This week’s column features a new song from Tame Impala and new records from Selena Gomez and Eminem.
This Week’s Music is a weekly column that discusses the weeks’ best, worst, and most interesting songs. We try to select songs of different artists and genres to keep things interesting and to please a variety of music fans.
This week’s music features new songs from three different kinds of giants: Tame Impala for the indie and cool crowd, Selena Gomez for the tweens and gays, and Eminem for… some people, I guess. Have a listen:
Tame Impala makes the kind of music where the songs blur together, no matter the album, lyrics, or instruments used. They’re all extremely similar to one another. While, as usual, they’re a hit because they’re fun and deliciously easy to listen to, it’d be great to hear the band stretch their limbs in terms of sound and songwriting. But that’s just me nitpicking, the song is still a good time.
After a crazy year in terms of news and health, Selena Gomez returns to the music scene with a new album. I personally think it’s her best yet, because it plays well to her strengths and shielding her from her weaknesses. “Vulnerable” is the best song on the record, showing off Gomez’ breathy vocals and quick diction, supported by a great beat and some sincere and thoughtful lyrics that although stray towards melodrama still manage to stick the landing.
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Eminem – Darkness
As he did in 2018, Eminem surprise released this record and called it “Music To Be Murdered To.” Boasting a cover where he’s seen holding a shovel and wearing a fedora, Eminem doesn’t seem to have changed much. His songs feature personal, vulnerable and violent lyrics that mention shooters, at times calling out these tragedies by name in ways that range from edgy to tasteless depending on your level of tolerance. Despite the currency of the lyrics, Eminem feels like he belongs to a different time.
CBD is promoted as safe, healthy, and part of an everyday life of woke wellness. But among all those accolades and ca-chinging at the cash registers lurks a harsh reality.
Cannabidiol (CBD) products are everywhere. Many of them are illegal. All of them have questionable effects on health and wellness. And to some in the cannabis industry, those facts come as somewhat of a surprise.
To others, the CBD sales and marketing game is a wild west no-holds-barred free-for-all, with the consumer taking all of the risks.
There are CBD infused beverages, CBD creams and salves and CBD in all sorts of wellness products. There are smokable and edible CBD products. CBD is promoted as safe, healthy, and part of an everyday life of woke wellness.
But among all those accolades and ca-chinging at the cash registers lurks a harsh reality.
According to theU.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has still only approved one CBD product (GW Pharmaceutical’s Epidiolex, where the FDA collected its first real lab science about CBD), CBD can cause liver injury. It can affect the metabolism of other drugs and cause serious side effects. CBD used with alcohol or depressants increases the risk of becoming drowsy. It affects alertness, causes diarrhea, and changes in mood.
The long-term use of CBD is still unclear, as is using multiple forms of CBD at the same time, such as taking an edible while using salve or cream at the same time.
Photo by paulynn/Getty Images
Perhaps even more alarming, CBD has been shown to affect male reproductive activity, such as testicular size, sperm growth and development, and decreased testosterone.
So all of those CBD products you see in your favorite shopping mall, in kiosks inside the mall, in Whole Foods, in Walgreen’s – which appear to legitimize the products just because they are in trusted stores – are still iffy at best. Labels don’t always tell the full story.
Already tests of some products reveal not only no CBD at all in the products, but CBD mixed with THC in other supposedly CBD-only products. A 2017 analysis of 84 CBD products sold online cited by the National Institutes of Health found that 26 percent contained substantially less CBD than the label indicated, and 43 percent contained substantially more. Tests by theFDA also found issues with levels of CBD content.
But there is a silver lining to the dark CBD cloud. The2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived CBD, gave the FDA final say, which then handed the issue off to the USDA. TheUSDA recently announced interim rules for hemp production, just ended stakeholder reviews on those rules, and plans to submit final rules within two years. That will help open the door to the science the FDA requires to analyze CBD for its safety to consumers.
But for now, CBD is a buyer’s beware situation. Caveat emptor y’all.
Like vitamins, CBD can be used to prevent colds from occurring, or at least decrease their odds.
