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Colorado Agency Teams Up With Lyft To Promote Driving Safety on 4/20

Driving while impaired whether it’s alcohol, cannabis or any other intoxicating substance is a big no-no. Obviously.

On this April 20 — the unofficial international holiday for marijuana lovers — the Colorado Department of Transportation and riding sharing company Lyft will be offering free and discounted rides all week. But instead of merely giving away coupons, potential passengers will have to do a little work in exchange for the ride.

Photo via CDOT

According to a CDOT press release, miniature “Mile 420” signs will be hidden at major marijuana-related events, each with a promo code that can redeem $42 worth of ride credit. The “Mile 420” hunt is part of the agency’s Drive High, Get a DUI campaign to reduce the number of drug-related DUIs, traffic crashes and fatalities.

In addition to the 420 mile markers, CDOT and Lyft will have street teams at 420 events to educate about safe rides. CDOT will also display a giant, 3D candy bar display, created to highlight the dangers of driving after consuming edibles—which can take up to two hours to affect the user.

The giant chocolate edible is designed to look like a crashed car, and measures 14 feet long and 4 feet high. On the front, the safety message is “Plan a Ride Before You Bite It.” On the back, where nutrition facts would typically be found, are statistics on the dangers of driving high—including that 55 percent of marijuana users believe it is safe to drive under the influence of marijuana.

While intoxicated driving is a serious issue, the CDOT decided the best way to educate motorists is with this public campaign.


Interestingly enough, the Colorado State Patrol on Monday, issued a reported showing that the number of citations for driving while under the influence of marijuana dropped by 33 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the same period last year.

From January to March of 2017, 155 people were cited for marijuana-use-only impairment while driving, compared to 232 cited from January to March of 2016. The number of citations noting combined alcohol and marijuana use also dipped. There were 50 such citations in 2017 compared with 69 in the first three months of 2016.

“This is a big week for cannabis users in Colorado, and we want to make sure everyone plans ahead and stays safe,” said CDOT Safety Communications Manager Sam Cole. “The bottom line is that driving high is dangerous and illegal, and any amount of impairment puts you at risk for a DUI.”

Photo via CDOT

In March, CDOT and Lyft launched the 320 Movement, a proactive program that aims to change the way people think about driving high—to always plan a safe, sober ride, just as they would when drinking. On March 20, Lyft unleashed a fleet of 17 vehicles wrapped with green “Plan a ride before you’re high” messaging across metro Denver.

“We know that Lyft passengers are great about planning ahead when it comes to alcohol consumption, with almost 90 percent of Lyft users recently surveyed saying that they use the service to avoid driving under the influence,” said Gabe Cohen, Denver general manager for Lyft. “Lyft is proud to join with CDOT in promoting this same, safety-first message when it comes to cannabis consumption.”

In response to the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado, CDOT launched Drive High, Get a DUI in 2014—a public outreach and education campaign to raise awareness about the dangers and laws surrounding driving while under the influence of cannabis. For more information, visit the CDOT website.


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7 Smoking Hot Marijuana Gift Ideas For 4/20 and Beyond

No, but really — how does a person have have better sex or a better relationship? The Fresh Toast has enlisted Rachel Krantz, a sex writer and proud canna-enthusiast, to help readers out with some answers as its sex columnist. No question is off limits, and all questions will remain anonymous. Please send your sex and relationship inquiries to freshlove@thefreshtoast.com. Now, onto this week’s topic: gift ideas for 4/20


Q: I know this is a little late and 4/20 is coming up so fast, but I want to get my special lady a little something special for it. Any recommendations? It would also be cool if you know of any cool events happening for 420 (we’re in LA).

A: Hey there to a fellow LA cannabis enthusiast who loves excuses to give romantic gifts! I have plenty of suggestions for your girlfriend that I know I would love to be on the receiving end of. Here are my suggestions for some 420 gift ideas — hey, it’s as good a holiday as any to use as an excuse to buy presents!

1. A Cannabis Pairing Dinner

Celebrate 420 in style by taking your boo to a fancy and legal cannabis pairing dinner. If you’re based in LA, say hi to me at High Standards’ Lifted & Gifted Cannabis tasting and dinner party. The 3-course cannabis tasting will be paired with the 3-course meal (I’m told vegan options will be available, fyi), as you might pair wine and food. Having been to a party like this before, I can tell you it’s a lot of fun to be in a room where everyone is stoned instead of drunk, and you’re almost certain to appreciate the fine dining and company. Also in LA, the Dandelion Collective and Cannabis Feminist are also hosting a 420 Eve party the night before, where you can countdown to the holiest of stoner holidays as if it were New Year’s Eve.

