Executive upheaval and unmet projections have rocked the cannabis industry. Here’s why investors need to be selective moving forward.
This summer hasn’t exactly been sunshine and clear skies for the cannabis industry. Scandals have rocked the buoyant attitudes surrounding the once ascendant industry. As CNBC’s “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer said in a recent segment, “There’s a cloud of pessimism here and not just because these companies keep failing to live up to expectations.”
While Curaleaf announced a partnership with CVS earlier this year to supply CBD oil for 800 CVS stores—about 10% of the chain’s shops—the company came under fire from the Food and Drug Administration recently. The FDA accused the company of selling its products illegally under false advertising of CBD’s health benefits.
In response, Curaleaf said it erased parts of its website and social media accounts to come under compliance. CEO Joseph Lusardi said in an open letter that Curaleaf “wants and appreciates the work the FDA is doing to ensure there is regulation and compliance in the CBD marketplace.”
“After initially getting slammed, the stock managed to bounce back. They may just need to change how they label this stuff. Still, it’s clear the FDA is starting to flex its muscles against cannabis,” Cramer said of Curaleaf.
But that isn’t completely scaring Cramer away from advising investors to the cannabis industry. Instead, they just need to be more selective than they were previously.
“I think you need to be incredibly selective here. I still like Canopy Growth and Cronos, the two best-funded Canadian cannabis plays, ” Cramer said. Their stocks are down about 20% and 15%, respectively, “but these are long-term stories. You need to be prepared to buy them gradually on the way down.”
A cannabis advocacy group is poised to get the question of legal weed put on the ballot in the 2020 election.
While 2019 was predicted to be a banner year in the push to legalize marijuana in more parts of the United States, aside from Illinois making admirable advancements in this department, the year for cannabis has been nothing short of a dead dog. New York and New Jersey screwed the pooch earlier this year when it came time to establish a taxed and regulated pot market. And regardless of what you might have heard, Congress, as a whole, is nowhere even close to marijuana-friendly.
It now seems that 2020 will more likely be the year when the marijuana movement makes significant strides and becomes more widespread across the country. And from where we are sitting, Florida could be one of the first to get it done.
The cannabis advocacy group Regulate Florida has been pushing to legalize marijuana for recreational use in the Sunshine State for years. But it has never successfully made it far enough along in the ballot initiative process to be considered. Yet, things have changed, or at least they are changing, and now the organization is poised to get the question of legal weed put on the ballot in the 2020 election. The campaign announced last week that it has officially secured nearly 77,000 verified signatures, putting them well on their way to allow voters to decide next November whether they are ready to amend the state’s constitution and clear a space for legal weed.
“We have a long way to go to get it on the ballot, but we will GET IT DONE TOGETHER!!!” the organization wrote in its newsletter. “TODAY IS THE 1st VICTORY OF MANY TO COME!!!”
But the process of getting a marijuana initiative approved in Florida is tricky. Regulate Florida must now get the language of its proposal cleared by the Florida Supreme Court. And let’s just say that part of the process goes off without a hitch. Well, the group still has a long road ahead before Floridians 21 and over are enjoying legal weed in the same way as 11 other states. If the state’s highest court gives the initiative its blessing, the group will then be charged with collecting another 766,200 signatures before the measure would be allowed to officially advance to the ballot. The group also faces additional challenges once the language goes before Florida officials.
Photo by Jamie Grill/Getty Images
Some recent changes to the ballot initiative process, a ploy headed up by Republican lawmakers, could make it more difficult than usual for Regulate Florida to come through with a win. The group will have less time than in years past to collect the signatures necessary to move forward. It will also have to contend with the restrictions put into place concerning signature collecting and campaign donations. Let’s just say getting through the red tape unscathed isn’t going to be easy.
It is also worth mentioning that these types of voter initiative campaigns are super expensive (costing millions of dollars) so deep pocketed supporters will be essential at some point to drive it home.
