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Vegan Cannabis Fruit Snacks, Because Why Not?

Danielle Guercio
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Vegan Cannabis Fruit Snacks, Because Why Not?

As popular as gummies and fruit snacks are, sometimes people just don’t like the idea of animal sourced gelatin. Unfortunately, subbing that out is not always the same texture wise, but you can get pretty close. This is a recipe that tackles that desire for jiggly, sort-of-chewy bites of joy without the idea of suffering attached to it.

The vegan substitute for gelatin works really well for my intense need to have real fruit snacks, especially because I’m not too upset that it’s got less spring. Medicating anything fruity and poppable is the pretty much living the dream, and there’s no lack of flavor, so all in all this is a good choice no matter how much meat you eat (or don’t).

Vegetable Gelatin usually refers to agar agar. This is product made from a seaweed that has gelling properties and is often used in Southeast Asian desserts. It’s also a popular modernist ingredient. A powder should be easy to come by on Amazon or at an Asian market. Using this magic mystery powder with fruit juice and tincture makes a simple snack, perfect for micro dosing.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

Vegan Strawberry Fruit Snacks

Danielle Guercio, 2017
Makes 150 bites, 1mg THC per bite

  • 2 lbs Fresh strawberries, washed
  • ⅔ c Corn syrup (crucial for texture)
  • 2 Tbs Sugar
  • 1 Tbs Citric acid
  • 2 Tbs Agar agar powder
  • 1 oz Cannabis glycerin tincture *
Photos by Danielle Guercio

Break down the strawberries, removing stems and leaves and halving. Pile into a heavy bottomed pot. Sprinkle the sugar and citric acid over the strawberries and put aside for 20 minutes.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

Muddle until they are mostly squished, you will be doing this again later so perfection isn’t necessary. Add corn syrup and bring to a light simmer. Strain well for the best texture, and save the strawberry guts for another application. I’d suggest throwing them in a jar with some vinegar for a tasty shrub or salad dressing base.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

Put the resulting strawberry syrup back in the pan and bring to a boil once again. Add the agar agar powder and stir vigorously to dissolve the powder. Turn off the heat, and pour back into measuring cup which is much easier to pour. Let it cool slightly and then add the glycerin tincture and stir one final time.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

Pour into molds or a plastic lined anything to cool for at least 2 hours. If this is your first time, try not to use an overly complicated mold, these are on the softer side. You can add an extra tablespoon of agar agar to give it more body, but be wary as too much can add a grainy or crumbly texture to your finished product.

Remove from molds and chop into small pieces, storing in an airtight container. You can alternatively dehydrate your finished product for a fruit leather texture, but this takes time and it’s very delicious as is.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

*Cannabis Infused 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.

As with all edible cannabis, be aware of how you are dosing these out. Sometimes the tastiest treats get us into the most trouble. You can cut the actives in half if you want to be able to really munch carelessly. In these cases it’s helpful to split them up from the get go, portioning will be your friend. If you know one handful is a certain amount, you won’t overdo it by accident, you’ll be fully aware.

Photos: Danielle Guercio

Why Miley Cyrus Stopped Smoking Weed “For A Second”

Brendan Bures
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Why Miley Cyrus Stopped Smoking Weed “For A Second”

Miley Cyrus wasn’t known for doing anything quietly. Her whole schtick, in her Bangerz and Dead Petz era, seemed the expression to be loud and proud and to showcase being yourself in a demonstrative way was, in and of itself, a political act.

Though she served as a judge on NBC’s The Voice, Miley has receded largely from the spotlight. However, a new Billboard cover story illustrates what the artist has been up to. It delves into her new political stance of empathetic connection, falling for Liam Hemsworth again, and why she stopped smoking weed, among other substances.

Here is her reasoning, via Billboard:

“This is crazy,” she says with her ­signature raspy-voiced charm, “but I haven’t smoked weed in three weeks!” Cyrus—who’s sitting across from a lighted wall plaque that reads “It’s 4:20 Somewhere”—elaborates on why she decided to quit “for a second”: “I like to surround myself with people that make me want to get better, more evolved, open. And I was noticing, it’s not the people that are stoned. I want to be super clear and sharp, because I know exactly where I want to be.”

It seems an honest exploration of new themes in her life. Plus, everyone could use a break from the green every once in a while. As Miley said, she’s just taking a break “for a second.”

RELATED: Brad Pitt Reveals His Dream Marijuana Smoking Partners

She did explain that it would’ve been harder if someone else told her to quit, however. But because the inspiration came from within, it wasn’t too difficult.

Via Billboard:

[I]f anyone told me not to smoke, I would have not done it. It’s because it was on my time. I know exactly where I am right now. I know what I want this record to be.

The clarity has helped shape Miley’s music in a new folksy direction, intended to re-establish herself within the country scene her family hails from. Her new single, “Malibu,” will drop May 11.

