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Researchers Make Breakthrough Discovery That Might Help Reverse Memory Loss

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A new study on elderly mice might provide a new way forward, something that could target dementia and take steps in correcting it.

Researchers from Stanford University have made a breakthrough discovery regarding memory loss. They discovered it was possible to reverse memory loss in mice, animals that have a similar genetic makeup to humans. If all works well, these results could translate to humans and provide alternate ways of treating the condition.

The study, published in the journal Nature, showed that a spinal fluid infusion from young mice was able to revert memory loss in elderly mice. Per researchers, this discovery is groundbreaking and could result in a whole new set of studies and tests that could then lead to new ways of treating memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease.

RELATED: Doing This Regularly Can Boost Your Memory, Finds New Study

The Most Effective Way Of Keeping Your Memory Sharp According To Science
Photo by Christian Bowen via Unsplash

RELATED: Can Cannabis Keep Your Brain Young?

The study used elderly mice, who, just like people, often have problems with their memory as a side effect of aging. Researchers then spent months devising a way to successfully extract spinal fluid from young mice, and then provided it to the elderly, hoping to encourage their brains to have better functioning.

The gamble worked, with elderly mice behaving as well as young mice in terms of completing memory tasks. Researchers called out FGF17, an element present in the spinal fluid, as one of the substances responsible for this improvement.

These results are incredibly encouraging and something that, if replicated on humans, could lead to drugs being mass-produced as new and effective ways of treating these conditions.

Dementia is a widespread side effect of aging, one that affects around 5.8 million people in the United States. While the condition is treated with medications, these are usually effective in managing symptoms and reducing the stress associated with the disease.

Stanford’s study on mice might provide a new way forward, something that could target the disease itself and take steps in correcting it, greatly improving people’s quality of life and slowing down the progression of the disease.

How To Get A Medical Marijuana Card In Your State

Getting a medical marijuana card in your state requires you to complete several steps, which start with finding out if you qualify for one.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.

The use of cannabis as alternative medicine has increased over time as legalization laws came into effect. It was mainly to meet the demands of patients whose treatments have not responded effectively to regular prescribed medication.

Thus, receiving a medical marijuana card allows you to buy cannabis products legally that can help treat symptoms of your illness. While the process of acquiring a medical marijuana card may differ from state to state, there is a general procedure you can expect to follow when applying for one. With that said, here’s how you can get a medical marijuana card in your state.

What Is Marijuana Gifting And Why Is Everyone Talking About It?
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Check If You Have A Qualifying Condition 

One of the first necessary steps to acquiring a medical marijuana card is checking if you qualify for one. In any case, each state has different laws and criteria on what conditions permit issuing a card. However, the general qualifier is having a chronic illness that impacts your way of life.

RELATED: Should You Still Consult With Your Doctor After You Get A Medical Marijuana Card?

It means that you cannot carry on with your daily life due to symptoms of an illness that affect your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Some of these qualifying conditions include but aren’t limited to:

  • Cancer
  • Chronic Pain
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Epilepsy, Migraines, and Seizures
  • HIV and AIDS
  • Autism
  • Anxiety

There are about 17 recognized qualifying conditions, all in all, depending on your state. Checking the list in your state before you apply for a card can save you time just in case you might not be eligible. This is because the entire process takes time, effort, and money while not guaranteeing that you get a card in the end. This information is available on your state’s health department website.

Consult With Your Physician 

Once you have determined that you have a qualifying condition, the next step is to consult with your primary care doctor. This step is to inform them about your interest in medical marijuana and to get an expert opinion on whether your condition can be managed by marijuana in the first place. Since your doctor has your medical records and history, they’ll be able to advise you on whether you should pursue applying for a card.

RELATED: Grading Every State’s Medical Marijuana Program — How Well Did Your State Do?

In addition to this, you may need to undergo further testing to find out whether you’ll be a suitable candidate for your state’s medical marijuana program in the future. It is usually in case you’ve recently experienced worsening symptoms of your illness and if standard treatments have been ineffective on you. Your doctor can also assess whether the medical marijuana is likely to react with other medicine that you’re taking.

