“I am in Illinois, and this is a drive-thru dispensary,” the Senate candidate says in the video. “You can pull up and get your grass without ever getting out of your car.”
Democrat Gary Chambers, who is seeking a U.S. Senate seat from Louisiana, recently released a campaign ad in which he was smoking a sizable blunt while sitting in an armchair looking about as chill as someone could possibly look. But Chambers is dead serious about the harms of cannabis criminalization.
“Black people are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana laws than white people,” Chambers said, quoting ACLU statistics. “States waste $3.7 billion enforcing marijuana laws every year. Most of the people police are arresting aren’t dealers, but rather people with small amounts of pot, just like me.”
Chambers was at it again this week. He posted an Instagram video of himself visiting a drive-thru cannabis retailer near Chicago, reported Marijuana Moment. A longstanding social justice advocate in Baton Rouge who previously ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. House seat, Chambers is now competing against incumbent Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).
“I am in Illinois, and this is a drive-thru dispensary,” the Senate candidate says in the video. “You can pull up and get your grass without ever getting out of your car.”
A poll published in January by YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, included 4,096 adults, found that “58% of Americans would be willing to vote for a candidate they agree with on most issues who occasionally smokes marijuana in their free time.”
Thanks to recent studies, researchers are beginning to understand how COVID-19 impacts smell receptors.
The virus that caused a global pandemic has caused a lot of stress and misunderstanding on an international level. Among COVID-19’s most interesting and concerning side effects is anosmia, the loss of smell that’s been reported by over 1.6 million people in the United States alone. New research has finally revealed why this happens.
The study was published in the journal Cell, and was based on research carried out in a variety of universities located in New York, Boston, and more. It was conducted on humans and hamsters, animals that have very similar properties to humans. These subjects were infected with COVID-19, allowing researchers to analyze how the virus acted in their bodies, particularly with their nasal systems.
Researchers discovered that the coronavirus does not infect brain cells. Instead, it attacks supporting cells located in the nasal cavity. As the infected cells shed the virus and die off, the immune system floods to the nasal area with immune cells. This activity inflames the area, disturbing smell receptors and completely disrupting how they normally work. It’s a sort of brain short circuit that can last for weeks.
The New York Times spoke with several experts who believe the research also explains some symptoms of long COVID-19. “This might be a general principle: that a lot of what the virus is doing to us is a consequence of its ability to generate inflammation,” said Dr. Sandeep Robert Datta, associate professor at Harvard Medical School.
While the virus doesn’t infect and harm neurons, it prompts the immune system to react, with the ensuing inflammation causing a lot of the damage and side effects that patients later report. It’s a complex system that takes time to rearrange and normalize.
A cure for cases of anosmia and a variety of long COVID-19 symptoms has yet to be found, but studies like this set the ground for answers and treatment.
You get to decide how you engage with the external stimuli, or simply turn off the artificially generated ones such as social media.
Do you live in a looped existence? Getting tired of the mundane cyclical events happening in your life? Want to spice things up and discover your full potential? Then perhaps it’s time to change. Here is how to use cannabis to escape your curated, matrix-like existence.
But what exactly is a “curated existence?” Some call it a “cookie-cutter reality”, or in other words, a pre-conditioned set of rules and behaviors that dictate your choices.
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Everybody is given a “core belief system” which includes their values, aspirations, and their do’s and don’ts. Many people operate within the parameters of their core programming without too much difficulty. This is especially true if they exist within an environment that nurtures their core programming.
For example, if you are an orthodox Christian living in a town where that religion is the predominant one, you’ll run into less conflictive situations than if you were to live in the “hardcore atheist part of town”. There would be a misalignment of values which would continually interrupt your core programming.