Either way, if you’re lucky enough to live in a state where it’s legal, chances are you can Google some sort of fun party event happening in your area in celebration of 4/20. Experiences make the best gifts, every time. Which brings me to…

2. A Romantic Stay At A Bud & Breakfast

Take your girlfriend to a Bud & Breakfast for a romantic evening slightly out of town. Where it’s legal, some locations even provide cannabis samples for guests, so you won’t even need to worry about taking some bud with. Often cheaper than Air B&B, but just as nice and twice the hospitality, you’ll definitely want to check out their listings whenever you book travel. I went to Portland last week and stayed at this one — and not only was it beautiful and clean, but I was welcomed by two pre-rolled spliffs. Now that’s how you celebrate 420.

3. A Sexy Subscription Service

https://twitter.com/whatsinyourbox_/status/847930269684432898

Give a sexy gift that keeps on giving with What’s In Your Box, a monthly subscription service aimed at giving women something new and sexy to look forward to each month. With a retail value of $50-75 a box, it’s only $15 a month for a 3-month subscription, or $17.50 for a one-time box, which include goodies like vibrators, body-safe lube, condoms, obscene balloons, and lots more surprises. Surprise her with one, get lit, and check out my guide to having sex stoned.

4. Some Luxury Cannabis

If you really want to celebrate in style, why not get her some top-shelf bud designed specifically around her preferences? The cultivator CANNDESCENT has several different strains with different THC/CBD ratios — and clear goals in mind. There are strains like “Create,” which is ideal for brainstorming and making art, and “Connect,” which is designed to be ideal for sexy-times and socializing — and several other specific goal/feelings-based strains. I like this approach because it’s simple and allows you to better tailor your strain to your ideal cannabis experience.

5. Mind-Blowing Orgasms

Anyone who reads this column knows I love the LELO LILY 2 and NEA 2 most for their ability to be used so easily during penetrative sex — and their reliability for solo play. I feel for 420, however, I have to also give some love to the INA Wave, which mimics that come-hither motion to get at both your G-spot and your clit at once, giving you an intensely heightened vibrator experience. This 420, give yourselves both a show by lighting up and playing with this as she comes and comes.

6. Cannabis Lube

Lube is essential to ideal sexy times for most people no matter what, but when you’re parched from 420, especially so. Why not combine pleasures with Foria’s cannabis lube? They are running a 420 sale, so if you order now, you can get what is normally a $114 bottle for $76. I haven’t tried it yet (sad, I know), but my friends have, and I know I’d love to be on the receiving end of that gift, which is why I’m recommending it.

7.  A Stylish New Piece

If your lady is in the market for a new bubbler, the Jane West X Grave Bubbler is truly one of the prettiest ones out there. If you’re looking to make sure she protects those lungs and she likes concentrates, I’d suggest the Elite KandyPen for a portable and stylish pen that works like woah. If she’s strictly into flowers but wants to try vaping, I like The DAVINCI IQ Vaporizer best out of the many I’ve tested. And trust me, that says something.

Happy 420!

Study: Medical Marijuana Could Save Medicaid $1 Billion

If Congress were to legalize medical marijuana nationwide for medicinal purposes, it could save the Medicaid program $1 billion in prescription drug costs, according to new study published in Health Affairs.


Researchers say that after examining a number of jurisdictions to determine whether medical marijuana laws were having an affect on the sale of prescription drugs, it became clear that the federal government could save the program a substantial amount of money by simply giving the entire nation access to cannabis medicine.

In states with medical marijuana laws on the books, researchers found that Medicaid saved in upwards of $475.8 million in 2014. This means state medical marijuana programs replaced around 2 percent of Medicaid’s $23.9 billion in annual prescription expenditures.

Considering the impact, the study suggests that Medicare could have easily saved $1 billion during that time.

Researchers believe more folks all across the United States are starting to see marijuana as a reputable medication.

“Our findings suggest that patients and physicians in the community are reacting to the availability of medical marijuana as if it were medicine,” the study authors wrote in their analysis.


A similar study published last year found that Medicare prescriptions were dropping in states where medical marijuana was available. Researchers said that patients suffering from conditions like chronic pain, anxiety and depression appeared to be gravitating toward cannabis treatments rather than continuing to lean on prescription pills. In fact, the only medications that medical marijuana program didn’t seem to impact were those drugs designed for conditions for which marijuana is not a viable substitute.

Nevertheless, the federal government, specifically the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, refuses to consider that the cannabis plant has any medicinal benefit at all. The herb is classified a Schedule I dangerous drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which suggests that is has no known medicinal value and a high potential for abuse.