Make An Appointment With A Doctor Licensed to Certify Cards  

In most cases, general practitioners aren’t licensed to conduct certification for medical marijuana cards. Thus, you’ll have to find a specialist in your state who has the license to do it. Most of these doctors are experts in cannabis medicine and are registered partners of your state’s medical marijuana program.

You can find their contact information on your state department’s health website. Alternatively, if you prefer being discreet, you can search the database of a licensed medical cannabis company in your state, such as a Medical marijuana doctor in Virginia.

medical marijuana
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The point of the appointment is for the certifying doctor to verify and interpret the severity of your qualifying condition and evaluate whether you can benefit from medical cannabis. They also need to approve that no other options for treatment are viable for you.

Be expected to ask for proof of your condition, such as medical records, MRI, and X-ray scans. This is why the previous step with your primary care doctor is necessary. After being approved by the certifying doctor, they will explain the medical marijuana program to you and advise what cannabis medication can work for you. All of the information they will give will be general advice since no doctor is allowed to prescribe cannabis products to you.

Register For Your States Medical Marijuana Program

The final step in getting your medical marijuana card is signing up to be a medical marijuana patient. Your certifying doctor would, in the meantime, send an emailed recommendation to you. You’ll need this as proof of approval to complete the signup. This step can become quite a tedious administrative process depending on how much information your state demands from you.

RELATED: Which States Have Medical Marijuana In 2022?

If you don’t want to bother with the process, some companies can complete the signup for a fee. Otherwise, you can visit your state health department’s website and fill in your details on their application form. On the website, you will find instructions on how to proceed and what they need from you.

There is a fee involved in issuing the card, and it can range from USD$20-USD$200. Once you’ve registered and have sent in your application, your health department can take up to 30 days to review and approve it.

medical marijuana
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Receiving Your Medical Marijuana Card  

After your application has been accepted, you will finally be issued a medical marijuana card which will be delivered to your home address via mail in a few weeks. It officially validates your status as a medical marijuana patient.

The card is valid for one year and will have to be renewed annually for the same cost paid during the application. Once you’ve received the card, you are then allowed to legally purchase medical marijuana products at approved licensed dispensaries in your area.

In some cases, you can even be permitted to grow your own medical cannabis at home if it’s deemed necessary by your certifying physician. Thus, ensure that you always have your unexpired card to show law enforcement whenever the situation calls for it.

Conclusion

Getting a medical marijuana card in your state requires you to complete several steps, which start with finding out if you qualify for one. You’ll then need to check the list of conditions for your state and visit your doctor.

After this, you’ll need to see a certifying doctor so they can write a recommendation that you need to include when filling out the card application. Once done, you have to wait for it to be mailed to you. And after receiving it, you can start using it to get the medical cannabis products you need to alleviate your condition.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.

Top YouTube Channels For Growing Your Own Weed

If you’re truly in need of in-depth knowledge and information about how to grow and cultivate weed or general information about a specific strain of weed, you can always rely on these platforms to give you the answer.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.

In need of tricks and tips on how to grow healthy cannabis plants? YouTube is the place to visit as it offers various audiovisual approaches to growing healthy cannabis plants. YouTube is one of the best platforms for novice marijuana farmers can get accurate and useful information about cultivating marijuana.

More often than not, YouTube channels and users have been sanctioned for publishing cannabis-related content. However, YouTube remains one of the top platforms to get cannabis culture tips and general information.

youtube
Photo by Christian Wiediger via Unsplash

So, if you need to learn how to expertly cultivate cannabis from seedlings to harvest or learn how to create your setup, Youtube is the right platform. It offers a wide and deep perspective into the modern global cultivation of cannabis

Here is a list of the top 10 best YouTube channels that offers the best knowledge about growing and cultivating cannabis plants.

1. CALI GREEN

Cali Green publishes some of the easiest and most accurate content on cannabis cultivation. Operated by a medical cannabis patient based in California, the changes cover topics across strain and product reviews, beginner tips, and many more.