Your curated existence is the reality you engage with without questioning. It’s the assumptions you make about life that makes you feel “safe” but have never truly questioned. For the religious person this would come in the form a line of question relating to the existence of good and the afterlife. For the atheist it would be a similar struggle but from the opposite side. Considering that this world is quickly becoming a melting pot of all cultures globally, our internal value systems are clashing against each other at higher frequency.
The invention of the internet, and more specifically social media sites – also play a role in your curated existence. Telling you what to hate and what to like, all wrapped up in the illusion of choice. But if we’re truly honest with ourselves we know that our choice is limited and algorithms influence those choices — choosing for us what we like or not before giving us the option to decide.
This curation is a closed loop designed to keep you locked into place – to take possession of your most valuable resource.
This is essentially what every one and everything wants from you — your attention. Your energy, your mind, your actions… they want to keep you glued because if they have your attention, they can continue to exist.
For some, this kind of life is okay. They aren’t in too much conflict, bending to the rules of a previously configured game. However, more and more we’re seeing people rise up and individualize their reality.
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The cookie-cutter approach no longer acceptable or satisfactory for their internal growth. It’s partly why esoteric practices have gained in popularity over the past few years — a deep need for individual expression.
Perhaps you are one of these people, who no longer wish to adhere to the rules of the norm and would like to take a more “manual” approach to living. If this is you – you’re in luck! We’re going to be talking about a few techniques to break the automation, and step out of your curated existence.
We’ll start with a little bit of “cerebral disruption”.
Mindfulness Toking
Irrespective of how you approach this initial step, becoming mindful is key. You need to begin to train your awareness to become “objective” within its participation. You have to be looking at self as much as you are looking externally.
This is why mindfulness toking is a good thing. It’s something you can do at the end of the day, before going to bed and incorporate as a meditation. All you have to do is spark up, turn off all devices – and sit quietly simply observing the action of smoking weed. Pay attention to what’s happening to your body, how your state changes, the concentrated areas of “highness” and so forth.
This will begin to help you become aware of your awareness. You’ll begin to notice that your awareness “rests” at certain places, but if you try to observe it, it shifts and moves to seemingly random spots.
Once you become familiar with this type of self-examination, you’ll begin applying it in other parts of your life.
Extending To The World Beyond The Toke
Ideally, to break the curation you’ll want to avoid things like social media. However, it’s also understandable that some people need social media for communications, work, and so forth. In this case, delete all the social media apps from your phone and only access the social media via your computer or the internet browser of your phone.
By just surfing through the internet browser, a lot of the “appeal” of using the platforms is lost. It’s clunkier, less flashy — the user experience is diminished significantly.
With mindfulness practice in full swing, you’ll begin noticing how you feel when you access social media. You’ll notice when you get excited or angry, when you decide to engage and how long the rantings of strangers affect your happiness.
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It’s when you begin to realize these things that you begin to escape the curation. You get to decide how you engage with the external stimuli, or simply turn off the artificially generated ones such as social media.
We’re already seeing a massive devaluation of Facebook, and the same will happen to Twitter, but this is still a part of the curation. Only when YOU unplug from it, and take a more active role in what you consume mentally will you be able to escape “a curated existence”. Of course, we can’t completely escape it if we choose to live in society, but at the very minimal we get to choose the curation ourselves.
A previous piece of legislation that would have legalized the plant was vetoed by the president earlier this year, after which lawmakers made changes requested by President Alvarado.
Costa Rica legalized medicinal marijuana this week after President Carlos Alvarado signed a law passed a day earlier by congress.
Under the new law, hemp cultivation and industrial production are also legalized. However, recreational marijuana use continues to be banned, the Associate Press reported.
A previous piece of legislation that would have legalized the plant was vetoed by the president earlier this year, after which lawmakers made changes requested by President Alvarado who has been very outspoken regarding his opposition to the measure, citing specific grievances after he “partially vetoed” it.
According to The Tico Times, parts of the bill the President wanted to see modified included the wording around self-consumption and self-cultivation, as those areas undermine “legitimate” objectives of the bill and could pose a public safety risk.
