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Survey: Here Are The Top 10 Holidays For Marijuana Lovers

Next week, Valentine’s Day will be celebrated with flowers, champagne, chocolate, sappy greeting cards, overpriced romantic dinners, cute stuffed animals and the all the other conventional gifts. But what are the top 10 holidays for marijuana lovers?

And some of you might infuse the holiday of love with cannabis. But according to Eaze Insights: 2016 State of Cannabis Data Report, Valentine’s Day does not even crack the top 1o for busiest holiday of the year for the cannabis industry. At least in California.

From the report:

Whether time for celebration or relaxation, holidays are popular events for cannabis consumption. April 20th, affectionately referred to as “4/20”, is still the busiest holiday of the year. “Green Wednesday”, the day before Thanksgiving, is the “Black Friday” of the cannabis industry. It emerged as a top holiday for consumers followed closely by Halloween and 3-day weekends.

Eaze, a three-year-old California company that delivers medical marijuana in under 20 minutes, released its second annual report on Wednesday using data from more than 250,000 cannabis consumers on the Eaze platform and over 5,000 survey respondents.

The Top 5

420 Day (April 20)

No surprise here. April 20th has been the unofficial holiday for marijuana lovers for decades. Festivals, smokeouts and all sorts of events are scheduled each year on this day. If you’re curious how this day became a high holiday for cannabis enthusiasts, check out this one-minute YouTube video.

Green Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve) 

This is kind of like Black Friday, but instead of waiting for the day after Thanksgiving, cannabis lovers kick off Turkey Day with a holiday of their own on the day before. Most marijuana retail outlets have major discounts for the four-day holiday weekend. And it as worked: Thanksgiving Eve has become a huge revenue day for the industry. In fact, the entire weekend has been a weed windfall.

Halloween 

As Halloween becomes more of an adult affair, cannabis has become a part of the holiday. And no, the annual “Watch Out For Weed-Infused Candy” is not part of the holiday, despite the insistence of the Reefer Madness Crowd. Costumes for adults are getting more and more creative and cannabis helps.

Veterans Day 

War is hell. Returning home from the battlefield without access to adequate healthcare is a different kind of hell altogether.

But that is what is happening to our veterans, a growing demographic that now makes up 18 percent of the American population. Each day, 22 veterans commit suicide — and many of those deaths are attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

This important holiday honors those brave men and women who have served our country. And cannabis’ role in combating PTSD makes gives this day added resonance.

New Year’s Day 

New Year’s Eve may still belong to champagne, but New Year’s Day is becoming a marijuana holiday.

The Rest Of The Best

  • Labor Day
  • Memorial Day
  • Cinco De Mayo
  • Earth Day
  • Mother’s Day

In Crust We Trust: Your Ultimate Beer Pairing Guide For National Pizza Day

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There’s no shortage of stupid national food holidays, but today — today is special. Because unlike every other day, today is officially National Pizza Day. And nobody wants to disappoint the American statesman who painstakingly fought for this right.

And since you can’t have pizza without beer, here are pairings for just about any type of pie you order today.

Personal Pan Pizza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPGicEdlJ7q/?taken-by=alaskanbrewing&hl=en

If one is the loneliness number, then a personal pan pizza is the loneliest pizza. But that’s okay! Let’s dress this dinner-for-one up with a little beer. How about a beautiful 22 oz. bottle of Alaskan Amber ale?

It’s not too heavy to make you regret your solo meal choice and it’s sweet and effervescent enough to perk you up while watching Sleepless in Seattle again.

Sicilian

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPNddrhFOX8/?taken-by=northcoastbrewingcompany&hl=en

These pies are big, square and thick. So let’s find the perfect beer compliment – how about either an Old Rasputin Imperial Stout or Hacker-Pschorr’s Dunkle Weisse. Both beers have a pleasant malty sweetness to them to round out the edges of the Sicilian pie.