Just recently, Cali Green published a mini-documentary that explains to viewers a complete growing cycle of the Bubble Bomb plant. The documentary carefully explains every detail starting from soil preparation to harvest. This makes the channel an incredible resource for novice and expert cannabis growers

2. FROM SEED TO STONED

The From Seed To Stoned YouTube channel kicked off in 2018 and since then has amassed a large following. At the time of this writing, the channel has more than 230,000 subscribers. The YouTube channel covers cannabis topics ranging from cultivation to harvesting tutorials and equipment reviews.

Apart from cannabis cultivation-related content, the YouTube channel also publishes cannabutter content, equipment giveaways, and lots more. Whether you are an expert or novice cannabis grower, we are sure you will find valuable content on the From Seed To Stoned YouTube channel.

3. HOME GROW ENGINEERING

While Home Grow Engineering is a small YouTube channel, it has a lot of cannabis content to offer. As the name implies, the channel offers remarkable insight into how to design growing equipment, as well as grow tents. The founder of the YouTube channel also published the documented process of building his apartment-friendly grow tent.

RELATED: 5 Marijuana YouTube Channels To Keep You Entertained And Informed

The Home Grow Engineering channel also features several videos ideal for novice growers, like the simplest equipment required to grow cannabis at home, how to nurture seedlings, basic nutrients, and so on If you’re a novice cannabis grower, Home Grow Engineering will offer you valuable information.

4. MR. CANUCKS GROW

Mr. Canucks Grow is another Youtube cannabis cultivation channel owned by a Canadian named Matt. The Youtube channel features slots of content that explains indoor cultivation and every aspect of cannabis cultivation. The channel teaches how to transplant, feed, train, and prune cannabis including how to dry, trim and cure cannabis buds during harvest.

RELATED: Pros And Cons Of Growing Your Own Weed

In addition to these, the Mr. Canucks Grow YouTube channel also regularly publishes cultivation videos that are strain-specific. In this video, Matt explains how to grow specific cannabis from seedlings to harvest. The channel also publishes several tutorials on how to make rosin, hash, and lots more.

5. GROWERS NETWORK

This is arguably the biggest channel on the list. However, the level of professionalism and quality of its contents may infer otherwise. Growers Network was created in 2017 but the brand initially kicked off as a social media platform. However, the brand has evolved over the years and has been fined as one of the top cannabis brands on YouTube.

While this Youtube channel doesn’t publish the usual how-to videos, it focuses on and publishes comprehensive content about the legal marijuana industry. These videos include tours ro varnish huge processing labs and cannabis farms. Periodically, Growers Network also uploads videos concentrating on distinctive topics such as equipment financing, cannabis lighting plans, extraction, and lots more.

YouTube
Photo by CardMapr via Unsplash

6. GROWING EXPOSED

Dubbed the MTV of cannabis, Growing Exposed is hosted by Amanda Mackay and produced by  Jeremy Deichen. The YouTube series usually involves visits to processing plants and professional cannabis farms to interview several experts in the industry. Growing Exposed also hosts a special series known as “Ask The Garden Sage” in collaboration with David Robinson.

The series covers several topics ranging from ideal humidity and temperature levels, dry vs wet trimming, time to flick cannabis plants, and lots more. If you’ve got some unanswered questions, you can visit the YouTube channel to get the answers you’ve always needed.

7. YOUTUBE CANNABIS REVIEWS

YouTube, run by Bud, is a YouTube channel that primarily focuses on cannabis reviews. The biggest strength for Bud is his strain reviews and this channel offers remarkable resources regarding which strain to add to your cannabis garden. Asides from strain-specific reviews, the YouTube channel also focuses on grow equipment, paraphernalia, and nutrients reviews.

Furthermore, youtube has several published tutorials on harvesting, outdoor growing, and trimming, including beginner videos explaining how to best enjoy and consume cannabis.

8. INDICA INSTITUTE

Created in 2018, Indica Institute is dedicated to educating both expert and novice cannabis growers in the industry. Since its establishment, the YouTube channel has been able to amass more than 100k subscribers. This is because the tutorials published on this channel are easy to understand, detailed, and cover every aspect of cultivation.

Indica Institute in its series of videos explains in detail how to grow robust mother plants, prepare yourself, take clones, and choose viable seeds. One thing we love about Indica Institute is its equipment videos which offer great insights into tools best for beginner growers.

