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Op-Ed: California’s Thriving Illicit Market Leading To More Crime

Green Market Report
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Op-Ed: California’s Thriving Illicit Market Leading To More Crime

When it comes to participating in the legal market, many are willing to trade in the peace and love of the plant for criminal activity and potentially life-threatening situations.

Guest opinion piece by Todd Kleperis, CEO of Hardcar. 

Many people within the cannabis industry operate on the assumption that it’s safe to move cannabis products and cash within states; after all, peace and love are all that the plant is about, right?

As an established cannabis security professional who has been operating in California since before legalization with my cannabis security company, HARDCAR, I can confidently confirm that when it comes to participating in the legal market, many are willing to trade in the peace and love of the plant for criminal activity and potentially life-threatening situations.

I hate to say it, but the California cannabis industry is slowly killing itself and has the potential to literally endanger lives as a result of this loss of a promised regulated system that intended to keep cannabis clean of criminal activities.

Pushing Cannabis Back into the Shadows

With a recent contraction of hundreds of cannabis licenses, California could be getting itself into is a situation that threatens the security and safety of those moving cannabis, and cannabis cash, across the state.

Last month, it was announced that there had been a significant license contraction for cultivators, manufacturers, and retailers in the state. There was a 48% drop in active cultivation permits and a 29% drop in licensed manufacturers, according to statistics offered by Marijuana Business Daily. This loss in licenses for cannabis was because those who had been approved for temporary licenses for cannabis-related operations (that expired earlier this year) couldn’t meet the regulatory requirements for obtaining provisional and annual permits.

RELATED: Does Overregulation Drive Black Market Marijuana?

More importantly, there is a significant barrier to entry, both financially, and in terms of compliance, to the legal cannabis market in the state that once held such promise for cannabis. Those who once had a hope of moving from grey to legal are left to consider going back into the shadows, rigorously pursuing the investors needed to build capital for licensing, or give up altogether.

The Bureau of Cannabis Control has done what it can to regulate a ferociously growing market, yet the job just proved to be too tremendous to regulate cannabis on such a large scale. No matter who is at fault for where we’re finding ourselves now, the State of California has deprived good human beings of the ability to provide reliable and convenient products to their established clients with these barriers for entry that make participating in the legal market a no-go.

Photo by beusbeus/Getty Images

Is Cannabis in California Safe at All?

Those who operate in the grey market of cannabis are forced to do business within the shadows, but unfortunately many aren’t taking the necessary precautions to protect their safety while moving cannabis and cannabis cash. We’ve heard of, and even seen, cars with cannabis leaves peaking out of the trunk in an effort to transport the crop. People are transporting thousands of dollars of cannabis cash across cities, even the state, with no protection or precautions to protect the employee against being robbed.

RELATED: Legal Cannabis Vs. Black Market: Can It Compete?

Licensed growers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are even putting themselves at risk with a lack of security on cash, product, and people. Despite the ideals that cannabis-related crime would begin to fall with the legalization of cannabis, people are still facing gun-related violence in California over cannabis. “People are getting shot over this plant,” said Ben Filippini, a deputy sheriff in Humboldt County said to The Atlantic, “All legalization did here was to create a safe haven for criminals.” In Humboldt County, the largest cannabis-producing region of the United States, 717 per 1 million people go missing each year.

Across the state, delivery drivers, who can carry up to $10,000 in cash, are being robbed by criminals eager to take what the legal market has. To carry cannabis and cash without protection is just sheer lunacy. Shame on anyone involved in cannabis who will willingly put their people in harm’s way for a profit.

Despite efforts to keep gangs and drug cartels out of the legal markets, it is speculated that those involved in organized crime are heading from prohibitionist states in the east to west to use California’s legal cannabis to feed illicit markets.

While the headlines may feed us contradictory statements on the connection between cannabis and crime rates, we can’t deny that crime within cannabis still exists and persists. People want what licensed cannabis can provide and produce, and are willing to go to any lengths to get it.

