Restaurants are reopening, but it’s important to be as safe as possible to minimize risks.
Restaurants have been one of the hardest hit businesses since the novel coronavirus caused lockdowns across the country. Now that these places are reopening across states in the U.S., business owners are looking for effective ways of navigating this new normal. They must manage preventing the spread of virus while also making a profit.
When going out to a restaurant, you’ll always be exposing yourself to risk. When compared to the risks you’re exposing yourself to when visiting parks and working out outdoors, restaurants work differently. Even if the restaurant you’re visiting is very careful with their social distancing measures, there’s no way of knowing if you’re occupying a space with someone that was exposed to the virus. In addition, you and everyone else will be eating and drinking close together, unable to wear face masks for most of your stay.
Still, after months spent cooped up indoors, an outing to a restaurant may be the shot of normalcy your body is craving. There are effective ways of minimizing your risks:
When leaving the safety of your home, the safest thing you can do is find a place to hang out outdoors. Open spaces with free airflow are safer for everyone since the spread of germs is less likely. Unless the indoor restaurant you’re attending is very big and distanced, it’s a big risk to sit somewhere for a significant portion of time in contact with people without wearing masks.
Dine out with people you live with
While restaurant outings are great opportunities to catch up with friends, we’re still living in pandemic times. By eating out with people you live with, you’ll be eliminating tons of risks. When it comes to eating out with friends, a good option is to get take out and to eat in an open space, keeping six feet of distance between everyone and avoiding sharing utensils or napkins.
Constant hand washing is stressful and bad for your skin, which is why it pays to learn when to wash your hands. As a rule of thumb, what works best is to wash your hands when leaving and entering a building, after using the bathroom and before eating. If you don’t have access to soap, hand sanitizer also works.
The therapeutic benefits, side effects, and risks of THC. Welcome to cannabis 101.
There are three certainties we accept in life: death, taxes, and that THC gets you high. But what is TCH, there is a beninnger’s guide to marijuana’s psychoactive cannabinoid. THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, it’s probably as the cannabinoid responsible for marijuana’s psychoactive effect. This is very much true, but newcomers and experienced consumers alike still have much to learn about this cannabis compound.
How does THC work?
Located throughout your body exists tiny receptors that specifically respond to cannabis compound. This is what’s known as your endocannabinoid system (ECS). These receptors allow THC to bind with your body and affect various functioning systems. Similar to neurotransmitters in your brain, endocannabinoids influence how a person feels, reacts, and moves. They don’t dictate different processes in your body, but they do act as a control center of sorts. Think of them like a light dimmer in your house: it doesn’t flip the switch on or off, but the amount of light possible.
When working properly, the ECS strive to maintain homeostasis throughout your body. It facilitates communications between cells and nerves, while also serving as a bridge between your mind and body. Humans don’t naturally produce phytocannabinoids, or cannabinoids produced by plants. This is why consuming cannabis can produce such dramatic effects on how you think or feel.
How will THC make me feel?
When you ingest THC, it instructs the brain to release dopamine. This produces the euphoric rush often associated with cannabis. Some positive effects THC is known to cause include relaxation, sedation, hunger, drowsiness, pain relief, and elation.
There are possibly negative effects as well. Consuming too much THC could induce anxiety, paranoia, memory impairment, scattered thinking, and more. It’s often recommended new marijuana users find balanced cannabis products that include CBD to avoid these side effects. CBD can counteract the sensations caused by THC, and actually produce more therapeutic benefits.
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Possible Risks
Do not let the most high-minded hippie tell you otherwise: There are risks to smoking marijuana. If you know what they are, you should be able to prepare for them. Too much smoking and vaping can disrupt your respiratory system and result in pulmonary complications in some cases. Worth noting: A 2012 study found smoking a joint per day for up to seven years had no impact in adverse lung functioning. You can always use alternative consumption methods to avoid the possibility, however.
You can also develop a tolerance to THC. This might cause you to smoke more, which will cause all the lung problems above. We advise taking breaks and some other methods to maintain your tolerance levels.
As the National Cancer Institute notes, cannabis has been used as medicine for over 3,000 years. Prior to marijuana prohibition, many Americans actually had cannabis tinctures as household remedies for nausea and rheumatism.
Researchers looked at how Siri, Alexa, and other mainstream AI programs responded to questions related to marijuana addiction. Here’s what they found.
“Hey Siri, will medical marijuana help with my anxiety?”
