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Gute Nachrichten! Germany Legalizes Medical Marijuana

Al Olson
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Gute Nachrichten! Germany Legalizes Medical Marijuana

In a landmark bill, the German parliament last week voted unanimously to legalize medical marijuana.

“Those who are severely ill need to get the best possible treatment and that includes health insurance funds paying for cannabis as a medicine for those who are chronically ill if they can’t be effectively treated any other way,” said Health Minister Hermann Groehe.

That’s correct: Not only will patients be able to access cannabis, the cost will be covered by health insurance for those who have no other treatment options.

Marlene Mortler, Germany’s drug commissioner, fought for the policy to allow patients to purchase cannabis from a pharmacy if they have a doctor’s prescription.

“It’s a great addition for patients who have waited for this a long time,” Mortler said.

The law will limit cannabis sales to patients “in very limited exceptional cases,” including patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain, and lack of appetite or nausea related to cancer treatments.

Until the law passed, medical marijuana was available on a rare case-by-case basis. This bill allows patients to get a prescription from their doctor.

“Today is a beautiful day,” said Rainer Hayek, a lawmaker in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU party.

Last year, the German government reached an agreement with Canada to import cannabis. Bruce Linton, CEO for Canopy Growth Corp., one of the companies certified to import, said the German market was a strong one.

RELATED STORY: As Marijuana Legalization Spreads, Teen Use Lowest In 40 Years 

“This is a very substantial market, and it’s probably the best place to enter the European Union from,” Linton said last year.

Germany joins Austria, Britain, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain on the list of European countries that have legalized some form of cannabis or decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana.

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Black Market Weed May Thrive With Governor’s Plan

Al Olson
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Black Market Weed May Thrive With Governor’s Plan

In November, Nevada voted for legal adult use of cannabis with 54 percent. A little over two months later, state officials are still debating the finer points of the law. Surprisingly, black market weed my thrive with the Governor’s plan.

Last week, Gov. Brian Sandoval announced that he supports a 10 percent special tax on marijuana sales in an effort to provide up to $70 million in funding for public schools. The special tax is on top of the 15 percent wholesale tax already in place.

The two taxes together, some industry executives and other policy experts fear, will keep Nevada cannabis consumers shopping in the black market and forgoing the legitimate retail experience.

“It’s a very price-sensitive product. We just have to be really mindful that we don’t create a black market,” said state Sen. Patricia Farley, I-Las Vegas.

Farley may have a good point. “If you overtax it, people are going to go back to the black market, avoid paying taxes, avoid everything,” Andrew Jolley, CEO of The Source marijuana dispensaries, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It’s a delicate balancing act that we need to handle carefully, so we do what’s in the best interest of Nevadans and our education system.”

In Colorado and Washington, the two first states to allow retail sales of marijuana, officials have had to walk a fine line between generating maximum revenue while at the same time eliminating the illicit market. In both states, the black market cannabis is generally half the price of regulated retail cannabis.

Most casual consumers are willing to pay a tax in order to ensure quality, testing and legitimacy. But the more government increases taxes, the more the black market thrives.

When Question 2 passed, it created a 15 percent tax on wholesale recreational cannabis. Recreational sales, which is scheduled to begin no earlier than June, will be taxed at the regular sales taxes.

Sandoval’s proposal 10 percent add-on tax will need to pass the Legislature, which begins the 2017 session on Feb. 1.

Colorado collected $44 million in the first full year of sales in 2014, well below the projected $70 million. But by 2015, the state collected $76 million in marijuana taxes. And that revenue eclipsed more than $102 million through the first 11 months of 2016, according to data from the Colorado Department of Revenue.

 

Three States Have Delayed Voter Approved Marijuana

Brendan Bures
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Three States Have Delayed Voter Approved Marijuana

Three states have delayed voter approved marijuana, a sad time for the democratic process. Legislators in the states are pushing forward measures to delay the enactment of several voter-initiated marijuana laws.