Simply put, the California cannabis industry is killing itself and endangering what’s left of it by its own lack of foresight towards its own regulations towards safety and security right after they got out of the gates.

Whether they like it or not cannabis will continue to be bought and sold in the Golden State and regulators will just lose their hold on a large portion of what could have been a tremendously large regulated market.

Difference Between A Marijuana Dispensary And A Liquor Store
Photo by mikroman6/Getty Images

Protecting What We Have Together

The regulated cannabis market in California has come too far to endanger what we’ve built.

HARDCAR was built from the ground up to protect the cash, product, and most importantly the people of cannabis to ensure the safety of California’s legal cannabis while setting a standard for the state to strive to as far as enforced safety and security compliance.

Our efforts have come from recognizing that cannabis can be dangerous and will continue to be if we don’t get the safety of cannabis under check now before more lives are unnecessarily lost.

California and other states can work to develop the intelligence to recognize cannabis crime and put in the security measures to ensure it no longer persists. Just recently, we have uncovered one firm out of Colorado that carries up to half a million dollars in cash at a time, without any protection, and as expected, they have a target on their head. As a community around cannabis, we need to work together to intervene in these criminal activities before they have a chance of coming to fruition.

Catching the cannabis industry before it becomes victim to crime starts with lessening the barriers to entry to receiving a cannabis license to allow people to operate legally, while also taking the proper security measures to ensure that cannabis product, cash, and people are safe.

This post originally appeared on Green Market Report.

Dogs Of Instagram: The Poodle

Anthony Washington
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Dogs Of Instagram: The Poodle

While often stereotyped as a “sissy”, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Poodles are amazingly smart, easily trained and incredibly athletic.

Comedian Rita Rudner once pondered if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. That’s because they’re often groomed spectacularly eccentric. If not in a cult, these poodles are surely doing something different, especially those in the dog shows groomed with what is called the “Continental Clip“.

The poodle comes in three varieties: Toy poodles are the smallest, followed by miniature poodles and standard poodles, which are the tallest. While often stereotyped as a “sissy”, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Poodles are amazingly smart, easily trained and incredibly athletic. There is nothing cowardly about this breed.

Here, we play into the stereotype with five of the most eccentric poodles of Instagram.

Gio

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpYksuKBwba/

RELATED: Dogs Of Instagram: The Boxer

Jocko Savchuk

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjKXXIHHLwo/

Sir Sulo

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiduSiSlutu/

RELATED: Dogs Of Instagram: The German Shepherd

Teddy

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqD46B6F1_m/

Poooricon

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhoB0crHUTO/

6 Game-Changing Rolling Papers To Give Joints New Life

Maria Loreto
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6 Game-Changing Rolling Papers To Give Joints New Life

Rolling papers can make or break your joints. Here are some options that can add some flavor and fun to your smoke sessions.’

Good quality rolling paper is the unsung hero of a perfect joint. While you may need some skill and decent weed for a good smoke session, rolling paper’s job is to bring the whole thing together. A poor selection can bring your joint down, even if you have all of the correct implements. While a high-quality rolling paper will keep your joint intact, it will also provide some fun, adding color and taste. These 6 game-changing rolling papers to give joints new life.

Benny Papers

This rolling paper made by Empire Rolling looks exactly like a Benjamin which makes for the perfect joint to share with people. It makes the statement that you’d do anything for a good joint. Not really. Smoking from a real $100 bill is probably gross and dangerous (still looks pretty cool though).

RELATED: I Bought Legal Cannabis For The First Time And This Is What Happened

Shine Papers

Shine papers are made from actual gold, which makes them pretty pricey at $55 a pack, but they’re so pretty you might wanna save up for special occasions.

A post shared by shine papers (@shinepapers) on

Urban Wraps

These joints are ideal for smokers who are a little shy and don’t like to scream to the world that they’re smoking a joint. Designed to look like cigarette papers, these rolling papers are cheap, discreet and delicious. Now if only there was a way to hide the smell…

Lift Tickets 

These rolling papers are infused with hash oil, giving your joints flavor and an extra boost of THC. You can buy them pre-rolled and in single or double packs.