Gossip: Caitlyn Jenner’s Best Friend Slams Kris Jenner; ‘Dance Moms’ Star Abby Lee Miller Sentenced To Prison

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Caitlyn Jenner’s Best Friend Slams Kris Jenner; ‘Dance Moms’ Star Abby Lee Miller Sentenced To Prison

“How is Caitlyn doing? I feel bad with Kris saying she didn’t know anything. I saw Caitlyn last week. We did an event together at the 92nd Street Y. It is of note that Kris’ moment of objection came in the premiere of her new show. I guess it was coincidence so you know I don’t know Kris all that well although we bought this beautiful dress together. We were in New Orleans together when I bought this beautiful dress.

She strikes me as very smart, but she’s also trying to figure out what this means and she’s going to have to find her peace the same way my spouse found her peace, the way people who love trans people. We all have to figure it out and it’s not easy.

So if she really takes issue with what’s in Caitlyn’s book, I’m sympathetic to that but it’s possible as we all know, in one marriage to have two different stories and so my guess is that both stories are true and I don’t want to disrespect Kris in any way but Caitlyn is my friend.”

‘Dance Moms’ Star Abby Lee Miller Sentenced to Prison in Fraud Case

Abby Lee Miller is headed to prison.

The former Dance Moms star was sentenced to one year and one day in prison earlier today by a Pittsburgh federal judge.

With the rarely low key Miller having hidden more than $755,000 in earnings from the Lifetime reality series from the courts, the nearly two-dozen charges of fraud and more from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Pittsburgh were made public in October 2015. The deeply detailed charges carried with them up to $5 million in fines and possibly five years in jail.

The ruling by Chief Judge Joy Flowers Conti this morning comes after the government laid out their final argument and Miller herself took the stand in her own defense.

Well, damn.

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

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Watch This Guy Eat The World’s Spiciest Curry And Live To Tell About It

Jillian Peterson
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Watch This Guy Eat The World’s Spiciest Curry And Live To Tell About It

Eating contests are often uncomfortable to watch, especially when the eater is in obvious pain.

YouTuber Strictly Dumpling went to Brick Lane Curry House in NYC to take a shot at their phaal, a dish described on the menu as “an excruciatingly hot curry, more pain and sweat than flavor.” What’s not to love? Clearly accustomed to people ordering the dish on a dare, the restaurant requires customers to state a verbal disclaimer to take full responsibility for their dumb decision.

Those who finish the dish get a free bottle of beer and their photo on the (p)hall of fame. Worth it? Not by the looks of this dude, who got punched in the face by Carolina Reaper peppers.

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MMA Fighter Nate Diaz ‘Banked Out’ In The Cannabis Industry After UFC 202 Vaping Incident

Brendan Bures
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MMA Fighter Nate Diaz ‘Banked Out’ In The Cannabis Industry After UFC 202 Vaping Incident

Nate Diaz started a serious discussion of cannabis use in the UCF last year following a bout with Connor McGregor at UCF 202. Shortly after his decision loss to McGregor, Diaz was speaking with the media and openly puffed from what appeared to be a vape pen. When asked by reporters what was in his vaporizer, he responded cannabinoid oil, explaining it “helps with the healing process and inflammation, stuff like that. So you want to get these for before and after the fights, training. It’ll make your life a better place.”

The incident earned Diaz a slap on the wrist from the USADA, the UFC’s anti-doping partner. It also earned Diaz some lucrative opportunities, as he discussed with Ariel Helwani on a special edition of The MMA Hour this past Wednesday.

“It don’t matter,” Diaz said. “I banked out in the cannabis industry from it. … It was a good move and it was organic.”

CBD, as you probably know, is still cannabis. Though it doesn’t contain any of the psychoactive elements of THC, CBD is from the cannabis plant. The USADA prohibits anything with cannabidiol metabolites in competition. At the time, that competition window extended for six hour after the fight. Diaz was speaking with media just two hours after the fight, but thought the competition window ended after he submitted to a post-fight drug test sample collection.

Starting April 1, that has in fact changed. The USADA now qualifies the competition window to that post-fight sample collection, which, if not done within a reasonable time, ends one hour after the competition. It stands to reason Diaz’s case was a major influencer on the recent change, which isn’t lost on the fighter.

“Yeah, they changed it,” Diaz said. “Compliments of your boy here. … Now we could do our thing. I’ve been a game changer. We just ain’t get no credit for it.”

Now Nate Diaz and his brother Nick have been open cannabis users for years. Here’s a video of them smoking a $2,000 UFC-shaped glove blunt. Nick Diaz was suspended for five years by the Nevada commission for his cannabis usage, though it was later reduced to just 18 months. The brothers also spent 420 smoking with Wu Tang Clan.

