Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Home Blog Page 1375

Gifting Marijuana For Christmas? It’s Only Legal If You Live In These States

0

OK, so you are stressing out because you’re not even close to checking off all the items on your holiday shopping list. There’s always the easy out: By a case of decent wine and some fancy bottle bags and there you go.

But what about the cannabis lover on your list? Here are the only states (and how much) where you’re legally allowed to give edibles, a few pre-rolled joints or marijuana for Christmas.

The answer depends on geography.

Obviously, if your live in a state that still considers cannabis illegal for any reason (including medical), you are committing a crime.

Even though 29 states have medical marijuana programs in place, that doesn’t mean you can legally gift cannabis. The laws are pretty clear that you can’t share your meds.

And for the eight legal states and Washington D.C.? Well, fortunately you are in luck … unless you are a Washingtonian. Unfortunately, the state that legalized cannabis for adult recreational use in 2012, still does not allow you to share your stash.

Here’s A Rundown Of The States That Have Full-Adult Recreational Legalization:

  • Alaska: You can give 1 ounce as a gift.
  • California: You give 1 ounce of dry flower or 8 grams of concentrate. Exchanging services or bartering is expressly illegal.
  • Colorado: You can give 1 ounce as a gift.
  • District of Columbia: You can give 2 ounces as a gift.
  • Maine: You can give 2 1/2 ounces as a gift.
  • Massachusetts: It’s a bit complicated here, but basically 1 ounce as a gift is good advice.
  • Nevada: The new state legalization law does not go into effect until Jan. 1. So for this year, technically it is illegal. But 1 ounce will be the limit for gifting.
  • Oregon: You can give 1 ounce as a gift.
  • Washington: Technically, it’s illegal. Giving marijuana to a friend as a gift is considered a Class C felony and I-502 does not protect anyone from distributing cannabis. Marijuana is only legal for self-use and personal consumption.

So if you live in one of the legal state — except Washington — the gift of bud is OK.

WATCH: British Pub Launches Meat Pie 100,000 Feet Into Space

Have you ever wondered if sending a pie into space would make it easier to eat? A group of space enthusiasts in England sure did and launched a meat and potato pie into space to find out. In honor of the World Pie Eating Championships, the group attached the pie to a helium-filled weather balloon and sent it 100 thousand feet into space from a pub in Wigan, England.

The guys plan to analyze the data to see if the change in atmosphere tweaked the molecular structure of the pie, making it easier to consume.

Here’s the video of the high flying pie.

Consume is an essential source for food and beverage news, trends, tips, original recipes and everything in between. Want to read more? Try these posts: Cheese Lattes Are Now A Thing, 9 Of The Best Pumpkin Beers In America, and What I Ate Today: Coquine’s Katy Millard.

Formal Training Needed For Budtenders As More States Become Legal

0

Do you trust budtenders? Should you?

A new study released earlier this month revealed that only 55 percent of staff at cannabis retailers receive formal training.

The report, titled “Training and Practices of Cannabis Dispensary Staff” and published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, was conducted by a team of California researchers and found that a mere 20 percent of the employees who received training were taught specialized medical or scientific information. But nearly all (94 percent) of staff gave dosage recommendations to patients.

Dr. Nancy Haug, the lead researcher of the study, says the industry’s employee training requires closer examination. She warned that some of the budtenders’ recommendations have not been shown to be effective. More alarmingly, the advice could even cause a patient’s condition to worsen. 

Most states that have a regulated market have discouraged or, in some cases, banned employees from making medical statements in regard to the cannabis sales.

As the industry matures, more and more sophisticated retailers are creating a new taxonomy or language for consumers.

Sean Miller, managing partner at Origins, a Seattle cannabis retail store, is hoping the dynamics change soon. His company is moving in a new direction.

“At Origins we recognized there is natural bias for cannabis recommendations without structured cannabis guide training and product categories,” Miller said.  “To limit the traditional recommendation bias where cannabis guides recommend their favorite strains rather than a strain that best fits the clients’ needs, Origins has organizing their strains by cannabinoid profile and ratio, which are then categorized into “Lifestyles.”