9. CANNABIS LIFESTYLE TV

Cannabis Lifestyle TV is operated by a cannabis enthusiast and professional grower for home cultivators. The channel regularly publishes videos on cannabis cultivation-related topics every week. It offers great videos that explain how to deal with pears such as this, powdery mildew, and more.

Cannabis Lifestyle TV product reviews are also exceptional. The host often discusses the best growing equipment, nutrients, and genetics available. So whether you’re a novice or expert cannabis grower, ensure you check out Cannabis Lifestyle TV on a regular basis.

Conclusion

If you’re truly in need of in-depth knowledge and information about how to grow and cultivate weed or general information about a specific strain of weed, you can always rely on these platforms to give you the answer. The free and quality information available on these YouTube platforms is second to none. So you should worry about DIY weed cultivation if you tricky follow the guides and steps explained on the channels.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.

What Careers Outlaw Weed In Legal States?

The future of marijuana as it pertains to employment will remain mostly in limbo until federal legalization measures materialize.

When a state legalizes marijuana, citizens who once hid their marijuana use can freely purchase and partake in what was previously forbidden. While this is liberating for many people living in a state where weed is now legal, this freedom does not apply to all.

Just because marijuana is legal in a state does not mean all its residents can get high. In fact, there are several jobs and career paths that still have a complete prohibition on marijuana use. In other words, just because marijuana is legal where you live it does not necessarily mean your job can’t fire you for indulging in some THC. But what types of jobs still outlaw marijuana in states where weed is legal?

RELATED: Which Industries Most Often Test Workers For Cannabis?

marijuana joint laptop
Photo by José Antonio Luque Olmedo/Getty Images

Federal Employees

Many states have legalized marijuana in some form, but it still remains illegal on a federal level. For this reason, all federal employees are still subject to a zero tolerance drug policy. This applies to all federal employees, not just the military.

According to NORML, “Federal employees can be denied employment or terminated due to testing positive for marijuana metabolites, even if their use is in compliance with state law.” This ban currently applies to all federal employees, and even applies to veterans who may otherwise qualify for medical marijuana use. 

This issue of veterans is a particular point of contention, as some believe veterans suffering from PTSD could greatly benefit from medical marijuana. The Safe Harbor Act is one bill that is hoping to rectify this issue.

Safety-Sensitive Positions

Another type of job where you can be fired for marijuana use in a legal state is a category of jobs called safety sensitive positions (SSP). “Safety-sensitive generally means that a position involves some aspect of a heightened danger that requires an employee’s full and unimpaired skills and judgment to safely execute his or her job,” attorney Mary Will told Society for Human Resources Management.

Some positions that often fit into this category include non-federal aviation and transportation workers as well as many working in the medical field. The exact list of safety sensitive positions, however, is up to the state where you live.

RELATED: What To Know About Weed In The Workplace In 2022

Each state that has adopted these safety sensitive carve-out provisions deals with them differently. The exact definition of a safety sensitive position is defined and handled differently in most states. Without federal support of legalization and oversight, the concept of safety sensitive positions will continue to vary state to state.

Medical Vs. Recreational Use

According to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), as long as employees are not engaging in violations like bringing cannabis to work, and “aren’t working in a job where impairment may result in serious harm to others and aren’t working in a federally related job, employers can’t take medical cannabis use or positive drug test results into consideration when making hiring and firing decisions.”

weed in the workplace
Photo by The Cannabiz Agency/Getty Images

While this does not apply to federal workers or those that fall under the “safety sensitive positions” category, it is important to know that standard employers must take your medical marijuana prescription and usage seriously, and that it is often protected by law.

Nevada even goes so far to require employers to attempt reasonable accommodations for those who have a medical issue that requires medical marijuana use.

The Future Of Weed In The Workforce

Like much of marijuana policy, the future of marijuana as it pertains to employment will remain mostly in limbo until federal legalization measures materialize. There are, however, glimmers of hope in regards to the possible relaxing of some federal policies.