  • In Arkansas, House lawmakers unanimously voted in favor of legislation, House Bill 1026, to postpone the deadline for establishing the state’s new medical marijuana program by 60 days. Fifty-three percent of voters approved Issue 6 on Election Day, which called on lawmakers to regulate the production and dispensing of medical cannabis within 120 days.
  • In Maine, leading House and Senate lawmakers have endorsed emergency legislation, LD 88, to delay retail marijuana sales by at least three months. Under the voter-initiated law, rules regulating the commercial marijuana market are supposed to be operational by January 1, 2018.
  • In North Dakota, Senate lawmakers unanimously passed emergency legislation, Senate Bill 2154, to postpone the deadline for the enactment of the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act. Sixty-four percent of voters backed the measure, which gave lawmakers a 90-day window to regulate the distribution of medical marijuana.
  • Lawmakers in Massachusetts previously enacted legislation imposing a six-month delay on the licensed production and retail sales of marijuana. Legislators are also debating making additional changes to the law, including raising the proposed retail sales tax and limiting the number of plants an adult may grow at home.
  • In Florida, health regulators are also calling for changes to Amendment 2, which passed with 71 percent of the vote.

RELATED: Mix Up How To Consume Marijuana With 5 Fresh Ideas

“Voters have lived with the failings of marijuana prohibition for far too long already. Lawmakers have a responsibility to abide by the will of the voters and to do so in a timely manner,” said Erik Altieri, executive director for NORML, a pro-legalization advocacy group.  He calls the the proposed changes and delays an affront to the democratic process.”

 

10 International Retreats For The Body And Mind You Need Now

Maria Loreto
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10 International Retreats For The Body And Mind You Need Now

We seldom think about the difference between being and doing. In our increasingly busy and hectic schedules, we often set our minds to “doing mode.” This means that our thought process, and therefore actions, are task-oriented and always looking to what’s next rather than focus on what’s present. It seems that we book vacations as a mode of escape for our minds but also find that we simply can’t turn “doing mode” off.


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It is not enough to be immersed in another culture, we create a new kind of “doing mode” by developing a new sense of schedule and tasks to accomplish. Niche markets in the travel industry have been booming to cater to specific types of “doing minds.” A new wave of hotels around the world have been perfecting the art of bringing you from “doing mode” to “being mode.”

So what is “being mode,” you ask? It is the simple notion of being present. It is a sentiment that seems to resonate with minds across the map and has translated into a whole new wellness tourism movement. In the quest to turn humans doing into humans being, hotels and retreats have took to yoga and meditation as the process for change.

We live in a world where the ability to detox your body and mind in the same places is as obvious as having a Starbucks in every city. With seemingly limitless options to escape “doing mode” and enter “being mode,” we took the stress out of the equation and found the world’s top wellness locales. If the travel bug strikes, here are ten of the best yoga hotels to strike a pose at this year.


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Silver Island Yoga, Greece

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Do you want to savasana on a privately owned island under the Grecian sun? We thought so. This unique eco yoga experience offers an oasis for those in search of a sense of inner peace. Spread across 60 acres of rolling hills, olive groves and wand a crystal blue Mediterranean sea, it is the perfect setting to clear your mindset in a hectic 2017.

The Harmony Hotel, Costa Rica

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When trying to be present, it is important to be surrounded by a community who lives in the present. The Harmony Hotel has created a platform for open minded travelers to reflect, relate and share ideas. A sustainable property situated amidst lush greenery and and a pristine surfing beach will acts as the optimal retreat for a busy mind.

Aro Ha, New Zealand

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Wellbeing isn’t a destination, it is a journey. And if you’re journey looks best with 8.4 hecatres of pure nature and expensive views of Lake Wakatipu, then Aro Ha is for you. The New Zealand experience specializes in the art of being. According to their philosophy, “Practicing stillness connects us with a deep reservoir of intuitive wisdom. At Aro Hā Mindfulness is sprinkled into your daily practices. Mindful sitting, walking, and eating will improve focus, build emotional intelligence, and help to uncover your innate joy.”

