Floppy ears, soulful eyes and enough energy to keep you busy all day in the dog park, here are some of Instagram’s most lovable English Cocker Spaniels.
Mellow and sweet in the home, spry and jovial in the park, the English Cocker Spaniel is one of the more balanced and pleasant breeds. It’s impossible to resist the silky and soft coat, long ears, and eager-to-please eyes of the Cocker. The breed is well-known for being a hunter’s helper because of its ability to retrieve birds.
Here, we recognize five of the most spry English Cocker Spaniels of Instagram.
Royal Queen Seeds has a wonderful Instagram account that is updated regularly, providing links to interesting articles that touch upon culture, news and discoveries in the cannabis industry.
Instagram is home to all sorts of accounts (good and bad) that cater to a vast range of people with different interests. In order to help you weed out all the garbage, this column highlights the best Instagram marijuana accounts, whether that means they’re entertaining, informative, or just fun to look at.
This week’s Instagram highlights a company that has become one of the fastest growing cannabis businesses in Europe.
Royal Queen Seeds distributes some of the best marijuana seeds in the world, providing a necessary service for amateur growers and cannabis companies alike. Winner of several Cannabis Cups and other well regarded marijuana awards, RQS also has a wonderful Instagram account that is updated regularly, providing links to interesting articles that touch upon culture, news and discoveries in the cannabis industry. Check out some of our favorite posts.
Getting the munchies isn’t an excuse for inhaling a platter of nachos. Regardless of what type of eating plan you’re on, here are some healthy alternatives that won’t leave you with munchies remorse.
For some, cannabis can make them peckish, a side effect known in stoner parlance as “the munchies.” This common side effect is often listed as a reason medical marijuana patients use cannabis, as cancer treatments can cause a loss of appetite. Unfortunately, devouring fistfuls of Cheetos isn’t really the healthiest thing to do, and a lot of snack foods are incompatible with popular diets such as paleo or ketogenic. Fortunately there are plenty of options out there that satiate the munchies that also work on specific dietary plans.
Air-popped popcorn
A tried and true snack, popcorn is satisfying to eat, but it’s also gluten-free and paleo friendly. Another plus is that it doesn’t take a lot to feel full, although some toppings might not be so healthy.
Instead of fake butter or cheese flavorings, try olive oil and sea salt, or drizzle some hot sauce, such as Tapatío to give your munchies a little kick. Try adding a few shakes of nutritional yeast to give it a cheezy flavor (vegans swear by this stuff).
Photo by annca via Pixabay
Baked plantain chips
These tasty potato chip alternatives are vegan and paleo-friendly, and naturally gluten-free. They’re crispy and salty with just a hint of umami. They can be eaten straight-up with a little salt, or dunk them into most any dip you’d pair with french fries, potato or tortilla chips.
Dried seaweed
Another alternative to chips is dried seaweed, which is vegan, paleo, keto-friendly and gluten-free. They are also low in calories and come in nearly as many varieties as potato and tortilla chips, so finding a favorite may prove to be either easy or difficult.
Nuts
Packed with nutrients and protein, nuts are also vegan, keto, paleo friendly and gluten-free. Nuts can also compliment other snack foods, such as cheese, dried fruits or meat.
These guilt-free munchie go-tos are full of flavor and low in calories. These gluten-free, vegan, paleo and keto-friendly snacks are available in all kinds of ways, covering a range of cravings including sweet, spicy, tangy. From sweet little gherkins to spicy kimchi, the possibilities are seemingly endless.
Stoner munchies don’t have to break your diet as there’s loads of snacks to choose from, but always check the label or ask questions to make sure there aren’t added ingredients that you’re avoiding.
Reasons why people are turning to CBD vary across the board, but pain relief ranks highest at 40%.
Whatever notions that CBD was just another wellness fad are officially dead. Need proof? Look no further than a Gallup poll released earlier this week. Using CBD has never been more popular. According to the poll, one in every seven Americans now use CBD for its therapeutic benefits.
While federal regulations around CBD remain unsettled for now, the legalization of hemp in 2018 allowed access to CBD to explode throughout the country. The poll found that younger Americans and those living Western states are more likely to admit using CBD. However, it’s worth noting 50% of Americans still don’t consume CBD, with another 35% confessing they have no familiarity with CBD products at all.