RELATED: How Cannabis Legalization Is Changing The American Workplace

One memo from the Office of Personnel Management may be telling as to where marijuana policy is headed as it becomes more and more difficult to find quality candidates for open positions. “As more state laws have changed, federal agencies are increasingly encountering individuals whose knowledge, skills, and abilities make them well-qualified for a position, but whose marijuana use may or may not be of concern when considering the suitability or fitness of the individual for the position,” the memo says. 

While the memo has no clear intentions for future policy, it does show that perhaps the current federal policies on drug screening are limiting a lot of talent in the hiring pool. Maybe the great resignation and its lasting effects on the workforce will help federal and other employees finally enjoy recreational marijuana without fear of losing their jobs.

Feeling Sleepy After Smoking Weed? Here’s What To Do

Fatigue can be a side effect of cannabis, one that can be difficult to control if you haven’t had experience with the drug.

There’s a reason marijuana is great for those struggling to get a good rest. The plant causes the body to naturally loosen up and relax, which is great for anyone looking to get some Zzzzs. But if you’re just looking to get high or relax a bit, fatigue is a side effect you want to avoid. 

Here are some useful tricks to help you counteract the sleepy effect of marijuana.

Change your setting

How Marijuana And CBD Help Create Calm, Healing Walks
Photo by Jad Limcaco via Unsplash

If you can’t go to bed or simply don’t want to, the most helpful thing to do is to change your setting. Go for a walk, start talking to a friend, eat something, preferably with protein to help you shake off the lazy feeling, or do something engrossing. A walk is particularly helpful for any and all occasions, exposing you to fresh air, new surroundings, and is something that can be done in almost all situations.

Stretching

study shows how marijuana can motivate you to exercise
Photo by bruce mars via Unsplash

RELATED: 10 Simple And Effective Ways To Battle Marijuana-Induced Fatigue

Working out is one of the world’s best natural energy boosters, helping you sleep more soundly and decreasing your fatigue. It might be too much to ask of your body to go for a run while on a sleepy high, but some light stretches will do the trick, making you feel more present and helping you get out of your head a little bit.

Take a shower

shower
Photo by 955169 via Pixabay

If you’re at home or at a friend’s house and you start feeling that powerful marijuana-induced stupor, hop in the shower. This will help you relax and wake up, causing you to feel refreshed and ready to do something different.

Coffee

coffee tea
Photo by Chad Madden via Unsplash

RELATED: You Got Way Too High — How Can You Bring It Down A Notch?

Coffee or tea are always great options when you need a quick burst of energy. Some studies suggest that caffeine can enhance the effects of THC and produce a more pleasurable and effective high. You should start slow when mixing these two elements, considering that one is a depressant and the other a stimulant.

Medical Marijuana Card On Sites Like Groupon

Mainstream America must be getting very comfortable with medical marijuana.

Group offer sites, the most notable being Groupon and Living Social, are getting into the weed game by offering medical marijuana cards.  This week, Living Social offered medical marijuana cards through Leafwell in the state of Massachusetts. We are not sure what to make of it in regard to the whole industry.

Blink reaction was that this can’t be good, right?  Millions of “not very screened” people getting offers for medical marijuana cards can’t be good, right?  Or is it really, really, good?  A sign of mainstream acceptance, of maybe not recreational cannabis for all, but at least medical marijuana for all, if actually needed in some way.

medical marijuana
Photo by thegoodphoto/Getty Images

RELATED: Should You Still Consult With Your Doctor After You Get A Medical Marijuana Card?

So confusing, but for now we are going thumbs up, as mainstream coupon and deal sites hawking half-off MMJ cards must be good, as those sites only want deals that will make money and be popular. Using that theory backwards, MMJ cards must be in demand, make money for the deal site as well as Leafwell, and mainstream America must be getting very comfortable with medical marijuana.

Groupon is a Chicago based company connecting subscribers with local merchants by offering activities, travel, goods and services in 13 countries. served more than 500 cities worldwide, nearly 48.1 million active customers and featured more than 425,000 active deals globally in 48 countries.

LivingSocial is an online marketplace that allows its registered users to buy and share things to do in their city. Formerly headquartered in Washington, D.C., it has been purchased by Groupon.

Now if they can just list Blue-Dream pre-rolls….