Still, the state appears ready to make the leap from medical to fully legal. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University finds that 65% of Florida voters are in favor of “allowing adults to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use.” While there are no guarantees, we believe if Regulate Florida has what it takes to face the obstacles ahead and get the initiative on the ballot, the voters will turn out in support. Florida would need 60 percent of the vote to get it on the books.
This Week’s Music is a weekly column that discusses the week’s best, worst, and most interesting songs. We try to select songs of different artists and genres to keep things interesting and please a variety of music fans.
This week’s column features yet another Ariana Grande song, Haim’s latest single and Biig Piig’s ode to summer. Check them out:
Pop
Ariana Grande & Social House – Boyfriend
Ariana Grande continues her impressive and tireless musical year by releasing the light and summery “Boyfriend.” Featuring Social House, her tour band mates, the song is refreshing and fun. While less emotional and poignant than her previous work, “Boyfriend” separates the personal from the musical for Grande, something that I find very welcoming. Maybe it’s time for her to release songs without people analyzing the meaning behind every word and music video.
Two years after the release of their album Something To Tell You, Haim comes back in full force with a distinct song and a music video directed by P.T. Anderson. “Summer Girl” is kind of mournful for its name, with a heavy jazz influence that is different from Haim’s previous work. There’s a clash of feelings and sounds, present in the lyrics “I’m your sunny girl, I’m your fuzzy girl,” and the thoughtful sax and a bass line reminiscent of Lou Reed’s music. Haim makes it work.
Indie
Biig Piig – Sunny
Summer is an interesting time for music, almost being a genre in itself. It’s a period of time that pushes artists to play with expectations, giving them the chance to show off something different. While most artists play it safe, others, like Haim and Biig Piig, appear to give some thought to the issue. While Haim played with our expectations of summer, releasing a song that goes against the norm, Biig Piig leans heavily into them and releases something that is bright and makes you think about having a delicious drink on the beach.
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.
I don’t know who Karl Kronic is. On his (maybe hers?) Instagram bio there’s a brief entry where he describes himself as an “outlaw” and “provocateur,” which is cool. But that still doesn’t provide any functional information. Regardless of his identity, the pictures and clips uploaded on this profile are awesome. There’s plenty of drip videos, unbelievably thick joints, bowls packed with different colored strains and all sorts of cannabis products. It’s a stoner’s dream or the dream of anyone who’s into visually pleasing things.
The day when you get your period is always a sad one, no matter how old you are.
The mix of mood swings, fatigue and physical discomfort, atop of everyday stress, is enough to drive anyone crazy. For some, period cramps are so intense that it becomes hard to function properly, influencing their habits, work life, and fitness.
Still, no matter how awful your cramps are, you should try to find a solution by either visiting the doctor or scheduling your activities and workouts tactically in order to avoid the worse days of your period. You’ll most likely have to live with it until your 50’s, so try to make your peace with it.
Lifehacker spoke with some fitness experts and OBGYNs who explained that by being informed about the changes occurring in your body, you can adapt your workouts in order to get some relief that won’t exhaust you.
This information shouldn’t be too surprising if you’ve lived with your period for a couple of years, and have learned the hard way that your cycle is, well, circular.
The first week of your period is the most intense one, when people feel more groggy and sapped out of energy. The first day has your hormones dropping rapidly and your body beginning to secrete prostaglandin, a substance that makes your uterus contract and shed your uterus lining. According to ob-gyn Heather Bartos, it’s common for the first days of your period to feel fatigue, cramps, headaches, bloating and all of that fun stuff.
While these are the days where it’s the least enticing to work out, it’s also the period of time where you’ll reap the most benefits if you do. If your period tend to be intense and painful, try to exchange your traditional workout for something light, like a yoga or a pilates class. Don’t overwork it.
After these first couple of days, you’re out of the woods. Your body will enter the follicular phase, where your hormones and your mood begins to rise, making you feel great. By this time you should almost be done with your period, and it’s the right moment to amp up your workout and to sign up for that fitness class you’ve been to scared to go to. It’s almost time for your period again so invest your time wisely.