Thin Crust

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO3biHaAPx-/?taken-by=sierranevada&hl=en

Ah, the crispy crunch of the thin crust. Here, you’re going to want to accentuate the flavor with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a floral, medium-bodied brew with the summer month sensation any light meal would benefit from.

Margarita

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJhhU_DG5M/

A style that looks simple enough, but when done right is the complete package: fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and light and lovely tomato sauce. For this, we need the perfectly balanced beer. So, try Double Mountain’s India Red Ale, a wonderful mix of malt, body and hop.

Meat Lovers

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The heavy, sweat-inducing meal rich with bacons, sausages and pepperoni. The temptation may be to go heavy with your brew, but go easy and try a Rolling Rock or Stella Artois here. Pace yourself!

Pizza Party

https://www.instagram.com/p/6aA94FghSR/

This is when you invite a handful or three of your best pals over and pass around box after box of pizza so, likely, you’ll need six-pack after six-pack of beer.

So, for that, we recommend Guinness, Redhook IPA and Killian’s Irish Red Ale. While these all vary in style, none of so heavy that the party will be weighed down.

Thai Pizza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKUQF0lDxVj/

Go with the most underrated beer for the most underrated pizza: Newcastle Brown Ale. It’s malty, got a good body and is nuanced enough that your mouth will tell you a taste story. Just like the Thai Pizza, which, of course, replaces marinara sauce with Thai peanut sauce. Yuuuuu-freakin-uuummmm!

Frozen

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It’s okay. It’s not your fault. We’ve all been there. Open up the fridge after a long day to see the frozen pizza you gleefully bought at the store but half-forgot about and half-told yourself you wouldn’t eat it, that you’d save it for guests or something.

Well, now you’re hungry and you want it. Go for it! You earned it, handsome! But what to pair it with? How about a few “tall boys” of Rainier? Because, what the hell?

Pizza Bagel

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPdEApRg7fA/?tagged=pizzabagel&hl=en

Your favorite snack as a kid can now be paired with a beer because you’re an adult. See, time passing isn’t all bad! So what’s the beer you always wanted to try? The one your parents drank at the table, of course. So whether that be Miller Lite, MGD, Budweiser or something fancy, that’s what you deserve. Enjoy!

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This Architect Is Designing Vertical Forests To Combat Pollution

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How do you find space in the city? As more buildings and more people and more everything move into such a condensed space, the natural equilibrium runs askew. The air we breathe requires filtration through photosynthesis and for photosynthesis to occur, we need plants to fight pollution. Lots of healthy plants.




 

So as some cities face pollution problems, where do you find the room?

You go vertical. Italian architect Stefano Boeri has designed the first vertical forests for the city of Nanjing, China. The Nanjing Towers, as they’re calling the forests, will produce an estimated 132 pounds of oxygen every day for the city.

The towers will stand 656ft and 354ft respectively, and support more than 1,000 trees and 2,5000 shrubs from 23 various local species. The verticals forests will aim to regenerate the city’s biodiversity to its natural state.

Via inhabitat:

The taller tower will hold offices, a museum, a green architecture school, and a rooftop club. The second tower will host a 247-room Hyatt hotel and rooftop swimming pool. A podium 65 feet high will include shops, restaurants, and a conference hall. Balconies on the buildings will allow inhabitants to get up close to the nature thriving on the building facades.

Boeri has also designed Vertical Forest in Milan that have already been built and conceptualized a similar building in Lusanne, Switzerland. Though these will be the first vertical forests in Asia, there are already tentative plans to build more in Shanghai, Guizhou, Shijiazhuang, Liuzhou, and Chongqing, according to inhabitat.

Boeri also will try to popularize the concept of vertical forests through his book, A Forest City, published by the Tongji University. It is schedule for release in April.

Sour Kush: Two Tons of Marijuana Disguised As Limes Confiscated

Last month, US Customs and Border Protection officers in Pharr, Texas made an unusual discovery: They found 3,947 pounds of marijuana disguised as limes hidden in a truck filled with the sour fruit.