“Once we have established a strain’s Lifestyle, cannabis guides receive training on each Lifestyle and strains within the Lifestyle.  With these tools we have found that cannabis guides are empowered with relevant data and information to make educated recommendations versus relying on personal favorites.   Origins goal is to provide relevant recommendations thus creating loyal and educated clients,” Miller added.

The “Lifestyles” created at Origins include:

  • Self discovery
  • Adventurous
  • Social
  • Holistic
  • Party-goer
  • After hours

“We have found that this approach takes a lot of the bias out of the recommendation,” Miller said.

The study agrees with Miller’s assessment. It revealed that the indica/sativa distinction may be a irrelevant:

“While observations related to strain recommendations are interesting, due to extensive hybridization and variations in growing conditions, the differences between cannabis strains do not seem to play as large a role in determining subjective effects as cannabinoid concentrations. This has led some to argue that distinctions among cannabis chemovars labeled as ”Sativa’ or ‘Indica’ are relatively meaningless unless accompanied by detailed accurate assays of cannabinoid and terpenoid content.”

The results of the small-sample study clearly demonstrate that marijuana retailers should provide training to their staff members, according to Haug.

The report concludes:

“Although many dispensary staff are making recommendations consistent with current evidence, some are recommending cannabis that has either not been shown effective for, or could exacerbate, a patient’s condition. Findings underscore the importance of consistent, evidence-based, training of dispensary staff who provide specific recommendations for patient medical conditions.”

Drinking Game: The College Football Championship Of Beer

0

On New Year’s Eve, the highly anticipated college football playoffs will commence. The four-team tournament will surely receive attention from rabid fans all across the nation, and this year, teams in the playoff truly span the entire country, from North Carolina to Ohio, Alabama to Seattle.

But what about fans of beer? Where is our tournament? How can we watch a playoff unfold between a plucky underdog and an established powerhouse? We’ve got you covered.

The college football playoff involves four teams:

  1. Alabama Crimson Tide
  2. Clemson Tigers
  3. Ohio State Buckeyes
  4. University of Washington Huskies

Our beer tournament, representing those four teams, will involve these beers:

  1. Budweiser Lager
  2. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  3. Newcastle Brown Ale
  4. Fremont Interurban IPA

Here’s our reasoning:

  1. Budweiser is the perennial favorite of American beer drinkers. It checks all the boxes: availability, widely known, versatile and established and recognizable with those red cans. Just like the SEC darling Alabama team, which perennially with coach Nick Saban always finds itself around the championship game.
  1. Clemson is an established team in the ACC but that doesn’t mean it’s always talked about as a national favorite. Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, which basically started the hop revolution in America, is an orange-hued brew with punch, a star element (like Clemson quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful, Deshaun Watson) and has a chance at winning the title for best beer.
  1. Newcastle is an amazingly satisfying beer. It’s tasty, nuanced, been around a while and wins the hearts of many beer drinkers, even when they don’t expect it. Much like Ohio State, which won the playoff in recent history. Also, the Buckeye logo is a giant nut, so it makes total sense to have a nutty brown Ale represent the school.
  1. UW is located in the heart of craft beer company: the Pacific Northwest. And what style is the champion and darling of craft beer culture? That’s right! The IPA! And which IPA is both well known and caps bale of knocking off the champ? That’s right, Fremont’s star. The Interurban.

Round one, game one:

Action kicks off for the Peach Bowl at 3 PM ET between the heavy favorite, Alabama Crimson Tide, and the underdog, Washington Huskies — Budweiser vs. Fremont IPA. There will be a strong contingent of hopeful Husky fans cheering, and likely many will be swigging IPA’s in solidarity. Sadly, though, the big business of Alabama football (aka Budweiser) is too much for the quirky darling. It swarms the little-IPA-that-could, swallowing it up.

Winner: Budweiser (aka Alabama).