Photo by MysteryShot/Getty Images
Amongst those aged 30 or younger, CBD usage jumps to 20% and lack of knowledge around CBD products drops to 26%. Those numbers reverse for older demographics. Both these trends mirror what previous Gallup polls found in marijuana usage, as younger people reporting more consumption while older folks less.
The reasons why Americans are turning to CBD vary across the board, with pain relief ranking highest at 40%. Other major reasons for American CBD usage include anxiety (20%), insomnia (11%), and arthritis (8%). That said, women were more likely than men to use CBD to relieve anxiety symptoms (25% vs. 14%), while men turned to CBD as a sleep aid more than women (15% vs. 8%).
How do you respond to a guy who cites feral hogs as an excuse not to ban assault riffles? Twitter unleashed the answer.
The craziest and most shared meme of the week has a very serious root, which is atypical for memes. The immediate flood of jokes and photo montages was predictably sparked by someone with dumb opinions.
When addressing gun control, Twitter user William McNabb, whose profile picture is appropriately a hog, said that automatic weapons shouldn’t be banned because, how on earth is he supposed to protect his kids from the 30-50 feral hogs that sneak into his yard unannounced?
I don’t even know what to say to that and neither does the internet.
thinking about the emotional toll of regularly using a machine gun to kill 30-50 feral hogs that illegally enter your property within 3-5 minutes of seeing your children pic.twitter.com/Y7fXIfQ083
Because I’ve never encountered a feral hog myself, never mind 30 to 50 of them, William’s concerns appear to be hilarious and nonsensical. They also make me want to steer clear of rural America. According to CBS news though, feral hogs are no joke, being seriously disruptive in areas like Texas and other southern states of the country. In 2017 a bill was passed giving permission to people riding on hot air balloons to shoot these animals. I wish I was making this up, but it’s true.
Anyway. Have some 30-50 feral hog memes:
take me down to the paradise city
where the hogs are feral and there’s 30-50
Two-years of persistence from Willie Nelson ended Woody Harrelson’s cannabis abstinence. The actor tells Esquire about the day he returned to pot.
Enterprising readers will remember that back in 2017, Woody Harrelson announced he’d quit smoking marijuana. This was surprising and somewhat disappointing to various weed-loving comrades—a stoner icon, it appeared, had fallen. But no one was more disheartened than Willy Nelson, Harrelson revealed in a new Esquire cover story, as the red-headed stranger made it his mission to re-ignite Harrelson’s passion for cannabis.
Lucky for us, Nelson succeeded.
“Yep, I did quit,” Harrelson told Esquire. “For almost two years. No smoking, no vaping. And then I ran into this guy [referring to the weed issue of Rolling Stone, which features Willie Nelson on the cover], and that was that.”
Throughout his cannabis abstinence, Harrelson has hinted he’d eventually return, or that he’d dabble with marijuana products outside of smoking or vaping. “You don’t have to smoke a brownie, dude,” he memorably told Stephen Colbert. But the actual story of Nelson convincing Harrelson to once again smoke cannabis is something to behold.
“See, everybody thinks of Willie as a model of progressive thinking and virtue, and he is, but he’s also got an evil side. Eee-vil. Now, Willie never felt too good about me quitting. And he kept trying to get me to not quit. We’d be playing poker and he’d pass me a vape pen, and I’d say, ‘Willie, man, I don’t do that anymore.’ And he’d act surprised, like it was news to him — every time, just as surprised as he could be.
“Anyway, Willie passed me the pen after I’d won this huge pot,” he continued. “I was in a celebrating mood, so I snatched the pen from him and took a long draw. And Willie smiled at me and said, ‘Welcome home, son.’”
Incredible. Perhaps even better, though, is Harrelson’s confession of once being stuck at a dinner with Donald Trump over a decade ago. Former wrestler and ex-Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura had been asked by Trump to dinner and begged Harrelson to join him. Trump dominated the conversation, said Harrelson, who described it as a “brutal dinner.”
“It got so bad I had to go outside and burn one before returning to the monologue monopoly,” he said.
“He did say one thing that was interesting, though,” Harrelson added. “He said, ‘You know, I’m worth four billion dollars,’ or maybe he said five billion dollars—one of those numbers, I forget. Anyway, he said, ‘I’m worth however-many billion dollars. But when I die, no matter how much it is, I know my kids are going to fight over it.’ That was the one true statement he made that night, and I thought, Okay, yeah, that’s pretty cool.”
