Getting high doesn’t have to involve leaving a cloud of smelly smoke lingering in the room or on your clothes.
Cannabis, in both its raw and burnt form, has a distinctive and strong tell-tale aroma that doesn’t lend itself to inconspicuous consumption. This can make it difficult to enjoy a bowl or joint indoors with shared walls or hallways. The odor of burnt marijuana can even waft over backyards.
All of this can make it challenging for adults to get high without calling attention to themselves, but there are ways to discreetly high without having the neighbors rat you out on NextDoor.
Edibles
Edibles are perhaps the best-known alternative to smoking weed, and indeed they can be consumed with no-one being the wiser. Homemade edibles can be inconsistently or inaccurately dosed, however, and since the edible has to travel through the gastrointestinal (GI) system before being metabolized by the liver and made bioavailable, and can take up to a couple of hours to feel the onset of effects.
Photo by Sarah Pflug via Burst
Edibles also can’t be uneaten, so if a consumer eats a super dose, they’re in for an inescapable ride. Modern commercially available edibles are made in more predictable and smaller doses, some have even been designed to bypass GI path and enter the bloodstream directly. If past negative experience has made edibles unattractive, it might be time to revisit them.
Disposable Vape Pens
Vaping concentrates containing cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, as well as other compounds such as terpenes are popular and often sold in cartridges that screw onto separate batteries. Another popular vaping option is the disposable vape pen, whose all-in-one design allows for smaller, attractive devices that can be discretely pocketed and used. Vapor does have a slight smell but one that dissipates quickly and is dissimilar to burnt marijuana.
A tincture is a concentrated cannabis liquid preparation. While most will have a distinct taste, tinctures are easy to take, a dropper full or two taken under the tongue is typically enough to start feeling effects. Tinctures are also a great way to mix cannabis into a beverage for a casual and discreet way to get high.
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Transdermal Patch
Cannabis is often consumed to address inflammation and pain management and transdermal patches containing cannabinoids are designed to address these ailments slowly and over hours. Most are not designed to get their users high but can provide the desired relief discreetly. Many patches also contain other ingredients to relieve pain and discomfort, such as menthol.
Getting high doesn’t have to involve leaving a cloud of smelly smoke lingering in the room or on your clothes. Any of the above options allow for marijuana use without the burn or anyone noticing.
The belief that being in a long-term romantic, sexual partnership is better than living alone fuels stereotypes that those living solo are less happy, or lonelier, than couples.
As the holiday season starts, singles may face questions from friends and family: “When are you getting serious about dating?” Remember, you are not alone if single during the holidays.
In many families, seasonal festivities draw lines between who’s coupled and who’s not. Romantic partners are invited to holiday meals, included in family photographs, and seen as potential life mates – while “mere” friends are not. These practices draw a line between relationships seen as significant – and those which aren’t.
As I’ve argued in my research on the ethics and politics of the family, these practices reflect widespread assumptions. One is that everyone is seeking a romantic relationship. The second is more value-laden: living in a long-term romantic, sexual partnership is better than living without one. This fuels beliefs that those living solo are less happy, or lonelier, than couples.
These assumptions are so prevalent that they guide many social interactions. But research shows they’re false.
Why more Americans are living single
The truth is that more Americans are living unmarried and without a romantic partner. In 2005, the census for the first time recorded a majority of women living outside of marriage Although, of course, some unmarried women have romantic partners.
But changing family patterns are not simply the result of financial instability. They reflect choices: Not everyone wants romantic partnership and many singles see solo life as more conducive to flourishing and autonomy.
For other people, being single is simply a relationship preference or even an orientation. For example, there are those, referred to as “asexuals” and “aromantics,” who lack interest in sexual and romantic relationships.
Who are asexuals and aromantics?
Data from a 1994 British survey of more than 18,000 people showed 1 percent of the respondents to be asexual. Because asexuality is still little-known, some asexuals might not identify as such. And so, it’s possible that the true numbers could be higher.
Asexuals are people who do not feel sexual attraction. Asexuality is not simply the behavior of abstaining from sex, but an orientation. Just as straight people feel sexual attraction to members of a different sex, and gays and lesbians feel attraction to members of the same sex, asexuals simply do not feel sexual attraction. Asexuals can have romantic feelings, wanting a life partner to share intimate moments with and even cuddle – but without sexual feelings.
But some asexuals are also aromantic, that is, not interested in romantic relationships. Like asexuality, aromanticism is an orientation. Aromantics may have sexual feelings or be asexual, but they do not have romantic feelings. Both asexuals and aromantics face a lack of understanding.