Round one, game two:

The Fiesta Bowl begins at 7 PM ET between Clemson and Ohio State – er, Sierra Nevada and Newcastle. These two are very evenly matched though their styles couldn’t be more different. Sierra Nevada takes an early lead with its bright first sip but Newcastle hangs around, undeterred. In the end, the Pale Ale wins a tough battle but the Brown should hold its head high.

Winner: Clemson (aka Sierra Nevada).

Championship:

The much-awaited rematch of the 2015 college football championship, Alabama and Clemson, now features an additional rivalry: the favorite, Budweiser Lager, and championship contender, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The game, slated for Jan. 9 at 8:30 PM ET, has Budweiser coming out of the gates strong and cocky but Sierra Nevada hangs around and makes its fans grin with potential and hope. The score is tied through three quarters and late in the fourth, Sierra Nevada comes out with the winning touchdown, showing it’s the football team – and beer recipe – that’s right for the future!

Winner (in a surprise!): Sierra Nevada (aka The Clemson Tigers).

Busting The Myths Around Marijuana: 5 Facts For Your Holiday Conversation

0

There’s no place like home for the holidays — unless your parents are as cannabis-friendly as the DEA. Unless you’re spending a lot of time on the fire escape or hanging out of the bathroom window, the odds are high that you’re gonna get caught lighting up like it’s junior year all over again.

Luckily, this is a great excuse to open a conversation and do some myth busting around marijuana facts. Study up on these talking points before heading back to your hometown:

Myth: Legalizing weed will open the door to young kids getting addicted to drugs early.

Facts: From our coverage of teen drug use: Cannabis use dips among 8th- and 10th-graders as legalization spreads. For high school seniors, use is roughly flat, according to the annual Monitoring the Future survey of American teens, and marijuana use among eighth graders dropped in 2016 to 5.4 percent, from 6.5 percent in 2015. Daily use among eighth graders dropped in 2016 to 0.7 percent from 1.1 percent in 2015. Read more:

http://thefreshtoast.com/news/the-kids-are-alright-teen-drug-use-at-historic-low/

Myth: It’s just for hippies and college kids.

Facts: A study published in the journal Addiction shows that overall use among those 50 and older increased “significantly” from 2006 to 2013. Marijuana users peaked between ages 50 to 64, then declined among those older than 65. They did not perceive the drug as dangerous. The times, they are a-changin’. Read more:

http://thefreshtoast.com/news/baby-boomers-marijuana-use-skyrocketing/

Myth: It’s just a passing phase or trend, not worth the time.

Facts: Two members of Congress — one Republican and one Democrat — announced they were joining forces to create a Cannabis Caucus for the 115th Congress. If both sides of the aisle can agree that cannabis legalization is worth the effort of examining more closely, it’s time for the rest of us to take notice. Read more:

Good News: The 115th Congress Will Form A Cannabis Caucus

Myth: If you need pain relief, taking prescription drugs is better.

Facts: Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr has a few things to say about this. He gave marijuana a shot for his own back pain. “A lot of research, a lot of advice from people, and I have no idea if I would — maybe I would have failed a drug test. I don’t even know if I’m subject to a drug test or any laws from the NBA, but I tried it, and it didn’t help at all. But it was worth it, because I’m searching for answers on pain. But I’ve tried painkillers and drugs of other kinds, as well, and those have been worse. It’s tricky.” Kerr shows that you don’t have to be a regular user yourself to recognize that it benefits other people: “I’m not a pot person. It doesn’t agree with me. I tried it a few times, and it did not agree with me at all. So I’m not the expert on this stuff. But I do know this: If you’re an NFL player, in particular, and you got lot of pain, I don’t think there’s any question that pot is better for your body than Vicodin.”

NBA Coach Says He Tried Medical Marijuana For Back Pain

Myth: People who use marijuana are stoners who don’t have jobs.

