry mogul.
Redman & Method Man
Unlike others on this list, Redman and Method Man aren’t involved with any cannabis product itself. Instead they’re about helping you find weed through technology. Last year the legendary rap duo invested in an app called Blaze Now. Pinpointing your location, the app will help you locate nearby dispensaries, delivery services, vape shops, and doctors. Of course the app is only useful in areas where marijuana is legalized.
Riff Raff
Riff Raff is a joke rapper but a rapper nonetheless. His way of establishing his weed strain Jody Highroller sounds like the most Riff Raff thing ever. Allow LA Weekly to explain:
Turns out that Riff did not actually toil in the fields of Humboldt, or even procure a lab coat and a bunch of LED lamps to concoct it. As with everything to do with Riff Raff, the real story is a lot simpler: After perusing the shop’s 50 some-odd types of product a few weeks ago, he simply picked a dank purple indica to rechristen Jody Highroller. The whole thing took less than 15 minutes.
The Game
The LA rapper has the title of being the first celebrity to own his own dispensary, The Reserve. He also launched Trees by Game, which is one part investment fund and one part lifestyle brand. If you’re not looking to smoke, The Game also has cannabis-infused lemonade drinks called G Drinks. The Game is hoping to lead the charge of pot pioneers in California following its legalization and says he’s in a friendly competition with Snoop to become the industry’s first billionaire.
It would make sense that Mr. Purple Haze himself would launch his own weed strain. Partnering with the same company as Freddie Gibbs, Cam’ron has done research in developing his own strain. No official word on its release yet.
Kurupt
Regarded as one of the strongest marijuana strains on the planet, Kurupt helped launch the powerful weed strain Moon Rocks. Also known as cannabis caviar or CP30, Moon Rocks are buds dipped in hash oil and then coated in kief. As the product’s website claims, Moon Rocks can contain up to 64% THC.
The Moon Rocks team also launched Moonwalk, which is a syrup edible you can add to your favorite drink like Sprite if you’d prefer not smoking.
Paul Wall
Seeing the success Berner had in California with the Cookies brand, Paul Wall decided to launch his own Texas version. Everything links back to a strain Wall’s involved with called OG Satellite. From there he launched his own apparel line called Satellite Supply Co., a Santa Cruz Shredder grinder, a Trippy Stix herbal vaporizer, and a collaboration with Gold Leaf.
Master P
When Master P announced his arrival in the legal weed business, his Master P’s Trees line intended to shift the culture around marijuana. As his press release stated, Master P’s Trees is a “complete lifestyle including all the Master P OG flower strains and edibles, and now, it’s also focused on turning green into liquid gold by revolutionizing the vape trend.”
His “liquid gold” flavors include Sweet Tea, Chocolate Beignet, Peach Cobbler, Red Velvet. As usual with Master P, those flavors are about as Southern as you can get in the vaping world.
I remember when I personally started drinking rose on the regular. Hip hop had adopted pink wine as the post-Patron sign of leisure and luxury. I think more people identify with this than the boat shoes and lobster roll faux affluence image that rose is currently sporting. Taking the pink wine trend full circle, now there are frozen versions kicking around at even fine dining restaurants, because the truth about rose is that it’s so drinkable and refreshing that it cannot be denied.
Going one step further and introducing cannabis to Frose is incredibly savvy, since the wine is not only already low in alcohol but also watered down with ice and fruits, it’s a safe place to put a dose of cannabis without worrying about overdoing it. Not only is it incredibly Instagramable, it’s delicious and keeps you hydrated better than wine alone. It’s what Migos would want me to do.
Frosé
Danielle Guercio, 2017 Makes 5, 6mg THC per glass
1 bottle rosé wine (drier the better, since you’re adding sweetness!)
½ carton of fresh strawberries, leaves removed
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp cannabis glycerin tincture*
2 cups ice cubes
Fruits for garnish
There are two ways to approach this drink. You can make them on demand or to order two at a time by dividing the ingredients in half for each run of the blender. This way you’ll have a fresh slush-like texture for each drink.
If you make them ahead, they can melt and you will end up with watery wine, no bueno. The other way is to go big.
