Sunday, December 21, 2025
Home Blog Page 1301

Massachusetts Budget Officials: Expect $100 Million a Year in Marijuana Taxes

Taylor Berman
-
0
Massachusetts Budget Officials: Expect $100 Million a Year in Marijuana Taxes

At the first hearing of the Legislature’s Joint (heh) Committee on Marijuana Policy in Boston, various politicians, state officials, and members of the public discussed how to best institute the Massachusetts’ new marijuana laws. Among other things pointed out, the state Department of Revenue revealed that legalized marijuana in the state will generate roughly $65 million in taxes in year one and about $130 million in the second year.

The Boston Globe reports that the law puts a a 3.75 percent tax on retail sales with a local tax option of two percent on all marijuana purchases in addition to the standard 6.25 percent state sales tax. In other words, at it’s maximum cannabis would be taxed at a rate of 12 percent.

 

The Globe notes that taxes are even higher in the seven other states where recreational marijuana is legal, but some in Massachusetts fear raising the tax could leave room for illegal cannabis sales to continue. That said, the State Legislature is reportedly expected to hike the tax rate. From the Globe:

Both House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg are open to raising the tax rate. But Governor Charlie Baker, who ran for office in 2014 pledging not to raise taxes or fees, was decidedly more qualified Monday.

Asked whether he supports raising marijuana tax, a Baker spokeswoman said the governor believes “the tax rate should reflect the cost of implementing the new law as well as any secondary costs associated with expanded use of marijuana.”

In November, a measure–Question 4–to legalize recreational weed use for those 21 and over in the state passed by over 1.7 million votes.

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

Pedicab Fashion: At SXSW The Pedicabs Hailed You

Abigail Slider
-
0
Pedicab Fashion: At SXSW The Pedicabs Hailed You

It’s not every day that you have a ride hailing you, but that is exactly what we experienced at SXSW this year. We’re talking about pedicabs of course. Consisting of unique and vibrant group of people, these professional bikers are sure to be seen roaming around the streets of downtown Austin, TX.

Throughout the week we grew to love the chime of bike bells and friendly voices calling out to us, asking us if we needed a ride. On a couple of occasions, we stopped to chat with a welcoming cyclist who just wanted to drive us around for the love of good conversation. In talking to many of the cyclists working South By, we realized that these are not people who drive pedicabs for the money, but rather these people drive pedicabs because they love cycling. Anyone can see that there is obviously a close knit bike community in Austin. More often than not, our pedicab driver would shout a friendly joke or send a warm greeting to another cyclist passing by on the road. Not once did we have an encounter with a pedicab driver that didn’t end in us giggling or leave us at our destination in a better mood.

In most niche communities a certain style develops among its members, especially in a town such as Austin, TX that prides itself on being and staying weird. A common theme we noticed within the pedicab community was their affinity to dress in vibrant and animated garb. Some of the cyclists went as far as to dress in character or bring their dog along for the ride. Check out our galley above about of all the nifty pedicab drivers and the style they exhibited this week at South By South West.

Photos by: Abigail Slider

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

[soliloquy id=”37194″]

Alternative Paws: 14 Cutest Dogs Of SXSW 2017

Abigail Slider
-
0
Alternative Paws: 14 Cutest Dogs Of SXSW 2017

If there is one thing you can say about Austin, TX, other than that it’s weird, it would have to be that it’s very dog-friendly. Even before we showed up for South by Southwest, we were very excited about the prospect of cute dogs to pet. We heard about the dog friendly patios and the warm weather, but we were very pleasantly surprised to see even more four-legged friends than anticipated.

There wasn’t a block, restaurant or bar patio that we patroned that didn’t have at least two dogs within petting radius. With Lake Austin and acres of nature in close proximity to downtown, it’s no wonder this city is a dogs paradise! Austin even has its own roaming food truck that serves ice cream for your furry best friend on hot days. Without a doubt, the Austin locals love their dogs and it definitely shows.