Facts: The average user looks like this, according to a new study by Miner and Co. Studio, looking at 800 cannabis consumers:

  • 30 years old on average
  • 65 percent male
  • 35 percent female
  • 65 percent have a household income of $75K or more
  • 84 percent employed full-time
  • 63 percent married or living with a significant other
  • 42 percent parents of children
  • 49 percent Democrat
  • 45 percent Republican

http://thefreshtoast.com/news/heres-what-the-new-cannabis-consumer-looks-like/

Visualize the News: Kanye West The Clone And Other Music-Related Conspiracy Theories

0

Within our hyper-accelerated news culture, it can be tough to keep up with everything. But maintaining an informed populace remains vital to our culture. So for those stories that don’t quite need your undivided attention, we’re helping you digest stuff with GIFS, pics, and whatever qualifies as a quick fix. Remember: Knowing is half the battle. The other half: Laughing at funny memes.

Kanye and Gucci Clones

Rap and conspiracy theories act as twin partners in an unhealthy marriage. You don’t need to dig far enough to hear rumors that Tupac is still alive or that Jay Z and Beyoncé are, like, generals in the Illuminati army.

You may think this is all silly, but hip hop loves playing with its mythic origins and just how surreal the culture can get. Watch one episode of The Get Down and you’ll understand. Conspiracy theories have always served to explain the unexplainable, the weird, the events where human logic don’t suffice. And they’re damn entertaining. Who doesn’t enjoy pretending in JFK conspiracies and rumors about the Beatles?

The latest rap conspiracy theory: That the Kanye West we see is secretly a clone. This explains his “erratic” behavior dissing Jay and Bey, canceling concerts, and becoming besties with Donald Trump. Not only is this public Kanye an imposter clone, the old Kanye is also dead. (Oh, and don’t forget the conspiracies swirling around Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOD0JPsgkD0/

This clone conspiracy also explains why Kanye was recently hospitalized—he was being sent in for reprogramming. Kanye is an MKUltra victimMKUltra is tacitly known as the CIA’s mind control program—and the UCLA Medical Center is where they now perform experiments.

This Kanye West clone theory goes hand in hand with the recent Gucci Mane clone theory. Yes internet users have posited that Gucci secretly died in prison and the government replaced him with this shiny teeth, politely mannered clone. The biggest change is the seeming disappearance of Gucci’s infamous ice cream cone face tat. “Now that Gucci’s home, it’s over for you Gucci clones,” memorably rapped in Kanye’s “Champions,” but is it all a misdirection?

Now as is typical with conspiracy theories, no one really has a great reason why the government—or anyone—would clone Kanye or Gucci. Are the rappers acting as secret agents from within? Perhaps.  But these conspiracy theories more explain behaviors fans just don’t want to believe than paint a larger Big Brother silently guiding all of society.

But on the real—don’t let them find Tupac.

Why Camila Cabello really left Fifth Harmony

Fifth Harmony fans were shocked when Camila Cabello announced she was leaving the group. Rumors of discord surrounded the group, though there were interventions with Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid. Cabello’s departure did not appear imminent.

But could Cabello have left because, well, no one in the group would high five her? That rumor was sparked by the below Twitter video, which shows various awkward moments when Cabello was left hanging. If only someone would high five her, Fifth Harmony would still be whole.

https://twitter.com/adoringcabeIIo/status/791844203219132416

https://twitter.com/__ackles/status/810910431640424448

https://twitter.com/princesskristyy/status/810944161893318656

 

The most essential daily news, entertainment, pop culture, and culture coverage. Want more? Check out “A Study Of 2016: The Year America’s Pop Stars Went Weird,” “Southwest Pilot Congratulates Passengers For Drinking Every Last Drop Of Booze On Board,” and “13 Christmas Hip-Hop Songs You Need For The Holidays

Guard Busted For Playing Pocket Pool While Watching NFL Cheerleaders

0

A man who works for Elite Security, the company tasked with providing additional security at San Diego Chargers games, was caught on camera during Sunday’s Chargers-Raiders doing something that looks a whole lot like masturbating. The apparent wanking took place as the man stood guard in front of the Chargers’ cheerleaders and was recorded by a fan, who posted the video to Facebook. That video was eventually taken down, but remains up on Twitter and other websites.