The citrus-disguised cannabis, which was wrapped in over 34,000 tiny green packages, was detected by a K9 team and in imaging inspection system, CNN reports. The haul was worth an estimated $790,000.

“This is an outstanding interception of narcotics,” Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. in a statement. “Our CBP officers continue to excel in their knowledge of smuggling techniques, which allows them to intercept these kinds of attempts to introduce narcotics into our country.”

As CNN notes, smugglers have used other food disguises for their drugs at this same border crossing before; just last year, nearly 2,500 pounds of weed was found stuffed inside fake carrots.

First Steps: Minnesota Wants Recreational Marijuana

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There is a push in Minnesota to bring a recreational cannabis market to the mainstream.

Earlier this week, State Representative Jon Applebaum introduced a bill in the State Legislature aimed at creating a taxed and regulated system that would allow cannabis to be handled in manner similar to alcoholic beverages. The proposal would legalize the cultivation, possession and sale of marijuana, giving adults 21 and over the freedom to purchase the substance from retail outlets all across the state.

“The world is changing, and Minnesotans are rightfully developing different attitudes on marijuana,” Rep. Applebaum said in a statement. “Other states’ successes, along with the failed prohibition attempts of others, have validated the need for a statewide conversation on legalizing the personal, recreational use of marijuana.”

Unfortunately, a push to bring a fully legally cannabis industry to the Land of 10,000 Lakes is a long shot. Presently, Minnesota is home to one of the most restrictive medical marijuana programs in the nation. In fact, it has only been within the past year that state health officials have begun to slowly loosen some of the rules associated with the program in an effort to allow people with more common health conditions to gain access. Still, patients are not permitted to smoke marijuana – all of the pot sold in the state’s limited number of dispensaries comes in the form of cannabis derivatives, like pills and oils.

But one cannot achieve a knockout without first taking a swing, which is exactly what Applebaum plans to do by opening up the discussion of legalization in the 2017 legislative session. His mission is to convince his colleagues that a fully legal cannabis trade would buoy the state economy and create a wealth of opportunity for its citizens.

“Ultimately, I envision a billion dollar ‘Made in Minnesota’ marijuana economy, where the products are grown by Minnesota farmers, distributed by Minnesota companies, and sold by Minnesota small business owners,” he said. “Ideally, all tax proceeds would be directed towards funding Minnesota’s public schools and would result in lower taxes for Minnesota families.”

Even if Applebaum’s bill is welcomed with open arms in the coming months, there is very little chance it would be signed into law.

According to a report from the Star Tribune, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton remains adamantly opposed to the concept of marijuana legalization – even if the herb is safer than alcohol.

“I don’t support it,” he said. “We’ve got enough drugs, an epidemic of drugs that’s floating through our society right now. And law enforcement’s got to deal with all the consequences of it. Whether it’s more or less harmful than alcohol, the fact is, alcohol causes a great many terrible tragedies around the state, on the roads and the like.”

Nevertheless, Applebaum says legal weed is going to happen eventually, so “it would be in Minnesota’s best interest if we start talking about it now.”

Man Tries To Steal $7 Billion Because Jesus Wanted Him To

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A Florida man accused trying to steal $7 billion from a bank via fraudulent wire charges told investigators that he did so because Jesus Christ wanted him to have the money, WFTV reports.

John Michael Haskew made the alleged wire transfers in December 2016 from “a large, nationally renowned financial institution,” according to redacted court documents. Somehow he was able to allegedly transfer more than $7 billion before being caught.

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Somewhat impressively, Haskew told investigators he was “self-taught on the banking industry” and that he’d basically figured out the scam through trial and error. However, it’s also possible he had a little help from up high.

“(Haskew stated) that Jesus Christ created wealth for everyone,” the criminal complaint said. “Using this scheme, Haskew believed that he could obtain the wealth that Jesus Christ created for him and that belonged to him.”

