You know marijuana is mainstream when an award-winning ad agency with a client list that boasts brand such as Disney, Nestles, AT&T and Volkswagen creates a TV commercial for a cannabis brand. And the ground-breaking ad is being broadcast in several major California markets.
Eureka Vapor, purveyors of portable vaporizers and cannabis concentrates, teamed up with Innovation Agency, whose work has been sought out by many Fortune 500 companies, to create a campaign dubbed “Discover Eureka.” According to the cannabis company, the ad campaign helps “spread the message of inclusion and acceptance throughout all the communities it serves.”
Since most television stations do not accept cannabis advertising, the agency helped mitigate the challenge by coming up with a concept that promotes the brand without ever showing the actual product.
“We wanted to create a commercial that captures the essence of the brand,” said Randall Huft, president and creative director of Innovation Agency. “Eureka stands for inclusion, acceptance and love. They want to promote mutual respect and understanding, and the discovery of the beauty and individuality of each human.”
Californians voted overwhelmingly in favor of adult recreational marijuana last November.
More than once I’ve had to excuse myself from the table while eating Szechuan specialties to get some air outside. The extreme endorphin spike of wolfing an oval plate heaped high with spicy, tingly, stimulating morsels is sometimes too much to bear, in a good way. The feeling of Szechuan peppercorns, which aren’t technically a pepper, creates lightning on your tongue, and the feeling is addictive: That’s one of the reasons we love this Ma Po tofu.
Though it’s used in many delicious dishes, Ma Po Tofu is probably the most satisfying, and it’s easy to adapt to any diner, from meat eaters to vegans and with a few tweaks, you can even make it gluten free. The raw intensity of this plate is 90% of the fun, but if you’re new to cooking with this type of spice, you can start with half the amount. It’s really easy to add some extra tingle at the end with some infused oil.
The magic of Ma Po is also in its slurpable silken tofu bites. Tofu can sink or swim to many people, but when you taste is as it should be tasted, floating in a hot, oily, gingery gravy, you’ll get it if you haven’t before.
Photos by Maria Penaloza
Ma Po Tofu
Adapted from China Sichuan Food .com
Serves 4, 14mg of THC per serving estimated
1 package silken tofu
1 cup ground beef or veggie beef crumbles, or leave out for GF
Cut tofu in small cubes and blanch for one minute in salted water, use a colander to avoid breaking up the cubes. Handle gently, it will be very delicate. A rice paddle is great for scooping up tofu chunks. Stir water and cornstarch together and put aside.
Photos by Maria Penaloza
Toast peppercorns, chili peppers, and pepper flakes in a dry pan until fragrant. Grind in a mortar and pestle until powdered. Heat hot sesame oil in the pan and add garlic, ginger, and half of the scallions. Add the beef and cook until browned. Stir in pastes, half of the spice mixture, veggie fat and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Photos by Maria Penaloza
Slip in the tofu cubes and stir well to incorporate. Simmer mixture for another 5 minutes, stir in cornstarch mixture and simmer 1-2 more minutes until thickened. Serve spooned over white rice, garnish with remaining spice powder and scallions and lightly chopped cilantro. Inhale.
Photos by Maria Penaloza
I can already hear people worried about the heat/spice levels in my head, but I assure you, with this type of food, adventure is key. This is already adjusted by half! What may initially feel like an assault on your tastebuds becomes a symphony after a few bites to temper the waters. It would really be a tragedy to not experience the wonder and glory that is MaPo Tofu covered in cilantro and scallions or garlic greens.
On Tuesday morning’s “Live with Kelly” show, Caitlyn Jenner was a guest — and possibly one of the rudest ever – and now she is NOT WELCOME BACK.
“Kelly has banned her. She was rude and aggressive and Kelly doesn’t want her on again,” sources tell Naughty Gossip. “It all started backstage when Caitlyn demanded to meet with Kelly before the show. Then while they are on the air live Caitlyn continuously kept cutting off Kelly Ripa and guest co-host, John Leguizamo. She even asked Kelly when she first identified as a female. What is her problem?”
“Just think about that,” she said, pointing her manicured finger at Ripa. “When did you know you were a girl?”
Jenner then made Leguizamo her target, asking him how he enjoyed dressing in drag in the 1995 comedy, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.”
Jenner played both guest and interviewer throughout the show.
“I’m actually very excited to be here,” Jenner said. “Why? Because today, the 25th of April . . . my book comes out and I don’t have a secret left in my life.”
Later on in her interview, Jenner interrupted the hosts again to let them know she had been snubbed in the past — and wasn’t happy about it.