Winter makes for a tough group of months. Despite the beauty of it, not everyone is a fan of shorter days, lots of time spent indoors and increased odds of developing colds. Luckily, there’s some research out there that suggests that CBD might help you when it comes to the common cold, so at least there’s that.
According to some data, it’s not that CBD is viable medicine that can treat your colds, as Hello MD explains, the compound can be used to prevent them from occurring, or at least decrease their odds, like a vitamin. It can also help in reducing some of their most common symptoms.
From protecting your skin against breakouts and dryness, to boosting your immune system, here are some of the benefits that CBD can provide for you during flu and cold season:
Sleep
One of the most affecting elements of the flu or a cold is how these diseases affect your sleep. Body aches, fevers and runny noses can make it very hard for people to focus on sleeping, even if they’re exhausted.
According to some studies, CBD can help you sleep, especially when you’re problems are short term. The study says that by easing pain and anxiety, people have an easier time falling asleep.
A stronger immune system
Photo by Matthew Henry via Burst
Nothing protects your body from colds better than a strong immune system, which battles infections and all sorts of illnesses. CBD interacts with our endocannabinoid system, stimulating our immune system through the CB1 and CB2 receptors located in our bodies.
Pain relief
If you get a particularly strong cold, one of the worst symptoms you can experience are fever and body aches. The latter is particularly hard to provide relief from, causing discomfort when standing, sitting and laying down. CBD is a great pain reliever, especially when consumed orally or when applied topically.
Nourish dry skin
Photo by Praiwan Wasanruk/Getty Images
One of the most common concerns people have throughout the winter is dry skin, which affects every part of you that’s exposed to the cold. For some, this means that their hands, lips, chins and noses break easily due to the frigidness of the environment.
CBD works amazingly with skin care products, having a place in lip balms, face creams and all sorts of topicals.
Antibacterial properties
CBD has antibacterial properties that can help you battle infections, particularly those that develop with the common cold or flu. According to one study, CBD was “remarkably effective” at killing bacteria, having antibiotic effects against different types of staph and strep bacteria.
Meghan Markle is one of the most prominent celebrities across the globe. Does she smoke marijuana every now and then?
Ever since her relationship with Prince Harry became public, Meghan Markle has been under a glaring and critical spotlight. Every couple of months a new scandal breaks, be that from her estranged family, from supposed tensions that exist among the royal in-laws or her and Prince Harry’s decision to forge their own traditions.
When reading these headlines, it’s hard to differentiate fact from fiction. What’s real and what are the ramblings of some journalist who want to sell papers?
About a week ago, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they were stepping down from their royal duties. In a very polite statement, the couple informed the world that they would be splitting their time between the U.K. and America, and that they wanted their kid to be raised in a more modern environment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EaGS_Jpb9/
Last week, we wrote about Prince Harry and his relationship with marijuana. Now we ask ourselves, does Meghan Markle smoke weed? Let’s see what the internet has to say.
Back in 2011, during her Jamaican wedding to first husband Trevor Engelson, Markle included joints in the gift bags for her guests.
“It’s illegal, but it’s no big deal in Jamaica,” said Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father. “It’s almost customary down there. I don’t smoke weed and to the best of my knowledge nor does Meghan. I don’t know what I did with mine. I think I gave it away. I kept the bag and I use it to keep the sea air off one of my Emmys.”
Photo by Pool/Getty Images
In the months leading up to the royal wedding, Thomas Markle was heavily covered by the media. He conducted several paid interviews which revealed that he was no longer in contact with his daughter and he wasn’t invited to the ceremony.
It’s pretty obvious that the news surrounding Meghan and marijuana is mostly scandalous for the sake of being scandalous.
Despite how outdated the royals are and how awful Meghan Markle has been treated from every direction, we can’t help but wonder if anyone has ever smoked a joint in Buckingham Palace. Someone should go undercover and investigate.
Behavior from The Bachelor contestants has caused us to wonder if they’re allowed to consume marijuana on the show.