This article has been created in partnership Cannabis.net

What To Know About Synthetic Marijuana

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Synthetic marijuana, also known as K2 or Spice, has been increasingly on the rise — and has been associated with some serious side effects.

Synthetic marijuana, commonly known as K2 or Spice, is marketed as cheaper and stronger than natural marijuana. It’s also known as a substance that won’t cause you to fail a drug test. While this can be true, the side effects associated with synthetic cannabis are dangerous, impacting the body in ways that can last years.

Here’s what you should know about synthetic marijuana:

What is it?

Synthetic Marijuana Claims Third Victim In Illinois
Photo by Jorge Alberto Mendoza Mariscal/Getty Images

Synthetic marijuana is a group of manmade chemicals that produce a “high” that mimics the effects of THC. Natural THC naturally binds to the body’s cannabinoids, producing strong effects that can be euphoric and relaxing. Synthetic marijuana tries to do the same, binding to your body’s endocannabinoid system in ways that can be unpredictable and dangerous, particularly since no one really knows what’s in these products. If you want to learn more about synthetic weed and its makeup, you can check out this link.

Why is it dangerous?

People With Anxiety Or Depression May Be More Likely To Overuse Cannabis, Says Study
Photo by Fernando @cferdophotography via Unsplash

RELATED: Why Big Pharma Loves The Power Of Synthetic Cannabinoids

Aside from its unpredictability, synthetic marijuana tends to bind more tightly to the body’s endocannabinoid system, creating a stronger relationship that’s harder to shake off. Side effects associated with synthetic weed are dramatic and dire, unlike the ones associated with regular marijuana use. According to the Cleveland Clinic, they include heart attacks, organ failure, seizures, psychosis, stroke, violent behavior, hypertension, and more. Researchers believe synthetic marijuana can make it more likely for people to suffer from psychiatric conditions, among them bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression.

Who’s at risk?

Men Who Vape Are More Likely To Have This Condition Than Non-Vapers
Photo by Itay Kabalo via Unsplash

RELATED: ‘Synthetic Marijuana’ Is A Dangerous Misnomer That People Need To Stop Using

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people between the ages of 20-30 are more likely to be exposed to synthetic cannabis, with men being more likely than women to try it out. Users tend to have already tried out cannabis or are regular cannabis consumers.

Will Ohio Legalize Weed In 2023? It’s Complicated

If the legislature does not act on the legalization measure by April 2023, it will be on the November 2023 ballot, as long as the group can collect the second round of signatures it needs.

By Maureen Meehan

State officials and cannabis legalization advocates reached a deal on Friday, agreeing to allow the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol to retain the signatures they’ve already collected while delaying their campaign until 2023.

The Coalition agreed to delay its legalization campaign until next year in exchange for state officials agreeing to accept the more than 140,000 signatures the coalition had already collected, instead of potentially making them start over from scratch.

Ohio House Dems File First-Ever Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Bill
Photo by traveler1116 / Getty Images

RELATED: Ohio Proposal To Legalize Cannabis Hits Another Roadblock: GOP Leadership

“This guarantees the validity of the signatures we’ve already gathered, and we’ve got a much clearer path if we have to get to the ballot next year,” said Tom Haren, a spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol per Cleveland.com.

It’s Been An Arduous Legalization Campaign…Still Is

The Coalition, meanwhile, recently sued after House Republicans refused to take up the marijuana legalization law the group had proposed under a state mechanism called an ‘initiated statute,’ through which members of the public can propose new laws. The House GOP pushed back saying that the group submitted its signatures too late anyhow to be considered during this year’s legislative session.

Under the initiated statute rules, however, the public can force lawmakers to take up a proposed law change if they can gather the needed number of signatures – currently 132,887 – from registered voters in Ohio’s 44 counties. If lawmakers don’t enact the law as written within four months, backers of an initiated statute can then collect the same number of signatures again to force it onto the ballot for the following November’s election.

The problem is the Coalition fell short by some 13,000 signatures in the initial batch after elections officials decided that more than 87,000 signatures were invalid.

RELATED: Ohio Lawmakers Rethink Legalization, Medical Marijuana For Autism Passes Health Committee

The group then hit the streets and gathered the additional needed signatures during a 10-day “cure” period, but by that point, they’d missed a late-December deadline to force the state legislature to take up the proposal this year.

