People who’ve been vaccinated are exempt from many of the rules determined by the pandemic. What about COVID-19 tests?
More and more activities are becoming available for those who’ve had their COVID-19 shot. From more freedom to travel to everyday things, like shopping indoors without wearing face masks, things appear to be returning to normal. But what about COVID-19 tests?
While people who’ve been vaccinated don’t have to get tested or quarantine when coming in contact with someone who has the virus, it’s important to get tested if symptoms like cough, fever and fatigue appear.
Data collected over the past couple of months suggests that vaccinated people rarely get strong symptoms of COVID-19, so there’s little chance of visiting hospitals. Still, getting tested would prevent the spread of the virus, which is why it’s important to know whether you have it or not.
Per the CDC, U.S. citizens re-entering the United States need to show a negative COVID-19 test result, no matter their vaccination status. If the test result is positive, then the person must isolate for a period of 10 days.
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Cases like COVID-19 tests in the workplace are subject to the company’s individual policies. Doctors, nurses, and people who work in hospitals, prisons, and homeless shelters are still subject to more regular screenings since there is a higher degree of exposure.
Seniors or people with an underlying health condition might want to get tested more often, especially if they were exposed to someone with the disease and have developed symptoms of the virus. While vaccines are highly effective, they still don’t guarantee 100% protection.
In the coming months, as more and more people continue to get their shots and authorities get a clearer picture of the remaining quarter of the year, we can expect some of these guidelines to relax further.
June is the month when retail brands let their customers know they support LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity, although many of them go quiet once Gay Pride is over.
When retailers put away their rainbow flags and Pride marketing materials, some consumers are left feeling that the effort is more for a summer sales boost than a true expression of inclusivity.
Though from a business perspective, the targeting makes sense. In 2019, the community had an estimated annual buying power of $917 billion, according to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. But does it make sense as an ally?
Photo by Jasmin Sessler via Unsplash
A 2018 Grindr survey showed that a little over 15% of community members felt “very positively” towards brands using Pride month marketing. Favorability upticked to 40% for brands using LGBTQ marketing year-round.
The demand for more substance is here, and a growing number of companies are taking part as inclusivity trends upward to a certain degree.
Where Does LGBTQ+ Inclusion Stand Today?
The cannabis industry struggles with inclusivity. Like other minorities, the lack of LGBTQ+ inclusion has been a concern for years, with momentum gaining traction in recent years.
The lack of representation can be glaring when considering history.
The gay rights movement, as it was known in the 1970s, served as a central community in the advancement of medical marijuana. San Francisco’s Mary Jane Rathbun, better known as Brownie Mary, helped scores of local citizens with her famous pot brownies and that included people suffering with HIV/AIDS.
Photo by Connor Wilkins via Unsplash
Operators tell Benzinga that LGBTQ+ representation falls short in cannabis representation in various ways.
Kyle Porter, CEO of cannabis PR and marketing firm CMW Media says he can think of just a few LGBT-focused cannabis brands. Porter, who is gay, said that is the outcome of a predominantly straight, white male-dominated industry.
In previous years, Porter has had trouble finding attendees for LGBTQ+ cannabis events. “We tried to hold a LGBT event at MJ Biz two years ago and, like, 30 people showed up,” he recalled.
Porter and others have seen progress in recent years. He said LGBTQ acceptance is growing in cannabis and beyond, “but being LGBT in a board room, either pitching for money or representing a company, historically was not beneficial.”
Napa Valley Fumé‘s CMO Ian Hackett also reports seeing more diversity as companies expand beyond one plant function.
Hackett, a member of the LGBTQ community, reported seeing “some representation in companies that have expanded beyond cultivation but diversity as a whole is lacking across the industry.”
Hackett emphasized the importance of diversity hiring, seeking talent outside their networks. “As with all emerging industries, there is a small degree of separation when hiring, as many companies hire folks they know, which usually limits diversity,” he said.
Using Pride For Branding Purposes
The commercialization of queer culture is often a point of debate when discussing Pride.
Laganja Estranja, a prominent pro-cannabis advocate and LGBTQ+ entertainer, said the industry is doing more each day to support the queer community through visibility and financial efforts.
“While the steps may be small and mostly taken during Pride month, we are absolutely headed in the right direction,” Estranja said.