Preliminary research showed that antioxidants found in soybeans could prevent inflammation and oxidative stress caused by weed.
Previous research has indicated those already predisposed to cardiovascular disease increase their risk of a heart attack when smoking cannabis. Though cannabis is associated with sedative effects, it actually increases your heart’s rate and need for oxygen, which could cause complications if your arteries are clogged. As The Fresh Toast’s Dr. Jordan Tishler previously wrote, “Marijuana can temporarily increase your risk of having a heart attack, particularly if you are elderly or have already been diagnosed with a heart condition.”
But laboratory tests from National Taiwan University scientists discovered that an antioxidant found in soybeans might prevent marijuana-related heart damage. The scientists exposed endothelial cells (like the ones that line blood vessels) to THC, which caused inflammation and oxidative stress in the cells. Such inflammation and stress negatively affect the inner linings of blood vessel and typically are associated with the beginning of heart disease.
When the scientists blocked the cannabinoid receptors in the endothelial cells, it eliminated the negative effect caused by THC exposure. In addition, the researchers found that JW1, an antioxidant in soybeans, similarly blocked the adverse THC effects.
Photo by PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay
“Previously, a drug that blocked CB1 was approved in Europe for the treatment of obesity, but it had to be withdrawn because of severe psychiatric side effects,” lead author and assistant professor of pharmacology at National Taiwan University Tzu-Tan “Thomas” Wei said in a release. “In contrast, as an antioxidant, JW-1 may have neuroprotective effects. Discovering a new way to protect blood vessels without psychiatric side effects would be clinically important with the rapid growth of cannabis use worldwide.”
These results were presented as preliminary research at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2019 Scientific Sessions. To extend their research, the scientists are now testing cells gathered from regular marijuana users and tobacco smokers. The goal of their studies, Wei said, “is to investigate the mechanisms of marijuana-induced damage and discover new drugs to prevent those side effects.”
“Meanwhile, if you have heart disease, talk to your doctor before you use marijuana or one of the synthetic THC-containing medications,” he added. “Marijuana may cause more severe effects on the cardiovascular system in those with pre-existing heart disease.”
For most teens and adults the jungle gym is a cute place filled with nostalgia and a lot of potentially painful activities.
While this behavior is the norm, because we grew up and fell plenty of times while hanging out at playgrounds, there are people out there with real talent, like the girl in this video.
Twitter user @badassvaeh uploaded this clip where she spins and spins atop a monkey bar or whatever that’s called without sparing a thought to gravity or headaches.
While the video looks like a perfectly cut loop, it’s not. This girl exists and she’s out there spinning for crazy amounts of time. It’s perfect stuff for a meme, which is why this past week our timelines were overcome with spinning girls. She was compared to 7/11 hot dogs, Foosball players, rotisserie chickens, spiraling thoughts, and more.
Texas lawmakers created a sticky mess by legalizing hemp. Prosecutors and law enforcement won’t pursue low-level marijuana cases.
In its 2019 legislative session, Texas expanded medical marijuana access, lowered marijuana possession penalties, and legalized hemp. Individually, these acts would be seen as wins by cannabis advocates and Texans alike. Yet in combination these legislative movements have created a far stickier situation in the Lone Star state, due to misunderstanding the available technology and science around cannabis. So now you have Texas police defying Governor over marijuana.
In response to the confusion, Texas’ Department of Public Safety has told its officers not to arrest those caught with low-level marijuana possession (up to four ounces), and instead issue offenders a misdemeanor citation. Those issued a citation, reports the Texas Tribune, must appear in court and face criminal charges. If convicted, they could be facing jail time and a fine up to $4,000.
“Departmental personnel are expected to continue enforcing marijuana related offenses,” memo issued to Texas DPS officers states. “However, effective immediately, personnel will cite and release for any misdemeanor amount of marijuana.”
Here’s the rub: Prosecutors across Texas are dropping marijuana cases like flies. The problem lies in the chaos lawmakers created by legalizing hemp. Marijuana and hemp often look indistinguishable from one another, particularly in flower form. Law enforcement who catches someone in possession of cannabis would have to prove it is marijuana and not hemp.