“So clearly Elite Security nor the San Diego Chargers care that they have a masturbating security guard at the game,” a woman who attended the game wrote, according to the New York Post. “Several attempts to call both organizations with no concern for the Charger Girls, Chargers fans or kids. So yeah this happened right in front of us yesterday. WARNING INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT!”

https://twitter.com/LOV_app/status/811104147797921793

Elite Security quickly released a statement about the alleged masturbator.

“Elite has become aware of the social media post of inappropriate actions of an Elite staff member at Qualcomm Stadium on December 18th. Elite has employed thousands of people over the past 21 years, insists on the highest moral standards from our employees and regrets this isolated incident. Elite is currently investigating the incident and has no additional comment at this time.”

The San Diego Chargers also released a statement.

“We are aware of the disturbing actions of an Elite security staff member at Sunday’s game. We apologize to any fans who may have witnessed the incident. Elite Security is currently investigating the incident and has vowed to take immediate and appropriate action.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, no charges had been filed against the man, according to the Post.

A Holiday Gift Guide For The Marijuana Noob In Your Life

0

With recreational and medical marijuana becoming legal in more and more states, it’s likely someone you know will try it for the first time—or for the first time in decades—and decide they’d like to imbibe regularly. But being a novice, they’re not exactly sure what tools and accessories they need to get the most out of their new stoned experiences. This is where you, the consider holiday gift giver, can help them out with some top notch cannabis gear. But what should you buy? Reader, let us help you.

Pax 2 or 3 Vaporizer

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

We have first-hand experience with the Pax 2 for just over a year now and we’re happy to report that it’s a top-notch vaporizer: easy to use, decent battery life, a clean and nice smoke. So at $199, we certainly recommend it. But we’re dying to try the new Pax 3, which allows you to vaporize cannabis extract as well as loose leaf pot. If your new-to-marijuana pal isn’t sure why he or she would need a vaporizer like the Pax, tell them about its possible health benefits, its portability, and the reduced pot odor it produces. Also, it comes in cool colors.

Zip Grinders—Large Herb Grinder

An underrated tool for the pot smoker is a good reliable grinder. Sure, any head shop or corner bodega will have one, but the best that we’ve found is Zip Grinders’ Large Herb Grinder, which is currently on sale on Amazon for $16.95. It grinds the herb into even, easily-rollable or packable chunks, which fall into an middle section that can double as short-term storage for the bud if you accidentally grind too much. There’s also a section at the bottom—separated from the main storage area by a fine mesh screen—that collects excess keef.

TightVac Six Ounce Vacuum Storage Container

Now that your friend or loved one has stocked up with several strains from their local dispensary, they are now faced with the problem of how to keep their buds fresh. A good, vacuum storage container should do the trick. The TightVac isn’t much to look at as is (though you could always decorate it before gifting it), but it’s affordable and gets the job done.

Good Headphones

Sennheiser

Whether the person you’re buying a gift for smokes pot for medicinal or recreational purposes, they should know that smoking or ingesting a little weed and then listening to music is one of the best things on Earth to do. What better way to help them enjoy music in a new way than giving them a pair of excellent headphones. At $85, the Sony MDR-7506 cans are a great choice for those on a tighter budget; if you want to spend a bit more, the Sennheiser HD 598s are fantastic.

Five-Pound Bag of Gummy Bears

Haribo

Because the munchies are no joke.

How Colo. And Washington Dispelled The Myth That Rec Weed Will Make Teens Drug Addicts

0

Teens living in Colorado and Washington are using less marijuana now than they did when it was illegal, according to federal data.

It seems while marijuana prohibitionists cannot help but lean on old-school propaganda tactics when trying to combat the progress of the marijuana movement, the latest findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides additional evidence suggesting that all of the noise about legal marijuana turning children into smokers is simply talk.

The survey shows that only around 18 percent of the kids in Colorado (ages 12 to 17) reportedly used marijuana at some point between 2014 and 2015. Incidentally, these numbers are a couple of points lower than the findings from the federal government’s previous report.