Even though Nate Diaz hasn’t fought since August, he claims that he’s still been making money. And that money seems to be coming from the cannabis industry.

“They tried to give me the cold shoulder and hide me out and let me die off,” Diaz said, referencing the UFC. “But it’s all good because I’m not gonna die off. I’m still right here in the game. I’m still training harder than anybody. I still got people calling. The fuckin’ cannabis industry is fucking blowing money out of their mind over here.”

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The People In Charge of Medical Marijuana Licensing In NYC Probably Have No Idea What They’re Talking About 

Sam Jones
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The People In Charge of Medical Marijuana Licensing In NYC Probably Have No Idea What They’re Talking About 

After waiting two years for substantial response to a request filed with the Freedom of Information Act to disclose the names of panelists assigned to lead the state’s medical marijuana program, the New York Times finally received the details. What they found was surprising: Most of the panelists have “little or no prior professional experience in medical marijuana,” they report.

According to the New York Times:

They included a number of Health Department scientists as well as three architects, an accountant and an auditor. They were chosen for their specialties — including chemistry, internal medicine, and pharmaceutical drugs, according to the department — to create a “multidisciplinary team.”

The state’s program has been criticized for a cumbersome and often opaque roll-out, in part because of restrictions placed on the drug’s medical use — for example, it cannot be smoked and must be used in forms like tinctures and oils. Critics have also faulted the state for seemingly opting to create a model from scratch, despite more than 20 other states having medical marijuana programs, an assertion that the Health Department disputes, saying its panel — despite its lack of expertise in the field — drew from other states’ experiences.

The rollout of medical marijuana in New York has been rocky, with patients feeling that their needs aren’t being met in a stable way. A spokesperson for the Health Department told the New York Times that the panelists “were carefully selected for their expertise in specific disciplines” and called the process of ranking applicants “extensive, thorough and entirely transparent.”

Federal Health Agency Admits Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Opioid Problems

Mike Adams
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Federal Health Agency Admits Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Opioid Problems

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration may soon be forced to admit that the cannabis plant does, in fact, have therapeutic properties – that is, if federal health agencies continue to admit that medical marijuana laws seem to be taming the nationwide opioid problems.

It was recently revealed that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) updated its webpage on marijuana, specifically detailing its uncanny ability to lower the use of prescription opioids in states where it is legal.

When mentioning two government-funded studies, the agency said, “Medical marijuana products may have a role in reducing the use of opioids needed to control pain.”

The federal government has maintained for decades that marijuana belongs in a Schedule I listing because it has no known medicinal benefit. This classification has hindered research, making it difficult for science to truly get a grip on the powers of this plant.

However, pointing to the first study, NIDA said it “found an association between medical marijuana legalization and a reduction in overdose deaths from opioid pain relievers.” It went on to explain that this phenomenon has “strengthened in each year following the implementation of legislation.”

These findings suggest that cannabis is effective enough in the treatment of pain conditions for some patients to use it as a replacement for dangerous prescription drugs. And from the way it sounds, more are making the switch every year.

In the second study, the agency said it has come to find “that legally protected access to medical marijuana dispensaries is associated with lower levels of opioid prescribing, lower self-report of nonmedical prescription opioid use, lower treatment admissions for prescription opioid use disorders, and reduction in prescription opioid overdose deaths.”

The study went on to clarify that “the reduction in deaths was present only in states with dispensaries (not just medical marijuana laws) and was greater in states with active dispensaries.”

Overall, it seems that Uncle Sam is finally starting to understand how marijuana could be more of a benefit to civil society if it were allowed to completely emerge from the underground.

The only problem is the pharmaceutical industry will likely do everything in its power to prevent medical marijuana from sabotaging its multi-billion dollar pain pill sector. Some of the latest reports show that opioid medications could represent an $18 billion market by 2021.

Although NIDA admits that more research is needed before it truly has an understanding of marijuana’s impact on opioid-related problems, the agency is apparently backing additional studies that could eventually be used to inspire governing forces to support nationwide legalization. As it stands, the information published by health agencies, like NIDA, is what many federal lawmakers reference when discussing the marijuana issue on Capitol Hill. The more science shows that cannabis does in fact have medicinal properties; the harder it will be for Congress to maintain prohibition.

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Gossip: Kendall Jenner’s Vogue India Cover Caused Even More Backlash; Statement From ‘The National Enquirer’ Responding To Richard Simmons

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Kendall Jenner’s Vogue India Cover Caused Even More Backlash; Statement From ‘The National Enquirer’ Responding To Richard Simmons

Vogue India’s latest cover girl is a bit off-brand. The magazine chose American supermodel Kendall Jenner as the face of its 10th anniversary issue, prompting a number of readers to vent their disappointment.