Earlier this year, at the park with my kids, I posed this question to Apple’s AI bot and I was met with a list of internet links that might answer my question. In my house, we ask Siri for all kinds of things: directions, recipes, or simply to tell us a joke. Why not ask her for medical marijuana advice?
If you want to turn to Siri for medical marijuana advice, her functionality is limited. The bot can look up dispensaries using your location. She can also get you started on the hunt to answer your questions about medical marijuana using the search function.
The ability to set reminders is a function that medical marijuana patients could find helpful. With the help of Siri, or whichever AI bot you use, you can ask for a reminder when it is time for another dose.
What Role Does Siri Play in Addiction and Cessation?
While Siri doesn’t have a wealth of information about using marijuana, the bot also falls short for tech users who want information on addiction or cessation. This includes giving up alcohol, smoking, or smoking marijuana less frequently.
In January, researchers looked at how Siri, Alexa, and other mainstream AI programs responded to questions related to marijuana addiction. According to Digital Medicine, in response to questions like, “help me quit pot,” these programs were more likely to recommend a retailer selling marijuana than a free hotline for addiction treatment.
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Alternative AI Steps in When Mainstream Programs Fall Short
It might be sometime before you can get the answers you want about medical marijuana from Siri, but there is an alternative AI program that is hoping to step in where mainstream apps fall short. Cannabot was created with marijuana users in mind by AI Health Outcomes, which operates out of Philadelphia. The bot is now available to healthcare providers through Affinity Network.
There are a few things that make Cannabot so special. First, health providers can purchase subscriptions to the service and then offer it to the patients they treat without charge. Second, this AI program has access to a large amount of research you won’t be able to pull up online because the bot has access to studies not available to the general public. Additionally, AI Health Outcomes has pulled in the experts to help with the backend, so you know your answers are coming from a reliable source.
The primary goal is to know if the virus is changing in ways that would affect current medical treatments.
The FDA authorizes next generation test for diagnosing COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of genomic sequencing in COVID-19 that will both significantly improve the level of research into COVID-19, as well as holding real promise for the ongoing treatment of the coronavirus.
The FDA authorized the Illumina COVIDSeq Test for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from respiratory specimens collected from individuals suspected of COVID-19 by medical response teams, or by their healthcare provider. In the fight against coronavirus, using next-generation sequencing tools means that the test can generate information about the genomic sequence of the virus present in a sample.
In a recent interview, Dr. Phil Febbo, chief medical officer of Illumina, explained that diagnostic testing helps medical professionals manage patients, while surveillance is required to manage whole populations. Diagnostic testing, he explained, provides yes/no answers for individual patients. Dr. Febbo contrasted diagnostics with surveillance testing, where the goal is to inform public health professionals to track the path of a pandemic, understand transmission routes, and determine viral evolution. The most important goal is to know if the virus is changing in ways that would affect current medical treatments.
The EUA means that medical professionals can use the COVIDSeq test to produce information about the genomic sequence of the virus, as recognized as present in a sample obtained in research or from a patient. The FDA uses the EUA to fast track the availability of medicine or treatment programs in a time of emergency.
Dr. Stephen Hahn, MD, the Commissioner of the FDA, explored the promise this new set of testing tools offers medical professionals in response to COVID-19. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the ingenuity that results from the FDA working in partnership with the private sector. Genetic sequencing information will help us monitor if and how the virus mutates, which will be crucial to our efforts to continue to learn and fight this virus,” said Dr. Hahn, M.D.
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Understanding why sequencing matters
Sequencing is necessary to track the transmission route of the virus globally, monitoring exposure to the most established cluster. More aggressive measures are warranted to contain the spread of the virus.
In finding the best therapeutics, sequencing can determine how quickly the virus is adapting as it spreads. It appears that SARS-CoV-2 achieves two mutations per month as it spreads. This information allows public health officials to identify how likely the virus is to avoid detection from established PCR assays and become resistant to therapies.
Sequencing identifies targets for therapies. Knowing the viral genome is essential to understanding therapeutic efficacy from small molecule therapeutics targeting specific viral proteins to vaccines directed against viral antigens.
Sequencing-based surveillance is required to understand the role of co-infection. COVID-19 can range from asymptomatic to fatal. Respiratory pathogens can often cause progressive disease by lowering host immunity and fostering a co-infection that results in more severe and life-threatening diseases.
In response to the COVID-19 emergency, the FDA is announcing a temporary policy regarding enforcement of the requirement for drug samples.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing updated guidance to address questions they’ve received asking for clarification regarding their enforcement of requirements on the distribution of drug samples under the Prescription Drug Marketing Act (PDMA) of 1987 . The PDMA is part of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the relevant implementing regulations regarding drug samples are in 21 CFR part 203 (part 203), subpart D.
