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4 Things To Do In Seattle Before And After Your Cruise

Hyacinth Forbes-Hamilton
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4 Things To Do In Seattle Before And After Your Cruise

Over one million people flow through Seattle as they embark on summer cruises each year. Why not spend a day or two before or after to explore the Emerald City?

The home to some of the most iconic companies in the world (Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon), Seattle has vibrant food, art and music scenes. Enjoy the high and low-end restaurants that appeal to any palate, savor all kinds of music in the Ballard and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, enjoy urban wine and beer tasting, browse the Elliott Bay Bookstore, Washington’s largest and best bookseller, or explore one of the many museums and art galleries around the city.

Seattle is also operations headquarters of The Fresh Toast, and here are our four recommendations for you while visiting our city:

Get Lost In Pike Place Market

Photo by Flickr user Mobilus In Mobili

Pike Place Market was saved from destruction in 1971 and now is one of the most popular destinations in the NW. The recently expanded market is an explorer’s dream.

Snap a selfie in front of the Gum Wall, or marvel at the rows of fresh flowers for sale. You can go to the original Starbucks or enjoy any of the other coffee house sprinkled throughout the market. Dozens of stalls sell artisan food, fresh vegetables, seafood and local crafts. Head underground to a warren of shops and hidden restaurants. You can eat and drink your way to though the market: stars include a walk-up burrito stand, a Chinese humbows and Northwest farm-to-table favorite Matt’s in the Market, which offers a stunning view of the iconic Public Market Center sign and Puget Sound.

Visit A Weed Shop

Photo by Sean Airhart, courtesy of Vela

Washington is one of the states with legalized recreational cannabis, so you might want to stop in experience one of the weed stores. If you can imagine a product, someone has invented a cannabis-infused version – from soup to candy to jerky. You can also see for yourself the various ways of consuming cannabis.  Vela is an upscale shop in the city that caters to a wide clientele.

Baristas have become a national phenome thanks to Starbucks, and “budtenders” are becoming just as well-known thanks to the cannabis industry. Stores like Vela have knowledgeable budtenders guide you through your weed journey. As a bonus, Vela shares space with an indoor cannabis garden and extraction lab – similar to the nearby Krispy Kreme where you can see the product being made.

Check Out Seattle Center

Photo by Flickr user Ian D. Keating

Hop on the monorail and head to Seattle Center to visit the most photographed structure in Seattle – The Space Needle. Seattle Center was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and now reigns at the top tourist destitution for Washington. The Center is home to the Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and more. Hang out at internationally famous indie station KEXP’s headquarters and catch a live performance, or explore the visitors center of the Gates Foundation. The most recent addition is Chihuly Garden and Glass, a breathtaking collection from Dale Chihuly. Bring your iPhone as this is one Instagram moment after another. The Center is also home to the Museum of Pop Culture in the funky Frank Gehry-designed building. Science geeks should take time for the Pacific Science Center: five buildings are full of interesting, interactive exhibits, a butterfly house, planetarium and two IMAX theaters.

Enjoy The Great Outdoors

Photo by Flickr user siddharthm87

Before you take off for your cruise, explore the great Northwest.   Whether you take a drive to Mt. Rainer (an all day adventure, but breathtaking) or a ferry to Bainbridge Island, you need to enjoy some what makes Washington the “Evergreen State” and Seattle the “Emerald City.”

If you are more an outdoor urban adventurer, you can head to Green Lake that has a walking trail around the perimeter, or you and a friend can take a mini paddle boat out on the lake.  Another “in city” hike is beautiful Discovery Park, which sits on shores of Puget Sound and has 11 miles of walking trails. The park was originally US Army base Fort Lawton and was converted to a park in 1973. You can also stop into the flagship REI and enjoy their climbing wall.

If you aren’t as adventurous, take a walk through the Amazon Campus on South Lake Union and start planning your next trip to the great Northwest.

Gossip: Ryan Lochte Cleared Of Rio ‘Robbery’ Charges; Vogue Apologizes For Cover Story

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Ryan Lochte Cleared Of Rio ‘Robbery’ Charges; Vogue Apologizes For Cover Story

Ryan Lochte has been cleared of all charges in connection with that robbery in Rio he lied about.

via TMZ:

An appeals court has thrown out the criminal charge filed against Lochte for allegedly lying to authorities when he told them he was robbed at gunpoint. Lochte was charged with false communication of a crime.

