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8 Little-Known Facts About Marijuana You Need

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For all the progress that the cannabis industry has made, the marijuana plant remains very mysterious. Here are some facts you should know about the plant.

Marijuana is a plant with multiple purposes, ranging from the medicinal to recreational. While we’re at a moment where we know more about the herb than ever, it still remains a little on the mysterious side. We know it’s powerful, but we’re still not sure why it produces such a wide variety of effects on your body.

We’ve gathered some of the most random, but also super interesting facts about marijuana, because you can never be too informed or educated on the subject.

Mysterious Origins

When we think about the birthplace of marijuana, the Love Generation of the 1960s likely comes to mind, but the herb has been around for much longer. The 60s were simply the decade when the drug acquired some popularity.

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At the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum in Arlington, Virginia it’s stated that the first time the use of cannabis was recorded was in China in 2727 B.C., when the Emperor Shen Nung discovered it and began to use it medically. Some people argue that Nung wasn’t the emperor of China during that time period, claiming that the true emperor was Qin Shi Huang.  

Hemp Vs. THC

Industrial hemp plants and marijuana plants are very confusing and a lot of people (including cops) don’t know the difference between the two. Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, cannabis sativa, but their cannabinoid content varies greatly. THC is present in marijuana and is responsible for giving you that feeling of being “high”. Hemp plants have none of that and that’s why they’re no fun to consume. They do contain a lot of CDB, which is another cannabinoid that has some great properties. 

Multiple Uses For Hemp

Hemp can be used for many things, like rope, clothes, shoes and even technology. One of the oddest uses of a hemp rope was for transporting giant pieces of stone, specifically the ones that make up the humongous Easter Island statues.

Photo by chrisbeez via Pixabay

RELATED: 5 Uses For Hemp Besides CBD Oil

Some people theorized that aliens had to have helped out in the creation of these statues due to how big they were and how limited our technology was during that time period.

Nope, no aliens, just marijuana.

Marijuana In The Air

A study from 2012 discovered that there are trace amounts of marijuana in the air in seven different Italian cities. These levels of marijuana were too low to produce any effects on humans, so tourists don’t have to worry about getting accidentally high while taking in the sites. Shame.

Gender Differences

Recent studies have discovered that marijuana can affect men and women in different ways. Research on rats conducted on 2011 discovered that female rats felt more of a painkilling effect than male rats when consuming marijuana. These females were also more more likely to develop a tolerance for the herb.

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RELATED: 5 Weird Ways In Which Marijuana Affects Men And Women Differently

Estrogen seems to be the cause for this weird discovery considering that female rats were more sensitive to cannabis when ovulating.

Marijuana Addiction

Over time, heavy marijuana users can become very dependent on the herb, feeling sick and uncomfortable when not consuming the drug. Scientists have discovered several variables that suggest that this dependency may be related to genetic reasons, leaving some people more vulnerable than others due to their DNA. These variables are not causal; they simply exist and will definitely lead to future research and exploration on the subject.  

Consumption Methods

The legalization of the herb and its acceptance throughout different states suggests that soon we’ll be discovering new methods when it comes to consuming marijuana. A study conducted on 2,800 people found that consumers who come from states where the herb is legal have consumed marijuana in different ways, be that through vaping or edibles.

RELATED: 7 Ways To Consume Cannabis You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

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Stoner Shakespeare

In 2001, an anthropologist found remnants of marijuana on a pipe that was found on the presumed residence of William Shakespeare. Are we really that surprised?

Can Beer Yeast Be Used To Create THC And CBD?

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Here’s why researchers are going through the trouble of creating THC and CBD from yeast when these chemicals are naturally available in the cannabis plant.

Science has a way, from time to time, of stepping outside the realm of the sane and possible and wallowing around inside dark territories that can only be called, as the kids might say, WTF moments.

Last year, it was head transplants pushing the limits of our medical potential, and now researchers say they have managed to create the cannabis compounds CBD and THC from the building block of bread and beer. Apparently, yeast is all we ever needed to produce the effects of marijuana. And if you just found yourself thinking holy cow, this is a brave new world, we are right there with you!

In a paper published earlier this year in the journal Nature, scientists explain the process in which they are using yeasts to manufacture cannabis compounds. These test tube shenanigans are being conducted more as a way for scientists to gain a better understanding of THC and CBD rather than a means for bypassing the cannabis plant in one’s quest for buzz or therapeutic benefits.