Jussie Smollett’s character has officially been written off of “Empire”, and people think Beyoncé’s cryptic purple Instagram photos mean she’s expecting baby number 4.
As you know, Jussie Smollett won’t appear in the final season of Empire, but Lee Daniels has a plan to make sure that longtime viewers of the series know what happens to his character when it’s all said and done.
During the the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Wednesday (August 7), Charlie Collier, CEO of Fox Entertainment, spoke about the fate of Smollet’s character. “He’s on his honeymoon! [Show co-creator] Lee [Daniels] has spoken a lot about this situation and this story will reflect it,” he told reporters. “You’ll see pictures of him in the background. He’s on his honeymoon in the storyline. Lee and the team have talked a lot about what they’re going to do, and there are some surprises at the beginning of this season that you’re going to love. And I really think Empire is going to go out just on a high.”
While Fox extended the 37-year-old star’s contract after his alleged attack, which saw him reportedly stage a hoax hate crime, it was revealed in June that the actor would not be involved in future episodes of the long-running series. “We tried to gather all the information [and] we tried to make a good decision at the time. Lee’s right — there are no plans for Jussie to return to Empire,” Collier said during the panel discussion.
Alright, let’s start with this — Beyoncé is beautiful and should be able to wear anything she wants without “sparking pregnancy rumors.” So, with that being said, this is simply a report on fans’ comments speculating about her possibly expecting her fourth child. NO BODY-SHAMING HERE!
And now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the SEVEN photos that Queen Bey so graciously decided to share with fans on Instagram late Wednesday night (August 7). Keeping with her usual element of surprise, Bey shocked fans when she dropped numerous photos — showing her being great in her lavender during her vacation in the Hamptons with her husband Jay-Z , daughter Blue Ivy, and twins Rumi and Sir —out of the blue, right before midnight.
The images featured the mother-of-three in a lavender gingham dress, matching purple sunglasses, white slides, violet lipstick, and she also had a deep purple snake-skin purse in-hand. The purple-filled shots even showed the “Spirit” singer standing in front of purple flowers, which left many fans thinking she could be hinting at something.
There are a million ways to enjoy this newfound marijuana freedom, and one of them is to travel around legal states and act like a tourist.
The legalization of cannabis is slowly changing the way people perceive it, fostering a growing appreciation and celebration of the plant’s culture. Whether you’re looking for something medicinal or recreational, there are plenty of amazing options at your disposal, each one better than the last.
So long, Amsterdam! These options are cheaper and closer to home. Here 7 glorious US vacations for the cannacurious and marijuana enthusiast.
Aside from all the great things that come with a good hotel, Bud and Breakfast offers complimentary wake+bake breakfast, bottomless mimosas, coffee, tea, beer and wine. It’s like a dream. Their happy hour starts at 4:20 pm, where they offer delicious food and different kinds of cannabis products. Bud and Breakfast also provides options for whatever style of vacation you might be craving for, offering packages for couples, discounts on concerts and sporting events, and cannabis tours for those who are interested in learning.
Photo via rawpixel.com
Bud and Breakfast currently has several locations, one of them located at Adagio, one of Denver’s coolest and oldest neighborhoods. The hotel has 6 rooms, which guarantees an intimate climate of comfort and luxury that will be hard to match. Think about Bud and Breakfast as a super fancy Bed and Breakfast with a twist.
Another hotel that welcomes cannabis is The Standard, which has several beautiful locations in New York, Miami and L.A. If you’re looking for the best cannabis deal you can find, the spot in West Hollywood is the way to go. In 2017 The Standard made a partnership with Lord Jones, trying to become the first hotel with a marijuana dispensary. While the dispensary is rumored to open in the fall, the Hollywood location connects you with amazing cannabis products, including CBD gummies in their mini bar.
The Seattle-based company offers the best deals for those who are looking to learn and have fun with marijuana, be that through tours or lodging, connecting you with the best weed out there.
Kush Tourism connects you with all types of tours that can last over two hours and that range from educational, like the Kush Tour that explains how the cannabis industry works; to recreational, like the Cannabis & Spirits Experience, where you’ll try different strains from different dispensaries in the area.
This company offers a wide array of activities for different levels of marijuana enthusiasts, giving you the chance to be friends with people that have similar interests and immerse yourself within the exciting and expanding culture of cannabis. With My 420 Tours you can get amazing experiences like the 2 Story Grow Tour, where you get to walk through a dispensary that’s practically a jungle of cannabis, or join a Sake, Sushi and Joint Rolling Class, which is honestly a skill we should all master.