“I have been around for 40 years, from the old ‘Regis and Kathie Lee’ — Kathie Lee’s [Gifford] the godmother to some of my children — and all this kind of stuff. I’ve watched your show for years, I’ve seen you go through all this stuff, and I’ve never been asked to co-host,” she complained.
Lisa Rinna Taking Over For The Kardashians
With ratings of “The Kardashians” continuing to drop, E! is looking for a replacement family and think they have found it in Lisa Rinna.
“Lisa Rinna’s family comes with all the excitement and drama and laughter of The Kardashians but without all the darkness. She is married to a sexy movie star, Harry Hamlin, and together they have two beautiful daughters, Delilah Belle Hamlin and Amelia Gray Hamlin. You will notice that Lisa has been promoting her kids a lot on social media as they get ready to replace Kim,” sources tell
Straight Shuter. “Lisa is ready for the challenge and hopes to bring the fun back to E!”
Colorado is continuing to set record marijuana sales — $235 million for the first two months of 2017, up 30 percent from the same period in 2016 — and one shocking theory is emerging as to why retail figures are so robust: Donald J. Trump.
According to Marijuana Business Daily, which tracks industry trends, suggests that the Trump administration’s negative comments regarding legalization and regulation may be one factor behind the soaring growth. Reporter Eli McVey writes:
Considering the Trump administration’s relatively unfriendly stance toward recreational marijuana, it’s conceivable that more out-of-state visitors are visiting Colorado to stock up on product that may no longer be available in the coming months.
This phenomenon has been on full display in the firearms industry. Gun sales spiked during the Obama administration when many believed their Second Amendment rights were being threatened. But since president Trump took office and the perceived threat has subsided, firearm sales have sharply declined.
The interesting, but hard-to-prove theory is worth considering. Neighboring states, many of which are at odds with Colorado on regulating cannabis, have let the federal government know about its dissatisfaction with marijuana illegally being driven back into their states. Cannabis consumers in those states may, indeed, be looking to stockpile their stash before possible action by a federal agency.
Just last week, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said this about the issue:
“Let me be clear about marijuana. It is a potentially dangerous gateway drug that frequently leads to the use of harder drugs. Its use and possession is against federal law and until the law is changed by the United States Congress, we in DHS, along with the rest of the federal government, are sworn to uphold all the laws that are on the books.”
The Marijuana Business Daily reports that Colorado sales of recreational marijuana in January were 38 percent higher compared to January 2016. In February 2017 recreational sales soared 48 percent above those the previous year.
Despite being a short month, February 2017 ranks as the second-highest monthly total for recreational marijuana sales in state history, just shy of the $88.2 million sold last September.
These historic highs are happening even as the price of cannabis is declining. According to the report, the state’s wholesale marijuana prices in mid-January 2017 were down 33 percent compared to mid-January 2016.
In 2015, Colorado’s total cannabis sales was just short of $1 billion. In 2016, the state’s legal retailers sold $1.3 billion. This year, the state is on pace to easily break that record.
What genre hasn’t Netflix swallowed in its quest to control all streaming media? It seems the answer is none, as Netflix recently announced they are dipping their toes in the stoner comedy variety with Disjointed starring Kathy Bates.
The show was co-created by Two and Half Men producer Chuck Lorre and former head writer of The Daily Show David Javerbaum.
Disjointed is a workplace comedy starring Kathy Bates as a lifelong advocate for legalization who’s finally living her dream as the owner of an L.A.–area cannabis dispensary. Joining her are three budtenders, her twenty-something son and a deeply troubled security guard. All of them are more or less constantly high.
Deadline described the show back in January of last year as “the most anticipated comedy spec script this winter,” so expectations are reasonably high regarding the Bates vehicle. The 20-episode season won’t be available until August 25, but you could see we have our eyes on this one.
If it hasn’t been established already, let us reiterate: We are not here to narc on how you spend your free time, including your grocery shopping trips, or how you acquire your lunch. But this is starting to get out of hand.
Someone in Sacramento shipped ten pounds of weed to a pastor in the Philadelphia suburbs. Was this a very unfortunate accident, or a really wasteful prank? Honestly, who is shipping weed hundreds of miles across the country by UPS, anyway?
According to Fox 29 reporting from Yeadon, Pennsylvania, the marijuana came by UPS and arrived on the “tree-lined doorstep of an unsuspecting Yeadon homeowner last week.”
She opened the boxed and was greeted by ten pounds of high-grade weed wrapped in plastic, stuffed in a plastic bucket, packaged in a cardboard box.