We made it our mission to find some of the happiest dogs in attendance at SXSW. All week we met happy pups from all walks of life that were having a ball being showered with attention from all the festival attendees.  We scoured the SXSW scene in downtown Austin from 10th street to Rainey and down on Cezar Chavez to bring you the cutest dogs that SXSW had to offer. Check out the gallery above to see the cute pups we found.

Photos by: Abigail Slider

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

 

Take A Chance On These: 6 of the Most Underrated Single Malts

Margarett Waterbury
-
0
Take A Chance On These: 6 of the Most Underrated Single Malts

Shopping for new single malts can be tough. Standbys like Glenlivet, Laphroaig, and Macallan are great, don’t get me wrong, but it pays to branch out every once in a while. Yet Scotch is expensive, so taking a leap of faith on a new brand can be unappealing.

If you’re looking to broaden your Scotch horizons, here are a few great underrated single malts that might just become your next favorite whisky.

Ledaig 18-Year-Old

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ57smVgK7_

The only distillery on the Isle of Mull, Ledaig 18-Year-Old combines classic Islands peatiness with a rich, fruity, almost leathery quality reminiscent of Lagavulin 18-Year-Old only with a bit more subtlety.

Clynelish 14-Year-Old

Retailing somewhere around $60, Clynelish 14-Year-Old is a bargain, especially in light of its totally unique flavor. Somehow simultaneously sweet/perfumed and salty/smoky, it has a delicate freshness that’s a lovely alternative to heavier styles.

Tomatin 12-Year-Old

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

Tomatin also sent most of its stock away for blends for much of its history. Its single malt releases, however, are delicious – refined and understated, with a classic Speyside fruitiness.

Sherry cask finishing adds richness without weighing anything down, making Tomatin 12-Year-Old a perfect hanging-out-on-the-porch dram.

Craigellachie 13-Year-Old

Recently released as part of John Dewar’s “The Last Great Malts of Scotland” series, Craigellachie has long been used for blends but, until now, hasn’t had its own single malt. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

Nevertheless, the single malt release is distinctive in its own right. Craigellachie still uses a worm tub, resulting in a savory, almost meaty whisky.

GlenDronach Allardice

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNF9PRLjqUA/

Named for its founder, the Glendronach Allardice single malt has an 18-year-old age statement. It’s also a bruiser of a sherry bomb, offering phenomenal richness and intensity like a fruitcake in a glass. 

BenRomach 10-Year-Old

Benromach got a facelift recently, with a sharp new bottle design and an expanded lineup. One of the new entrants was this release, a 10-year-old single malt that hit the market in 2009 and won gold in the 12-and-under Speyside category at the World Whisky Awards in 2014. Smoky and funky with a hearty malt backbone, the urge to make comparisons between BenRomach and Springbank is almost impossible to resist.

This article originally appeared on The Whiskey Wash.

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

More Related Stories

[soliloquy id=”25718″]

Move Over, Easter Bunny: Cadbury Creme Egg Rolls Exist And We Have The Recipe

Jessie Moore
-
0
Move Over, Easter Bunny: Cadbury Creme Egg Rolls Exist And We Have The Recipe

WAIT. CADBURY CREME EGG ROLLS!?! I AM A GENIUS.

I know, all caps are annoying. But in the case of the last series of words, it was necessary. Because Easter has come early this year with my tastiest Creme Egg creation yet: Cadbury Creme Egg Rolls.

I’ve delved into Asian-meets-Creme-Egg fusion before, with my Cadbury Creme Egg Foo Young recipe from a few years ago. I’ve also re-created many specimens of classic cuisine with a sweet twist, including Cadbury Creme Egg Salad, Cadbury Creme Deviled Eggs, Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict, Cadbury Creme Scotch Eggs, and of course, Cadbury Creme Egg in Hole Toast.

But these? These are special. Because they are fried, can be served with sauce, it’s true, but mostly because, well, just look at them.