How does this work? It’s complicated, so try to keep up. Scientists essentially load hacked beer yeasts with the genes of a cannabis plant, which turn into CBGA, which then become either THCA or CBDA. Once these compounds are exposed to a heat source, they magically transform into THC and CBD.

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Get it? Yeah, admittedly, the scientific mumble jumble behind this process sort of catapulted us back to the days when we were struggling to pass Chemistry class. It’s the reason we went on to become writers and not, well, mad scientists earning their livings morphing yeast in pot parts.

Brewers File Patent To Produce Beer Made Entirely From Marijuana
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So, if all researchers are trying to do is study cannabinoids, why are they going through the trouble of creating THC and CBD from yeast when these chemicals are naturally available in the cannabis plant? Well, they say the creation of alternative cannabinoids is necessary because working with the plant itself is difficult. There is the growing process — and they don’t have time for that — and don’t get them started on the hassles involved with extracting the compounds from the plant. It is just easier and more efficient for them to create THC and CBD in a laboratory setting.

Another benefit to using yeast to produce cannabis compounds is it allows scientists more control. Extracting these chemicals from the flower creates a situation where it’s possible for CBD to be tainted with THC and vice versa. In order to properly study THC and CBD, researchers need to have flexibility. How else are researchers ever going to learn whether CBD is the all healing, rockstar compound that it has been made out to be?

“Being able to produce that [CBD] in a way that’s uncontaminated with THC is a pretty valuable thing,” UC Berkeley chemical engineer Jay Keasling, one of the study authors, told Wired.

However, comparing this process to head transplants is a bit of a stretch.

RELATED: What You Need To Know About The Healing Benefits Of Marijuana’s CBG

Researchers admit that what they are doing in the lab isn’t much different from what is actually happening with raw marijuana. Eating buds straight off a cannabis plant it isn’t going to do much more than leave a weird aftertaste in your mouth (don’t ask us how we know that). That’s because THC, the stoner component, isn’t generated until after the raw flower (containing mostly THCA) is exposed to heat. This is called decarboxylation. It’s interesting science, but nothing as fascinating as the Frankenstein madness of attaching heads to another body.

Researchers say the bioengineered cannabinoids they are creating from yeast are precisely the same as those found in cannabis. To that end, they believe the yeast technique could be the future of marijuana research.

Is CBD An Effective Detox Product?

Unlike unproven and potentially dangerous cleansing trends and detox products, CBD has been shown to improve health or at least shows potential in treating certain ailments.

The notion of detoxifying or cleansing the body, commonly for wellness or weight loss, is a popular concept, with many different types of programs marketed towards the public. Health supplements and ingredients are often included in these detox/cleanse products, such as kale, acai berries, and, of course, CBD.

With growth and interest in cannabidiol, it’s no surprise that these products are now being made with CBD as the purported active ingredient. Unfortunately, there’s little science to back up the concept of “detoxification.” Possibly adding to the confusion are CBD’s actual positive effects in treating certain conditions.

Detox and cleansing products promise to remove impurities and toxins from the body, improving health and wellbeing. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, there have been no quality studies on the efficacy of advertised and popular cleansing routines and products. In fact, some cleanses can be dangerous, leading to possible kidney and heart problems, and unpasteurized juice can cause those with weakened immunity serious illness.

RELATED: Why Marijuana Is Great To Use During A Cleanse

That’s not to say that cannabidiol is not without its curative properties. CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation, obesity, diabetes, and promote cardiovascular health.  A study conducted by the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology at University of Massachusetts Medical School and published in the journal Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, found that CBD’s interaction with endocannabinoid receptors impacted the regulation of inflammation.

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Photo by Jose Soriano via Unsplash

Research published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry found that CBD shows promise in the regulation of obesity. And a multi-departmental study at the State University, Maringa in Brazil and published in the journal Chemico-Biological Interactions found that CBD mitigated the effects of diabetes and lowered total cholesterol levels in lab rats.

Unlike unproven and potentially dangerous cleansing trends and detox products, CBD has been shown to improve health or at least shows potential in treating ailments, although more research is needed to better understand the therapeutic properties of cannabidiol.

How To Give Yourself A Year End Review

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As the end of 2019 approaches, it’s important to highlight all the stuff you’ve accomplished and to consider the areas where you can still improve.

The end of the year is a time for lots of celebration and joy, but it’s also often a time of stress and melancholy. A date that signifies the end of yet another year is the perfect way of making us reflect on all the things we’ve accomplished or, a little more depressingly, all the things we’ve yet to do.