Now that he has signed the bill, Alvarado emphasized that the new law will help those who need cannabis to treat symptoms of their illnesses as well as stimulate development in rural areas where hemp will be grown.
Although the president made these moves just as his time in office is coming to an end.
Two presidential candidates, José María Figueres and Rodrigo Chaves, who will face off in a runoff election on April 3, are both known for being in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis.
The new ruling makes it clear that no businesses or employers can request a cannabis test from a job candidate.
It just got a lot easier for most job applicants in Washington D.C. The Labor & Workforce Development Committee unanimously approved a bill to prevent pre-employment marijuana testing. It’s a good first step for the state, which is slowly aligning the law with the mindset of the people, protecting them from workplace discrimination due to the use of medical cannabis.
Per Marijuana Moment, the legislation was sponsored by Democratic Councilmember Trayon White. “This is an important step towards eliminating historic inequities of cannabis use and ensuring that those who use cannabis medically or recreationally are not penalized in their work spaces [for what they do] on their private time,” he said in a statement.
The new ruling makes it clear that no businesses or employers can request a cannabis test from a job candidate. They make exceptions for police, safety-sensitive construction workers, and jobs that require a commercial drivers’ license, working with children or with patients.
While the bill sounds pretty lenient, they make it clear that this protection extends only to protect prospective employees. “Nothing in this act shall be construed to require an employer to permit or accommodate the use, consumption, possession, transfer, display, transportation, sale, or growing of marijuana in the workplace,” explains the bill.
D.C. voters approved medical marijuana in 2011, even though the industry has moved at a glacial pace, running into roadblocks from Congress. While gifting and possessing marijuana is allowed in the state, accepting money or any sort of remuneration for it is banned, putting a damper on any kind of legal cannabis market.
Cannabis and the workplace is an issue that continues to create problems for employers and employees. While rules vary depending on the state, the fact that cannabis is illegal at a federal level creates a lot of risks for medical cannabis users. For the time being, in most states, employers have a final say on their cannabis policies.
Cannabis advocates around the planet are pushing for the legalization of the plant in an effort to make it more available, and of course, safe. Unfortunately, legalization is not always enough. With it, comes burdensome regulations and often complicated cannabis programs that take an inordinate amount of time to set up.
When developing their legal programs, U.S. states tend to look at how other states have successfully undertaken the process to avoid making mistakes that others have made. But, as they say, easier said than done.
For example, Georgia lawmakers probably had good intentions to make medical cannabis available once it became legal nearly seven years ago. Unfortunately, MMJ patients in the Peach State say that obtaining medical cannabis these past several years has been more difficult than it was before legalization, reported Alive.
In 2019, the state passed a law meant to enable the licensing of up to six companies to cultivate and produce medical marijuana. But the legislation was stalled under the weight of litigation after litigation; sixteen protests were filed mostly by companies that were passed over for licenses.
Georgia only issued six licenses last July, and alas, after eight months, no one in the state is legally producing medical marijuana.
‘Real Lives Are Affected’
Unfortunately, that’s not all.
According to medical cannabis advocate Dale Jackson of LaGrange, who needs medical marijuana for the treatment of his autistic son, out-of-state sources are drying up, forcing those in need to turn to illicit sellers.
“None of you understand how I can legally obtain oil because legally I cannot,” Jackson told a House committee this week. “Anywhere in the country. Colorado, nowhere.”
Jackson further confirmed to the committee that he used to travel to Colorado to buy it, and then illegally brought the oil back to Georgia by himself. But now, it looks like out-of-state dispensaries are refusing to sell marijuana oil to him, out of concern that they could lose their licenses.
“Then I go to the next state. And the next one. You know where I end up?” Jackson said to the committee. “I end up about a block and a half from (the state capitol), buying my son’s medicine from a drug dealer.”