The Alchemy Lounge
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXeirP-hQUj/
The Alchemy Lounge in L.A. is a comfortable space where members and people who purchase day or weekend passes are able to hang out, smoke and have a great time. Equipped with TV sets, video game monitors, Wi-Fi, awesome music and more, The Alchemy Lounge encourages you to do whatever you want and to have tons of fun. The lounge permits patrons to bring their own stuff but also sells vape pens and accessories.
Travel THC can connect you with different homes, Airbnb style, where you can enjoy a puff or two without worrying about neighbors or having to hide anything. The company offers deals in discreet locations, including places like Breckenridge, so you can start planning that marijuana ski trip with your friends. Travel THC is great for planning a trip with a large group of people, where you can comfortably stay in a home that fits 14, or a more intimate kind of vacation in a smaller lodging that allows you to explore and visit all the cool things Colorado has to offer.
For the really serious cannabis enthusiasts, this is the best thing out there. CannaCon specializes in connecting people planning on learning about the growing business of cannabis in America and getting involved in it. This is the best place to learn about the coolest and latest cannabis inventions, developments and investments. The CannaCons are held in Seattle and Santa Rosa, where you’ll listen to the ideas of some of the best representatives of the cannabis industry in America.
New research shows recreational marijuana laws reduce annual opioid deaths by 20-35%.
An ongoing conversation in research literature this summer is determining what effect exactly does marijuana legalization have on the opioid crisis. The narrative that medical cannabis could be the savior from an opioid epidemic raging across the country began with a 2014 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Using data from the 10 states that had legalized medical marijuana at the time, researchers found opioid overdoes reduced by around 25% when medical cannabis was available.
This narrative, often touted by cannabis advocates and marijuana-friendly politicians alike, gained momentum and remained unchallenged for several years. However, a few studies published earlier this summer have poked significant holes in the idea medical cannabis could thwart opioid overdoses and addiction.
Another study from Columbia University researchers corroborated that medical marijuana wasn’t the savior that was promised. Published in JAMA Network Open, scientists found that while medical marijuana use was up for prescription opioid patients, it was supplementing, not replacing, their opioid medications.
In each of those recent studies, the scientists called for further research to disentangle how marijuana laws could positively impact the opioid crisis. A new Economic Inquiry study published this month may provide the beginnings of an answer.
While the “research corroborates prior findings on [medical marijuana laws],” write the scientists, the study offers “the first causal estimates of [how recreational marijuana laws] impacts on opioid mortality to date.” According to the investigators, legalization and access to recreational cannabis provided a 20-35% reduction in annual opioid mortality. The effects were even more pronounced on synthetic opioid overdoses.
“Recreational marijuana laws affect a much larger population than medical marijuana laws, yet we know relatively little about their effects.” co-author Nathan W. Chan said in a statement. “Focusing on the recent wave of recreational marijuana laws in the U.S., we find that opioid mortality rates drop when recreational marijuana becomes widely available via dispensaries.”
Though more extensive research is necessary, this study sheds important light on the conversation, as the opioid epidemic ravages the country.
Nobody can physiologically overdose from cannabis nor has there been any reported or documented deaths from a cannabis overdose in all the years the substance has been used.
In 2016, more than 40% of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involved prescription opioids, which equates to over 46 deaths every day, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When it comes to alcohol, each year, an estimated 88,000 people die due to alcohol-related reasons. In the U.S., alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable death. Although opioids and alcohol are federally legal substances, they can be very harmful, addictive, and dangerous.
But there is one substance that while federally illegal, delivers the exact opposite effects to users: cannabis. Nobody can physiologically overdose from cannabis nor has there been any reported or documented deaths from a cannabis overdose in all the years the substance has been used. Why is this and why is cannabis different than other commonly-used drugs?
Background of The Endocannabinoid System and Its Link to Cannabis
We all have an endocannabinoid system (ECS) and an endogenous network of different cannabinoid receptors. The ECS consists of endocannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors, and different enzymes. The two main cannabinoid receptors that people may recognize are the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Then, there are various cannabinoids found within the cannabis plant, and two of the most well-known ones are CBD and THC. The cannabinoid receptors are scattered throughout our bodies, and they have a unique link to the ECS.