However, the authors of the latest study believe their “work adds to the literature that shows the potential clinical benefits of marijuana.”


But U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a man who appears to be formulating an attack on legal marijuana, thinks that all of this medical marijuana business has been largely exaggerated.

“I think medical marijuana has been hyped, maybe too much,” he said last month. “Dosages can be constructed in a way that might be beneficial, I acknowledge that, but if you smoke marijuana, for example, where you have no idea how much THC you’re getting, it’s probably not a good way to administer a medicinal amount. So forgive me if I’m a bit dubious about that.”

Twenty-nine states have legalized medical marijuana, according to national cannabis advocacy group the Marijuana Policy Project.


Gossip: When Is Prince Harry Getting Engaged; A-Rod Has Bigger Ego Than JLo

Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has shutdown her lifestyle blog as she prepares to become a princess – and next she will be giving up her acting career.

“Meghan is getting ready to say goodbye to her acting career after Prince Harry proposes to her some time this summer,” sources tell Straight Shuter. “If the choice is between being a princess living in a palace with a real life prince, or shooting a TV show– it’s easy to pick. Meghan has also been meeting with several royal insiders to help her transition into her new role. They want this marriage to be as happy as Prince William and Kate Middleton. Kate knew exactly what she was getting into and they want Meghan to know too.”

Insiders reveal that we should expect a royal proposal over the summer.

A-Rod Has Bigger Ego Than JLO

Jennifer Lopez better get used to being the second diva in the family now that she is dating A-Rod.

“A-Rod makes Jennifer look normal. He has more pictures of himself around his home than anyone else in Hollywood. He even has a portrait of himself as a centaur over his bed,” sources tell Straight Shuter. “Jennifer is known for her ‘extensive glam squad,’ and can take up to three hours getting her hair and makeup done. However, he takes longer in the bathroom mirror than she does. She has finally found her match.”

Can you just imagine how long it takes these two to get ready for a date?

WE LOVE YOU JLO!

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Harry Styles Explains Why He Wanted One Direction To Take A Break And Hints At Possible Reunion

Harry Styles admitted in a new interview with Cameron Crowe that he was the first person to suggest the boys of One Direction take a break. He also suggested plans of One Direction one day reuniting in the future.

I didn’t want to exhaust our fan base,” Styles told Crowe. “If you’re shortsighted, you can think, ‘Let’s just keep touring,’ but we all thought too much of the group than to let that happen. You realise you’re exhausted and you don’t want to drain people’s belief in you.”

One Direction took an official hiatus in August 2015, just five months after Zayn Malik had left the band in March of that year. Malik, in an interview with The Fader that same year, said of One Direction, “That’s not music that I would listen to.”

When asked about those comments, Styles said, “I think it’s a shame he felt that way, but I never wish anything but luck to anyone doing what they love. If you’re not enjoying something and need to do something else, you absolutely should do that.”

Styles also discussed his solo career and what spurned him into going this direction. “I wanted to step up,” he told Rolling Stone. “There were songs I wanted to write and record, and not just have it be ‘Here’s a demo I wrote.’ Every decision I’ve made since I was 16 was made in a democracy. I felt like it was time to make a decision about the future… and maybe I shouldn’t rely on others.”

Though Styles did mention that the One Direction era isn’t over forever. He told Rolling Stone that door isn’t yet closed.

“I love the band, and would never rule out anything in the future,” Styles said. “The band changed my life, gave me everything.”


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Fitness Pro-Tip: Should You Work Out On An Empty Stomach?

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Before heading out for that cardio workout, should you load up on a meal, or wait until after to indulge? And is working out first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, really as healthy as fueling up first?

In a new study, published in the American Journal of Physiology — Endocrinology and Metabolism, overweight male volunteers walked for 60 minutes at 60 percent maximum oxygen consumption (that’s fairly briskly) on an empty stomach and then in another workout, did the same activity two hours after consuming a high-calorie carbohydrate-rich breakfast.

The way their bodies used stored fat differed enough for scientists to conclude that working out on an empty stomach could actually be beneficial to one’s health.

As the researchers write:

These results reinforce the view that “adipose tissue often faces competing challenges,” Thompson wrote. After eating, adipose tissue “is busy responding to the meal and a bout of exercise at this time will not stimulate the same [beneficial] changes in adipose tissue. This means that exercise in a fasted state might provoke more favorable changes in adipose tissue, and this could be beneficial for health in the long term,” he noted.