Still, she’d like to see more. “I would like to see more queer people in leadership roles and for our pride to be celebrated 24/7–not just during the month of June.”
Photo by Brian Kyed via Unsplash
Year-round small steps can include using Pride imagery or scenes of queer couples in marketing materials.
Estranja has worked with various cannabis companies, including mouthpiece creator Moose Labs to promote its products and charitable causes.
The company runs a year-round Colors for a Cause initiative that donates 10% of sales of designated mouthpieces to specific organizations. Its recently rolled-out rainbow mouthpiece is now available all year, with the proceeds going to suicide prevention organization The Trevor Project.
While profiting off Pride is a concern, so too is being seen.
Porter admitted that Pride-branding is a critical issue and ultimately is happy to have representation in any form.
“Bottom line, I think most gay people, at least those 30 years old and up, would agree,” with the branding, Porter said. “We spent so long in the shadows, under-represented, or even discriminated against, seeing a brand embrace pride, is a win.”
Year-Round Support Grows
A growing number of cannabis brands are taking up varied year-round efforts.
Jennifer Dooley, chief strategy officer for Green Thumb Industries Inc. (OTC: GTBIF),
highlighted several company efforts, which include the Frank’s Friends initiative that offers 50% discounts on medical cannabis products for patients with HIV/AIDS.
The company also seeks to preserve the historical bonds between cannabis and the LGBTQ community by highlighting advocates like Dennis Peron and Gilbert Baker.
Portable dab rig Dip Devices donates a portion of sales from its rainbow branded device to The Trevor Project. Jeffrey Zucker, co-founder and president of parent company Green Lion Partners, said the company also undertakes year-round efforts by working with LGBTQ models, photographers and influencers.
Photo by Tristan Billet via Unsplash
Zucker said some consumers are not fans of the company’s endeavors. “We have received a small bit of negative feedback because of that support, but we see that as an opportunity to reinforce the importance of inclusivity.” .
MSO Holistic Industries‘ year-round efforts include partnering with data firm Headset to register Gen-Z LGBTQ+ voters through the non-partisan organization Vote With Pride. The group notes that at least two million LGBTQ+ eligible voters currently are not registered to vote.
Other efforts launched by the MSO include a limited edition release of its low-dose edible DO Drops, with all proceeds benefiting three groups. In addition to funding Vote With Pride, sales will benefit the Transgender Law Center and Summer of Drag SADBrunch series.
In the workplace, the rules prohibiting cannabis are far murkier than that of alcohol.
Since 2018, cannabis has become a legal psychoactive substance in Canada. Since then, we’ve seen reforms so progressive, some workplaces now permit the use of cannabis during office hours.
Seeing cannabis and the workplace in the same sentence might seem weird. However, it’s the truth. Not all cannabis strains make the consumer couch-locked; some actually induce a productive streak. It is commendable that some workplaces have decided to take advantage of this fact.
Photo by Matthew Henry via Burst
Some corporations may soon allow the consumption of a strain of pot during office hours, but this can only be done if the strain has been proven to have very little effect on reducing productivity levels.
It might be a challenge to small and big corporations at an international level. But, there is still a long way to go before all this can happen.
Other businesses would still have a right to have a zero-tolerance to drugs space, but they would not have a right to state that a worker shouldn’t get stone in their free time.
There will come a point in time when cannabis consumption will be equated to alcohol in social settings. By then, Canada will have an extremely balanced system where all workplaces can have policies to ensure workplace safety and other liability issues.
Some of these policies might read “no smoking on duty,” “don’t be stoned at work,” “smoke all you want when you’re not in the workplace,” etc.
In the workplace, the rules prohibiting cannabis are far murkier than that of alcohol. Whereas the excessive consumption of both can limit a worker’s performance.
Some organizations have begun to get actively involved in the cannabis charge in Canada. These organizations are on this because they think cannabis is capable of improving the mental health and productivity of workers in the various businesses in Canada.
Photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash
This article will be limited to the top three organizations actively involved:
Canadian Mental Health Commission (CMHC)
CanaQuest Medical Corp
Canadian Cannabis Dispute Resolution Centre
Canadian Mental Health Commission
CMHC is a body that is vested with the task of making research on the relationship between Canadian mental health and the use of cannabis. They also examine existing works and explore the connections between cannabis use and mental health.