The judges ruled Lochte did not go to cops and report the incident … they came to him after hearing stories in the media. So he never set out to create a lie, and that was the turning point in the case.

As you know, Lochte told NBC he and 3 other members of the U.S. swim team were stopped by men he thought were impersonating police officers. Surveillance video later showed the real story was Lochte and co. were stopped by owners of the gas station they’d vandalized.

The privilege is real.

‘Vogue’ Apologizes For Gigi Hadid And Zayn Malik ‘Gender-Fluidity’ Cover Story

Vogue is sorry. The magazine released a statement on Friday apologizing for their recent cover story featuring Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik.

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In an interview with the publication, Hadid and Malik playfully talk about borrowing each other’s clothes, which led to the magazine titling their piece, “Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are part of a new generation embracing gender fluidity.”

“I shop in your closet all the time, don’t I?” Hadid says in the article. “Yeah, but same,” replies Malik. “What was that T-shirt I borrowed the other day?”

Vogue readers quickly took to social to voice their concerns over the piece, calling the magazine out for not featuring real people who identify as non-binary or gender-fluid. “Think Vogue is a bit confused on what gender fluidity is! Wearing your gf’s T-shirt does not make you gender fluid,” wrote one Twitter user.

“Is Vogue aware that there r actual, real life, gender fluid people out there,” another person wrote.

“Vogue went from 100 to 0 real quick,” shared another reader.

Following backlash on social media, Vogue issued an apology.

“The story was intended to highlight the impact the gender-fluid, non-binary communities have had on fashion and culture,” read a statement by a Vogue spokeswoman. “We are very sorry the story did not correctly reflect that spirit we missed the mark.”

“We do look forward to continuing the conversation with greater sensitivity.”

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

Jon Huntsman Sr. Advocates For Medical Marijuana In Utah

Brendan Bures
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Jon Huntsman Sr. Advocates For Medical Marijuana In Utah

Sometimes marijuana finds its advocates in places you wouldn’t expect. Such was the case this week when no other than Jon Huntsman Sr. spoke out in favor of medical marijuana in Utah, as state supporters try to change the minds of supporters.

“I’m a very strong advocate for medical marijuana,” Huntsman Sr. told Fox 13. “I think some folks have it terribly confused with smoking marijuana.”

Not only is Huntsman a four-time cancer survivor, he has also suffered from Polymyalgia Rheumatica for the past 10 years. The disorder causes severe shoulder and hip-joint pain. Huntsman admits part of his support comes from understanding the pain associated with medical conditions such as his.

“It’s really severe pain,” he said. “Sometimes you just want to scream out at night because of joints not working and things just breaking down on you.”

Huntsman also took a strong stance against taking opioid for his conditions. The constipation and possibility of kidney failure was enough to scare him away for good. He’d rather take the pain, than the opioids for now.

Huntsman’s comments come at a critical time in Utah’s fight to legalize medical marijuana. The Utah Patients Coalition recently gave the lieutenant’s governor’s office a proposed initiative as the advocacy group attempts to get medical marijuana on the 2018 Election ballot. To do so, they will need to host a number of public hearing and collect close to 115,000 signatures across the state.

In a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune, the coalition noted Huntsman’s support. They stated he “has been a pioneer in advocacy and philanthropy for patient care, so it’s no surprise to us that he supports medical cannabis as another treatment option for physicians and patients.

“Like so many other patients, he recognizes the dangers of opiates and wants an alternative. We appreciate his public support and look forward to giving Utah voters a chance to decide in 2018.”

When asked if Huntsman has tried medical marijuana, he responded he hasn’t. But asked if he would, he responded, “Sure, I’d love to. I’ve had such severe pain at times and the opioids haven’t done the job.”

Can Medical Marijuana Treat And Cure Skin Cancer?

Maria Loreto
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Can Medical Marijuana Treat And Cure Skin Cancer?

Medical marijuana has many supporters thanks in part to those patients who’ve decided to be take a chance on the plant and document their experiences. These people have turned to cannabis because they’ve found no other viable option and, in some cases, the plant has proved to be their only source of relief. These successful stories are then shared online and provide documentation for a field that desperately needs it.

While sparse research has been conducted on medical marijuana due to the illegality of the plant and there haven’t been any significant studies conducted on humans, anecdotes from patients have shown some promising results for marijuana and the treatment of skin cancer. A perfect example of this is Run From The Cure, a film that documents the experience of Rick Simpson and how he cured his skin cancer with THC. The video was made in 2008 and reached a lot of people through the use of the web.