The relevance of this modification affects health care providers, patients affected by COVID-19 and related conditions, and the life science companies themselves, according to information highlighted in The National Law Review.
The drug sample revisions, issued by the FDA earlier in June, affect how licensed practitioners provide care and consultation to their clients during a public health emergency. In response to the COVID-19 emergency, the FDA is announcing a temporary policy regarding enforcement of the requirement for drug samples. This policy covers samples only to be sent to the requesting healthcare practitioner licensed to prescribe the drug, or to a professional at the pharmacy of a hospital or health care entity.
Under the current FDA guidance during the public health emergency (PHE), the FDA clarified drug samples can not be distributed to licensed retail pharmacies. That set of regulations has effectively not changed.
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The revised guidance is in part due to patients meeting with their health practitioners via phone or video conference call. “The FDA understands that during the COVID-19 PHE, many licensed practitioners are not meeting face-to-face with patients, and these licensed practitioners would like to be able to request that manufacturer or authorized distributor can send drug samples directly to the identified patient’s home,” the updated guidance memo reads.
The FDA recognized that due to various statewide quarantines, the stay at home recommendations, as well as the almost universally recommended social distancing guidelines designed for the protection of both patients and healthcare providers, that the standard procedures must have exemptions.
Similarly, the FDA does not intend to take regulatory or enforcement actions against any manufacturer or authorized distributors that have been delivering drug samples by mail or common shipping carrier directly to the identified patient.
Crossfaded highs are no joke, but pairing marijuana and wine might be a fun experience when controlled.
Alcohol and marijuana is a pairing that’s not normally recommended. But, for a lot of sommeliers and marijuana enthusiasts, the pairing of weed and wine is one that’s a lot like wine and cheese. Two items that are fragrant and delicious and that when combined can compliment each other in taste and smell.
The combination of marijuana and alcohol has a reputation. There’s the much discussed crossfaded highs — when people are simultaneously stoned and drunk and have trouble controlling their bodies. Crossfaded highs seem to have a substantial effect on those with sensitive systems, such as those who get drunk off a single glass of wine.
Before combining wine with weed, it’s important to be informed and to start off slowly. Any kind of marijuana and alcohol pairing is going to give you a substantial high, especially for those who don’t have much experience with this combination — or with the compounds themselves. People who are experienced with cannabis and wine will likely have an easier time in selecting what to mix, making the most out of the experience.
Photos by: Kelsey Knight via Unsplash, Matthew Brodeur via Unsplash
Marijuana and alcohol tend to act as downers, so it’s important to account for the setting where you’ll be consuming the mix of the two. If you’re at a party, try pairing the wine with a hybrid or a sativa cannabis strain, preventing that tiredness that wine’s known for from seeping in. If you’re drinking your wine and having your weed while on the couch, try out an indica with a heavy red and see what happens.
In conversation with The Manual, Jamie Evans, a wine specialist and herb sommelier, said, “Much like evaluating wine, you can also use sensory evaluation techniques to prep your nose and palate for interpreting cannabis. For example, the next time you purchase some flower, put it in a wine glass and begin to smell the different aroma layers that jump out of the glass.”
Compare and contrast different strains, noticing their differences and smells. Get creative and ask your budtender about terpenes, trying to distinguish the marijuana you purchase through this lens. Finally, try out different combinations of wine and weed. Try out a rose with a sativa or a heavy red with an indica strain. No matter the outcome, you’ll get to train your nose and to try out new wines and marijuana strains, which is incentive enough.
Do you want to learn how entrepreneurs legally make money selling cannabis these days? Here are 5 companies knocking it out of the park.
More and more countries decide to legalize cannabis and give entrepreneurs a chance to make money and keep the economy.
In 2019, the marijuana stocks were supposed to prove their worth on Wall Street by generating steady profits. However, things didn’t go according to the plan. Many investors missed opportunities due to high tax rates and supply issues in the United States and Canada. These obstacles helped the black market to thrive and left marijuana stock investors just heart-broken — no one could predict the government’s roadblocks.
Despite all these setbacks, some pot stocks still have good market value.
Canopy Growth And Its Bright Start
Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE: CGC) (also known as Tweed Marijuana) was founded by two friends — Chuck Rifici and Bruce Linton, in 2013.
In 2019, the company became the largest cannabis company in the world thanks to its value of shares and market capitalization. The company has even survived all challenges in 2019 without losing a single employee. During the crisis, there were 3200 employees in Canopy Growth.