From their research, they have been able to establish partly that cannabis improves the mental health of Canadians in their workplace. They’re leading the charge to explore specific modes of consumption of cannabinoids to determine how they can affect productivity in the workplace. Intense research is still ongoing, and the existing cannabis reforms in the country make the process really smooth.
CMHC believes that the decriminalization of cannabis in Canada puts the country in a position to become a leading force in cannabis and mental health research.
From their findings, the Canadian Mental Health Commission (CMHC) has valued the economic burden of workplace mental health issues at a staggering $52 billion annually. 40% of this amount is linked to loss of productivity. It is not unusual that chronic pain is one of the likely effects due to mental health problems.
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That is, there is a link between mental and physical health. Poor mental health can present itself as mood disorders or some other forms of physical pain.
In 2017, CHMC carried out a survey on Canadian Tobacco, Drugs, and Alcohol use. They were able to report that over 37% of marijuana consumers are using drugs for medical purposes.
Several businesses maintain their stance that all forms of cannabis consumption influence a worker’s ability to function efficiently in the workplace. They believe marijuana reduces the person’s level of productivity in the workplace. Some have persisting biases that make them doubt if their workers are truly using for medical reasons.
CanaQuest Medical Corp and Canadian Cannabis Dispute Resolution Centre
These organizations are partners in raising awareness of the benefits of cannabis. They are education communities, companies, employees, and employers on cannabis-related programs that can help Canadian businesses increase their productivity levels, in turn, boost revenues.
CCDRC is a national body that develops cannabis-related educational materials for both domestic and internal use. These materials were developed to improve the various sectors of the economy, as well as industry-specific associations.
Photo by Brooke Cagle via Unsplash
CannaQuest is a pharmaceutical company that infuses cannabinoid compounds and other botanical molecules. The company is focused on developing cannabis medicines that can be used to treat mental health disorders like depression, addiction, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorders, and anxiety.
The CannaQuest and CCDRC partnership will work with scientifically backed evidence and published data of the acclaimed Dr. Steven Laviolette and his team in Canada. Dr. Laviolette is the man for this job because he and his team have studied the effects of CBD on mental health and overall wellness.
Thanks to the abundant research by CannaQuest Medical Corp, many wellness-focused drugs and nutraceuticals have been provided for the Canadian population. These products have little to very minimal inebriating effects. They have been tested within the diverse Canadian population.
This is why they are poised to lead the charge for cannabis for mental health in Canadian workplaces.
Change is Inevitable
Change can’t be evaded, who would have thought the whole world would have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic already. Canadian businesses have to embrace change and adopt measures that will create a safe work environment for their workers.
With the involvement of these three organizations, companies can be better equipped with cannabis resolution policies that consider workers that need the drug for improved mental health.
“Charlotte’s Web is in a position to be the bridge between CBD and cannabis wellness, and that category expands our total available market by three to four times,” said the CEO.
Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc. (OTCQX:CWBHF) CEO Deanie Elsner discussed the hemp CBD extract company’s development, future plans and mission on Thursday at the virtual Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference.
In order to build its infrastructure, the company made many important moves last year, said Elsner.
Those include the acquisition of Abacus Health Products Inc. and obtaining organic certification, product patents and B Corp certification, Elsner told panel moderator, JJ McKay, founder and publisher at The Fresh Toast.
Photo by BATCH by Wisconsin Hemp Scientific via Unsplash
“A lot of our focus in 2021 and 2022 will be evolving our footprint and expanding our presence across the country or across the globe. We’re entering a number of new countries,” she said.
Charlotte’s Web recently announced cultivation in Canada, and the CBD company has a partnership in Israel and plans to expand into Europe, Elsner said.
Charlotte’s Web CEO On The US CBB, THC Markets
Cannabis legalization efforts in the U.S. are further along than Elsner expected, she told the Benzinga conference, with around half of states providing legal access to either medical or adult-use cannabis.
She said she anticipates seeing federal legalization in the next three to five years. “There’s a segment opening up in cannabis. It’s not just medical marijuana.”
That segment is personal wellness, with a focus on higher levels of THC than what is seen in CBD products, and with products targeting anxiety, depression insomnia, pain and inflammation, she explained.