Adler Thermae, Italy

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If five days of being present requires a five star stay, look no further than Adler Thermae. At this timeless Tuscany retreat, being present means enjoying warm thermal springs, relaxation zones and stylish saunas. It has the Italian nonchalance that it takes to get you from living in tomorrow to being here today.


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Jake’s Hotel, Jamaica

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There is something about that Caribbean island breeze that brings you into “being mode.” This treasure on Treasure Beach is shack chic with vibes as welcoming as the people you’ll encounter. Think open air yoga on the ocean, fresh juices and low key casualness at the stunningly serene Jake’s Hotel.

Ananda, Himalayas

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Palatial presence is no longer a mindset of the past. Ananda is an award-winning resort on a 100 acre Maharaja’s Palace Estate, surrounded by graceful Sal forests and overlooking the spiritual town of Rishikesh and the Ganges river valley. Here your path to being can be set along different tracks. With the option to focus on de-stressing, weight loss, detoxing, fitness and many more, there is no way you will leave Ananda without a new sense of self.

Willka Tika, Peru

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Nestled in Peru’s famous Sacred Valley, Willka T’ika is the glacier-topped getaway you never knew you needed. A culturally rich backdrop sets the perfect scene for your mind to be awakened in the present. The environmentally friendly accommodations are designed to reflect the colors and textures of mother earth, and the spacious yoga studios, cozy meditation cottages, and outdoor and indoor ceremonial areas afford spaces for personal and group activities.

Esalen Institute, USA

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Being present doesn’t have to mean sitting still. The word Esalen itself signals adventure, unexplored frontiers and the possibility of humans being. Set between the contrasting energies of mountain and ocean, Esalen brings together a transformative power to believe in something larger than yourself.

Ulpotha, Sri Lanka

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Perhaps it takes 5,000 years of history to get you centered in the now. Ulpotha’s deeply rooted spirit culminates a setting ideal for those who are not sure what they are looking for. While the hotel has become known as a vegetarian yoga retreat, it was not established to be anything in particular. It’s ethos is meant to be enjoyed as one wishes and taken for what it is, creating an atmosphere that lets you reach being without any intention of doing.

Swaswara, India

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKH9vSchWjs/?tagged=swaswara

Being truly present requires constant communication of the mind and body. At Swaswara, nature nurtures you into a journey of the self. Influenced by earth and powered by yoga and meditation, Swaswara is a sanctuary for your innermost nature.


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10 Dating Tips For Cannabis Users From High There!

High There
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10 Dating Tips For Cannabis Users From High There!

Dating in the 21st Century is hard enough. Throw cannabis into the mix, and there’s no telling what types of reactions you may get from your prospective dates.

High There!, the top mobile app on the market for meeting like-minded individuals in your area, feels your pain. However, they also know just how magical relationships can be when a love for cannabis is shared between two special friends.

With that in mind, here are some love life tips worthy of any stoner on the search:

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1. Be Open

Hiding your use of cannabis from a date may seem like a good idea at first, but if you wait too long and your partner is not okay with it, you may regret that choice. Better to be open right from the start. After all, if it’s not a problem for your date, you may end up having a lovely smoke session together later on.

2. Be Honest

Got any sexual hang ups? Skeletons in the closet? Being a good partner means being ready to talk about the hard stuff – before it becomes a major wrench in the relationship.

3. Smile

One thing that cannabis can help you do is have a happy and easygoing disposition around the person you’ve chosen for a romantic outing. Whether or not you get high together, you can surely show your date how much you care by throwing a cute grin in their direction.

4. Learn To Listen

When it comes to relationships, its not all about you. Learning to truly listen and understand someone else’s problem will help you grow as a person and as a partner.

5. Avoid Temptation

If you’re the type of person who is known for texting lots of romantic prospects at once, drunk texting their ex, or other activities that may be considered “player-esque”, now’s your chance to settle down before your date gets suspicious of your intentions. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

6. Show Appreciation

We all show appreciation in different ways – sending sweet text messages throughout the day, showing lots of PDA, or buying little gifts for the other person. Whatever that is for you, make sure to take out the time out of the day to show gratitude to your date.