So now, if the legislature does not act on the legalization measure by April 2023, it will be on the November 2023 ballot, as long as the group can collect the second round of signatures it needs.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

Circle K Could Be Selling Weed Soon

Couche-Tard, a prominent multinational convenience store operator, has been keen on becoming a top name among cannabis-related investors globally.

International cannabis venture investor Couche-Tard recently disclosed its plans to increase its holdings in Fire & Flower, a cannabis retailing giant. As of December 2021, Couche-Tard owned about 20-21% of the Canadian company’s shares, yet it aspires to acquire more — up to 35% in the coming weeks.

Couche-Tard, a prominent multinational convenience store operator, has been keen on becoming a top name among cannabis-related investors globally. Its resilience can be observed in its quick procurement of substantial shares in Canada’s major cannabis retailer.

cannabis sales
Photo by OlegMalyshev/Getty Images

RELATED: Cannabis Moves Closer To Circle K

This announcement suggests that before the end of the second quarter of the year, Couche-Tard could own as many as 8.2 million Fire & Flower shares. This intending exchange would play out once the Circle K convenience stores exercises its warrants.

Information on the Intending Acquisition

As mentioned earlier, Couche-Tard intends to buy these shares by flexing their warrants as soon as Fire & Flower’s annual earnings are released and published in a few days. Once the acquisition goes through, the Quebec-based convenience store giant would have increased its initial stake by at least 11%. From 14.5% to 35%. In fact, that’s more than double the amount of its existing shares.

Different news release pegs the company’s total amount of Fire & Flower shares at 21.5% of the total amount. They claim the information was let out thanks to a regulatory filing sometime ago.

Who Is Couche-Tard Inc.?

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is a prominent name in the North American convenience and fuel retail scene. The giant corporation operates in more than 20 countries and territories. With more than 14,000 physical stores situated in strategic locations worldwide, Couche-Tard Inc. offers approximately 10,800 areas with road transport fuel.

Alimentation Couche-Tard has an easily noticeable trademark. It is identifiable because it can be found outside some of the biggest independent convenience stores in the U.S. its daughter company, Circle K is another popular venture in the states.

Cannabis Moves Closer To Circle K
Photo by Xnatedawgx via Wikimedia

The parent company is one of the leading forces in the convenience store industry and road transport fuel retail market in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Ireland, and Canada. Poland and Hong Kong SAR are two other locations that feel the company’s presence. Today, Alimentation Couche-Tard employs over 120,000 people across its vast network.

Fire & Flower

Fire & Flower is one of Canada’s leading cannabis retailers. The company is one of the first few to settle into Canada’s cannabis-friendly market.

Fire & Flower is highly respected for its use of a central, tech-powered operations system. The cannabis retail giant has at least 100 corporate-owned stores in different country regions. The company often capitalizes on its tech-developed sister company, Hifyre, to push its retail operations to newer heights. With this, there’s an added independent high-margin revenue stream.

Fire & Flower adeptly guides its customers through the new, sometimes complex, cannabis ecosystem. It achieves this through proper retail practices and educational materials. At the same time, the Hifyre digital retail and analytics platform regularly empowers small-scale retailers with the means to optimize their connections with prospective, new, and existing consumers.

The Canadian-based company has an efficient executive team that strives to combine years of experience from the logistics, retail and technological industries to elevate their cannabis-based business. Some of the brands owned and operated by the Fire & Flower’s multi-banner cannabis retail operations include Friendly Stranger, Happy Dayz, and Hotbox brands.  Fire & Flower Holdings corporation legally owns all its issued and outstanding shares. A few of the company’s retail stores can be found in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory, and Manitoba.

More Details on the Deal

Alimentation Couche-Tard has successfully positioned itself as a strategic investor in the North American cannabis space. The company has plans to expand its operations to other companies and territories, specifically the United States. It plans to use its strategic licensing agreement with the U.S. branch of Fire & Flower to expand into the country. It is still unclear whether or not the company would hold on until progressive changes are introduced to the federal cannabis regulatory regime.