An analysis from the Washington Post indicates that teen marijuana use has been on the decline in Colorado and Washington since the two states became the first in the nation to bring down the scourge of prohibition. However, the decreases found in the figures, at the time, were not significant enough for pot proponents to throw mud in Uncle Sam’s eye.

But things have changed.

“Survey after survey is finding little change in rates of teen marijuana use despite big changes in marijuana laws around the nation,” Masson Tvert, spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project, told The Fresh Toast in a statement. “Colorado and Washington are dispelling the myth that regulating marijuana for adult use will somehow cause an increase in use among adolescents.”

Interestingly, the government’s latest report shows that teen marijuana use is actually down more in legal states than it is in jurisdictions still hell bent on enforcing a prohibitionary standard.

Earlier last week, the new Monitoring the Future study, which is a products of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, revealed that eighth, tenth and twelfth graders all across the nation are consuming no more marijuana these day, since the onset of legalization, than they were 20 years ago.

In fact, the survey found that 68.5 percent of high school seniors “disapprove” of pot smoking.

Of course, the results of this report completely baffled the brains of federal health officials.

“I don’t have an explanation,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse,  told U.S. News. “This is somewhat surprising. We had predicted based on the changes in marijuana legalization, culture in the U.S. as well as decreasing perceptions among teenagers that marijuana was harmful that [accessibility and use] would go up. But it hasn’t gone up.”

Unfortunately, marijuana advocates do not have much faith in the herb’s opposing forces backing down when it comes to slinging nonsense in an effort to prevent other states from going fully legal.

“Legalization opponents will surely continue to make dire predictions about teens, so lawmakers and voters need to be informed about these government reports that invalidate them,” Tvert said.

It is important to point out that while the decrease in teen marijuana consumption has certainly not plummeted to sober-levels since states began to legalize, the fact that those numbers have remained rather stagnant throughout the years is enough in the arsenal to combat prohibitionist swill about legal weed being a detriment to children.

Great Moments In 2016: That Time Texas Students Fought Open-Carry Laws With Dildos

0

A group of students have recently taken matters into their own hands with the Cocks not Glocks campaign.

As a student walking around University of Texas’ Austin campus this week, it’s a possibility you might walk past a dildo staring back at you. That’s because UT student-activists are protesting a new law that allows handgun license holders the right to carry concealed weapons into university buildings and classrooms. Their slogan: Cocks not Glocks.

While Texas lawmakers decided to pass campus carry legislation in 2015, the implementation of those laws didn’t take effect until Aug. 1 of this year. The intention was to allow universities proper time to plan procedures on campuses throughout the state.

Three UT-Austin professors recently attempted to block the law, filing a lawsuit against the university and the state’s attorney office, but a federal judge denied the suit. As the Texas Tribune wrote: “In the suit, the professors said the possibility of guns on campus could stifle class discussion in their courses, which touch on emotional issues like gay rights and abortion. They argued that was a violation of students’ First Amendment right to free speech.”

A group of students have recently taken matters into their own hands with the Cocks not Glocks campaign. This week, the group passed out 4,500 dildos to interested students who were willing to strap the dildos to their backpacks or display them in a public manner, in an attempt to persistently remind others of the carry law.

As Rosie Zander, a Campus Coordinator involved with the movement, explains in the Houston Chronicle video below: “Texas penal code states that you can’t have obnoxious or phallic objects openly carried in Texas. So you can’t carry your dildo openly in Texas, but you can now bring your glock into a classroom. We’re protesting the absurd gun laws with more absurdity.”

Ana López, a Cocks not Glocks organizer and vice president and co-founder of Students Against Campus Carry, said the group received donations from local Austin companies like Forbidden Fruit and Hustler Hollywood. In addition, a UT spokesperson informed the Austin American-Statesman that it would not be persecuting the Cocks not Glocks students, saying, “This appears to be protected political speech.”

Photos of the protest below prove one thing for certain: This movement is memorable, and more importantly, seems like it could just be effective.

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.