Angela Chen, a journalist writing a book about asexuality, reports that her asexual interview subjects suffered from a lack of information about asexuality. As they failed to develop sexual attractions during puberty – while their classmates did – they asked themselves, “Am I normal? Is something wrong with me?”
But while asexuality is sometimes misunderstood as a medical disorder, there are many differences between an asexual orientation and a medical disorder causing a low sex drive. When asexuals are treated as “abnormal” by doctors or therapists, it does them a disservice.
Since the early 2000s, asexuals have exchanged ideas and organized through online groups. One such group, The Asexual Visibility and Education Network, for example, promotes the understanding that lack of sexual attraction is normal for asexuals, and lack of romantic feelings is normal for aromantics.
Asexuals, like aromantics, challenge the expectation that everyone wants a romantic, sexual partnership. They don’t. Nor do they believe that they would be better off with one.
Single and alone – or lonely?
Far from the stereotype of the lonely single, lifelong singles are less lonely than other older people, according to psychologist Bella DePaulo, the author of “Singled Out.” Nor are singles alone.
Many singles have close friendships which are just as valuable as romantic partnerships. But assumptions that friendships are less significant than romantic partnerships hide their value.
Understanding the reasons people have for remaining single might help to handle family stresses. If you’re single, you could take unwanted questioning as a teachable moment. If you’re the friend or family member of someone who tells you they’re happily single – believe them.
Bing Crosby picked up a marijuana habit hanging with jazz musicians in the 1920s, suggesting later in his life that the plant be decriminalized.
Though Bing Crosby made many grand contributions to pop culture, his name will forever be associated with “White Christmas”. Before the 1954 musical became a family-viewing staple around the holidays, Crosby first recorded himself singing Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” in 1941, which he later released as a radio single. It’s since become the best-selling record of all time, with an estimated 50-plus million records sold.
But Crosby secretly hid a passion for a different color associated with Christmas—green. According to the 2002 biography Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams written by Village Voice critic Gary Giddins, Crosby grew fond of cannabis as a young jazz singer in the 1920s and 30s, before the plant became federally illegal. Crosby’s son Gary Crosby told Giddins that his dad once said he should quit drinking and pick up marijuana instead.
“If you looked at the way he sang and the way he walked and talked, you could make a pretty good case for somebody who was loaded,” Gary Crosby said. “[My father] said to me one time when he was really mad, ranting and raving about my heavy drinking, he said, ‘Oh, that fucking booze. It killed your mother, [actress Dixie Lee]. Why don’t you just smoke shit?’ That was all he said, but there were other times when marijuana was mentioned and he’d get a smile on his face. He’d kind of think about it and there’d be that little smile.”
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Giddins reports Louis Armstrong was responsible for introducing Crosby, and several dozen other jazz musicians at the time, to marijuana.
“Louis’s influence on Bing extended to his love of marijuana, which he alternately called mezz…gage, pot or muggles. Bing didn’t develop the lifelong appetite for it that Louis did, but he enjoyed it in the early days—it was legal” Giddins wrote.
This understandably wasn’t well-known information at the time. That’s why fans and television audiences were surprised when Crosby suggested throughout the 1960s and 70s that marijuana should be decriminalized. In a 1977 interview, Crosby told Barbara Walters he’d disown his children if they participated in pre-marital sex, but would be cool with them smoking cannabis.
“I don’t think that’s any big sin, unless they abused it and got on it continuously,” Crosby said. “I think it should be legalized. I think it would probably do away with a lot of this smuggling and gangster business. I don’t suppose smoking marijuana hurts any worse than being an alcoholic, does it? Probably not as much.”
There you have it—the most popular recording artist of the first half of the 20th century was also a marijuana advocate on the low. Crosby may sing he’s dreaming of white Christmas, but maybe he wouldn’t be that upset with a green Christmas, either.
Florida men love sharing their weed, according to reports, though it often lands them in hot water with law enforcement.
Everyone has their own definition of spreading Christmas cheer, but this story is one of those that’s only possible in the Sunshine State. A Florida man was arrested this week after he was caught handing out free marijuana to passersby. When asked to explained why he was giving away all that weed, the man responded, “because it’s Christmas.”
As WFLA reported, 67-year-old Richard Ellis Spurrier was apprehended by police in downtown St. Petersburg for embracing more green than red this Christmas season. Authorities found 45 grams of cannabis on Spurrier’s person, as well as a glass pipe, digital scale, and a prescription bottle that had his name on it. In addition, police discovered Spurrier’s cane hid a secret sword.