“Vogue “India,” celebrating its 10th anniversary in “India,” in a historic Indian palace…featuring an American model …..is it just me or did @vogueindia failed to see the irony in that…” one reader commented on Instagram. Other commenters accused the magazine of “terrible marketing” and called out an alleged “hunger to become more westernized.” They also suggested alternative cover models such as Indian actresses Priyanka Chopra or Deepika Padukone.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, the spread was shot by in Jaipur, India, and also features Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Famed photographer Mario Testino took the pictures.

Vogue India has not addressed the social media uproar. Jenner has yet to post a photo of her Vogue India cover — another issue readers are criticizing.

Statement From ‘The National Enquirer’ Responding To Richard Simmons

STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER:

For decades, Richard Simmons has used his outrageous behavior to build his brand and his bank account.

For Mr. Simmons to claim that his privacy has been invaded is hypocritical when his entire livelihood is based upon the public consumption of his image.

To wit, Mr. Simmons signed a lucrative merchandising deal with a major branding company in April to handle licensing of his name and likeness.

At the same time, he protests that he is entitled to privacy and therefore should not be subjected to scrutiny of the media, which has raised reasonable questions about his health and whereabouts since he disappeared from the public eye almost four years ago.

This is a legitimate news story that demands coverage. It is the business of The National ENQUIRER — and has been for the past 90 years — to report on what goes on behind the closed doors of Hollywood.

Moreover, Mr. Simmons is raising a false equivalency in suggesting that The ENQUIRER’s coverage of gender identity somehow implies that the publication has a stance or position on this. We do not.

Indeed, it is ironic that Mr. Simmons claims to be an avid supporter of the LGBTQ community while at the same time alleges that he was defamed by The ENQUIRER report that he had transitioned into a female.

At the end of the day, how Mr. Simmons lives his life is news and of interest to our readers.
Our story was based on credible sources who were in Mr. Simmons’ inner circle. The photos provided to The ENQUIRER are real — and speak for themselves.

We stand by our reporting about Mr. Simmons, and intend to vigorously defend this lawsuit and win public vindication of our reports.

We will also aggressively pursue our ongoing investigation into his life and who is really behind this bizarre and meritless lawsuit.

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

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Wait Until You Hear The Totally Outrageous Thing Chris Christie Said About Marijuana 

Sam Jones
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Wait Until You Hear The Totally Outrageous Thing Chris Christie Said About Marijuana 

Governor of New Jersey and notorious legal weed grouch Chris Christie continues to resist the marijuana industry’s progress, and seems determined to say more and more outrageous things about it along the way.

His comments came at the end of a speech at a conference on substance abuse hosted by the New Jersey Hospital Association in Princeton, according to Politico. The political news outlet reports that Christie said:

“They want that blood money? Let them do it. And they will. Let me tell you something — this will be like priority number one come January. I guarantee you, if we have a Democratic governor, it will be priority number one… Then why not legalize heroin? I mean, their argument fails just on that basis. Let’s legalize cocaine. Let’s legalize heroin. Let’s legalize angel dust. Let’s legalize all of it. What’s the difference? Let everybody choose.”

The “crazy liberals,” the Republican governor said, are willing to “poison our kids” for the tax revenue. “How ironic would it be if these dopes actually legalize marijuana and take the $300 million they say it’s going to raise and put it toward drug treatment. Talk about chasing your tail,” he said.

New Jersey recently enacted a bill for strict crackdowns on Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin prescriptions—which is a good step—but the state’s death rate from opioid abuse is more than double the rest of the country. That’s a lot of people in need of addiction treatment, and cannabis has been showing potential as a useful treatment for opioid recovery. If Christie cares about his constituents, he’ll do less lambasting about politics, and more reading up on the research that could help them.

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Science: Hotel Sex Is The Hottest Sex Of All And Now We Know Why

Maria Loreto
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Science: Hotel Sex Is The Hottest Sex Of All And Now We Know Why

The idea of hot hotel sex makes couples want to book rooms on special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays. They believe that a change in scenery can provide an escape from normalcy and will work wonders for their sex life. Now this belief is backed up by research.

For starters, couples tend to get inspired when they’re at hotels. They like to dress up, drink alcohol, listen to music, and eat chocolates, all of which affects directly on the amount of dopamine their bodies produce, making them happier and more relaxed than usual. The fact that they’re in a new place is also a dopamine booster, which is a little crazy but we’ll go along with it.

Checking into a hotel also triggers a feeling in couples as if they were going on a vacation, even if they’re just booking one night on an crappy hotel located in the town they’ve always lived at. This mini vacay makes couples forget a little about their responsibilities, their jobs and kids, giving them a feeling of escape and relaxation, prompting them to make the most out of the moment.

Obviously, the fancier the hotel the better. A beautiful lobby, clean sheets, a stocked up mini bar and some room service can truly do miracles for every couple in the world.

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