Photo by Danielle Guercio
To make the drink, toss everything in the blender and pulse until you have a silky slush texture and all of the ice has been chomped up right. Serve in a wine glass and garnish with the fruits that you have leftover.
Translating this into a large format cocktail is really simple, but you still have to blend it in batches, since we have already established that frozen drinks have a life of less than 10 minutes. First determine the number of total drinks you want to have, and scale up the ingredients list to accommodate that amount. Then macerate the strawberries with the lemon and tincture. This will make a rough fruit compote which you can then spoon into the blender (2 Tbs per drink roughly) before adding the wine and ice. Serve in rocks glasses for a margarita-like appearance or keep it in stemmed glasses to preserve the texture of the slush as long as possible.
Photo by Danielle Guercio
*Cannabis Glycerin Tincture
In an oven safe container double sealed with foil, decarboxylate 3.5 grams finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Put cannabis in a mason jar or vacuum sealed bag, pour over 2 oz vegetable glycerin and seal tightly. Place in a water bath at just under boiling for 1 hour. Strain and keep contents in a sterilized container. Stores indefinitely in freezer.
Photo by Danielle Guercio
What could be better than medicated frozen drinks? I don’t know because I used to make them all the time and not many things have come close to being as fabulous or satisfying. If even fancy pasta joints in SoHo, NYC are making this, you know it’s more than a fad in drinks, it’s the consummation of everything that is wonderful about pink wine, leisure, and in this case, cannabis.
The lazy stoner is an outdated stereotype that holds little weight in today’s cannabis world. We’ve seen how cannabis enthusiasts can become successful entrepreneurs and fuel their creative endeavors and support their families. The swelling wellness trend that fuses cannabis and fitness is just another proof of how using marijuana doesn’t mean you’re glued to the couch.
One of the biggest examples is the 420 Games, which adds competition into the mix. The 420 Games is a place to showcase how cannabis enthusiasts support a healthy lifestyle. The games has an upcoming competition in Denver. It will include a 4.20-mile run, stand-up comedy, music, and kickball tournament hosted by Athletes for Care (A4C).
A4C is a non-profit organization that creates a community of athletes who come together to advocate for research, education, and compassion in addressing health issues facing athletes and the public at-large.
One ongoing discussion for athletes is using cannabis to reduce pain and inflammation in their bodies, instead of the opiates they are prescribed. That message is important for A4C and why they’re teaming with the 420 Games to deliver the First Annual Athletes for Care Kickball Tournament to Denver.
The A4C Kickball Tournament invites anyone to join the team of one of six former professional athletes. The price of admission and you could find yourself on the team of former NFL players or UFC athlete. The roster includes:
UFC legend Frank Shamrock
Former Denver Broncos’ Reuben Droughns, Charlie Adams, and Tatum Bell
Some of the players are known cannabis advocates and even participate in the business themselves, like Britton and his Be Tru Organics line of CBD products. You’ll have the opportunity to meet with them afterwards for a little extra and learn more about how cannabis and fitness is a trend more people are joining.
Democratic senators have demanded them. Lawsuits have been filed. Now visitor logs for President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach will be released. Nonprofit government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, announced Monday morning that as part of an ongoing lawsuit, the Department of Homeland Security will release the logs to the organization by Sept. 8. CREW said it then plans to make public the lists of who has visited Trump’s exclusive social club.
“The public deserves to know who is coming to meet with the president and his staff,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a news release. “We are glad that as a result of this case, this information will become public for meetings at his his personal residences—but it needs to be public for meetings at the White House as well.” Since taking office in January, Trump has visited Mar-a-Lago seven times.
Elon Musk Warns: Regulate AI Before It’s Too Late
The Guardian reports:
Tesla and Space X chief executive Elon Musk has pushed again for the proactive regulation of artificial intelligence because “by the time we are reactive in AI regulation, it’s too late”.
Speaking at the US National Governors Association summer meeting in Providence Rhode Island, Musk said: “Normally the way regulations are set up is when a bunch of bad things happen, there’s a public outcry, and after many years a regulatory agency is set up to regulate that industry.”
“It takes forever. That, in the past, has been bad but not something which represented a fundamental risk to the existence of civilization.”
Musk has previously stated that AI is one of the most pressing threats to the survival of the human race, and that his investments into its development were made with the intention of keeping an eye on its development.