Charlotte’s Web CEO Says Focus On Transparency, Traceability
What makes Charlotte’s Web stand out is the complete transparency and traceability of their products, according to Elsner.
Photo by Anshu A via Unsplash
The company is vertically integrated, which means it is producing its own seeds, extracting its own biomass and has no ingredients purchased from other sources. Said Elsner, “What that has enabled us [to do] is become the world’s most trusted hemp extract company.”
Those dynamics give Charlotte’s Web a strong foundation to enter the cannabis space, as 50% of consumers want to move into cannabis, she said.
The first thing that should be done is to get CBD regulated, with medical and recreational cannabis regulated next, in Elsner’s view, because that’s the framework to regulate cannabis.
Elsner On Cannabis As Consumer Packaged Goods Product
With consumers dictating the development of the industry, Elsner said that the cannabis sector is going to move into the consumer packaged goods category.
Consumers are coming to industry via CBD, but quickly transitioning to cannabis — for personal wellness reasons.
“And so, Charlotte’s Web is in a position to be the bridge between CBD and cannabis wellness, and that category expands our total available market by three to four times.”
Using dating apps can be rough, but it becomes a much more complicated process if you’re queer. Here are some apps to check out if you’re LGBTQ+.
If you think trying to meet someone through a dating app is challenging, it’s even more challenging for queer people. These apps have significantly smaller dating pools, providing users with fewer opportunities to meet someone they’re interested in.
Dating apps that aren’t queer-friendly result in lots of frustration, whether that’s from corny bios or truly alienating interactions. To commemorate pride and all of the good apps that are available to people of all sexual orientations, here are the 5 best LGBTQ+ dating apps:
Unlike the majority of dating profiles, Lex is a community-based app, allowing you to make friends, get to know people in your area, or go on dates. It doesn’t allow you to post photos, but it allows you to connect your Instagram and shows you what’s going on in your area which results in a solid option for people who want to get to know the queer community that exists in their area.
This app, geared towards women of all types, is a dating app with a social media experience. It allows you to get to know queer events in your community and swipe right on people you’re attracted to. The catch here, and it’s a big one, is the fact that it costs $25 a month. If you have the extra cash laying around, go for it, since it’s an app that’s primarily designed for queer women that also provides a social media experience that can connect you with other people like you.
Grindr is the ultimate gay dating app, but it’s become almost synonymous with hookups. While that’s great for a lot of people, it does alienate a lot of men who are looking for something more serious. Scruff is designed with that in mind, connecting you with people who live close to you, to queer events in your area, and people in different locations when traveling.
Bisexual and pansexual people face a lot of misunderstandings from straight and queer people. BiCupid is designed with them in mind, providing people who are attracted to multiple genders the ability to get to know like-minded people.
From the group of “straight” dating apps, OkCupid is the one that’s friendliest towards queer people. OkCupid has been around for ages yet it remains inventive and informed, having ads and an interface that’s inclusive and that many queer people gravitate towards. The site has plenty of orientation and gender choices, pronoun selection, and plenty of opportunities to get political.
Senate Democrats just don’t have enough of a majority to use the budget reconciliation process to their full advantage this year.
There has been some discussion over the past couple of months that Senate Majority Chuck Schumer might employ some clever finagling to bypass the 60-vote supermajority requirement to push through a comprehensive marijuana reform bill. As it stands, an old rule known as the filibuster is in the way of Schumer securing the votes necessary to make legal weed a reality. But if he could wrap it up in a budget reconciliation proposal, there’s a chance it would pass with a simple majority.
If the term budget reconciliation sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the only way Democrats have been able to get anything accomplished in the past few months. The budget reconciliation process allows the Senate to pass bills with a simple majority (51 votes), basically moving a bill through the upper chamber without Republican support. This is how they passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill, despite Republicans throwing a fit about how it would cripple America.
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The problem with this tactic, however, is the controlling party can typically only use it once per fiscal year.
But Schumer, leaning on Section 304 of the 1974 Congressional Budget Act, believed Democrats had additional budget reconciliations coming to them. And if that was the case, he might try to include a long-awaited marijuana reform proposal into another resolution. Schumer admitted that was possible in a recent press conference. He told reporters that he’d confirm in a few weeks.
The next move seemed contingent on a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough.