Something more helpful than stressing out over missed opportunities is to use the end of the year as a way of checking in with yourself and noticing where you stand. Rarely do we ever get the chance to think about our progress in terms of our relationships, work, and our physical and emotional health.

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Fast Company spoke with Katie Sandler, an impact coach who stresses on the importance of looking back in order to look forward. “This is the time of year when people look forward and decide what their resolutions are going to be. Whether they realize it or not, creating those resolutions comes from taking inventory of what they have been doing. As you move into 2020, it’s important to first look back,” she says.

Here’s how you start:

Take inventory of your year

The easiest way to measure the progress of your year is to split it up according to the different areas of your life, such as career, relationships, finances, health and personal development. Sandler recommends asking yourself some important questions regarding your year, such as listing out four highs and four lows, how did you reach those highs and how you got over the lows. Check through what stressed you out the most, and what aspects you were most grateful in 2019.

Here's How You Can Give Yourself A Year End Review
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Celebrate the good stuff

For some reason, the bad stuff tends to stick out, eclipsing all the good things that happened in your year. It’s important to not gloss over the negatives, but to also focus on your positive accomplishments, reviewing the skills you acquired through the year. If the skill is one you appreciate, make sure to write them down and to put in the work in order to continue to practice those skills.

RELATED: 4 Reasons Not To Start A Diet In January

Skills are never fully completed and learned, which is why it’s important to celebrate the little steps and to give yourself the room to pat yourself on the back.

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Think about the future of your career

Use your year end review to highlight different aspects of your career. Keep track of your accomplishments and use them as examples when the opportunity presents itself at work. It may feel weird to highlight all of the good stuff you do to your superior in work, but it’s important to have these examples when the right moment pops up, building yourself up and reminding people of why they hired you in the first place.

How CBD Can Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Since CBD can help management anxiety, improve cognitive function and sleep, and reduce chronic pain, it can help improve one’ s overall health.  

Every December 31st, you cobble together a list of things you intend to do in the new year in your ongoing quest to improve yourself. But by mid-February, it’s back to the couch and Netflix.

If you set health and wellness goals as part of your New Year’s resolutions, here’s some suggestions for how CBD can help you actually keep these promises. 

Get a Better Night’s Sleep 

Studies suggest that CBD may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep. Some CBD products contain melatonin and other natural sleep aids for those wanting an extra boost. 

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Improve Overall Health 

Since CBD can help management anxiety, improve cognitive function and sleep, and reduce chronic pain, it can help improve one’ s overall health.  

Ground Yourself 

Taking CBD can help complement and enhance a spiritual and grounding practices such as yoga or meditation.

Photo by McKinsey via rawpixel.com

Pamper Yourself 

A CBD-enhanced mani/pedi called a “canna-cure” will help reduce pain and swelling in the hands and feet for an added benefit to this beauty treatment. Also, in addition to CBD, hemp oil contains a lot of substances thought to be beneficial to the skin, such as fatty acids like omega-6 and omega-3, vitamin E, and linoletic acids. 

Enhance Athletic Performance   

CBD has a history of helping athletes achieve peak performance as it helps them manage pain and recover form their injuries faster. 

RELATED: Why These 4 Professional Athletes Use CBD To Manage Pain

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Lose Weight 

CBD interacts with two receptors that play important roles in metabolism and food intake. Hence, they can help with those looking to lose some holiday weight as they enter into the New Year. 

Quit Smoking 

In one study, smokers treated with a CBD inhaler significantly reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked by a surprising 40% during treatment. Along those lines, CBD-hemp cigarettes can help smokers learn healthier habits.

RELATED: How To Naturally Beat Nicotine Addiction With Cannabis

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Reduce Stress 

CBD can help reduce the mood swings, headaches, and stiff muscles that often accompany the stress, thus making it easier to digest the news as we head into the 2020 election. 

This Week’s Music: Drake, Travis Scott And Ed Sheeran

This week’s column includes songs from Drake, Travis Scott and a new single from Ed Sheeran.

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 column includes songs from Drake, Travis Scott and a new single from Ed Sheeran. Check them out!

Hip Hop

Drake – War

After a sort of light 2019 with only a couple of songs released, Drake is back with “War,” which is a part of a mixtape from manager Oliver El-Khatib. The song is angry and pissed off at someone, probably everyone. It’s also a snooze of the highest order.

Travis Scott – Highest In The Room

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“Highest In The Room” is a part of Travis Scott’s “Jackboys,” a new project that features songs with Rosalia, Lil Baby, Migos, and more. The song is short but packs a strong punch, filled with Scott’s oddities and psychedelic rhythms that seep into your brain and make you wish you could start the song all over again.