Fire Holdings confirmed that it is aware of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc’s intention to purchase over 8 million of its common shares.

circle K
Photo by Erik Mclean via Pexels

Couche-Tard’s subtle entry into the cannabis market can be traced to July 2019. At that time, the company announced its mandate to provide Fire & Flower with funds to support its expansion plans. In 2019, the ACT invested an estimated amount of $26 million in Fire & Flower. In turn, it received about 9.9% of its total shares. A considerable bulk of the Couche-Tard investment has gone into opening up more corporate stores for the network. The upcoming investment may also be used for the same purpose.

RELATED: Could Convenience Stores One Day Sell Cannabis?

Fire & Flower’s team says it would continue to build on its operational union with the ACT. Once more funding is received, Fire and Flower cannabis retail stores plan to open new stores close to existing Circle K stores in relatively new markets in Canada. A few weeks ago, Fire & Flower disclosed that one of its fully-owned daughter companies, Open Fields Distribution, just attained a one-year cannabis distribution agreement with Manitoba’s liquor and lotteries department.  In other words, Open Fields Distribution would begin to offer distribution of adult-use cannabis items from registered producers to licensed retailers within Manitoba. Additionally, Open Fields also serves areas within and around Saskatchewan.

Bottom Line

More information will be revealed once Alimentation Couche-Tard exercises its warrants. The total exercise price for this shares acquisition will be determined based on the average cost of Fire & Flower’s command shares calculated over the duration of 20 days.

According to the Series B warrant certificate, all the Series B warrant exercise prices must not exceed $18.75 per share, while the minimum price is $4.77.

You can access Fire & Flower’s fourth quarter and fiscal year 2021 financial statements on the company’s website.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.

People Who Had COVID-19 During This Month Are At Higher Risk Of Reinfection

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New data shows that a new wave of COVID-19 is imminent and unlike the ones we’ve experienced in the past.

It’s that time of the year again everyone around you is starting to get COVID-19. Since large amounts of people have already contracted the disease, it’s possible for people to experience their second, third, or even fourth round of infections.

According to Bloomberg, experts are calculating that new variants of the virus are reducing people’s immunity. They suggest that people who had COVID-19 in December, when the country experienced one of its largest waves, are currently at risk of reinfection.

RELATED: Long COVID Numbers Are Increasing — Here’s How To Know If You Have It

This Is How Many People In The U.S. Have Been Infected By COVID-19
Photo by CDC via Unsplash

The variants responsible for the incoming wave of cases are subvariants of omicron, thus more contagious than previous iterations of the virus. They also appear to be better equipped at avoiding vaccine protection and post-infection immunity.

To make matters worse, this new wave of COVID-19 is occurring within a very confusing space. People are getting more and more at-home tests, rarely reporting this to the authorities, leaving experts with little knowledge of what stage we’re in in the pandemic. States and counties are also less likely to report COVID-19 numbers to responsible parties, leaving health experts at a loss for what happens next.

“The reality is that things are really not going well at the moment,” said infectious disease expert Jacob Lemieux. “We all thought that we were in for a reprieve after the devastating omicron wave. And that was clearly the case until a few weeks ago.”

Vaccines are still doing their jobs, keeping people out of hospitals and preventing deaths, but we’re entering an interesting moment where we don’t have a reference for how things will work out. People have never been laxer about the virus, not wearing masks or following any sort of guidelines. This suggests that once the wave starts it might not drop as quickly as it did at the start of the year when people were still taking protective measures against the virus.

Why Are Some Immune To COVID-19? Researchers Are Investigating
Photo by Dollar Gill via Unsplash

The immunity of those who’ve had COVID is dependent on the variant they caught. For example, the journal Nature published a recent study that showed that those infected with the delta variant had little immunity against different variants. New variants and subvariants make this all the more likely, with them being better equipped at avoiding the natural protection granted by infections.

RELATED: People With This Disorder Have Higher Odds Of Developing Breakthrough COVID-19

During these COVID-19 peaks, experts resort to the advice they’ve been giving out over the past two years. They suggest masking up if people have comorbidities or vulnerabilities, or if the area where they live has a high rate of infections. As always, vaccines are vital in preventing serious infections and hospital stays.

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