For those of you who live in an area without access to cable or online streaming services, “The Bachelor” is a reality dating show where women from all over the country compete for the attention — and ultimately love — of a single man. But it’s also a show designed to maximize messy drama and catfighting, with both men and women guilty of embarrassing themselves for our entertainment.
The newest season of the show features Peter “The Pilot” Weber as the Bachelor. Among the women vying for Pete is Katrina Badowski, who had this to say about her potential love interest. “You need to risk it for the biscuit,” she said. “And he looks like a really f***ing hot biscuit.” To make this kind of comment you either assume she is either trying to maximize her 15 minutes of fame or high out of her mind.
Mashable writer Anna Iovine assumed the latter — which is totally fair! — and it inspired her to investigate if contestants on the show can smoke weed. It’s an intriguing question, as “The Bachelor” mansion, where the show’s contestants live, is located in California. For those somehow unaware, marijuana is recreationally legal in California.
It would make sense if the show’s producers allowed contestants to consume marijuana. Their job is to make the most entertaining show possible, which is why drinking is often encouraged on the show. (Though they’ve cut down the drinking in recent years.) High people are prone to saying hilarious things on camera. I’ll refer to the above, where a grown woman calls someone “a really f***king hot biscuit.”
Unfortunately, the show appears pretty keen on not revealing if marijuana consumption takes place in the mansion or not. A spokesperson for Warner Bros., which handles production for the show, says they had no contribution to make at this time. Former contestants, focusing on recent personalities following on California’s legalization in 2018, didn’t respond to requests for a comment.
However, one former producer did respond that they do not know if contestants are allowed to smoke weed. But they added that since marijuana is federally illegal, it was unlikely. That seems the closest we’re going to get to the truth for now. Until then, you can make your best educated guesses on whether or not your favorite “Bachelor” contestant is high on marijuana or fame the next time they do something silly.
This would be a significant change as the FDA has long held that Hemp CBD cannot be classified as dietary supplement.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may soon change its tune on hemp-derived CBD (Hemp CBD) thanks to a bill recently filed by chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) and cosponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), James Comer (R-KY) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME).
HR 5587 is an Act “To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [(FDAC)] with respect to the regulation of hemp-derived cannabidiol and hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substances.” As of the time of this writing, the bill’s text is not available on Congress.gov but is provided by Marijuana Moment’s Kyle Jaeger, who wrote a great article on the bill.
If passed in it’s current form, HR 5587 would amend the FDAC’s definition of dietary supplement (21 U.S.C. 321(ff)(3)(B)) as shown below in bold:
The term “dietary supplement” does not include—
(i) an article (other than hemp-derived cannabidiol or a hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substance) that is approved as a new drug under section 355 of this title, certified as an antibiotic under section 357 of this title, or licensed as a biologic under section 262 of title 42, or
(ii) an article (other than hemp-derived cannabidiol or a hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substance) authorized for investigation as a new drug, antibiotic, or biological for which substantial clinical investigations have been instituted and for which the existence of such investigations has been made public, which was not before such approval, certification, licensing, or authorization marketed as a dietary supplement or as a food unless the Secretary, in the Secretary’s discretion, has issued a regulation, after notice and comment, finding that the article would be lawful under this chapter.
The bill would also amend the FDAC to clarify that federal law does not prohibit a person from introducing Hemp CBD into interstate commerce, as shown by the proposed amendments to 21 U.S.C. 331(ll):
The introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of any food to which has been added a drug approved under section 355 of this title, a biological product licensed under section 262 of title 42, or a drug or a biological product for which substantial clinical investigations have been instituted and for which the existence of such investigations has been made public (other than hemp-derived cannabidiol or a hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substance)[.]
Photo by SEASTOCK/Getty Images
This would be a significant change as the FDA has long held that Hemp CBD cannot be classified as dietary supplement because the FDAC’s definition of dietary supplement explicitly exempts any article that is approved or investigated as a drug unless the article was marketed as a dietary supplement or food prior to being publicly investigated as a drug. The FDA’s view is that Hemp CBD was not marketed as such prior to the investigation of CBD as a drug. The FDA could deal with this through regulation, as the FDAC does grant the FDA Secretary the authority to regulate around the definition of dietary supplement. That hasn’t happened, though, and it appears that the FDA is running out of time.