A post shared by Miguel Garcia (@dab_a_doo08) on

Raw Foot-Long 

Yes, we know you’ve smoked Raw, everyone has. But you’ll still be shocked by this whopping 12-inch joint that looks like a Subway sandwich. We’re sure a steady hand is needed to roll those joints.

RELATED: 3 Ways To Be A Conscientious Cannabis Consumer

Juicy Jay

Juicy Jay rolling papers are cheap and really popular. They can be easily online and are very useful, having strong and varied flavors that can mask weed that isn’t as good. They’re a good item to have around if you’re looking to add some variety in your joints.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3v2pt1FuH9/

Study Finds Most Canadians Positive On Pot, But Wished They Were Better Informed

Rudy Sanchez
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Study Finds Most Canadians Positive On Pot, But Wished They Were Better Informed

With more cannabis products entering the legal market, novice consumers may feel intimidated by products they are unfamiliar with, such as vaporizers, topicals, and edibles.

Most Canadians believe the stigma surrounding cannabis use has decreased since legalization and is a positive economic contributor, but wish they were better informed about their products.

In a national survey commissioned by cannabis company Figr and conducted by research firm Maru/Blue, 6 in 10 Canadians aged 19-years or older found marijuana more socially acceptable than a year ago, but fewer than half felt they were knowledgeable enough to use cannabis.

A third of Canadians wish they had been provided with more information about their cannabis products, and 43% said they felt better informed since legalization.

With more products entering the legal market, interested but novice consumers may feel intimidated by marijuana products they are unfamiliar with, such as portable vaporizers, topicals, and edibles. Many are likely to turn to their stoner friends, which may be sufficient, but are likely to be better served by manufacturers and retailers.

RELATED: The Sad Reason Marijuana Research Hasn’t Exploded In Canada

Regarding safety, 38% of Canadians believed that cannabis has become safer since legalization, with half of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians more likely to feel this way.

Photo by Jp Valery via Unsplash

A majority of respondents, 60%, think that the marijuana business is having a positive impact on Canada by creating more jobs, with a higher level of respondents, 65% in Alberta, Quebec, and Nova Scotia feeling this way.

RELATED: Why Is Big Pharma Heading To Canada For Its Cannabis Patents?

As the second phase of cannabis legalization rolls out, only a quarter of Canadians have consumed marijuana edible in the past and intend to purchase them in the future. Now that recreational legal pot edibles are available, an opportunity exists to design edible products tailored for new cannabis consumers.

“Our survey questions shows the role consumer education could play in increasing knowledge of and positive sentiment towards recreational cannabis, its use and the industry,” said Harvey Carroll, president of Figr, Inc. “We need to continue to identify ways to engage in two-way dialogue and be transparent with consumers, especially as we move into year two of legal recreational cannabis.”

5 Of The Rudest Things You Can Do On An Airplane

Maria Loreto
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5 Of The Rudest Things You Can Do On An Airplane

Airplanes are cramped spaces, making it very easy for you to annoy others. Here’s what you can do to prevent bad behavior.

Traveling on an airplane is never fun. Long hours spent in airports followed by boarding a giant cold machine with dozens of other people and flying for extended periods of time never sounds like a great time, but it can be made a thousand times worse by rude passengers who don’t follow the unspoken rules of etiquette.

The Huffington Post spoke with different etiquette experts who said that having good manners is the best thing you can do in these kinds of cramped environments. “When you’re trapped in a small space, you have to have extra good manners. I can’t get off and move away from you on an airplane the way I can in a subway car,” said one of the experts.

Here are 5 basic things you should avoid during air travel.

RELATED: 5 Airplane Food Hacks You Need To Know Before Your Next Flight

3 Most Popular Places To Have Airplane Sex
Photo by Gerrie van der Walt via Unsplash

Smelly food

If you want to bring a snack or a meal in the plane, stick to simple things like bagged pretzels and sandwiches. It’s very rude to bring smelly foods onto a plane when you know that the smells will quickly spread and bother everyone in your vicinity.