According to cannabis author, Martin Lee, the following was stated regarding cannabinoid receptors and where they’re most concentrated: “Cannabinoid receptors are more abundant in the brain than any other type of neurotransmitter receptor and function as subtle sensing devices.”
How the Body and Brain React to Opioid, Alcohol, and Cannabis Consumption
Now that you know where cannabinoid receptors are located, what’s the importance of this? For one, this means that the body and brain process cannabis differently than other drugs like opioids. There’s an endogenous network of different cannabinoid receptors, but there’s also an endogenous system of opioid receptors as well. In the last couple of decades, opioid overdoses have rapidly increased, which has turned into a widespread epidemic. When individuals overdose from opioids, the brain fails to breathe since opioids depress a part of the brainstem. When this happens, breathing significantly slows down, and then the individual stops breathing entirely, which results in death from oxygen deprivation.
Photos: msqrd2 via Pixabay; 95C via Pixabay
Additionally, opioids can weaken certain regions of the brain, especially regions that control blood and heart circulation. Due to this weakening, one’s blood pressure can plunge to unsafe levels. Regarding other substances like alcohol, overdoses and deaths can occur. When one dies from an alcohol overdose, the body is unable to get rid of the excess alcohol from the liver. From here, alcohol makes its way to certain brain regions and disrupts the same areas that opioids do aka the parts that regulate breathing, blood, and heart circulation. Then, this causes those regions of the brain to completely shut down.
Whereas, with cannabis, the opposite occurs. Since cannabinoid receptors aren’t present in the brainstem, the parts of the brain that control breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate aren’t affected by cannabis consumption. In the past, it was found that our brains produce a hormone known as pregnenolone, which acts as protection from cannabis’s psycho-active effects. Once THC binds to the appropriate receptors, pregnenolone is produced and released, which hinders the impact THC has on the brain. Thus, many people believe that this can prevent cannabis consumers from getting too high.
Overall, the brain works differently when cannabis is consumed as compared to when other substances are consumed. When cannabis is ingested, the chemicals within it spread into the body’s central nervous system, the brain, and they attach to the body’s cannabinoid receptors. However, it’s still possible for people to get high to the point of experiencing paranoia, anxiety, psychosis, and even hallucinations.
Why It’s Physiologically Impossible to Die from Cannabis
In addition, one reason why someone cannot physiologically overdose from cannabis is because of the body’s ability to create its own ‘endogenous’ cannabinoids, which are also found in the cannabis plant. In general, cannabis has a very low toxicity, and it presents extremely minor physiological risk, especially in comparison to other drugs like tobacco, alcohol, and opioids. It’s not possible to consume a lethal dose of cannabis and die. Also, certain cannabinoids like CBD have an incredible safety profile as well as a non-addictive and non-toxic makeup.
Thus far, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, there have been zero reported nor documented overdose deaths due to cannabis usage. This is mostly due to cannabinoid receptors located in areas other than the brainstem. Hypothetically, in order for someone to die from cannabis, one would have to ingest 1,500 pounds of the herb in fifteen minutes, according to David Schamder, a popular cannabis author.
What to Do If You’re Too High
Photo by Tobias Tullius via Unsplash
Moreover, although an individual cannot overdose and die from cannabis consumption, they can still get extremely high. If one consumes too much cannabis, it’s possible to feel anxious and experience shaking hands and an increased heart rate. However, this feeling will pass, and eventually, the high will wear off. In the meantime, there are a few tips you can try if and when this happens to you or a loved one. For starters, don’t panic because this will make everything worse and more stressful. A handful of other tips include the following:
Take a nap or lay down
Drink water to stay hydrated—several glasses of water can help counteract the high and help lessen negative effects
Eat some of these snack foods—nuts, seeds, coconuts, avocados, or fruit
Talk to a friend or loved one who can calm you down
Listen to relaxing music or sounds that soothe you
Munch on some black peppercorns—some people have reported that chewing peppercorns have counteracted the effects caused by too much THC
In sum, although it’s possible to get very high and experience adverse effects if too much THC is consumed, one cannot overdose and die from cannabis unlike other drugs. Thanks to our endocannabinoid system and the special placement of cannabinoid receptors, physiologically, cannabis usage doesn’t lead to fatality. If you’ve ever been uncomfortably high before, you understand that eventually, the high wears off, and your body balances out. Comment below about an experience of yours where you were too high and what helped you get through it.