Photos by Jessie Moore

The best news is that if you want to make Cadbury Creme Egg Rolls, you don’t need a lot of time or ingredients. Really. Let me tell you how.

First, you’ll grab four Cadbury Creme eggs, a tube of pop-n-bake crescent rolls, and some flaked coconut. You’ll rustle up a large pan and put a bunch of oil in it.

Then, you’ll engage in a montage (80s music encouraged) involving these steps to assemble your egg rolls (don’t worry, the full recipe is below).

Once you’ve done that, you’ll heat up the oil and get your egg roll tossin’ hands ready*…

(* = don’t actually toss. Gently place them in the oil. Don’t ruin your pretty face with hot oil spatter, please.)

Cadbury Creme Egg Rolls

and fry them to golden perfection. Let them cool slightly then enjoy the gooey rewards contained within.

Cadbury Creme Egg Rolls

 

Cadbury Creme Egg Rolls

  • 4 Cadbury Creme Eggs
  • Flaked coconut (half a cup or so)
  • 8 crescent rolls from a package

Procedure:

    1. Put the Creme Eggs in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This will help them become firm when you chop them in a bit.
    2. Unroll the crescent rolls, and divide into 8 perforated portions. Ignore the triangle shape, and mush each one into a ball.
    3. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough as thin as it will go without seeming like it will break.
    4. Place some coconut on top of the rolled dough.
    5. Your Creme eggs are ready about now, I’d say. Take them out of the fridge, and cut each egg in half. You now have 8 portions.
    6. Cut each portion coarsely, and put it along the coconut on the spread crescent dough.
    7. Roll it up, burrito-style. Here’s how:
    8. Heat up the oil. Once you think it’s hot, test it by tossing a little crumb of crescent dough inside. If it starts bubbling furiously, you’re good to go.
    9. Fry each one (don’t do more than 2 at a time, it’s just easier to manage that way) until golden on both sides.
    10. Remove from the frying pan and set on paper towels to blot excess oil.
    11. Enjoy warm. Serve with melted chocolate sauce for dipping, if desired (suggested).

This recipe originally appeared on CakeSpy.com, where you can find loads more of Jessie’s original recipes!

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

Vibration Plates Are Coming Back And Will Make That Booty Pop

Sam Jones
-
0
Vibration Plates Are Coming Back And Will Make That Booty Pop

Remember those old-timey vibration belt machines? A popular weight loss device born of the 1950’s, these belts would shake your fat right off — or so the sellers hoped dieters would believe.

You’re less likely to spot someone jiggling themselves skinny with a belt these days, but vibration for weight loss didn’t disappear. It just changed shape. Wearable belts that send vibes to your midsection are used as a (medically questionable) weight loss aid. Whole-body vibration plates, or WBV, shake things up while you do squats or strength training, with promising results.

Researchers have found — on mice, at least — that the whole-body vibration method might actually mimic the benefits of exercise.

With a person standing, sitting or lying down on a vibrating plate, WBV makes muscles contract and relax several time per second. In genetically obese and diabetic mice, WBV was as metabolically beneficial as exercise.

“Our study is the first to show that whole-body vibration may be just as effective as exercise at combatting some of the negative consequences of obesity and diabetes,” said the study’s first author, Meghan E. McGee-Lawrence, Ph.D., of Augusta University in Augusta, Ga, according to Science Daily. “While WBV did not fully address the defects in bone mass of the obese mice in our study, it did increase global bone formation, suggesting longer-term treatments could hold promise for preventing bone loss as well.”

It’s not be substantial evidence that humans will benefit from getting all shook up, but after more research is done, WBV could be an option for people who are physically unable to exercise otherwise, or want to up their good vibes.

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

 

Gossip: Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Are Talking Again; A Look At Elton John’s Crazy Custom Nikes

Naughty Gossip
-
0
Gossip: Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Are Talking Again; A Look At Elton John’s Crazy Custom Nikes

Six months since Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s split last September, the two are making peace — and have talked to each other directly, sources tell People.