These days, Canopy Growth is legally selling their products to 16 other countries (Spain, Germany, Australia, Canada, Jamaica, Czech Republic, Chile, etc.). At the end of 2019, the company set up a partnership with a UK-based think-tank called Beckley Foundations, which will allow them to start selling medical cannabis all around the UK as well.
David Klei, the new CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation, says that it is only the beginning of their company. In 2019, they also announced the release of edible cannabis products such as chocolates and beverages. The company might show even more surprises at the end of 2020. Mr. Klei has a point — it is only the beginning.
Curaleaf Holdings and its Cannabis King named Boris
Curaleaf Holdings (CURLF) is a Canadian company that produces and distributes cannabis-based products around the world. There is one special thing about the company. As the owners of the company state on their website and in numerous interviews, research and advocacy help them to become leaders in the competitive industry.
In 2020, Curaleaf operated more than 57 dispensaries around the US and Canada. No wonder, Boris Jordan, the chairman of Curaleaf, is called a Cannabis King in the American mass media.
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GW Pharmaceuticals
GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:GWPH) is a pharmaceutical company based in the UK. It helps to treat patients with multiple sclerosis with the help of natural cannabis.
In 2018, their cannabis-based products such as Sativex and Epidiolex were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. We can find their products in London, Prague, and Las Vegas dispensaries.
In 2020, the net worth of the company is $3.21 billion. At the moment, the company has its branches in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the US.
Cronos Group
Cronos Group (CRON) is an innovative global cannabinoid company with an office in New York. In 2019, the company received a $2.4 billion equity investment from Altria Group ( the largest producer of tobacco).
Investors consider Cronos Group one of the most cash-rich pot stock in the industry. The company was founded in 2016 and was run by only 20 employees at the beginning. Right now, there are almost 1000 employees in Cronos Group. Mike Gorenstein, CEO of the company, says that they have even more ambitious plans for the future.
Tilray
Tilray (TLRY) is another cannabis company that has a great place in the stock market. Tilray is a Canadian pharmaceutical company that has operations in the unites States, New Zeland, Portugal, Australia, Germany, and Latin America.
All you need to know about Tilray is that it is one of the first medical cannabis producers in North America.
Once marijuana was legalized in the United States, Tilray was the first cannabis company legally exporting their products to Americans. The company debuted on the Nasqad Stock Market with $17 per share.
In 2018, the price increased to $214 per share. However, the crisis in August 2019 brought Tilray’s founder Brendan Kennedy back to Earth — the price crashed to $29 per share. Despite such a failure, the company is still afloat, with the capital of $1.18 billion.
The cannabis industry is growing rapidly around the world. We might expect even more companies on the market in the near future. However, at this point, entrepreneurs need more support from the government.
Politicians might not be interested in helping the pot business. On the other hand, they should be the ones wanting to fight the illegal drug trade. Supporting local cannabis companies will not only help to generate the requisite public revenues and provide jobs but will also help to protect users from poor quality cannabis-based products.
“I think weed’s a fine thing, for the enjoyment of and, occasionally, for thinking about movies,” Whedon once said. But does he smoke it?
Joss Whedon is one of the most impactful figures in Hollywood. As a producer, director and comic book writer, he’s developed some of television’s most iconic shows, such as “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”He’s also the mastermind behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s hard to think of a person who has been more influential in terms of media over the past decade.
This week Whedon went viral for all of the wrong reasons. One of the leads of the “Justice League,” Ray Fisher, called him out due to his abusive behavior on set. Whedon is a self-professed workaholic but this is the first time that one of his collaborators called him on it.
Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.
He was enabled, in many ways, by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg.
Does Whedon smoke weed? It’s in his name, after all.
There’s not a lot of information on Whedon and marijuana, but there’s one interesting 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly where the topic is broached. In the profile, Whedon explains a bit of his childhood, how he grew up, and a time in his life where he went to boarding school in England. Somehow, the interviewer snuck in a question about pot.
“I think weed’s a fine thing, for the enjoyment of and, occasionally, for thinking about movies. I don’t use it socially because it does not improve my socializing. And I never, ever smoke unless it’s the last thing I do that day because there’s a long period of stupid that comes after it that’s pretty useless. You don’t need it, but every now and then it takes you to a different place,” said Whedon.
So, the answer is Whedon occasionally smokes marijuana? Whedon doesn’t seem to have a very positive opinion on the drug, but he’s used it at least. The EW profile was published a couple of years ago, so maybe his opinions have fluctuated since then. He’s a strange guy.