Democrats soon received good news.
In April, the Senate parliamentarian determined that the party did, in fact, have additional budget reconciliation options at their disposal. “The Parliamentarian has advised that a revised budget resolution may contain budget reconciliation instructions. This confirms the Leader’s interpretation of the Budget Act and allows Democrats additional tools to improve the lives of Americans if Republican obstruction continues,” Schumer’s spokesman said, according to The Hill.
Yet, it seems that Schumer may have over embellished just how much authority these reconciliations would give them. A recent report from Punchbowl News suggests that the parliamentarian’s ruling puts strict limits on what Democrats can do with their newly green-lit option.
“The majority party — in this case, the Democrats — cannot use reconciliation simply to avoid the regular legislative process, and there have to be reasons beyond political expediency for triggering the majority threshold, such as an economic downturn,” the news source wrote of MacDonough’s decision. “In other words, the parliamentarian said Dems can’t use this as a shortcut.”
Although Democrats thought they had two more automatic budget reconciliations to use this year, MacDonough’s ruling leaves them with one. Schumer has only one shot at passing critical items in the Biden agenda. And trying to convince the president that marijuana legalization needs to be a part of the deal probably isn’t going to fly.
Biden’s focus is on his American Jobs Plan, American Families Plan, and a Medicare expansion. Those efforts were initially supposed to be split between the two budget resolutions, but now Schumer must find a way to get it all done with one. Schumer would be hard-pressed to convince the Biden administration to squeeze in weed. After all, Biden isn’t even sure whether full blown legalization is the right thing to do.
Photo by Anton Petrus/Getty Images
Even trying to force a revision to another budget resolution must endure the full committee and amendment process. That’s where Republicans could swoop in and jam up a vote. Senate Democrats just don’t have enough of a majority to use the budget reconciliation process to their full advantage this year. Any misstep at this point could blow Biden’s agenda out of the water.
So, it appears that Schumer will have to walk a narrow line to further the greater good of the Democratic party. This could mean that his highly publicized plans to push a comprehensive cannabis reform measure could be put on hold. It just doesn’t appear that the Senate parliamentarian will allow the Democrats to toss any old issue over their shoulders and carry it to the finish line with the budget reconciliation process.
Marijuana legalization will likely need to be done through regular legislative means (and be subject to the GOP filibuster). Unfortunately, trying to legalize weed nationwide in this manner spells nothing but certain death.
Although the amount of money spent on marijuana in this country is impressive, why do advocates act so surprised when they see reports that continue to show an uprising of pot profits with each passing year?
Marijuana brings big money to those states willing to legalize. This is the message cannabis advocates have been preaching for years, and they take every opportunity to praise it as a selling point.
Some of the latest numbers prove that the sale of cannabis products is poised to become one of the largest, tax-generating inebriation markets in the United States. A new study from the Marijuana Policy Project finds that around $7.9 billion in tax revenue has been made from pot sales since 2014. At the same time, local governments benefited to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In other words, if states need a new revenue stream, legal weed is the ticket.
Photo by Hillary Kladke/Getty Images
Although the amount of money spent on marijuana in this country is impressive, why do advocates act so surprised when they see reports that continue to show an uprising of pot profits with each passing year? Of course, marijuana is selling like mad. It’s now legal in over half the nation for various reasons, with 17 of those states allowing it to be sold like beer. People no longer need to frequent the black market to purchase marijuana — although many still do — creating a situation where the cash that was once spent on illegal sources has gone legit.
There’s also the novelty factor associated with the cannabis market. People who may have never used marijuana before (or those who tried it in their youth) are gravitating toward the legal weed scene because it humors them to some degree and there’s little to no risk involved. They are interested in being “bad” without a brush with the law. They want to hang with the cool kids. Studies show that more people try weed for the first time when it is legal. Canada saw a massive uprising in first-time marijuana users after it launched its legal market a few years back.
“One of the things … unique with this survey is the number of respondents who said they’re using for the first time,” Michelle Rotermann, a senior analyst in Statistics Canada’s health analysis division, told CBC News in 2019. “So, they started, in this case, in the post-legalization period.”
More users equals more money.