So, next time you reach for that carbo-loading meal right before a workout, take into consideration that if fat loss is your goal, you could be better off loading up after getting sweaty, not before. It’s important to note that the study only looks at overweight males doing light cardio, and more research is needed for leave women, average or underweight people, and those doing weight training. Either way, always do what makes you feel your best.


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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Dressing Up As Pikachu Will Make Your Day

You might be wondering why Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would dress up in a giant Pikachu costume. It turns out the answer is surprisingly simple: Pikachu is his daughter’s Jasmine Johnson’s favorite Pokémon.

For Easter, The Rock dressed as Pikachu and gave his daughter the joy of hanging with her favorite yellow furball. Johnson let us into his daughter’s delightful afternoon thanks to an Instagram video post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS9aDMiFDcp/

“The first time Jasmine’s favorite character, Pikachu came to visit her months ago she was only crawling,” Johnson wrote in the caption. “For Easter Sunday [Lauren Hashian, Johnson’s wife] and I thought, Pikachu should make a special visit once again.”

He continued: “Well, Pikachu didn’t account for the fact that now Jazzy RUNS and for 2hrs straight she wants to play her new favorite game, ‘I run away and you chase me Pikachu. And you’re not allowed to take a break until I go night night.’ At the end of the vid you can hear her yell, ‘Peekyu’ because she can’t say, Pikachu.”

Well that’s adorable. And it’s also adorable Jasmine can buy her father as Pikachu when he looks like a malformed Pikachu giant. He’s closer to the Macy’s Day Parade balloon than the creature itself. Just look at those long—and yellow!—legs.

The Pokemon Twitter account even took notice of the Johnsons’ embrace of Pikachu.

Overall it’s a sweet gift from The Rock. And if there’s one thing we need more of in this world, it’s Pikachus.


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Here’s Why Marijuana And Wine Are Better Friends Than Competitors

When The New York Times wine critic writes a lengthy piece regarding the budding friendship between cannabis and wine, the times may be a-changin’. Eric Asimov wrote this week regarding the intersection between marijuana and wine, which is deeper and robust than you might suppose.

This comes in conjunction with a study stating that in states with legalized recreational cannabis—Colorado, Oregon, and Washington—beer sales have “collectively underperformed.” In other words, legal weed has, as Asimov wrote, led “some in the alcohol industry to regard it as a threat to their profit margin.

Via New York Times:

The fine wine industry, however, has not panicked. Despite occasional efforts to pit wine and weed against each other, many in the wine business exude an air of mellow acceptance that the two substances can coexist in harmony.

As Asimov pinpoints, there is an appreciation for cannabis that stems from a similar vein as wine seekers and craft beer enthusiasts. How certain weeds deliver a different type of high or how consuming it as an edible versus a vape could impact the experience or how all this can combine with food. And how, it could pair with wine, which will be just one topic of conversation at the upcoming Wine & Weed Symposium.

“People are trying to say there is a threat, but I really haven’t talked to any wine industry person yet who actually sees it that way,” said Tina Caputo, who will be a moderator at the first Wine & Weed Symposium. “We haven’t actually seen anybody who’s laying down their glass of wine to pick up a bong. There’s room in people’s lives for both.”

And it seems others are already paving the way for that pairing. Cultivating Spirits, a company in Colorado, offers, according to their website,  “a  gourmet 3-course fine dining experience, select fine wine and cannabis pairings, imported cheese, meats and chocolates with superior-quality Cannabis, and luxurious limo ride—all in one tour.”

In addition, there is the growing industry of cannabis-infused wines, like singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge’s No Label brand and CannaWine, which Asimov highlighted, “a Spanish wine that has been fermented with marijuana.”

As many people are already realizing, weed and wine don’t have to be enemies. They’re much better off as friends.

Here’s A Timeline That Explains How Beer Went From Brilliant Mistake To Hipsterific

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Everywhere you look, there’s a tap handle ready to pour you a nice tall pint of IPA. The rise in popularity of craft beer is astounding, but also, in some ways, predictable. Beer is one of the oldest beverages in human history. It dates back to roughly 5,000 B.C. One could say it’s essentially in our DNA.

And while beer may seem mysterious in some ways, it’s really just grain, water and yeast. Of course, there are many styles and flavors —  from blood orange to beer that’s been soaked in aromatic hops to whoknowswhat — but beer just is as simple as bread.

What happens if you dive into the mystery and origins of beer a little more? How did that tap handle ready to pour you that IPA actually get there? Time to explore!

The very first beer (5,000 B.C.)

Beer was made by mistake. Either someone left a bowl of primitive cereal out in water for a week that collected errant yeasts from the air or some farmer collecting grain in a field left a bag of it behind during a rainstorm. Either way the stuff fermented and beer – human existence’s best mistake – was created.