Spurrier was ultimately charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, though he’s since been released from Pinellas County prison.
Photo by skodonnell/Getty Images
While Florida has only legalized recreational cannabis, this isn’t the first time a Florida man felt overly generous with his marijuana. Earlier this year, 65-year-old Arthur Edward Carracino Jr. was arrested for asking police officers if they’d smoke weed with him.
Law enforcement was responding to a different incident at the time, before Carracino called them over. The Florida man admitted to growing marijuana plants inside his house and persisting to police they come indoors to check it out. When they didn’t respond, body cam footage showed Carracino walking away to grab his pipe. He was arrested on felony marijuana charges.
Initiatives to either decriminalize and/or legalize recreational marijuana are expected to find their way onto the Florida ballot in 2020. Though some groups have struggled to meet the necessary deadlines to acquire enough signatures to make it on the ballot, data shows the support to legalize is present in the state.
A South Florida Sun Sentinel poll found that 91% of readers would support recreational legalization. In addition, the Sun Sentinel reports three other polls show at least 60% of Floridians would vote yes to legalize, which is the percentage of votes required for such an initiative to pass.
While the ban will be limited to manufactured products, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission intends to also develop new regulations that would ban local bars and restaurants from mixing CBD into alcoholic drinks.
About a year ago, we were the first law firm to report on the legality of manufactured cannabidiol (“CBD”)-infused alcoholic beverages. Due to the growing popularity and mainstream nature of CBD-infused products, many alcohol beverage companies were surprised to read us conclude that blending CBD into their products was a risky business, even in hemp-friendly states like Oregon. Yet, last week, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (“OLCC”) issued new guidelines that expressly state that:
[b]ased on federal law and regulations, alcohol manufacturers are prohibited by law from manufacturing alcoholic beverages which contain CBD.
In addition, the state agency announced it would begin cracking down on the sale of CBD-infused alcoholic beverages manufactured in the state starting February 2020.
As we previously explained, alcoholic beverages are regulated under federal and state law. Most states, including Oregon, mandate that manufacturers provide proof to their liquor control board that their product formula has received approval from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco and Trade Bureau (“TTB”).
Although the TTB oversees the regulation on alcoholic beverages, the agency works closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) in determining whether the ingredients added to those beverages are safe for consumption and whether their use is lawful under the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”). Indeed, the FDA’s main function is to protect public health by ensuring that foods and drinks introduced into interstate commerce are safe.
As we have discussed at length since the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill (e.g., here and here), any substance that is intentionally added to food, including drinks, is subject to FDA pre-market review and approval, unless the substance is generally recognized as safe (“GRAS”). Because the FDA has approved CBD as a drug ingredient in the treatment of epilepsy (Epidiolex), the cannabis compound cannot be also be used in and marketed as a food. As such, CBD has not been recognized as GRAS — except for three hemp seed ingredients that contain trace amounts of CBD. Therefore, the FDA treats CBD-infused alcoholic beverages as unsafe and unlawful under the FDCA.
Photo by lindsay Cotter via Unsplash
Given its deference to FDA guidelines, it is no surprise that the TTB has refused to approve formulas of alcoholic beverages infused with CBD until the FDA designs a legal pathway for the sale and marketing of these products.
Therefore, no Oregon CBD-infused alcohol manufacturer could possibly show proof of TTB approval to the OLCC, which means none of the products manufactured and sold in Oregon are lawful.
This brings us back to the OLCC guidelines and letters issued to licensees. According to various media sources, the agency declared it was acting in response to health uncertainties as well as to bring its enforcement in line with state and federal laws. The OLCC further explained that according to the FDA, “many CBD products are untested and might actually pose a risk to human health.”
While the ban will be limited to manufactured products, the OLCC said it intends to also develop new regulations that would bar local bars and restaurants from mixing CBD into alcoholic drinks for on-premises consumption.
So whether you are an Oregon manufacturer or a bar/restaurant owner, you should steer clear of infusing your alcoholic concoctions with CBD as it is, and will soon become, an even more risky business. For more information on this issue, feel free to contact our Portland regulatory team.
January is one of the more popular months for dieting. Here’s why this might not be your best idea.