HR 5587, as currently drafted, only would apply to Hemp CBD, not other cannabinoids such as CBN or CBG. The 2018 Farm Bill encompasses all hemp-derived cannabinoids in its definition of “hemp” so HR 5587 could encompass more than just CBD without having to amend the Farm Bill. It’s likely that this bill was drafted in light of the CBD craze over the last few years so it isn’t all that surprising that CBD is the only cannabinoid listed. If HR 5587 picks up steam, it will be interesting to see whether the language is revised to encompass other, less popular cannabinoids, in order to prevent recurring problems.
Photo by OlegMalyshev/Getty Images
In addition to removing obstacles related to making Hemp CBD a dietary supplement, the bill would also require the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), in consultation with other federal agencies, to submit to Congress a study on the following:
the costs and requirements for establishing and operating a hemp testing program, including the costs and requirements for operating or contracting with a laboratory approved by the Drug Enforcement Agency;
the costs and requirements for the destruction of hemp crops determined to be in excess of 0.3 percent delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or opportunities for remediation or alternative uses;
the feasibility of producer compliance with sampling timetables;
the feasibility of producer compliance with reporting requirements; and
other known or potential challenges by the participation of States or producers in the domestic hemp production program.
It’s probably too early to tell whether this HR 5587 has a chance to become law. It was presented with bipartisan support but the legislative process can be unpredictable. Even if this bill does eventually become law, it will likely be subject to significant changes along the way. We simply don’t have enough information at this point to know what will happen.
We do know, however, that HR 5587 sends a clear message to the FDA, and to a lesser extent to the USDA, that lawmakers are not pleased with the treatment of hemp. For the FDA, this seems to be based on the agencies continued hostility towards Hemp CBD. For the USDA, it seems that lawmakers have heard the backlash against the USDA’s testing requirements including the need to test for total THC at DEA-certified labs.
Remember, federal agencies only exist because of federal lawmakers. They are creatures of statute, statutes that were crafted by lawmakers in Congress. If agencies fail to interpret a statute in the way the legislature wants, it has the unique power to amend the statute. That’s what is happening here.
This may seem like an outright rebuke, but in all fairness to the FDA, former commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb has told Congress that a legislative change may be needed in order for the FDA to regulate Hemp CBD in a timely manner. In addition, the USDA has publicly stated that testing hemp for THC content has proved challenging.
We’ll keep an eye on HR 5587 and all things Hemp CBD. 2020 is likely going to be another big year for cannabis, especially at the federal level. Stay tuned.
Featuring an ungodly amount of pink, the tweet shows off a stacked drawer containing nail polish, tampons, makeup remover, scrunchies, and…other stuff.
This week’s meme comes courtesy of a tweet that went viral because of a helpful and gentlemanly suggestion. Or, at least one that tried to be helpful and gentlemanly.
Written by a guy whose Twitter handle is @DaddyAllDay, the tweet sent out earlier this week stated that every man should have a “lady drawer” for his lady guests. Of course, having many lady guests himself, it’s only natural for DaddyAllDay to want to share his wisdom with the world.
I feel like every guy needs a “lady drawer” if you plan on having frequent guests. pic.twitter.com/wgjExZOlIt
Featuring an ungodly amount of pink, the tweet shows off a stacked drawer containing nail polish, tampons, makeup remover, scrunchies, a pregnancy test and, is that a dildo? Yeah, that’s a dildo.
If I were to go to a guy’s house and stumble upon this stocked drawer I’d think he’s a serial killer or, you know, gay, which would honestly be a relief. Just keep an extra toothbrush lying around, guys, it’s not that hard. Throw in a hair tie if you’re feeling fancy.