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Cristina Barbuto was fired on her first day of a new job with Advantage Sales and Marketing because of a “dirty” drug test. She tried explaining that she was a medical patient, but the establishment told her that they abided by federal, not state, law.
Barbuto suffers from Crohn’s, which is a gastrointestinal disease that can be debilitating. She has documentation from her doctor and court documents show that she did not use cannabis before or during work.
This is this first time in the history of our nation that a court has ruled in favor of an employee in these circumstances. Let that sink in. Law was literally made on Monday.
Recreational use is still not protected and we still have an uphill battle to get cannabis descheduled federally and legalized countrywide, but this is a major win for the community.
Cannabis in the workplace expert, Dale Deitchler, said, “Massachusetts is not a state where such protections are written in the law, so this is really significant.”
Remember, cannabis use during or before work is still prohibited and will likely be cause for termination. And there will always be some jobs where cannabis, medical or not, cannot be tolerated. From school bus drivers to airplane pilots, getting medicated just isn’t an option.
Barbuto had filed to sue her former employer for discrimination back in 2015 and the Court’s Monday ruling with the go ahead is a major victory for medical cannabis. The impact could be far reaching and set a precedent that will put many minds at ease.
When it comes to ranking cars by the level of excitement generated, Ford Fusions must be near the bottom of the list. They are ubiquitous, reliable and sturdy. But, let’s be honest: They’re kind of boring.
Which may be why smugglers find it so effective. Who would search for weed in such a mundane ride?
Last week, more than 400 pounds of marijuana — estimated to be worth about $1 million —was discovered inside 15 Mexican-made Fusions en route to Ohio.
The sedans — manufactured at the Ford plant in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico — were shipped by train into a rail yard in Lordstown, Ohio.
According to Silverio Balzano, an Ohio-based DEA agent, a dealership in Youngstown discovered the marijuana between July 7 and July 11. The smuggled booty was packed into half-circle shapes that fit snugly into the spare wheel well.
“We’re aware of the situation and are taking it very seriously,” a Ford Motor Company spokesman said. “We are working with the FBI and Customs on an extensive investigation. We have confirmed that this is not happening at our plant or at our internal shipping yards.”
This isn’t the first time Ford’s popular sedan was used to smuggle marijuana into the country. Earlier this year in Minnesota, about 1,100 pounds of cannabis was found hidden in the trunks of 22 new Fusions.
Not even a giant, see-through, solar wall would be able to stop this.
Consuming marijuana is relaxing, that’s something that most users can all agree. While there are a million different types of highs you can get from smoking or from consuming marijuana, relaxation and anxiety loss are always at the top of the list. Marijuana helps us let go of our inhibitions and to chill.
If you’re curious about what really happens to your body under the influence of marijuana, you can check out this comprehensive list by the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, where they went through all the available evidence of marijuana and gathered the most reliable facts on the effects of the plant on the human body.
NASEM gathered that the illnesses that benefit the most from medical marijuana are chronic pain, muscle spasms, multiple sclerosis, sleep problems and the nausea caused by chemotherapy. The most common physical effects of the plant are bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, temporary increase in heart rate, drowsiness, memory difficulty, distortion of time and changes in balance, posture and coordination.
The document also showed some less conclusive information on marijuana and the effect it can have on the heart and lungs. The comprehensive list found some links between cannabis and the prevention of diabetes, of increasing the risk of prediabetes, and of triggering a heart attack caused by smoking. There was no relation between cannabis and heart attacks. The review also found some surprising results in terms of lung health, finding no relationship between smoking cannabis and lung cancer. There was a negative link discovered, which was the correlation between long term cannabis smokers and the overproduction of mucus and coughing.
When it comes to your immune system, it was reported that marijuana is an anti inflammatory. Negative side effects of this property were not found, although there were some correlations between daily smoking and liver damage in individuals with Hepatitis C, and of the reduction of pro-inflammatory compounds in healthy people.
The report is an impressive achievement that will surely aid in the coming studies of cannabis and its health benefits, but it’s important to know that human trials are severely lacking and that conclusive evidence can’t be made out of this NASEM report. For the better or worse, correlation does not mean causation.