Recent studies conducted on rodents have found correlations between marijuana and skin cancer, some even proving that the plant can reduce the size of tumors. A study conducted in 2014 used THC to treat some mice with cancer. The rodents were compared to others who didn’t have cancer and the research showed positive results, reducing the size of the tumors.

While the effect of THC on skin cancer sounds very promising, medical marijuana is still in desperate need of larger scientific studies. These studies conducted on mice have been successful, but the plant still needs more examination to demonstrate if these results could translate to humans and have the possibility of changing the way in which cancer is treated, saving lives and developing less invasive treatments for patients of cancer. 

This Breathalyzer Knows If You’ve Eaten Marijuana Edibles

Jillian Peterson
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This Breathalyzer Knows If You’ve Eaten Marijuana Edibles

For the first time, police in California have used a new breathalyzer to detect THC in drivers. The completion of this initial field test means a device called The Hound is one step closer to national distribution. It can not only detect if you recently smoked weed, it knows if you’ve eaten it.

U.S. News & World Report states that:

Edible marijuana generally gives users a delayed high and appeared to be detectable for longer on a person’s breath. Like exhaled alcohol the THC in breath leaves the bloodstream through the lungs.

CEO Mike Lynn, an emergency room doctor and reserve officer with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, says that his company plans to widely distribute the device nationally after six months.

 

Photo courtesy of Hound Labs
Photo courtesy of Hound Labs

Unlike the Potalyzer, The Hound uses breath, not saliva, to detect THC in the system.

In this recent trial, Lynn says they didn’t arrest anyone. He says the objective was to educate drivers, not jail them.

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10 Types Of Marijuana Perfect For A Summer Day

Maria Loreto
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10 Types Of Marijuana Perfect For A Summer Day

The sun is finally coming out and the days are comfortable enough for hanging with friends outside, walking around the streets and lounging in the sun until your tan and everything’s better. There’s nothing like than the beginning of spring, and then summer, when the days grow longer and everything’s just better.

Know that there are multiple ways to consume marijuana, you can eat or drink it, rub it into your skin, vape, smoke and much more. Ask the budtenders at your local dispensary which products have the strains listed and then pick how you want to put it into your body.

Need help finding a store? We got you. Just visit our directory.

If you’re sick on the winter and are ready to get your sun sessions on, here are 10 types of marijuana that’ll leave you ready for the best summer day of your life:

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Jilly Bean

This upbeat and happy hybrid is perfect for basking in the sun and hanging out with your friends, leaving you feeling euphoric and ready to get the best out of your day.

Bubba Kush

This indica has a heavy tranquilizing effect that’ll leave your body numb and ready to relax while also leaving you in a happy and relaxed mood.

Super Lemon Haze

This two time Cannabis cup winner has a citrusy taste and smell that’ll leave you feeling energetic and lively.

Strawberry Cough

Named after its taste and because it makes even the most seasoned of smokers and vapers cough, this strain is a favorite because it causes an uplifting, smiley and energizing high.

G13

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This type of marijuana has a big following because of the social effects it induces while also providing a great source of stress relief.

Agent Orange

This hybrid strain has a delicious citrusy smell with an uplifting result that’ll leave you feeling energized and happy.

Grape Ape

This type of marijuana has a very deep purple look and a strong grape flavor that’ll leave you with a cerebral buzz and a relaxed body.

Kushberry

This strain produces a mellow high that’s perfect for hanging out with friends and lounging under the sun.

Blueberry

This indica strain is perfect for winding down at the end of an intense day of a lot of activities with a nice relaxing high, while also relieving tension and stress.

Hog’s Breath

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Another indica, this strain produces a mind tingling high and euphoria while also helping out with stress and anxiety management.

3 Ways To Have A Cannabis-Infused Dinner On The Table In Minutes

Danielle Guercio
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3 Ways To Have A Cannabis-Infused Dinner On The Table In Minutes

Sometimes when you’re not well prepared, having food on the table out of the pantry seems not only daunting but a full hour’s work to have something accessible. It’s especially tricky to cook for one or two people at a time on the fly, but here’s three ways to have a marijuana medicated dinner on the table in minutes.

Living in a really multi-cultural place (NYC), I’m lucky to have access to some cool stuff. Wonton wrappers are one of those things that I always seem to have around, because the package is enough to make more dumplings than are humanly possible for one person to eat, even two.