Jackson added, “So that’s what seven years looks like to me. That’s real, people. Real lives are affected by this.”
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What’s The Solution?
Currently, there are three proposed bills that could potentially resolve this important matter. One bill in the house proposes expanding the number of legal licenses from 6 to 12, while another bill aims to raise the number of licenses to 22. Jackson is supporting the second one.
There’s also a bill that would enable the governor to temporarily award licenses instead of the state’s medical cannabis commission.
It looks like any proposal is better than the current situation, so hopefully, whichever is approved, the situation will get easier and safer for Georgia’s medical marijuana patients and Jackson’s autistic son.
Could it be that the issuance of new guidance indicates possible or imminent federal legalization, with the government’s intentions to be prepared with its policies so as to avoid conflicts of interest?
The Biden administration recently expanded its employee conduct guidelines to potentially decline security clearance to people who have backed marijuana-related business, reported Politico.
“Eligibility may be negatively impacted if an individual knowingly and directly invests in stocks or business ventures that specifically pertain to marijuana growers and retailers,” according to the document obtained by Politico. “Decisions to willfully invest in such activity could reflect questionable judgment and an unwillingness to comply with laws, rules, and regulations.”
It looks like the federal government is working on updating its human resources policies to keep up with the development of the seemingly unstoppable cannabis industry, seeing that 37 states and the District of Columbia have already legalized marijuana for either medical or recreational use, or both.
Mixed Signals
President Joe Biden’s White House seems to be taking a kind of loosening approach to cannabis use than its predecessors. Shortly after setting up in the Oval Office, Biden issued a memo stating that prior marijuana use would not automatically disqualify applicants.
Nevertheless, this did not actually happen. Last year, several White House staffers were fired due to prior cannabis use.
Hence, the new guidance makes things even more confusing. On the one hand, the presentation says that any cannabis-related investment “through a diversified mutual fund that is publicly traded on a U.S. exchange” should be considered to have been made unwittingly, but on the other, at the end of the presentation it clearly states: “NOT KNOWING IS NOT AN EXCUSE.”
Furthermore, the updated guidance also notes that “The new guidance also states that ‘divestment or disassociation of willful, direct investment in such activities should be considered a mitigating factor.’”
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The Chaos Continues…Or Is It Indication Of Federal Legalization Plans?
The real question here is: which cannabis stocks the White House is alluding to? It is well-known that American cannabis companies can’t be traded on major U.S. exchanges because they are not federally legal businesses. This means that U.S.–based marijuana companies usually list on the Canadian securities exchange, or on a lower-tier stock exchange in a country where marijuana is legal.
Neither the NYSE nor NASDAQ exchanges accept companies that sell cannabis in the U.S., even when operating in states where adult-use consumption is now legal for the simple reason that federal law trumps state law.
Some major Canadian cannabis companies, like Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) and Hexo (NASDAQ:HEXO), do list on these exchanges. When it comes to their operations in the U.S., they don’t touch the cannabis plant but rather remain focused on hemp-derived CBD.
Here’s The Question
Could it be that the issuance of new guidance indicates possible or imminent federal legalization, with the government’s intentions to be prepared with its policies so as to avoid conflicts of interest?
Well, anything is possible.
After all, during his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden repeatedly said that he wanted to see marijuana decriminalization as well as automatic expungement of prior cannabis convictions.
After a full year in the Oval Office, Americans have seen neither, so perhaps the President has finally decided to make good on his campaign promise.
The debate about outdoor, indoor, and greenhouse-grown marijuana will always be inconclusive, because they’re all winners in their own right.
Cannabis plants grow in many sizes and shapes. They also come in various colors, contain differing cannabinoids, and are processed into a wide range of products. The plants are commonly distinguished by their strains, modes of cultivation, and even consumption methods. There are three methods of growing cannabis plants, namely indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cultivation.
One of the fundamental questions for cannabis consumers is differentiating between indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse-grown weed. There are a few differences between each plant, although some are more obvious than others.