Although the holidays are times of reunions and celebration, much of the time we spend with family we’re focusing on our hopes for the future and our health. Plenty of our New Year’s resolutions revolve around getting in shape, especially since we tend to spend our holidays pigging out and sleeping in. While it makes sense, in theory, to enjoy your holidays now and worry about your health later, plenty of studies show that January diets rarely work.
While it’s never a bad time to focus on your health and to challenge yourself with something new, it’s important to keep your expectations in check, especially since diets are already pretty stressful without accounting for cultural pressure and the hangover from the holidays.
Here are 4 reasons why starting your health resolutions in January might end up backfiring.
Photo by Rima Kruciene via Unsplash
Numerous studies show it doesn’t work
In the simplest of ways, when trying out a January diet, the numbers are stacked against you. Different studies show that most quit their January diets early on. Data also shows that these resolutions cause lots of harm to people’s mental state. They also drain large amounts of your money.
“The vast amounts of money spent on diet clubs, special foods, and over-the-counter remedies, estimated to be on the order of $30 billion to $50 billion yearly, is wasted,” explains Dr. Marcia Angell in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Your resolutions might have the wrong motivations
A lot of people who start to diet in January do so out of guilt over holiday eating or because everyone else is doing it. These motivations aren’t usually enough to get people to stick to their diets, at least over long periods of time.
“The problem with this lies in the concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. With intrinsic motivation, we are driven to achieve our goals because they reflect our most personal values, our truest aspirations and our most authentic selves. Extrinsic motivation means we base our goals on what other people think we are supposed to achieve,” said OPTAVIA’s behavioral manager on an interview with the Huffington Post.
Photo by Chelsea shapouri via Unsplash
“All or nothing” mentalities tend to not work in the long run
We’ve all experienced this to one degree or another, especially in January. We hope that the new year will reboot our systems and instantly make us a healthier and more goal oriented person, only to be disappointed when we realize that we’re still the same person and that achieving these goals is hard. Instead of quitting when things get challenging or when you fail to meet your goals, take things one day at a time.
January is peak “wellness movement”
If you’re a person who thrives on stress, this might not apply to you. But if crowds and the knowledge that everyone you know and their mother is on a diet stresses you out, January is not the appropriate time for you to start a diet. This month tends to be one where gyms and classes are full and where trainers are super busy.
It’s true that some people would start drinking eggnog and wearing festive sweaters in July if it wasn’t so gauche. But all good things must come to an end, and that goes for holiday decorations.
For some, being in the Christmas spirit is a year-round event. If they’re not putting up decorations or listening to holiday tunes, they’re likely wondering how early they can put up a Christmas tree without anyone questioning their sanity.
It’s why a flurry of holiday decor goes up right around Halloween. And every year we can be heard saying, “Is it just me, or does Christmas arrive earlier every year?” It’s true that some people would start drinking eggnog and wearing festive sweaters in July if it wasn’t so gauche.
But all good things must come to an end, and that goes for holiday decorations.
Deemer Cass, a Christmas decorations expert, tells Best Life that it was once considered bad luck to leave decorations up past the twelfth night after Christmas because it was believed that “tree-spirits” lived in the garland. “They had to be released…as soon as Christmas was over,” or humans would face their wrath, she explained.
But there are other, more realistic reasons for taking down your decorations before summer arrives. According to home organization expert Marty Basher, dismantling your home holiday decor before the New Year “gives you the opportunity to start the year off fresh, uncluttered, and focused on what’s ahead.” Basher tells Best Life that many subscribe to the belief that “taking your Christmas tree down before New Year’s Eve will ensure you don’t carry your back luck into the new year.”
Photo via cbcvancouver/Instagram
But even if you wanted to keep your tree up year-round to attract the same luck you had in 2018, that’s just not going to happen, because as much as you may like the idea of curling up under the twinkling lights of your Douglas Fir and watching DVR’d episodes of the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas marathon on Memorial Day weekend, the tree has other plans by design. Says Cass, “Real Christmas trees are not eternal, so there needles drop and they lose their glamour…by the end of January,” she explains.
And while Christmas may end in your home by late January, you can bet the decor will make its way into stores while we’re all still drinking rosé out on the patio.
Entering the world of marijuana concentrates can be intimidating. Here’s how you can grasp this process in its simplest form.
Marijuana concentrates are extractions from the cannabis flower, resulting in powerful goo that contains around 70% or more of concentrated THC. By contrast, a really strong strain of flower can have a concentration of up to 30%. Concentrates can be extracted through different methods, with the most popular ones being through the use of butane and ethanol.