But a funny thing started happening to weed several years ago. The alcohol and tobacco industries began “watching it closely.” Some of these companies even invested loads of money to participate. Beverage companies like Constellation Brands (maker of Corona & Modelo) invested billions of dollars to get in on the ground floor of ganja. Meanwhile, Molson Coors, Anheuser-Busch, and the Boston Beer Company also made moves. Imperial Brands (maker of Kool and Winston cigarette brands) jumped in as well. Most recently, Marlboro-maker Philip Morris said that it is watching the pot market to see where it fits in. These large corporations with deep, deep pockets are dabbling in marijuana in preparation for when the federal government finally legalizes it. And that’s something that we could see happen in the next few years.
Senate Democrats are going to try to legalize marijuana at the national level this year. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has plans to reveal a comprehensive cannabis reform bill “soon.” Federal legalization is so close, in fact, that the alcohol and tobacco industries have formed a national lobbying group to influence pot policy changes at the federal level. It’s a development that has the cannabis folks spooked. After spending years touting weed’s substantial revenue potential, weed advocates now want legalization to happen sans capitalism.
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“It’s a false dichotomy to suggest our only two choices are to keep incarcerating people for marijuana or to immediately roll out a red carpet for national big businesses to take over the market,” wrote Shaleen Title, vice chair of the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition and Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Ohio State University’s Drug Policy and Enforcement Center.
Interestingly, restricting the alcohol and tobacco industries from participating in cannabis is precisely what Senator Schumer wants to do. He made this clear when he announced how cannabis reform was a Democratic priority. But now, instead of pushing Congress to establish a taxed and regulated national market, advocates want them to slow down and let states figure out the best way forward. “Lawmakers should give states the time they need to implement equitable policies and prevent market domination by Big Tobacco and other bad actors in the meantime,” Title asserts.
It remains to be seen how Schumer plans to legalize marijuana federally without allowing some good ol’ fashioned capitalistic carnage to take shape. Although the cannabis scene is split between those who want justice for decades of brutal drug war tactics and those who just want to sell weed and relish in profits, it seems unlikely that pot will get out alive without being exploited just like alcohol and tobacco. It seems even less likely that the cannabis industry will make it another twenty years without big corporations swooping in and swallowing it whole.
I suppose this should be a lesson in “be careful what you ask for.” Weed is going legal, and the design will likely mimic the big money ideas that the cannabis advocacy community has been selling for decades.
Not so fast, While Amazon may someday be able to sell and ship THC products, we are not even close to that idea yet as far as legalization and state laws. Remember, Amazon has one federal government, 50 state governments, and about 120 governments in other countries to worry about and placate before they start dropping shipping weed all around North America.
Photo by Christian Wiediger via Unsplash
After calling our sources at Amazon and talking to various Amazon DSP partners, what is the real reason for Amazon’s new found legalization support? It is not a benevolent or maleficent as you may think. It is all about getting workers in their warehouses. Amazon, like most of America, is having a very hard time getting people to come back to work and at the $16 to $18 an hour pay level, and many Amazon stations shifting to “megacycle” where the warehouse workers work from 11pm to 7am, they are finding takers for that glorious offer to be sparse.
Recently, Amazon announced $1 billion going back to workers salary and creating jobs. This was not done for any benevolent reasons by Amazon, it was done because they could not get workers at their current pay levels. Minimum wages at Amazon warehouse have risen anywhere from 10% to over 30% in order to try and attract workers. This is not even including the new $1,000 and $1,500 signing bonuses Amazon is offering to warehouse workers now in order to try and fill their vacant job listings.
Photo courtesy of Amazon
What does this have to do with marijuana legalization you may ask?
Amazon has a drug testing policy that includes marijuana. Amazon realizes they can greatly expand their eligible worker pool at that pay level if they stop testing for marijuana or cannabis gets legalized at the Federal level. While the press release says they will stop testing for non-DOT positions (sorry, drivers!), they realize like many government offices, if you eliminate everyone who can’t pass a marijuana drug test, you eliminate a lot of potential employees. This is especially relevant in large, legal cannabis states like California, Colorado, and now Florida.
I can guarantee Amazon figured out how many employee applications are failing the marijuana drug test nationally each month, let’s say 10,000 for fun, and realized if they didn’t have the marijuana drug test policy, that 10,000 more people may be able to fill their midnight to 7am pick-and-pack shifts.