Ninkasi and China (3,000 B.C.)

For a long time, the first known historical reference to beer’s existence was the infamous Ninkasi poem, a nearly 4,000-year old Sumerian verse written in reverence to the goddess of beer. Recently, though, pottery with beer residue on it was unearthed in China, dating back more than 1,000 years before the Ninkasi poem.

Human civilization grows (1,000 B.C. – 1,000 A.D.)

More than anything else (with the exception of maybe bread), beer is credited with helping to establish modern civilization. Beer was a source of calories for workers, a source of clean water (because the stuff had to be brewed and fermented, dangerous microbes were killed off) and the stuff just made living more bearable with a nice buzz. Beer was a reason to stop and settle (near grain fields) and a propellant toward establishing commerce.

Women and monasteries (1,000 A.D. – 1800’s)

As the dark ages passed and civilization began to ramp up into modernity, beer was the purview of women and monasteries. In European towns, women ran the brew houses. Beer was brewed for family and friends and the extra was sold in taverns.

Outside of town, monks toiled over the perfect recipes, honoring the stuff as a way of honoring God. Monks were also the first to flavor beer with hops around 900 A.D.

Industrialization (1800’s)

The Industrial Revolution brought with it mass production of beer (Boo!). It was produced in large scale, shipped around the world and paved the way for giant modern beer companies.

Prohibition (1920’s)

What a dumb idea! Seriously, is there anyone who looks back and is like, “Wow, Prohibition. Those were the good ol’ days?” Of course not! But add this crappy fact to the Prohibition list: by closing all the little brew houses, the folks who made the beer had no money to start them up again when Prohibition ended.

This was the opening giant beer companies needed. And it’s no coincidence craft beer was all but destroyed.

Anheuser-Busch, Coors, Miller (1950’s)

While many of the giant beer companies were established in the late 19th century, the ending of Prohibition on Dec. 5, 1933, was the perfect time to pounce. With all of the local competition gone, Anheuser-Busch, Coors and Miller could swoop in, provide homogenous light beer to American workers, provide no real choice, and make all of the money.

President Jimmy Carter and Sierra Nevada (1980’s)

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the right for home brewers to make their own beer. Some 45 years of being beholden to the giant beer companies, private citizens could now legally experiment with different styles. In other words: party time! Two years later, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was founded on the power of their perfect Pale Ale, the basis of which is the Cascade hop. Sierra’s Pale Ale remains the standard.

Huge stats (2010’s)

In 2011, there were some 2,016 craft breweries in the United States, according to the Brewers Association. Just five quick years later and there are 5,234. That’s a half-decade increase of 3,218. Thanks, Jimmy Carter! Manifest Destiny, everybody!


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Gossip: Caitlyn Jenner Gets Candid About Her Sex Life With Kris Jenner; Fox Firing Bill O’Reilly

“We fall in love quickly (we marry after seven months),” Caitlyn, 67, writes in an excerpt published by People. “Since — let’s not kid ourselves — everyone wants to know, Kris and I have good and frequent sex at the beginning.”

Caitlyn, who underwent gender reassignment surgery in January, describes the sex as “imbued with love” but admits she wasn’t “entirely comfortable” with the act.

“I tell Kris about my gender issues before I make love to her. This will always be a subject of dispute between us,” Caitlyn laments. “She insists that she was taken by surprise by my ultimate transition to Caitlyn, which obviously means in her mind that she did know enough.”

Caitlyn also claims she had 36B-cup breasts, due to hormone therapy, when she met Kris in 1990.

As the years progressed, Caitlyn would steal makeup and clothing from her wife and daughters.

“I have bought makeup how-to books,” Caitlyn adds. “I keep the books, along with my meager collection of clothing, in a small closet with a lock in the back of my closet. Kris and I have negotiated this, since she is terrified, as I am, of the kids finding something.”

Fox News Has Decided To Fire Bill O’Reilly

New York Magazine reports:

The Murdochs have decided Bill O’Reilly’s 21-year run at Fox News will come to an end. According to sources briefed on the discussions, network executives are preparing to announce O’Reilly’s departure before he returns from an Italian vacation on April 24. Now the big questions are how the exit will look and who will replace him.

Wednesday morning, according to sources, executives are holding emergency meetings to discuss how they can sever the relationship with the country’s highest-rated cable-news host without causing collateral damage to the network. The board of Fox News’ parent company 21st Century Fox is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the matter.

RUMORS have already started that he will be joining the TRUMP White House. Trump has already said he supports Bill.

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