Predictably, many many jokes were made, with people coming up with their own versions of lady drawers. Someone came up with a pathetic looking “fella drawer,” people filled up their drawers with pasta, rubber duckies, and more. It gets really weird.
Have a look at some of the funnies replies:
I feel like every girl needs a “fella drawer” if you plan on having frequent guests. pic.twitter.com/n6rjaAkT50
so much to unpack here. TWO bottles of NAIL POLISH REMOVER? a COMMUNAL hairbrush? a DILDO??? why are your booty wipes in the lady drawer. who will need a preg test THAT immediately after sex. I cannot get over this https://t.co/QaYVypt82g
Legislation would have outlawed home-growing and granted the state’s medical marijuana companies a larger monopoly.
The notion that Florida residents would vote on legalizing adult-use marijuana in the 2020 election seemed like all but a sure thing a short time ago. A 64% bipartisan majority of Florida voters was in favor of legalization, according to one University of North Florida poll. Three separate political committees were working on petitions to place legalization on the ballot, including Make It Legal Florida, backed by major cannabis industry players MedMen and Surterra. The committee had raised $8.7 million in funding and had endorsements from Florida celebrities like Jimmy Buffett.
But Florida will not vote on legalizing recreational cannabis this election. For all its perceived momentum, Make It Legal Florida announced this week it won’t be able to collect the 766,200 signatures necessary to place the legalization amendment on the 2020 ballot. Make It Legal Florida says it had collected more than 700,000 signatures, but was unable to verify them by the Feb. 1 deadline. The state had only verified 295,072 signed petitions thus far, only 38% total of total required.
Make It Legal Florida will instead focus its attention on the 2022 election. Signed petitions are valid for up two years.
“With the support of over 67% of Florida voters, Make it Legal Florida is proud to have gathered more than 700,000 signed petitions in the effort to bring adult-use cannabis to the Sunshine State,” chairman Nick Hansen, who also serves as MedMen’s vice president of government affairs, said in a statement. “The narrow timeframe to submit and verify those signatures has prompted our committee to shift focus to now gain ballot access in 2022.”
Photo by Epicurrence via Unsplash
The Make It Legal Florida ballot initiative would have allowed adults 21 or older to purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. But it also would ban Florida residents from growing their own marijuana plants at home. Instead, Floridians would have to rely on major marijuana players, such as Surterra and MedMen — the companies behind Make It Legal Florida — to purchase their goods.
Language in Florida’s medical marijuana legislation dictates that cannabis sellers must be vertically integrated, meaning the company must cultivate, process, and transport their own product. Gov. Ron Desantis, who was elected after the law was made, likened this vertical integration to a “cannabis cartel” and courts have ruled the state’s medical marijuana laws are “unconstitutional.”
MedMen has previously tried to create a ban on home-growing in states seeking to legalize recreational marijuana. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who began 2019 with similar aspirations as Florida for adult-use cannabis, received advice from state medical marijuana companies to outlaw home-growing. Those companies, which included MedMen, argued growing cannabis was too dangerous to be placed in the hands of residents. In fact, it would support the black market, cut into New York’s tax revenue, and thwart law enforcement as well as public health. (The group’s remarks were later parodied and criticized by South Park.)
Should Make It Legal Florida’s initiative have made it on the ballot in 2020, it would have given the state’s powerful medical marijuana companies more influence. They would have had a larger monopoly than they already possess over Florida residents seeking cannabis. For now, Florida voters will have to wait another two years to decide if that’s what they really want.
Cannabis suppositories have earned support thanks to their effective and fast acting relief.
For the uninitiated, the use of cannabis suppositories sounds like something that’s on the fringe of things. Don’t be fooled though. Despite the fact that you’re putting weed up your butt, this method of consumption has been hailed as some of the most effective ways of obtaining fast acting medicinal relief.
There are many ways of ingesting cannabis, but a large portion of them produce either unwanted effects that are challenging to manage (like edibles) or aren’t completely absorbed once administered (like smoked cannabis). Suppositories sit somewhere in between these two, producing strong yet manageable effects and ensuring that most of the cannabis in them goes to use.