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New operators in the cultivation scene ask what form or method produces the best yield. There’s no direct answer because each has its own unique advantages and liabilities. The plain truth is that there is no general best growing option.
Here are comprehensive details of the three cannabis cultivation methods and the differences between them. We’ll also review the impact of each growing method on the plants.
Outdoor Cultivation
This involves the production of cannabis in open spaces. These cultivation methods tend to produce giant cannabis plants. These plants have wider and taller appearances, with bigger buds. However, this does not necessarily mean that they have better cannabinoid content. This method has been around since the dawn of agricultural cultivation.
Farmers who live in environments with perfect weather conditions for cannabis plants grow beautiful plants that blossom throughout their growing phase. Cannabis plants are unique plants whose optimal growth environments are rarely lived in. Growers have perfected the practice of growing cannabis plants in most inhospitable areas. They supplement available nutrients in the soil with fertilizers and make up for the insufficient water with irrigation systems. Cannabis farm settlements in California and Oregon grow the best outdoor-grown marijuana plants, thanks to the constant sunny and dry climate.
Outdoor cultivation gives plants direct access to the sun. As you know, no artificial light source has been able to compete with the sun’s efficiency. Outdoor-grown plants have better terpene profiles due to their development under the full spectrum of sunlight. The terpenes are fuller. Cannabinoids also possess better properties than cannabis plants grown through the other methods.
Not all outdoor-grown cannabis plants come out looking great. They are sometimes worn out by the elements (sunlight, wind, rainfall, etc.). Due to this, the plants develop darker colors and thicker stems to adapt to the conditions.
Outdoor marijuana can grow to incredible heights and sizes. They are often tougher and harder than indoor-grown marijuana plants.
Indoor cultivation of cannabis began as a secret way of planting cannabis for the illegal sector. Through this covert cultivation, growers discovered that the plant’s growth could be controlled.
A scientist described indoor cannabis cultivation as a “manual” means of growing weed. The entire process involved in the plant’s growth depends on how the farmer handles it. Unlike outdoor-grown cannabis, where nature dictates the growth rate of the plants, here, the farmer controls the environmental conditions to produce the optimal yields of the plant.
Indoor-grown plants are fine-tuned for better flavor and potency. However, they do not grow as big as outdoor-grown weeds. A lot of work goes into producing indoor cannabis. The advantage of this method is that the plants have a high trichome density. They are also less exposed to elements like wind, sunlight, and rainfall. They tend to have a more even coloration that stays fresh throughout the growth duration. Growers prefer indoor cultivation because it is not dependent on seasons.
The downside is that these plants are expensive to grow and maintain. Operational costs for energy to power bulbs, water pumps, and fans must be considered. Strains that fare best when grown in these controlled environments include Strawberry Haze, Big Wreck, and Skunk # 1.
Greenhouse Cultivation
Greenhouse cultivation is a combination of indoor cultivation and outdoor cultivation. It costs more than outdoor cultivation but less than indoor cultivation.
Cannabis grown in greenhouses has access to outdoor resources, especially sunlight. They are also located within secure and protected housing facilities free from pests and extreme climatic factors. This method is best suited for growers who reside in locations that are unfit for cannabis growth—those who cannot afford to finance an indoor cultivation space, in particular.
Cannabis seeds are grown in sizable transparent glass facilities. The sun can shine through these glass materials to increase the temperature within. The advantage of this method is that plants can thrive all year round. Energy costs are also reduced significantly, as electrical appliances are mainly used during the darkest and driest period of the year.
Greenhouse-grown cannabis plants are often free from molds, mildew, diseases, and pest attacks. Even the vulnerable plants. Not all strains can thrive in a glasshouse. Some of the strains best suited for this facility are Northern Lights, Jack Flash, and Tahoe OG.