Hard to argue with that. Haskew pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false or fraudulent statement to a department or agency of the United States. He faces up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

Check Out These 32 Marijuana Emojis For Your iPhone

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The people have spoken and they wanted marijuana emojis. “Pictures are worth a thousand texts,” said Stephen Rechif, founder of Bloom Room. “And the cannabis culture is done being muzzled.”

And with that, a new batch of 32 emojis are now available in the iOS App Store. As of this writing, the Bloommoji sticker pack is a free download. But the masterminds behind the marijuana-themed iconography say they plan to eventually set a 99-cent price.

RELATED: Are You Ready For Breastfeeding and T-Rex Emojis? ‘Cause Yeah, They’re Coming

On Monday, the sticker pack was launched by well-known San Francisco medical marijuana dispensary Bloom Room and marketing agency Bernal Heights Media Labs.

The emoji package “features San Francisco-specific images like the Golden Gate Bridge in a cloud of fog and a Transamerica Pyramid-shaped bong. Most of the other emoji will be pretty universal to smokers and tokers, like the green bud with purple crystals, smiley faces that appear to be very stoned, and the ubiquitous honey bear bong.”

But it’s not just a fun diversion. For those living in the Bay Area, Bloom Room will offer discounts on strains featured in the emoji pack, including Strawberry Cough and Gemstone. If you download the pack, you can get $15 off an eighth-ounce plus a free pre-rolled joint.

For those with Android phones, you’ll have to wait a while longer.

Building A Boilermaker: The Art Of Pairing Whiskey And Beer

This article originally appeared on The Whiskey Wash.

Today’s boilermaker is not your daddy’s shot-and-a-beer. No longer just a way to get buzzed fast, the incredible proliferation of new beers and new whiskies over the past 30 years has opened many doors for exciting new combinations based on flavor, geographic origin, and even cerebral concepts like stylistic resonance and shared philosophical underpinnings.

One of the reasons beer and whiskey pair so well is that they share many of the same ingredients – malted barley, yeast, and specialty grains. That means beers and whiskeys share some of the same flavors, albeit at very different strengths, which provides a great avenue for thinking about pairings: match beers with whiskeys that share compatible flavors. Here are a few suggestions for getting started:

Pilsner + Bourbon

Photo by Wkiernan via Wikimedia

Once represented almost entirely by brews from big producers (think Miller and Budweiser), the American Pilsner category has become much more diversified in the past 10 years. American pilsners can be divided into two major classes: pre-Prohibition or European style, which is made almost entirely from malted barley; and post-Prohibition style, which includes a significant percentage of adjunct grain to supplement the malted barley, often corn, rice, or a combination of the two. Corn and malted barley…sound familiar?

Pilsners are light, crisp, refreshing, making them a good foil for the spicy, caramel-like flavors of bourbon and rye. Low hop bitterness also accentuates the sweet flavors of American whiskey, bringing out the best in the spirit. Try Trumer Pils with George Dickel Rye, or Ninkasi Lux with Wild Turkey 101.

Stout or Porter + Smokey Whisky

The dark color of stouts and porters comes from heavily kilned malted barley, which gives them their sweet, roasty flavor and substantial mouth feel. Those qualities make dark beers a great pairing option for smoked spirits, including smoky craft American whiskey as well as peated Scotch whisky. Try WhiskeyBack Black with Laphroaig Quarter Cask, or Deschutes Black Butte Porter with Corsair Triple Smoke.

Ambers and ESBs

Malty and full-bodied, beer styles like amber, ESB, Scotch ale, and red ale are all versatile companions to whiskey. Sweet flavors in these beers accentuate the sweet, caramelized flavors that come from charred wood, making these a great companion to rye whiskey,

American single malts, unpeated Scotch, and even Irish whiskey. Try Widmer Brothers’ Drop Top Amber with Forty Creek Rye, or Pike Place Brewing’s Kilt Lifter with Cutty Sark Prohibition.