Ed Sheeran & Ella Mai – Put It All On Me

Another year, another cheesy Ed Sheeran pop song. This time, not even the help of the great Ella Mai can save him. The intentions are good, with lyrics talking about love and companionship, and the music video reinforcing this by featuring “real” couples from different parts of the world. But it’s all so flat; Ed Sheeran has been making the same kind of music for years and will continue to do so forever because his songs make for the perfect soundtrack for an afternoon spent mindlessly shopping at Target.

How Long Does A Marijuana High Last? It Depends On A Few Factors

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There is at least one medical study that has been conducted to scientifically measure the amount of time it takes for the onset of cannabis’s psychotropic effects and duration.

Longtime consumers of cannabis can do a pretty good job of gauging their high, but casual or novice marijuana partakers will lack the experience to estimate the strength and duration.

There are several factors in estimating how long a marijuana high will last, including the amount ingested, the delivery method, individual tolerance, and metabolism.

There is at least one medical study that has been conducted to scientifically measure the amount of time it takes for the onset of cannabis’s psychotropic effects and duration.

The study, published in the journal Clinical Pharmacokinetics, and conducted by Nova-Institut, in Hürth, Germany, found that inhaling marijuana smoke provided near immediate effect that peaks at around 30 minutes and tapers off in a couple of hours.

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The same study found that the onset of psychotropic effects of edibles take longer, up to 90 minutes, peaking at about the 2-3 hour mark, and taking anywhere from four to twelve hours for effects to fully subside. The authors noted that factors such as metabolism and tolerance play a role in the intensity and duration of marijuana’s effects.

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As a general rule of thumb, expect to feel high for about two hours when smoking, and four if eating a typical dose of edible marijuana, usually between 5-20mg of THC. Individuals with higher metabolism can generally expect highs to be shorter in length. Increased tolerance will require higher doses to feel the same effect.

RELATED: A Doctor’s Tips For Marijuana Dosing So You Don’t Get Too High

Finally, it’s always better to start with a low dose and slowly inhale or eat more marijuana, especially with edibles, as the effects of cannabis-infused food take longer to feel and longer to dissipate. Inhaling marijuana makes it easier to dose and more difficult to induce panic attacks or anxiety, common side effects of large doses of THC. If a higher-than-anticipated dose is taken, a self-reminder that the effects will eventually subside can possibly provide some calm and abate marijuana-induced dread and unease.

6 Ways To Develop Healthy Marijuana

If you find yourself chilling on the couch getting stoned more often than you find yourself  improving upon your health, maybe it’s time to reevaluate your schedule.

If you use cannabis and cannabis products, there’s a good chance that you’re already incorporating the herb to improve your health. From increasing your appetite to helping you get a good night’s rest, medical marijuana does wonders. What if you want to step up your health awareness a notch for the new year, though? There are great ways to do so using cannabis. Here are just six.

Use Cannabis Infused Salves Both Pre And Post Workout

Photo by TheHeth via Pixabay

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Your muscles are bound to get sore if you’re pushing yourself, but using a preventative measure, such as rubbing them down with THC, CBD or a combo infusion before and after a workout, you’ll be well on your way to greater comfort and better training. When using topicals, even if infused with activated THC, they won’t alter your mind, and therefore are great for when you really want to push yourself or even if you’re just out having active fun.

Cut Some Of The Sugar Out Of Your Edibles

Research your local dispensaries before going for edibles. No matter how good the chocolates and caramels and creams taste, they really should be eaten in moderation. No one’s going crazy and saying to cut them out completely, but maybe look for the pot infused granola next time or make your own at home where you have total control over the ingredients.

Microdose And Stretch

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From yoga to pre and post workout, stretching is one of the healthiest activities we can participate in as human beings. Get that extra inch of stretch in and let yourself feel the burn by either taking a very small amount of marijuana in edible or tincture form, like 5 mg or less, an hour before stretching or by having a puff off of your vape pen or pipe right before. The added stimulation will have you in the zone.

Bring Your Vape Pen On A Brisk Walk

Some of the best parts about vape pens are that they’re very portable and non-intrusive, whereas a billowing cloud of smoke can be off-putting in public, not to mention pretty much illegal. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, though and use the vape as a reward system by taking a draw per mile or whatever dosage you’re comfortable with.

DIY THC Creams And Other Infusions

Cannabis Topicals
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RELATED: Does Soaking In CBD Help Sore Muscles?