7. Take Things Slow

Can we all agree that the “hookup” culture is greatly overrated? Cannabis can easily help you slow down with your partner and relish every moment, rather than rushing into things.

8. Be Creative

The fun you have together is the best part of every new relationship. Split an edible and ditch the “dinner and a movie” tradition. Coming up with creative date ideas is just one of the herb’s many romantic benefits!

9. Share Often

Whether it’s a deep dark secret, a bite of your ice cream, or a bit of herb, your relationship should involve regularly sharing with one another.

10. Always Keep Growing

Don’t use your relationship as an excuse for slacking on your own interests. Consistently improving on your own self – your education, career and unique goals – will fulfill you no matter what. It’s important to find refuge in “me time” even when you have someone special in your life.

Ready to meet the stoner lover of your dreams? Let technology make that happen for you. To start, all you have to do is download the High There! mobile app to get instantly connected to new people in your neck of the woods who share your passion for the herb.

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High Class: Why Is Some Whiskey So Expensive?

Margarett Waterbury
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High Class: Why Is Some Whiskey So Expensive?

This article originally appeared on The Whiskey Wash.

All whiskey is basically made from the same stuff: grain, yeast, heat, wood, and time. So why is it that some bottles are priced at $15, and others are more expensive than the down payment on your first home?

It’s tempting to say it’s all marketing and hype – and at a certain level, it is – but there are also some peculiarities of the production process that make some whiskeys more costly to produce than others, plain and simple.

image via The Dalmore/thewhiskeywash.com

Raw ingredients represent a tiny portion of the overall cost of the whiskey. Really high-end, fastidious craft producers sourcing organic grain grown by local farmers might pay three or four dollars a bottle for their inputs; most producers pay way, way less. Other costs related to production are things like utilities, rent, and labor – the same costs faced by every business. In general, these costs are also a minimal part of the final price, although very small producers lose out on the economies of scale big facilities enjoy, so their labor and overhead costs are, proportionately, higher.

Where production really eats into a distillery’s costs is age. Not only to distillers need to maintain facilities for storage (as you may imagine, the permitting required to run a warehouse packed to the gills with flammable materials isn’t exactly cheap and easy), they also need to contend with evaporative loss, the infamous angels’ share. In other words, the older something is, the rarer it becomes, and distillers need to have a good reason to leave their product in storage for long enough that it starts to go missing.

That reason, of course, is a price premium. Oh, and because it tastes amazing. But distillers need to charge more per bottle to make up the difference in volume they lost.

And then, finally, there’s hype. Sometimes that hype comes from the marketing side (*cough* Orphan Barrel *cough* Diageo), and sometimes…it comes from us. The people behind Van Winkle are still wholesaling their bourbon to stores at a price in line with their MSRP; it’s the stores who are responding to the secondary market, which placed such an inflated value on the stuff to begin with. So next time you cringe at the checkout, blame your whiskey-loving friends — at least a little bit.

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Dave Chappelle Shares Your Opinions About Donald Glover

Brendan Bures
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Dave Chappelle Shares Your Opinions About Donald Glover

Not many people would label 2016 as a great year, but Donald Glover is not many people. While his multi-hyphenate stock burnished underneath the surface, slowly accruing credibility, this past year everything exploded for Glover.

He delivered his critically-acclaimed show Atlanta, surreal, personal, and created, written, directed, and starring Glover. He also released Awaken, My Love!, a p-funk album influenced and celebrating a range of black artists like Sly and the Family Stone, George Clinton, Prince, and Donny Hathaway.

People have noticed the new clarity and confidence found in Glover’s new vision. He won two Golden Globes for Atlanta, while also winning the internet over for shouting out Migos’ “Bad and Boujee.”

Glover recently sat down with Wired to discuss the past year or so, revealing how fatherhood changed him, and how Atlanta draws from the voices and TV shows of Bernie Mac and Dave Chappelle.

As Donald Glover told Wired:

Those shows were so honest and so true. Bernie Mac had a sister who was a crack addict on the show. It wasn’t funny, but it was real.