The rise in support for cannabis suppositories has been fast. Many enjoy the fact that they’re fast acting (ranging from 20 minutes to an hour), that it can treat a variety of rare and hard to treat diseases, and that it provides very efficient relief.
As is the case with most things cannabis, the majority of available evidence is anecdotal. Still, most people who’ve spoken up about their use of cannabis suppositories love the fact that it’s effective and non-intoxicating, a rarity for a product that contains large amounts of THC.
Photo by art-4-art/Getty Images
Cannabis suppositories provide quick relief to the nearby organs, acting very much like a strong and internal topical when compared to other cannabis products that slowly make their way through the bloodstream. According to Project CBD, there’s plenty of cannabinoid receptors in the colon, which could help explain why this method is so effective.
You can find different types of suppositories. There are those that contain a majority of THC, those that are mostly made up of CBD, and a combination of the two. The products that contain a majority of THC are said to manage pain better while the ones that contain CBD are more likely to reduce inflammation.
Although there’s plenty of online tutorials that teach you how to make your own suppository, you can find plenty of THC and CBD products sold in state-licensed dispensaries. If you suffer from conditions like IBS, Crohn’s disease, hemorrhoids, lower back pain, prostate issues, and more, you should consider consulting your doctor.
The hope was that this testimony could demonstrate a pathway by three federal agencies represented to free up marijuana for possible federal legalization and medical research
Marijuana history was made Wednesday when legislators in another major committee — House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the oldest committee in Congress — heard witness testimony seeking to help advance six pieces of legislation, including theMarijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which is one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation ever introduced.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo recently announced the Senate would not advance the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking (SAFE) Act, a bill passed by the House in September after a hearing at the House Committee on Financial Services on February 13, which would have allowed cannabis businesses to use federally-licensed banking services.
The hope was that this testimony could demonstrate a pathway by the three federal agencies represented to free up marijuana for possible federal legalization and medical research — if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could figure out how to expedite their slow-moving research efforts that are hampered by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) cannabis Schedule 1 dilemma.
The bottom line? Nothing has changed as a result of this hearing. No new efforts by any of the three agencies were announced. And cannabis for federal research still comes from one farm — it’s hard to procure, and the quality has been shown to be nowhere near the cannabis in your local dispensary. Federal research is going nowhere.
“Researchers are in a Catch 22,” hearing chairwoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) said in her opening statement about the quandary researchers have to deal with. “That doesn’t make sense, at least to me.”
Photo by bones64 via Pixabay
The January 15 hearing, “Cannabis Policies for the New Decade,” was another legislative furrowed brow foray into the weeds, as it were, where witnesses from the DEA (Matthew Strait, senior policy advisor of the Diversion Control Division), the FDA (Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, deputy director for regulatory Programs at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research) and the National Institutes of Health (Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse), all presented.
Each basically had to address the committee’s overriding question: “What’s the holdup?”
It was a bit of a tough slog for witnesses, as 24 congressmen and Chairwoman Eshoo asked mostly softball questions during the 3 ½ hour hearing that could be summarized as follows: legalizing cannabis is still a long way off, the DEA won’t be changing the schedule of cannabis any time soon, and the industry just has to live with a sense of frustration that both witnesses and a few congressmen expressed during the hearing.
Volkow talked about how our understanding of cannabis is incomplete, causing concern because she believes higher THC content can lead to psychosis; Throckmorton said that there was an FDA botanical review team, and that the FDA could explore methods of accelerating approval of novel drugs like cannabis; Strait, addressing the slow going of the licensing process for new grows to get more cannabis to do federally legal research, a sore point with the industry, said that the DEA has 605 researchers working on that issue, “making it far and away the most research being done of a controlled substance in the U.S.”.
But any notes about due dates, deadlines, problems solved from these agencies? Nope.
Eshoo expressed the overall sentiment of the room about the research needed for cannabis. “I don’t understand why these three agencies before us can’t get this done.”
She announced a followup hearing with stakeholders to come.