Invade people’s personal space

Since everyone inside the plane is cramped already, it’s important to put your belongings and limbs where they’re supposed to. Don’t take up other people’s armrest space and, if you’re in the middle, be mindful of how much space your arms occupy. Also, watch your hair!

RELATED: Here’s The One Thing You Should Always Avoid Doing On Airplanes

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuwfK-Knamf/

Steal overhead bin space

Airlines are becoming more and more restrictive with their luggage guidelines, charging people for extra bags and reducing overhead space. Be mindful of your bags and be sure to occupy only the space that you paid for, meaning one bag in the overhead bin and one that fits under the seat in front of you. Not enough room for you? It’s called a “checked bag”.  Look into it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsvn8XVng8Z/

Take off your shoes

Long flights make it easy for you to forget about the fact that feet are smelly, specially in a plane where every smell is maximized. If you need to take off your shoes, make sure to wear socks and that they’re clean.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9nyyFlyz1/

Use the plane as your personal spa

For some reason, it’s very likely to see people in planes doing gross things. Flossing, filing and cutting nails, and touching your feet is never acceptable. Even if you do it in the bathroom, it’s kind of rude considering that there’s two lavatories for a lot of passengers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1hFX6glUvI/

Meme Of The Week: Kylie Jenner Sings And Social Media Makes Memes

Maria Loreto
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Meme Of The Week: Kylie Jenner Sings And Social Media Makes Memes

This week’s meme is all about Kylie Jenner singing. It’s a viral clip that’s already been viewed over 14 billion times.

Singing can be embarrassing, especially if you’re trying really hard to be good at it. This is what happened to Kylie Jenner when she was giving a tour of her cosmetics office and chose to wake up her daughter Stormi by singing in the most dramatic way possible.

RELATED: Meme Of The Week: A Scared Tyra Banks Becomes The Most Relatable Meme

The brief clip of Kylie singing has been seen over 14 billion times for no reason other than the fact that it’s kind of ridiculous and the internet loves to troll the Kardashians.

Fortunately, Jenner has been a good sport and has provided us with some memes of her own, including a short clip of Stormi rocking out to a remix version of “Rise and Shine.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3uxHRfnQfa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

Here are some of our favorite responses from all over Twitter:

RELATED: Meme Of The Week: ‘No Guy Has All Three’ Meme Incorporates Tons Of Pop Culture References

The Surprising Way Legal Marijuana Affects The Alcohol And Tobacco Industries

Maria Loreto
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The Surprising Way Legal Marijuana Affects The Alcohol And Tobacco Industries

A recent study says that marijuana legalization influences both the alcohol and tobacco industry, although in unexpected ways.

The legalization of marijuana has become a source of stress for the alcohol and tobacco industries. When researchers set out to find which market was more affected, they discovered that legal marijuana made people drink less alcohol and smoke more cigarettes.

While alcohol and marijuana appear to be totally different substances, many people have strayed from the former due to hangovers and the dangers associated with heavy drinking (and the negative effects of alcohol in general). Now that marijuana is earning more respect, many people see the plant as an activity that is natural, less harmful, and more fun.

Photo by Kobby Mendez via Unsplash.

Marketing Science published the study, which was conducted by the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. In order to find answers, researchers looked into the internet browsing habits of states with legalized cannabis and found over 28 million searches and 120 million ad impressions regarding cannabis, alcohol and tobacco.

RELATED: The Startling Health Effects Of Mixing Tobacco And Marijuana

The study found that marijuana searches increased once the drug was legalized and that search volumes for alcohol decreased significantly. “We can infer a reduction of 10.9% in alcohol searches after recreational cannabis legalization relative to the average of the pre-treatment period,” reports the study.

The other main discovery the study made was that the tobacco industry seemed to benefit from marijuana legalization, with tobacco-related online searches, ad impression and revenues all increasing significantly.

RELATED: Will Tobacco Companies Get Involved With Legal Marijuana?