It seems Chappelle has been paying attention. Chappelle infamously walked away from his eponymous show, leaving behind $50 million as he experienced a serious disconnect with the audience and the way they laughing about race. As Chappelle has dabbled reinserting himself into the mainstream of pop culture, he’s been observing how a newer generation is handling the environment he was once in.

“I can’t keep up with all the shit he’s doing, but it’s all damn good. That he can do it all blows me away,” Chappelle told Wired.

Both Glover and Chappelle acknowledged the different context of creating and writing a TV show is, including the conversations we can have regarding race.

“[M]y show was a sketch show, and Donald’s is more of a regular sitcom,” Chappelle said. “And then we’re in a different time. Race is more nuanced today, and that helps the message. It’s been 10 years.”

Reddit Challenge: Watch This Man Give His Cat 11,000 Stern Looks

Sam Jones
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Reddit Challenge: Watch This Man Give His Cat 11,000 Stern Looks

You wouldn’t think that watching 45 minutes of a man glaring at his cat 11,453 stern looks would be entertaining comedy, but it is.

Gus Johnson, a Redditor and the most committed OP you’ll ever see, threw down the gauntlet on the /r/me_irl subreddit. For every upvote the post got, he said, he would give his cat one stern look.

The moderators took it down after four hours for breaking the “no selfies” rule of the subreddit, but not before 11,453 people hit that upvote button, damming Gus to nearly an hour of grueling glares at his cat.

It’s not clear what this adorable kitten did to deserve such scorn, but the kitty plays along with this challenge, rolling and playing and trying to figure out why her owner is doing that weird thing with his neck and eyes. Her name is Wendy, after the prostitute on Breaking Bad. Poor Wendy.

Throughout the challenge, Gus keeps a counter running to track his looks and talks about his life, his past cats, and generally shoots the shit with Wendy. Wendy’s fairly oblivious to the entire situation, but does get sick of being watched and retreats to a drawer by the end. The scorn became too much for her to bear.

Spoiler alert: Gus makes it to the end, and lives to spend the rest of his day getting his wisdom teeth out. He wrote in the comments that he woke up with severe neck pains the next day. Was it worth it? Totally.

NYC’s Infamous Gold Snatcher Finally Nabbed in South America: Cops

Taylor Berman
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NYC’s Infamous Gold Snatcher Finally Nabbed in South America: Cops

Last fall, a man was caught on video casually walking off with $1.6 million in gold left in an unattended armored truck. Because of his lackadaisical brazenness, the man became something of an online folk hero. “Only in New York,” seemed to be the general reaction, rather than one of outrage or concern.

Alas, the Washington Post reports that on Tuesday, four months after his alleged crime, the alleged thief—Julio Nivelo, 53—was arrested in his home country of Ecuador by local police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The bold theft took place on September 29 on 48th Street in Manhattan near Rockefeller Center. As the guards of the truck were standing at its front, apparently distracted and talking with each other, Nivelo allegedly walked up, grabbed a bucket containing 86-pounds of melted down gold bars, and strolled away like he didn’t have a care in the world. After weeks without a lead, the NYPD released surveillance of the incident in December, quickly turning Nivelo into a sort of internet celebrity.

The guards were eventually cleared of helping Nivelo but were reportedly fired for presumed negligence. It’s unclear how the 53-year-old was tracked to Ecuador but the operation was reportedly named Operation Lucky Charms.

Tractor Trailer Crashes on Indiana Highway, Spilling 38,000 Pounds of Marbles

Taylor Berman
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Tractor Trailer Crashes on Indiana Highway, Spilling 38,000 Pounds of Marbles

One of the great underrated news stories is the massive highway spill of any non-harmful object. Last week, it was Skittles meant for cows. A few years ago thousands of ketchup spilled onto a highway. Earlier this year it was thousands of pounds of salmon. Why is this such an entertaining story? Who knows. But it is.

The latest such story took place near Indianapolis yesterday when a tractor trailer driver lost control of his trailer, spilling 38,000 pounds of marbles onto Interstate 465.

The highway was closed for most of Saturday for cleanup. Despite literally losing his marbles, the truck driver was unharmed. No other injuries were reported either.

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