One surefire way to do that? Test the flower in question for THC content. By Texas law standards, any cannabis flower containing 0.3% THC or less is considered hemp. Anything more than that is classified as marijuana, which is illegal in the state.
“Because marijuana and hemp come from the same plant, it is difficult to definitively distinguish the two without a laboratory analysis,” the aforementioned memo states.
Photo by Thought Catalog via Unsplash
But such laboratory analysis is not readily available in most government crime labs. Outsourcing such testing would becoming prohibitively costly for many Texas counties. This conundrum has led many state prosecutors to dismiss low-level possession charges, due to lack of time or money. According to Texas Monthly, prosecutors in the five most populous counties have said they won’t prosecute any possession cases in the future.
This has led state leaders—all of whom are Republicans and included Gov. Greg Abbott—sent a letter to district and account attorney to remind them the hemp bill did not decriminalize cannabis. Prosecutors and law enforcement who think otherwise, state leaders wrote, “demonstrate a misunderstanding” of how the hemp bill works.
“Failing to enforce marijuana laws cannot be blamed on legislation that did not decriminalize marijuana in Texas,” stated the letter.
Texas isn’t the only state facing this predicament. Florida suffers from a similar problem, with one county prosecutor telling the Tampa Bay Times, the state may see “de facto legalization,” due to the issue from testing marijuana’s THC content on a widespread scale. Another possible solution? Both states could just legalize it for real.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just unfollowed all the accounts they were previously following on Instagram. Don’t worry, though, there’s no petty social media drama here. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex actually have a really good reason for hitting that unfollow button. In fact, this isn’t even the first time Harry and Meghan have done this since launching their official Instagram account. Back in May, they unfollowed everyone except for a handful of mental health charities they wanted to highlight for their followers.
This time around, the Sussexes are asking their followers to help them decide who they should follow for the month of August. They explained their reasoning in a length Instagram post:
For the month of August we look to you for help. We want to know who YOUR Force for Change is…. Each month, we change the accounts we follow to highlight various causes, people or organizations doing amazing things for their communities and the world at large.
Over the next few days please add your suggestions into the comments section: someone you look up to, the organization doing amazing work that we should all be following, an account that inspires you to be and do better (or that simply makes you feel good), or the handle that brims with optimism for a brighter tomorrow.
We will choose 15 accounts and follow them next Monday, as we spend the month of August acknowledging the Forces for Change in all of our lives.
Harry and Meghan’s social media campaign for August works in tandem with Meghan’s Forces for Change British Vogue issue, which she guest edited with Edward Enniful. The Duchess chose 15 women who personally inspire her to appear on the cover and now she’s asking who inspires her followers. They’ve already gotten over 20,000 comments on the post, as well, so, they’ll have a bunch of different inspirational accounts and people to choose from. Will you be making a suggestion for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to follow this month?
Drake is deep in “album mode,” but the hip-hop titan needs some assistance from the major of Pickering, a city east of his stomping grounds of Toronto, if he’s going to continue with the studio hustle.
On Tuesday (July 30), the 6 God took to Instagram Stories to ask mayor David Ryan for a favor. “Can the mayor of Pickering set up some stronger wifi towers so @boi1da can be able to send me all his newest beats?? Trying to cook up. Thanks,” the 32-year-old chart-topper wrote. In typical social media fashion, the official Instagram account for the city of Pickering shared a lengthy answer to his post with all the Drizzy references that you could ask for and more.
“I’m Upset that @boi1da was having trouble with our public WiFi. It’s the Best I Ever Had, so I’m not sure why Matt couldn’t link up proper,” the response read. “You Searching For Answers I Do not Know Nothing. Maybe it’s because 1,000 residents use our WiFi every single day? Our Wifi access points are very Successful and Make Me Proud. We Started from the Bottom, and Now We Here with 65 WiFi access points installed across Pickering in City facilities and some prime public areas. We look to deploy more WiFi access points, so in a couple of years, you’ll be able to go 0 to 100 Real Quick.”