IPAs

Hops can easily overpower or clash with the flavors in whiskey while amplifying the alcoholic burn. That said, if you’re committed to pairing with IPA, try tasting it next to whiskeys with pronounced herbal or aromatic character, like rye whiskey, craft whiskeys made with alternative grains, or even a hopped whiskey like Amador Straight Hop-Flavored Whiskey or Pine Barrens American Single Malt.

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Why Chance the Rapper Has Already Won The Grammys

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What a name for an artist—Chance. Like all labels, all names creates an ethos that person eventually assumes. Surely you’ve met some with your same name. Did it surprise you the first time how similar you were? Did it shock you how suddenly competitive you were? It shouldn’t.

Of course Chance is short for Chance the Rapper. And Chance the Rapper is short for Lil’ Chano from 79th. All of which leads to Chancelor Bennett, a regal-sounding name if I’ve ever heard one. Your mind almost desires to include that extra “l,” call him Chancellor Bennett, and believe he’s some European royalty who slurps tea and slams biscuits.

But Chance isn’t someone who accepts any L’s. Not recently anyways. Since that crackling, warbling falsetto promised to “shield your name” on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam,” Chance can’t misfire. He also can’t stop working. To finish 2016 he dropped a surprise Christmas collaboration mixtape with Jeremih, full of jingles and jams. A week into the new year Chicago’s DuSable Museum of African American History named Chance and his father new members of their board. He also attended Barack Obama’s farewell party, modeled a “Thank You Obama” fashion line, and slated to perform at the Grammys.

This week he also (I know, I’m tired just typing out all this work) released the video to his Coloring Book standout “Same Drugs.” The track sounds like how memories of exes feel—melancholic exasperation wrapped in muffled longing. “Same Drugs” also captures nostalgia’s double-edge sword, its ability to shave away the gray and mundane, leaving lushes of strings and choirs so comforting, it’s easy getting lost. Chance’s voice is thin, yet full of anguish, wistful in analyzing just what the hell happened. “When did you forget how to fly?” he trills, the question fading almost as he asks it.

Chance may “speak of wondrous unfamiliar lessons from childhood,” but his recent brilliance is how he flutters between past and future so seamlessly. The song’s outro has Chance turning away, now looking forward, focusing on his “dandelion,” his daughter. The glum romantic transforms into a young father yearning toward the middle ground of that new oxymoron. Through its outro, “Same Drugs” becomes this pensive navigation of the spaces between adolescence and adulthood. How do you grow up without giving up? How to stay grounded, but remember how to fly? How to co-exist as both Chance and Chancelor?

When Chance decided to release the track’s music video, he of course chose an unorthodox route. He livestreamed it on Facebook Live, explaining how he approached other tech companies to do the same, but ultimately was denied. Facebook was the one company who obliged. Flashing a digital middle finger, he posted videos on his other social media platforms, promoting his Facebook livestream on the sites of Facebook’s competitors, i.e. Snapchat and Twitter. (The tweet has since been deleted.) Soon afterwards the video was available free elsewhere to watch.The one slip of Chance’s near-flawless Coloring Book run has been the mixtape’s videos. For someone so elastically creative, these visual accompaniments are surprisingly commonplace. “Same Drugs” fits within the lo-fi theater kid aesthetic Chance has executed better elsewhere—the “Sunday Candy” video and his Magnificent Coloring World Tour serving as prime examples of its arresting possibilities—but isn’t as moody or moving as the track itself, surviving mostly on Chance’s charisma. The video includes a new arrangement featuring Eryn Allen Kane, turning the song more into a duet, but like the video, it seems unrealized.

Undoubtedly though, the “Same Drugs” music video is another win for Chance. It further cements him as the lovable insider-outsider, someone who forces engagements on his own terms. We know his feelings toward record labels and he essentially taunted the Grammys into changing their rules and include mixtapes, namely his own.