Finding ways to put them to use has opened up some culinary doors I’ll never go back out, and my quick dinner game is fine-tuned as can be. It’s only fair to also flex that muscle with medicated food too, and if you have an oil or butter on hand from a previous recipe, you can bust one of these out in record time.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Wonton wrappers should be in every refrigerator. The way you can use them to not only eat good, but eat fast, are incredible. Here is three ways to use leftover active ingredients to make something special and sped up.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Hot Oil Noodles

5 minutes to table

Boil some water, then heat up some sesame oil with chili flakes and fry for one minute. Cut a ½” stack of noodles in half, boil in hot water for 2 minutes, strain and drop into hot oil skillet, add a splash of soy sauce, quickly toss until noodles are coated. Garnish with cilantro and either leftover *Infused Vegetable Fat as is or that you’ve mixed into a powder* (links to previous articles)

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Pierogis

10 minutes to table

Sometimes when we make weed butter, there’s an extra tablespoon or two. I don’t know about you, but I would never throw that away.

A small amount like two tablespoons of butter can hold enough THC to make a good handful of tasty pierogis that you can gobble up for a strong experience, or freeze plenty for later.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Stir two tablespoons of butter into a packet of instant mashed potatoes in a bowl. The cheese kind tastes the best with ganja. Add slightly less boiling water than the instructions say and stir well. If you want to add scallions, that’s recommended. Throw into a ziplock and pipe into the pasta, folding over once and sealing with water. Pan fry on both sides and devour!

Photos by Maria Penaloza

You can boil them, but considering how thin the pasta is, I would freeze raw or fry them all and then layer in wax paper before freezing for storage. They’re intensely delicious since those flavors actually compliment each other.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Raviolo al Uovo

15 minutes to table

Extra olive oil can be used in a multitude of ways, but stirring it into ricotta with Ubriaco cheese and topping with an egg yolk is a worth it more than you know.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Boil some water, and prepare a fine mesh strainer that rests in the pot and is fully submerged by the water. Simply stir ½ cup grated cheese and 1 Tbsp infused olive oil per cup of ricotta, add thyme, salt, and pepper, and fill pasta, again sealing edges with water.

If you’re feeling adventurous, make a tiny well and gently slide and egg yolk onto the well before putting another full sheet on top.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Boil one at a time directly in the strainer for 2-3 minutes. After you’ve dropped the ravioli, take a pan and melt some butter. Add ¼ c pasta water and some more thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir vigorously while pasta cooks, will make a slightly thin sauce. Add a pinch of flour if you want to thicken. When ravioli is cooked, slide into sauce and spoon over the top, then onto a plate.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Any fresh pasta will do the trick for these recipes, and if you want to make your own, a bread machine is actually pretty helpful. It’s harder to roll pasta dough than it is to make the dough. Buying it in the shop gives you a huge amount of possibilities, since you can also fry them into chips, add into soups, and much more.

Photos: Maria Penaloza

 

Want To Be A Marijuana Budtender? Here’s How To Do It

Don Goldberg
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Want To Be A Marijuana Budtender? Here’s How To Do It

Want to be a Seattle budtender? It’s a growing business, you get to meet interesting folks, it’s not going to be outsourced, and, let’s see… free weed, right? Not so fast. I took a sobering look at your job prospects and spoke with some folks in the know around Seattle to get the lowdown on the high life of a budtender.

The Qualifications

Pot shops are looking for personality and passion for the product, and if you’ve got experience in customer service, either in retail, managing people, or even food service, that helps.

Kalie Sandstrom in human resources at Lux in Ballard looks at diversity, not just in tats, piercings, and hair color but in race, gender, and life experience. It takes a village, so to speak. A budtender may even have a criminal background, so long as he/she can get along with people.

Overeducation isn’t a detriment but neither is it a prerequisite. In your interview you’ll be asked about your experience with the product and how you use it. Don’t worry about needing to pee in a cup.

You don’t need to be an expert, but passion pays off. Jay Berger at Pot Stop in Fremont says that “you have to love people.” It’s easier to teach budtenders about cannabis than how to get along with people. “The job is very educational,” he said. “You can’t not learn on the job.”

The Education

Like others, Jay came from the medical side to the recreational side. Pot Stop started back in 2010 as SMMA (Seattle Medical Marijuana Association) and still is authorized to sell to medical patients. If you’d like to be a budtender on the medical side, you’ll need a bit more education: a 20-hour online course. Then you’ll have consultant certification.