It’s important to know that concentrates are much stronger than the average marijuana plant, so even if you’re a seasoned cannabis smoker, don’t be embarrassed if you want to start off slow. Like with every new method of consuming cannabis, there’s a learning curve. here is a simple guide for marijuana concentrate newbies.
Strength Of Concentrates
Since these products have become very popular, dispensaries have a lot of options in terms of the amount of concentrates and their levels of THC. Start of cautiously, with a maximum concentration of 70%, dabbing slowly and letting the cannabis do i’s thing. You don’t want to ingest a lot and then end up freaking out.
The more potent the concentrate, the more expensive it’ll be, ranging from $30 to $70 a gram. This stuff is more expensive than the average marijuana plant, but it also lasts much longer considering that you don’t need to take as many hits to get high.
Photo by ZombieFrieZ/Getty Images
Types Of Concentrates
There are different kinds of concentrates, such as RSO, Live Resin, Bubble Hash, etc. The most popular ones, however, are shatter and wax, which are different from each other.
Shatter is pure and potent, where the cannabis materials endure a double extraction process where all impurities are removed and a glass like material is the result. Wax is formed through a heating process that has more cannabis fat than shatter concentrates. The texture is crumbly and easy to work with, being able to be consumed on its own or as an added kick to your joints.
With these tidbits of information, you should be able to go to your nearest dispensary and have a successful first dabbing experience. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to be curious. The world of concentrates is evolving and growing, and it’s never too late to join the party.
Once recreational marijuana becomes legal in Illinois, Chicago authorities won’t punish you for flying with weed.
Another day, another airport saying you can carry marijuana through their terminals. The Chicago police announced this week they won’t punish travelers caught with personal amounts of marijuana in Chicago airports starting Jan. 1, 2020, when recreational cannabis officially becomes legal in the state.
That doesn’t mean flying with marijuana is legal in Chicago. Transporting cannabis across state lines remains a federal offense, but the Transportation Security Administration doesn’t decide whether or not to press charges. Instead they defer to local authorities on the matter.
“Our officers are not looking for cannabis as they go through their normal security [check]. But should they come across it, we are going to contact the Chicago Police Department to make a final determination on the disposition,” TSA deputy federal security director Louis Traverz said at a news conference last week.
If caught, law enforcement won’t even demand that you dispose your cannabis in a trash receptacle, like you do if caught carrying a fifth of vodka. They will instead remind passengers that marijuana laws differ nationwide and internationally, explaining the possible repercussions if they choose to fly with cannabis on them. If they prefer to play it safe and throw their cannabis away, authorities will help them with that, too.
Photo by Jakob Owens via Unsplash
“If it is not a violation of the statute or ordinance, we would offer them a proper disposal of the cannabis if they wish, or they could continue on with their travels,” Chicago police commander William Mullane told the Chicago Sun Times.
Mullane advised against flying with marijuana, referencing the aforementioned possible consequences. But if travelers are “within the guidelines of our current statute, starting Jan. 1, we can’t enforce anything. If they’re legal, they’re legal.”
Beginning Jan. 1, Illinois residents ages 21 and older can legally purchase and possess up to 30 grams of marijuana flower. In addition, they are allowed up to 500 mg of THC in cannabis-infused products and five grams of marijuana concentrates. Non-residents visiting the area are allowed to purchase and possess half those amounts.
More than a year after Musk’s notorious 420 tweet, Tesla actually reached his stated marijuana-friendly goal.
Elon Musk got in trouble a year ago for suggesting he had a buyer that could take Tesla private at $420 a share. The mysterious buyer never materialized, but Tesla stock did rise 3.8% this morning to hit the smoking target — $420 a share.
Last August, Musk found himself in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission and investors for a different tweet he’d sent. “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420,” Musk tweeted Aug. 7. 2018. “Funding secured.”
At the time, Tesla’s shares were valued at $379.57. That price increased by $16 a share within several minutes of Musk’s tweet. Accusations were directed at Musk, stating that he was manipulating the value of Tesla stock, as he had not actually secured the appropriate funding to take the company private, court proceedings found.
Musk had reached the potential $420 figure, he says, by taking the closing value of the stock that day and adding a 20% premium to a potential buyer. But the exact figure following that calculation was $419.
“Musk stated that he rounded the price up to $420 because he had recently learned about the number’s significance in marijuana culture,” a lawsuit filed by the SEC reads. Musk “though his girlfriend ‘would find it funny,’” the lawsuit adds. Page Six reported in August that Musk and his pop musician girlfriend Grimes were still going strong.