Yet as his namesake warrants, it’s possible reading Chance as this walking contradiction. He isn’t Frank Ocean denying the Grammys outright, opting for the flippantly reclusive genius role. And while he might’ve learned the idea of embracing his contradictions from his mentor Kanye, he isn’t quite bombastic, constantly consuming us in his world vision. Nor he is the slippery enigma his “big brother” Donald Glover/Childish Gambino is, shrouding his character in mystery, dealing with the world selectively.

Unlike these contemporaries who helped guide him, Chance chooses to exist publicly, to associate himself with giant, off-white corporations like Nike, Apple, and Facebook, while fiercely maintaining as an indie artist. In a time when most new artists seem either massive and fleeting or niche and permanent, Chance’s grace is finding the space in between. He’ll live in this world, but on his terms. He’s the type of intelligent artist holding two opposing thoughts in his head, believing both simultaneously. As he searches on “Same Drugs,” he’s discovering the land between adolescent and adult. He is, as he’s called himself, a grown-ass kid.

This is why, whatever he wins at this year’s Grammys, he’s already won. Kanye likes to claim we don’t make famous people anymore, and sometimes I agree with him. We don’t produce Princes and Madonna on that level of fame. But that statement ignores what Chance has accomplished. A disruption and a catalyst, he’s a different hue of famous, someone who wields that power to change the system from within, like a golden boy politician. He doesn’t need the recognition, but he probably deserves it.

Canada’s Tokyo Smoke Acquires US Brand

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Tokyo Smoke, a leading Canadian cannabis-oriented lifestyle brand, has acquired Van der Pop, a like-minded cannabis product and experience brand based in Seattle.

Run by acclaimed designer and serial entrepreneur of consumer lifestyle brands April Pride, Van der Pop was created in response to a lack of sophisticated product for female marijuana connoisseurs. Women represent a rapidly growing segment of the cannabis market, underserved in cannabis despite being responsible for 85 percent of overall consumer spending.

Van der Pop has focused on creating a unique product line with a design aesthetic targeted directly to women, complemented by a carefully constructed shopping experience.

The full line of Van der Pop products will be sold at all Tokyo Smoke retail locations, and the brands will also collaborate on a limited line of new products. The teams from each enterprise will support one another with creative and marketing projects; April Pride assumes the role of Chief Creative Officer for both companies.

The acquisition combines one of the leading and highest visibility female-focused cannabis brands with Tokyo Smoke’s expertise in retail, international partnerships, and the curation of leading cannabis experiences. The combined companies will focus on providing a better, more thoughtful cannabis experience to an even broader community and will offer a myriad of new opportunities for consumers to approach cannabis.

“Van der Pop is an incredibly important and rare contribution to the consumer landscape, a brand that is, at its core, authentic and truly speaks to people,” says Alan Gertner (co-founder and CEO, Tokyo Smoke). “April and I share the same values when it comes to the normalization of cannabis and the appetite for design driven thinking within the industry. Together, we are natural partners to offer the best experiences to the burgeoning marketplace.”

Pride created Van der Pop in the spirit of Mies van der Rohe‘s design adage of “less is more,” combined with the ‘joie de vivre’ sound of corks popping. Van der Pop’s thoughtful product line places equal importance on form and function, and strives to infuse each item with a fun first, fashion forward focus. Best-selling items include stash jarslockable stash bagsgrinder cards and rolling papers.

“I feel empowered to help shape the messaging around responsible cannabis use,” says Pride. “Brands like Van der Pop and Tokyo Smoke are more than lifestyle purveyors, we want to help the global community engage with cannabis for the best possible results. This partnership combines our knowledge of the industry and presents customers with the most considered products and experiences. All while emphasizing design and creativity. That is the point.”

Van der Pop’s unique shopping experience targets the desire to discreetly enjoy cannabis while making informed purchasing decisions in consultation with like-minded friends and experts. Community members can become hosts for Van der Pop’s private shopping concept SESSION, or join scheduled parties where guests are educated about products in a social setting. SESSION reflects modern cannabis culture and offers discretion, education and style. Van der Pop products are now available at Tokyo Smoke retail locations and online at www.tokyosmoke.com.

 

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