Police confiscated the weed, and the pastor is quite shaken from her surprise delivery. “She is very upset and traumatized and she feels this person or persons who were going to pick this package up might come back,” said Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux.
So many people messed up for this to happen. The person whose idea it was to send weed to Pennsylvania illegally. That person’s connection, who was supposed to pick it up. The pastor who turned it in to the police instead of chilling out. Please, someone turn this into a plot for the next Seth Rogan film.
Your first time smoking marijuana will probably result in a memorable experience. Please document it so the rest of us can watch, like this video of three Irish mums smoking in Amsterdam. Your first time smoking marijuana will probably result in a memorable experience. Watching these Irish moms smoke marijuana is the best thing ever.
Though we’ve brought you videos of a grandma smoking with her grandson and a rabbi, priest, and atheist smoke together, this mixture of motherhood stands out as the funniest and giggliest of amateur smokers. At one point, one mom worries she’s fallen asleep and ask around to make sure she hasn’t.
They played a game of Fuck, Marry, Kill with members of One Direction and answered some Would You Rather questions, including “Would you rather have penises for fingers or vaginas for ears?” One mom hilariously shoots down the question, calling it “dumb,” and we couldn’t agree more.
Near video’s end, the moms all agree that cannabis is a great answer, if someone is suffering from chronic pain or cancer. It just goes to show you that as people receive more education and awareness around the plant, marijuana isn’t worthy of the stigma it carries.
“They just do not want KANYE around. He is no fun and would ruin the entire trip. Everyone agreed it was better than Kanye stay at home and let the girls have fun without him,” sources tell Naughty Gossip. “Kanye isn’t upset. He hates hanging out when Kim is with her family. he finds them annoying.”
The reality star, 36, is helping older sister Kourtney celebrate her 38th birthday with a fun-filled vacation.
Turning her $12 million mansion into somewhat of a farmhouse, the 19-year-old recently introduced a new flock of feathery friends — including one named Eddie — to her followers on Snapchat. In a series of videos, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star was seen feeding a white chicken before cooing, “I love you, Eddie!”
The cannabis industry is moving at breakneck speed in 2017 — and this week’s O’Cannabiz Conference & Expo in Toronto is more proof that the United States’ northern neighbors mean business. Serious business wrapped in a giant marijuana expo.
In 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau campaigned on the promise that he would legalize recreational marijuana. Earlier this month, the Liberal federal government unveiled the roadmap to the plan which is scheduled to go into effect by July 2018.
The O’Cannabiz conference took advantage of the national momentum and put on a three-day event showcasing the progress the industry has made thus far — and demonstrating the massive potential of the industry as a economic engine for Canada.
The organizers of the first-time cannabis business conference, held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, positioned the event as an international meeting that would share knowledge, research and business concepts.
The expo also attracted cannabis-friendly celebrities such as singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, Canadian Olympic snowboarding gold-medalist Ross Rebagliati and NBA legend Rick Barry.
One of the highlights of the conference was an industry overview presented by Dooma Wendschuh, co-founder and CEO of Province, a Toronto-based startup in Canada’s legal cannabis industry. Wendschuh, who has been part of the nascent industry since 2013, shared his experiences and battle scars.
NewLeaf TV and The Fresh Toast were there in Toronto for the weekend cannabis extravaganza and filed this video report:
On Saturday night, Philadelphia police conducted a raid of a “smokeasy” party in a warehouse in the city’s East Frankfort neighborhood. The police action netted 22 arrests, 50 pounds of marijuana, about 100 pounds of cannabis-infused edibles, $50,000 in cash and four handguns.
Police also said 175 people attending the event were released without charges.
On Monday, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney suggested a way to avoid this type of raid in the future:
“The real solution to this is legalizing it in the state of Pennsylvania as they did in Colorado. We won’t have to use police resources in these kinds of activities and actions.”
Kenney was not excusing the illegality of the large “Philly Smoke Session” — nor was he happy about the copious amount of cannabis found during the raid.
“It’s clearly illegal to sell in those quantities.” But, he added, there must be “another way” to go about resolving the matter, “as opposed to the amount of resources that were put into this, especially considering our ongoing relationship with that community.”
The massive party had been planned for months and the organizers were not keeping it a secret. City officials and law enforcement agencies were aware that the event would be happening.
“I don’t micromanage the police department and they didn’t tell us they were doing it. Apparently they spent two months of planning. So, I don’t know whether that could’ve been used for a better effort but still, how [the party organizers] set up in a very dangerous building, with the large amount [of marijuana] they had ,called for attention, I guess. And that’s what happened,” Kenney said. “I just think the amount of resources that were put into it may have been a little overkill.”