With the rise of tobacco and cannabis vaping in teens and people of all ages, there’s some sense to this phenomenon. The tobacco market would benefit from reconsidering their stance on the drug or in switching things up marketing-wise. As for the future of both tobacco and cannabis, we’ll have to wait and see if the surge in lung diseases related to vaping will put a damper on their sales and growth.

I Bought Legal Cannabis For The First Time And This Happened

Danielle Guercio
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I Bought Legal Cannabis For The First Time And This Happened

Buying weed legally for the first time was a blessing and a promise of what I hope the future holds for not just the East Coast or all of America, but the whole world.

The first time I blazed up was a fun day that I’ll never forget. It in true New Jersey fashion, one party brings the weed, the other brings a Dutchmaster and the change from paying for it with a $20. We rolled more cannabis than I would probably smoke over the next year into a super fat blunt and got ludicrously high. Whoever said you don’t get high your first time was lying. We cackled and cavorted and ate pizza and talked about dumb stuff, the best pressure valve we could deploy in our strict and uptight suburban town, and we were 13-years-old.

Now, at 30, I have been partaking in cannabis on and off for that entire length of time. There were six years of total abstinence, a few years of Saturday-only smoking, and even some binges, but now I consider cannabis a normal part of my life despite the draconian marijuana laws that remain for East Coasters, such as myself.

Despite having many medically sound reasons to use cannabis, I’ve never once bought cannabis legally, and saying so plainly is the truth that provides context to reality, as only severe illness is eligible in the New York State medical cannabis program.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

One fine morning I woke up in Seattle, where it’s not only legal to purchase cannabis in many forms, but buying legal marijuana is completely run-of-the-mill for many Seattleites. Though being basically no big deal to most imbibers, just walking inside the clean, well stocked and attractive aisles at Uncle Ike’s on Capitol Hill was mind-altering.

RELATED: I Went To A Dab Bar For The First Time And This Is What Happened

The first thing a cannabis lover in exile notices about a pot shop is the collective smell of the dozens of strains and all of their terpenous glory mingling together into a potent haze of scent. You can’t smell it when you’re standing on the corner, but the second you open the door is wraps you in a loving, safe, green cloud, and is probably why no one is carrying even a whiff of bad attitude inside.

Not only impressed by sheer selection, I found the whole legal commerce part most overwhelming, but in a good way. I felt cared for in a genuine customer service way by the wonderful woman behind the counter. She knew her strains, knew the threads of related strains for different effects but similar taste profile, and was patient, kind, and budget conscious. It was like being in Sephora and having someone not only know the products well, but the ingredients, differences in prices and brands, and all without looking up a thing and being pleasant as hell.

RELATED: The Essential Guide For The First-Time Cannabis Tourist

Aside from a brilliant service experience, the weed itself was so much better than New York’s ridiculousness that it was worth a chuckle, or maybe a tear. Getting the best requires money, time, and privilege in New York, where as in Washington it’s just a matter of popping in a shop, no different than a bottle of wine, which consequently is also a limited purchase in New York State.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

Being that I’ve imbibed in cannabis for almost half of my life, I still can’t wrap my brain around the difference in quality, marketing, packaging, selection, convenience, and basically any and all ways it could be simpler and more a part of everyday life in Washington. The only major barrier is that it’s not possible to smoke it in public legally, which puts a strange twist on things.

It’s no wonder so many people come to legal states to be weed tourists, or simply leave prohibition states altogether. Cannabis prohibition is no longer just looking dumb and dated but sinister and freedom hating. Buying weed legally for the first time was a blessing and a promise of what I hope the future holds for not just the East Coast or all of America, but the whole world.

Photos by Danielle Guercio

UK Government Ditches Controversial ‘Porn Block’ Law

Maria Loreto
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UK Government Ditches Controversial ‘Porn Block’ Law

The U.K. has shelved the “porn block” law, which would require citizens to provide official IDs when watching online porn.

After a lot of drama, the U.K. government has decided to drop their efforts to block pornography online, at least for the time being.