“He’s much happier,” a source says. “He’s very relieved that things are not playing out in public anymore.”

After months of heated battles via court papers, Pitt, 53, and Jolie, 41, agreed in January to enlist a private judge to hash out their divorce and custody issues privately, and those negotiations are ongoing.

“It was a rough time, but they were able to resolve it,” adds the source. “This is a work in progress.”

Jolie even recently told ABC she thought Pitt was a “wonderful” father to their six children.

“He’s always been extremely positive about how Angie’s a good mother, and the goal was to resolve everything for the kids and the whole family, and they’re working toward that,” says the source.

“He is spending more time with the kids when they are in L.A.,” says another Pitt insider. “He has even spent some time with Maddox and Pax. Things are definitely calming down.”

Elton John’s Custom Nike Sneakers Are Insane—And We Totally Want Them

Nike has created a special disco ball-inspired shoe for Sir Elton John, featuring an elevated sole and a slick rainbow stripe.

“The Nike AF1 Jet is a one-of-a-kind sneaker created to say thank you to Elton for his commitment to diversity and inclusion, and his long-standing relationship with Nike,” Nike said in a statement.

The shoes are inspired by the singer’s disco days, where he’d tickle the ivories under glowing mirror balls in the packed clubs of the ’70s, often in a pair of Nikes. The shoes also have a BeTrue-esque rainbow along the sole and a BeTrue logo on the tongue.

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

 

Here’s Why Woody Harrelson Quit Using Marijuana For Good

Maria Loreto
-
0
Here’s Why Woody Harrelson Quit Using Marijuana For Good

Woody Harrelson shocked us all by claiming that he hasn’t consumed marijuana in over a year after being one of Hollywood’s biggest and most vocal proponents of the herb and its legalization. 

In an interview with Vulture, Harrelson explained that while he’d consumed cannabis for most of his life, he recently decided to quit because he felt that the plant made him emotionally unavailable and that it messed with his head. He added that giving marijuana up was a consequence of “partying too fucking hard for over 30 years,” and that he wanted to stay away from all of that by also moderating his drinking. 

“The effect of it is euphoria. But when you’re doing it all the time, it just becomes… Well, you know.”

Cryptic much?

Harrelson made headlines back in the 90’s when he was imprisoned for planting hemp seeds in Kentucky as a way of challenging the state laws that made no distinction between the cultivation of hemp and marijuana (For those of you not in the know, hemp has a lower concentration of THC and is used for other purposes besides the medicinal and recreational use commonly associated with cannabis).

In early 2016 he also applied for a permit to convert his Hawaii home into a marijuana dispensary — a proposal which was later denied, dang it. 

He concluded the interview by claiming that he’s still a proponent of the herb and that he thinks it’s a “great drug”. He claims that his decision to step away from marijuana was a personal one that doesn’t reflect on his views on the plant and its federal legalization. 

Harrelson’s career is looking great right now with upcoming roles in massive blockbusters like the ‘Han Solo’ movie and ‘War for The Planet of The Apes’. He’s currently promoting his latest movie Wilson, where he plays the title role and co-stars with Laura Dern. The film will be released on March 27 and it looks as weird and crazy as anything you’d expect from him. You can watch the red band trailer below.


[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

 

 

Gossip: Kim Kardashian’s Security Costs $7 Million A Year; Lindsay Lohan Reality Show Coming

Naughty Gossip
-
0
Gossip: Kim Kardashian’s Security Costs $7 Million A Year; Lindsay Lohan Reality Show Coming

The gaps in their security were exposed when Kim Kardashian was victim of a terrifying robbery at gun-point in Paris last October and now the star is paying $7 million a year to feel safe.