Your folks might have bragging rights knowing the fruit of their loins is certified, but should stop referring to you as a “budding doctor.” Still, it’s a career with a future. If you stick with it, you can move up quickly. Jay sees this is as the start of the “green rush.” Dani from Queen Anne Cannabis Co. left a gig at Old Navy (unlike Popeye, she had a different kind of spinach in her pipe), answering an ad on Craigslist, and two years later she’s gone from budtender to buyer and inventory manager.

For more of this story, please click on this link to Everygrey. 

Sign up for The Evergrey newsletter and links here.

Don Goldberg is a member of The Evergrey Writing Group. He’s written jokes for the Emmys, satire for Jerry Springer, help screens for Microsoft, web pages for HP, The History of Rock and Roll for radio, church bulletins, documentaries for Children and other work for hire he’s not as proud of. No matter how hard he tries to be serious, he finds the humor in it because he revels in the absurdity of it all. He has lived all over the United States but settled in Seattle 26 years ago because, as he puts it, there was no other place left. He lives with his wife, Gail, and his daughter, Maya (until she moves out of the house), and is currently working on an irreverent spiritual sendup novel and a companion cookbook about a rebellious teenager and her family.

Key Senate Committee OKs Marijuana For Veterans

Terry Hacienda
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Key Senate Committee OKs Marijuana For Veterans

Those who have served our country seeking to treat their ailments with medical marijuana received good news this week when an influential Senate committee voted to green light marijuana for veterans.

By a 24-7 margin, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Veterans Equal Access amendment, which would allow doctors in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend cannabis in states where it is legal.

Currently, V.A. doctors are not allowed to provide the paperwork necessary to complete a medical cannabis recommendation, even in the 29 states where medical marijuana programs exist. Veterans are forced to seek the advice of private physicians.

According to Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the measure’s lead sponsor, the amendment “simply allows the V.A. patients in states with medical marijuana programs to discuss that option with their V.A. doctor of physician.”

Two of the nation’s largest and most influential veterans’ groups — the American Legion and AMVETS — have urged the federal government to allow access to medical marijuana.

Veterans are increasingly turning to medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids and other pharmaceutical medications to treat conditions like chronic pain and post-traumatic stress. An estimated 8,000 veteran commit suicide a year — 22 a day.

The American Legion, which represents more than 2 million members, sent a letter to President Trump urging him to help them make a change to the policy.

“The American Legion respectfully requests a meeting with President Trump as soon as possible and looks forward to partnering with this administration in the fight against narcotics addiction and reducing the veteran suicide rate from the tragic loss of 20 warriors per day, to zero,” the letter reads.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), a co-sponsor of the Senate amendment, says it is about time to do something. “We often talk about how our soldiers stand up for us, and we need to stand up for them,” Merkley said.

Study Finds Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Deter Crime

MJ News Network
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Study Finds Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Deter Crime

The forced closure of medical marijuana dispensaries is associated with an uptick in crime, according to data published in the Journal of Urban Economics.

University of Southern California researchers assessed the impact of dispensary closures on crime rates in the city of Los Angeles. Investigators analyzed crime data in the days immediately prior to and then immediately after the city ordered several hundred operators to be closed.

Researchers identified an immediate increase in criminal activity – particularly property crime, larceny, and auto break ins – in the areas where dispensary operations were forced to close as compared to crime rates in those neighborhoods where marijuana retailers remained open for business. “[W]e find no evidence that closures decreased crime,” they reported. “Instead, we find a significant relative increase in crime around closed dispensaries.”

“Open dispensaries provide over $30,000 per year in social benefit in terms of larcenies prevented,” authors concluded.

From the study:

Jurisdictions that sanction medical or, more recently, recreational marijuana use often allow retail sales at dispensaries. Dispensaries are controversial as many believe they contribute to local crime. To assess this claim, we analyze the short-term mass closing of hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles. Contrary to popular wisdom, we find an immediate increase in crime around dispensaries ordered to close relative to those allowed to remain open. The increase is specific to the type of crime most plausibly deterred by bystanders, and is correlated with neighborhood walkability. We find a similar pattern of results for temporary restaurant closures due to health code violations. A likely common mechanism is that “eyes upon the street” deter some types of crime.

The findings are consistent with those of prior studies determining that dispensary operations are not associated with ‘spillover effects’ in local communities, such as increased teen marijuana use or an uptick in property crimes.

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