The measure, which was intended to protect children from accessing adult content, would have introduced age verification software across different porn sites. While this would make it much harder for kids to find and watch online porn, it would also require adult viewers to submit a passport or driving license in order to watch the content of their choosing, linking their documentation with their viewing habits.

The porn block, which would have gone into effect in July 15, 2020, struck a nerve with a lot of citizens and members of the porn industry who said that the law could have a chilling effect on free speech while also endangering people’s private information.

RELATED: New Law Requires UK Online Users To Submit ID In Order To Watch Porn

porn lovers seem to be less sexist than regular men
Photo by TARIK KIZILKAYA/Getty Images.

Nicky Morgan, the U.K.’s Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport released a statement explaining why they’ve decided to shelf the ban, saying:

“The government has concluded that this objective of coherence will be best achieved through our wider online harms proposals and, as a consequence, will not be commencing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 concerning age verification for online pornography. The Digital Economy Act [DEA] objectives will therefore be delivered through our proposed online harms regulatory regime. This course of action will give the regulator discretion on the most effective means for companies to meet their duty of care. As currently drafted, the Digital Economy Act does not cover social media platforms.”

RELATED: Arizona Is Considering Categorizing Porn As A Public Health Crisis

While the U.K. porn block has been temporarily shelved, the British government still appears concerned with porn websites and enabling some sort of censorship. Still, given all that’s going on with British politics, it’s unlikely for a porn ban to be drafted and become effective any time soon.

5 Creepy Podcasts To Listen To Before Halloween

Maria Loreto
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5 Creepy Podcasts To Listen To Before Halloween

Although horror podcasts are very popular, there’s an extra layer of fun when tuning in to them around Halloween.

You’ve met at least one person who wants to host their own podcast. These programs have become a sort of hipster joke because of how trendy they are, but this is all for a reason: they’re one of the most digestible ways of consuming content.

This time of the year is one of the most exciting ones for fans of spooky things, because it’s when real life ghost stories come to life. Although horror podcasts are very popular, there’s an extra layer of fun when tuning into them around Halloween. Scary stories are one of those genres that work incredibly well; there’s just something extra creepy about listening alone to narrated stories featuring serial killers and urban legends with only your headphones to keep you company. No matter the gore and special effects, there’s nothing scarier than your imagination.

Here are 5 podcasts that are perfect for this time of the year:

Photo by rawpixel.com

Petrified

This anthology series tells short horror stories set in Ireland, and I don’t know if the accent is a contributing factor but the episodes are creepy as hell. Boasting great writing and amazing voice acting, this podcast is a great pick if you’re looking for something scary that you can get through while commuting to work. Episodes last a little under half hour and they range from creepy phone operators to investigators getting involved with unsettling cases.

RELATED: You Should Be Listening To These Cannabis Podcasts

Inside The Exorcist

Inside is a podcast series hosted by Mark Ramsey, with each season telling the behind the scenes stories of iconic films such as Jaws and Psycho. This season focuses on The Exorcist, one of the world’s most terrifying movies, which also had one of the most infamous and eerie production processes in Hollywood.

Video Palace

Video Palace is produced by Shudder, a subscription service that creates all kinds of horror content. It tells the fictional story of Mark Cambria, a video collector who watches a VHS tape that makes him talk in his sleep in a strange language. The podcast is like a remix of the scary parts of The Ring and the fun vibes of Stranger Things, resulting on something unique that creeps under your skin.

Alice Isn’t Dead

Alice Isn’t Dead is the perfect example of a podcast that outgrows the medium and that makes its way onto more popular formats. The story is presented in the form of tapes, all recorded by a truck driver on the look for her missing wife. Along the way, a lot of weird and spooky stuff pops up. There are three seasons of the show available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, a recently published novel and talks for a TV series.

RELATED: 5 Of The Best True Crime Podcasts

Rabbits

Rabbits is a strange podcast, mixing reality and fiction in a way that can only be achieved through this medium. It follows Carly Parker, a woman who is investigating the mysterious disappearance of her missing friend. She soon stumbles into Rabbits, an alternate reality game that evokes conspiracy theories and lots of creepiness.

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