“Kim’s security details costs her around $7 million a year,” sources tell Naughty Gossip. “She is willing to pay whatever it takes to feel safe. After what she went through, Kim does not care about money anymore when it comes to her safety. Kim thinks this is the best money she ever spend in her life. She will never allow herself to be vulnerable ever again.”

Kardashian says she can’t get to sleep without four security guards outside her home, in a sneak peak of Sunday’s all-new “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”

Related Story: Gossip: Kanye West Working On Stand Up Comedy Show; Jake Gyllenhaal ‘Absolutely’ Believes In Aliens

Kris Jenner, 61, looks concerned by the breach in security, as they assess their protection going forward.

“It’s my job to take care of everybody,” she tells the assembled family, as she’s seated wearing a camouflage hoodie.

Clearly Kris had been advising her daughters on the exposed parts of their life, as Kourtney is heard on the E! show saying: “Mom is saying I should tint that window.”

“I Can’t sleep without four security guards,” Kim on KUWTK trailer.

“As a security measure,” Kris interjects, in case anyone thought it just a style statement.

Kris is then asked, over a family meal which included a make-up free Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian: “Do you think we have enough security?” to which she replied a definite, “No.”

Lindsay Lohan Set To Make Explosive Return To TV: New Reality Show

Lindsay Lohan is set to make an explosive return, after the trailer for her new reality show, The Anti-Social Network, was leaked to MailOnline exclusively on Tuesday.

As a regular social media user, Lindsay is putting her expertise to good use as she takes over contestants’ social media accounts on the show.

Related Story: Flavored Whiskey: More Common And Delicious Than You Think

Similar to that of MTV classic Punk’d, the redhead will play pranks on unwitting individuals by messaging their friends and posting statuses online – with the contestants having to complete the challenges for lavish prizes.

SHE’S BACK!

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

[gravityform id=”13″ title=”false” description=”true”]

You Can Now Get Your Weed Through A Drive-Thru Window In Colorado

Sam Jones
-
0
You Can Now Get Your Weed Through A Drive-Thru Window In Colorado

Feeling dankrupt in Colorado, but don’t want to get out of your car to go into a dispensary? There’s a business model for that. Can you say marijuana drive-thru?

Tumbleweed, owned by Green Cross Colorado LLC, is set to become the state’s first-ever drive through marijuana sales establishment. It’s located in a former car wash, in a plot twist that would make Walter White proud.

The building also makes it easier for owners to comply with some of the rules around dispensaries that normal fast-food drive throughs would struggle to meet: No displaying the product outside of the store, or letting it be visible from the outside.

Legal weed saved the town from near-certain economic destruction, as Parachute Mayor Roy McClung noted during a Chamber of Commerce luncheon this month. Nearly 30 percent of Parachute’s sales tax receipts in 2016 were from marijuana sales, at $310,000 out of $1.05 million total, according to the Post Independent. Legalizing weed sales in 2015 has been a boon to the small town:

He pointed to the fact that cars coming off the highway to purchase marijuana in Parachute are now more likely to stop at other restaurants and shops, which has proven to be an economic driver for the town, which was hit hard by the latest natural gas downturn.

“In December 2016, $25,016 of the town’s $93,320 tax receipt figure, or 26.8 percent of the town’s sale tax for the month, was from the sale of recreational marijuana,” McArthur wrote in a memo to the town’s Board of Trustees. “The percentage is down from previous months, indicating that other sales tax is increasing as a percentage of the total.”

Other regulations around this innovative idea include no one under 21 years of age (even if they’re in the backseat) and surveillance must be places at the point of sale. Tumbleweed’s drive-through is expected to open next month.

1...1,3001,3011,302...1,460Page 1,301 of 1,460

Don't Miss Your Weekly Dose of The Fresh Toast.

Stay informed with exclusive news briefs delivered directly to your inbox every Friday.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

The Fresh Toast is an award-winning lifestyle & health platform with a side of cannabis. We work hard each day to bring uplifting and informative information about culture, weed, celebrity, tech and medical marijuana.

© Copyright @2020