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The debate about outdoor, indoor, and greenhouse-grown marijuana will always be inconclusive. One winner cannot emerge from all three because they’re all winners in their own right. Experts have stressed that there is no single best number of plants produced from the three options.
Growing your cannabis outdoors will result in bigger sizes but not higher cannabinoid levels. Outdoor-grown plants are often cheaper to purchase than indoor and greenhouse plants because of the lower cost of production. For the best results here, ensure the farm area has good soil and adequate rainfall. Use effective pest and disease prevention measures as well.
Growing your cannabis indoors will result in plants with higher THC levels. However, the cost is something to consider. These plants are more expensive due to the increasing cost of power, nutrients, and effective fertilizers. At the same time, greenhouse cultivation also produces moderately sized plants with suitable levels of THC. Ventilation, temperature regulation, and power sources are some of the important factors to consider for the best indoor-grown cannabis plants.
The cannabis industry is making a lot of money, surpassing predictions and expectations.
Cannabis sales are on the rise. A new report shows a 22% increase in sales compared to 2021, capping off the market at 35$ billion.
The data was acquired by BDSA analytics and reported on by Forbes, and demonstrates the impressive growth that the cannabis market has experienced in just a year.
Data experts predict the opening of new cannabis markets will increase the output of the industry, producing more money and activity in the United States. “New Jersey’s launch of adult-use sales, expected in the second quarter will likely cause the most substantial jump in any market in the US in 2022,” explains Jessica Lukas, BDSA’s chief commercial officer.
In the U.S., the area that experienced the most growth was the Midwest, with Illinois and Missouri bumping up their sales due to newly functioning cannabis markets. The company predicts that within five years, states like Florida, New Jersey, New York and Michigan will experience large growths.
One thing that will remain consistent is California’s dominium of the cannabis market. “California is and will continue to be the largest US cannabis market and the largest global cannabis market,” said Lukas.
On an international level, Canada leads the pack with $4.7 billion in sales. Mexico comes in second, with the Supreme Court approving adult cannabis use by the year 2023. Countries like Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are expected to make a dent in international sales in the near future, making slow but steady progress.
Long COVID-19 is not wholly understood, but new research is shedding some light and helping with plausible theories.
Long COVID-19 continues to puzzle physicians, but more answers are being acquired thanks to research and the general passing of time. A new study could explain why some people experience long COVID-19 while others don’t.
The study, published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, was conducted on a small group of just 17 subjects, and found that symptoms of long COVID-19 can be influenced by nerve damage.
Researchers found that 10 of the patients suffered from peripheral neuropathy, a condition that results in weakness and pain in the extremities due to nerve damage, usually presented on the hands and feet.
“What we asked is, could some of what’s going on with long-haul COVID actually reflect an undiagnosed peripheral neuropathy?” said Anne Louise Oaklander, associate professor at Harvard and leader of the research team. “That’s really point one: We found a real objective medical problem in over half of these patients.”
Long COVID-19 expresses itself in a variety of ways, ranging from symptoms like fatigue and brain fog, to trouble breathing, lingering coughs, joint pain, chest pain, and more. It’s a debilitating condition that’s not thoroughly understood and thus not yet able to be diagnosed. It can affect anyone who suffered from a COVID-19 infection, with the severity of the disease often correlated with the appearance of these symptoms in the long term.
While this study shows some compelling evidence that could help physicians in the future, researchers warn that it’s important to take things one step at a time and not jump to any conclusions just yet. This study was based on a very small sample of subjects, who were already diagnosed with a neurological condition.
For now, researchers hope to find a way to determine how to better understand long COVID-19 by learning who is more at risk. A previous study, published in the journal Nature, found that people with long COVID-19 tended to have lower antibodies post COVID-19 infection than others. “These individuals might have a disadvantage from the start,” said the lead researcher. “And then due to their asthmatic background, they might also react slightly differently to viruses, which then leads to a misguided immune response.”