The news grabbed headlines with many pointing out the peculiarity of CBD being used in biblical times, but to Michael Klein, CEO of CBD company God’s Greenery, the evidence wasn’t so strange.
The discovery could be “interesting and provocative” to some, but the current popularity of CBD usage among religious communities underscores just how mainstream medicinal usage has become, Klein explained.
“As science continues to evolve, there are going to be more discoveries like this,” Klein told Benzinga. “The plant has been a part of history and culture since the beginning of time. It shouldn’t be surprising.”
For proof, Klein points to the growing number of U.S. consumers, 41 million, that identify as Christians. Hence why he launched God’s Greenery.
Christians & CBD
Since 2018, the startup has grown into a go-to resource for Christians that are curious about using CBD and needed reliable research and information.
“We uncovered this growing rate of Christians talking about CBD,” Klein said. “But there wasn’t a place for them to come together and share stories to foster that community.”
Also, the stereotypical anti-drug stance of “the Christian Right” was something Klein and his team anticipated. However, it never surfaced.
“When we launched God’s Greenery, we anticipated that resistance and that stigma, but got none of it,” Klein said. “You might get the confusion around CBD and questions like ‘Does that make me high?’ but you can quickly dispel that.”
These days, the conversation has centered more around the potential health benefits of CBD and how Christians can take advantage of the many products that are on the market.
“Various religions and Christians in particular have their own relationship with CBD and cannabis,” Klein said. “It’s not one size fits all by any stretch of the imagination.”
To help its audience pinpoint which products to get, the Raleigh, North Carolina-based company is pumping up the volume on its own products:
Oil of Gladness: A combination of botanicals and organic CBD with hints of basil, mint and chocolate.
Fit & Flex Capsules: DNA verified Hemp Seed Oil, along with pepper/clove oil for additional terpenes and full entourage effect, plus grape seed extract, rosemary extract, and turmeric. Like Oil of Gladness, it’s third party tested to ensure consistency and quality.
Sleep Capsules: These liquid filled capsules also contain DNA verified Hemp Seed Oil, coupled with soothing herbs and botanicals, to achieve “stability, or homeostasis.”
The oil is slated to start shipping in early July, while the capsules will begin shipping within two weeks.
Social Good
God’s Greenery is also donating a portion of the proceeds to locally vetted churches and nonprofits of the consumer’s choice.
“This is the first direct sales channel of hemp based, or derived, CBD wellness products to Christians,” Klein added. Brand ambassadors earn a commission on the products they sell. Up to 5% of the revenue is matched by God’s Greenery and another 5% is matched from ambassadors.
“Its’ a way to foster their communities,” Klein said. “Broadly speaking, wellness continues to grow as a category — especially post covid — and people will focus on health and wellness.”
Hair and nail salons are places that are usually quite crowded. Here’s what you can do to mitigate risks.
The coronavirus hit the pause button on a lot of our usual wellness appointments: dentist, doctor, acupuncture, massage, hair, nails…really anything that kept us looking and feeling good. And by now, you’re probably starting to miss these places terribly. For those salons that are reopening, you can say goodbye to the free coffee and tea service, cozy waiting areas, and dropping in without an appointment.
While many of these businesses are reopening and giving their employees work, coronavirus cases are increasing in many parts of the country. Salons are particularly risky because of the close contact with others for extended periods of time.
Here are 3 things you can do to mitigate the risk of exposing yourself and others:
While masks have become a political issue, science proves that wearing them eliminates the risk of coronavirus transmission. Masks prevent the spread of respiratory droplets, even if the person who’s coughing or sneezing is infected. Before you visit your salon, make sure to notice or ask if employers wear masks and to keep yours on through the duration of your appointment.
Find out what your salon is doing to control the virus
Photo by Kris Atomic on Unsplash
Do some research before you visit your favorite salon and try to get a gauge on how seriously they’re taking the coronavirus. At a minimum, salons should be ensuring that their employees wear masks, the appointments are spread throughout the day and that there’s social distancing and barriers between stations. If there’s no information of this online, call the place before you visit.
While a visit to the hair or nail salon can do great things for your mental health, it’s important to remember that the coronavirus is still raging and the risk of being exposed is high. Be safe with how you carry yourself and remember that the more time you spend inside a business, the greater the risk.
While you might come in for a hair trim and a manicure, avoid opting for a massage or a dye job, since these appointments take more time and increase the amount of contact you’ll have with other people.