Cannabis is so very versatile, it can go into just about anything with a carrier oil or other carrier substance. Making your own at home, whether it be salve for sore muscles or healthy, love baked goodies, means that you have full control over what goes into the infusion, and therefore what goes into your system.

Cut Back On The Netflix And Chill Seshes

Again, this isn’t a habit that one must “kick,” but if you find yourself chilling on the couch getting stoned more often than you find yourself outdoors, making art or otherwise improving upon your health, maybe it’s time to reevaluate your schedule. Make more time for seshing in the above ways or in any way that makes you feel better about yourself from the inside out.

Is Coca-Cola Flirting With A CBD Drink

An online video generated speculation as to whether or not Coca-Cola is secretly planning an entry into the CBD marketplace.

The theory is sound: Coca-Cola, one of the largest drink manufacturers in the world, sees the popularity of CBD-infused beverages and wants in. Last year, Bloomberg poured gas on this fire when it reported that Coca-Cola was in “serious talks” with Aurora Cannabis Inc. to produce cannabis-infused drinks. But that idea dimmed in the interceding time, as no new substantial developments were reported about a potential Aurora-Coke partnership.

Until now, that is. Rumors galore circulated again thanks to a YouTube video from user “Gabor the Blind Guy,” where he showed a childproof lid atop a Coca-Cola can. Gabor then claims his father had been contracted by Coca-Cola to construct a childproof lid for Coke’s upcoming new CBD drinks. The man adds that his father “produces bottling and capping machines for many major pharmaceutical and food companies.”

RELATED: What Scientists Are Saying About The CBD Boom

The video, titled “Blind Guy vs New Childproof CBD Coca-Cola can,” has since been deleted, but a copy was posted on Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets forum.

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“In Canada, Coca-Cola is coming out with a new line of Coca-Cola that contains CBD extracts — pretty much cannabis-based drugs,” Gabor the Blind Guy says. “So my dad was tasked with designing a cap that will prevent little kids from opening these cans of CBD Coca-Cola.”

However, Coca-Cola representatives denied the substance of the video.

“These rumors are untrue,” Coca-Cola told Bloomberg. “As we have stated many times, we have no plans to enter the CBD market.”

RELATED: 5 Cannabis Industry Predictions For 2020

In addition to the video being deleted, the “Gabor the Blind Guy” YouTube account was deleted, along with related Facebook and Twitter accounts. Reddit users pointed out that before deletion, these accounts had no relation to marijuana or Aurora Cannabis or Coca-Cola. Others speculated this was a ploy to boost stocks associated with the companies in question.

Currently, the news remains unsubstantiated. Aurora has not responded to media requests as of this time.

All Of Those Returned Holiday Gifts? Here’s What Happens To Them

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Even though returning a gift you don’t want is very convenient, it’s actually just another way of perpetuating environmental waste, not to mention the waste of millions of dollars.

America makes it extremely easy to buy stuff and then give it back, which is why in January millions of people will be returning their holiday presents for either a refund or an exchange.

In January 2018 alone, UPS reported that that by January 3, 2018,  over 1.4 million packages had been returned to stores — an 8% increase over the previous year’s returns. These numbers will keep increasing as the years go by, all due to stores that advertise free return policies in order to appeal to more customers.

Despite the fact that the customer gets a full refund for the returned item, this process is more complicated than it seems, resulting in high costs for retailers that accumulated to an estimated $90 billion in 2017.

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Once an item is returned, retailers have to make sure that it’s in prime condition and fit to be resold. If the item is brand new then it can be resold at full price. But if the item has some sort of damage, then it has to go to liquidators or discounters where it’ll be sold for half or less of the original selling price.

Photo by Joanna Malinowska via freestocks.org

Best Life reports that between 30-40% of all returned holiday gifts end up thrown away due to return shipping and repackaging costs, which end up amounting to more than the original worth of the item. “If it’s a lower brand that’s not as well-known, and it’s clothing and $20 originally, it may be worth pennies on the dollar,” says Tobin Moore, CEO of Optoro, a company that specializes in return shipments.

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Even though returning a gift you don’t want is very convenient, it’s actually just another way of perpetuating environmental waste, not to mention the waste of millions of dollars. You may think that a single returned item won’t amount to much, but you’re just a cog in a really big machine where all cogs have similar thoughts.

Next time you’re out there looking for presents, think before you shop and make sure that you want what you want. Or better yet, gift an experience instead of stuff.

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