Does Amazon want to sell cannabis and ship it someday? Absolutely, they are already dabbling with prescription drug refills to a larger and larger test area now, but that is not the main goal with supporting marijuana legalization now, it is to expand their pool of eligible workers at $15 to $17 an hour. The FBI and CIA have all faced similar problems and discussed it, especially around recruiting computer programs and “hackers”, since a large majority of that community would be unable to pass a marijuana drug test.
Amazon Prime Week is June 21-22 this year. Get ready, because when you sell a few billion dollars of items in 48 hours, someone needs to pack and ship all those packages to your house.
Weed hangovers are different than alcohol hangovers. They principally affect people who are new to the drug or who are trying out a new cannabis method.
Weed hangovers are a mystery. Unlike alcohol hangovers, which universally affect everyone, when weed hangovers happen there’s not much of an explanation. Maybe you smoked more than you’ve ever smoked or maybe you consumed weed in a brand new way. It could never happen to you or it could happen often.
Weed hangovers encompass a range of effects that include brain fog, headaches, fatigue and feeling like you’re still high hours later. While they’re not as uncomfortable as an alcohol hangover, they can still be pretty limiting, starting from the moment you smoke until hours after.
Due to marijuana’s legal status, there’s not a lot of information out there on why these types of hangovers occur. Anecdotal evidence suggests it’s related to the amount of weed that’s consumed. This varies from person to person, depending on the individual’s cannabis threshold.
In general, the more THC there’s in cannabis, and the more you consume of it, the higher the odds of getting a cannabis hangover. Marijuana hangovers aren’t as crippling as alcohol hangovers but there are a few things you can do to put them under control.
If you get recurring weed hangovers
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Recurring weed hangovers may indicate that something is off with your cannabis consumption. Everyday users should try to limit the amount of cannabis they ingest, consuming it every other day or just on the weekends. A change of your cannabis smoking schedule might also help; if you get hangovers when you smoke at night, trying smoking during the day.
If you have a weed hangover and don’t know what to do about it, try to sleep it off. If you sleep and it’s still disturbing you, avoid spending the entire day in bed, since this will likely make your situation worse. Go for a walk or a run and you’ll quickly notice the change in your system. Don’t skip out on meals and stick to something healthy and natural. Stay hydrated and wait for it to pass.
Don’t have much privacy? Here’s how to make teletherapy work when you lack alone time.
Thanks to the pandemic, online therapy has become very popular. Not only is this practice socially distanced, it’s also a convenient and viable option for a large percentage of people.
One of the major limitations of teletherapy is privacy. Teletherapy creates a new host of problems in the shape of roommates, parents, children, and spouses. The thought of them accidentally listening in on your therapy sessions is kind of terrible.
Photo by Ivan Samkov via Pexels
If you still enjoy the convenience of teletherapy but are concerned with the privacy aspect of it all, there are a few things you can do to make yourself more comfortable and make the most out of your therapy session. Here are 5 ways to make teletherapy work if you live with other people:
Talk to the people you live with
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If you can, be as honest as you can with everyone you live with. Talk about your therapy schedule and your desire for privacy, hopefully getting everyone you live with on the same page and giving you the space you need. Accessorize yourself with headphones and, if you can, get a door in between yourself and others.
If you have a bedroom or a bathroom, make it comfortable and ask for other people to give you some space for the duration of your therapy. Wear headphones and consider using a white noise machine, which can create an environment of quiet and privacy. You should place it right out of the room where you’re having your therapy, giving you some peace of mind.
Incorporate text therapy
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If you’re discussing something really juicy that you’d like to keep relatively private, consider incorporating text therapy. Discuss it with your therapist beforehand to see if they agree with you and give it a shot. If this is too much for you, come up with code names for the people you’re talking about, that way you can express yourself and you can get everything off of your chest.
If you have a car, you’ve already won half of the battle. This environment is quiet and provides you with total privacy. It’s also nice to leave your home and go to a different setting for your therapy, even if it’s your car.
Go for a walk
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If your home is crowded and you don’t have a car where you can have privacy, go for a walk. This is a nice opportunity to move a bit and get your thoughts in order as you have your therapy session. Try to go to a place where there’s not a lot of people and where you can enjoy yourself as best as you can, while also focusing on the task at hand.