Not only did the reply include word that Pickering is inkling to build an airport, one that invites Air Drake “to be the first plane to land here,” but it gave a shout out to city councillor Norm Kelly, who has been aptly dubbed the “6 Dad” and asked for Drake’s inquiry to be escalated. “Shout out to 6Dad @normkelly who Boi1da reached out to. Norm personally called Mayor Ryan this morning to see if he could help. The 6ix & Pickering is a collab that’s just Too Good,” the response concluded.
While many people choose to smoke traditional joints, blunts, and pre-rolls, these five alternative methods offer creative and healthy ways to receive the benefits of cannabis.
Smoking a joint is still the most common way of consuming cannabis. But while taking deep breaths relaxes us, provides us with focus, and fills us with life, inhaling smoke isn’t for everyone, even though blunts don’t contain any carcinogens and, unlike their tobacco-smoking counterparts, marijuana smokers generally do not “chain-smoke,” or smoke numerous joints in a single session. There’s little substitution for our precious lungs, so it’s important to care for them when seeking the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
These five alternative methods offer creative and healthy ways to receive the benefits of cannabis. What’s more, these items can be made using the MagicalButter machine, the world’s first countertop botanical extractor. Keep in mind, ingredients can contain things such as residual pesticides, fungicides, or synthetic chemical fertilizers, so, be sure to buy from reputable suppliers, know your grower, and be certain to use clean cannabis cultivated with care!
Sublingual Tinctures
Sublingual, or “under the tongue,” is the way medicinals and therapeutic botanicals diffuse into the bloodstream by being absorbed through tissues located under the tongue. Compounds enter the bloodstream through a profusion of capillaries in the connective tissue beneath the epithelium. While many pharmaceuticals exist in sublingual form, increasing numbers of vitamins and minerals are being made available in sublingual form these days. This is because sublingual application bypasses degradation by enzymes, bile, and stomach acid in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as metabolism by the liver.
Photo by HighGradeRoots/Getty Images
One of the primary reasons to use a sublingual tincture is that the onset activation time is often faster than digestion since it’s a more direct route to the bloodstream. Both alcohol and glycerine make excellent carriers for sublingual tinctures. Drops of tincture aren’t the only method for making the most of sublingual application, tablets can be made to be taken sublingually, as can oral sprays and lozenges.
Infusing cannabis into oils is one of the best techniques to extract and receive the medicinal benefits of the plant. This is because cannabinoids are generally fat-soluble, making oils a convenient vehicle for getting cannabinoids out of the plant and into your belly. Oils are fun to experiment with in the kitchen. Most are vegan, and when you’re not eating them, cooking or baking with them, you can use infused ingestible oils as topicals, too. From olive oil, to coconut oil, even avocado oil, there are many options. Coconut oil is a popular choice. It’s high in healthy medium-chain fatty acids with up to four times more saturated fats than olive oil, making coconut oil an ideal carrier for fat soluble cannabinoids.
Our Endocannabinoid Systems’ CB1 and CB2 receptors are found throughout our skin and deeper levels of our nervous system. This is one reason why so many people are finding the same muscle relaxant, pain relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties associated with consuming cannabis are also achieved when applying it topically to the skin. Think insect repellent, tattoo aftercare lotion, hair conditioner and lip balm, to name a few. When applied topically, cannabinoids are absorbed by the skin, yet do not travel the bloodstream in a capacity that creates intoxication. This means when applying cannabis lotions, salves and balms (oils and butters, too!) to your skin, you can experience the localized benefits without getting high.
Photo by rawpixel.com
Suppositories
Suppositories allow you to medicate while avoiding a head high. Using rectal suppositories, properly (by not inserting them too far), one can provide cannabinologic therapy to the physical area while bypassing metabolism by the liver. This keeps the therapy localized, avoiding intoxication. The same holds true for vaginal suppositories. People are turning to cannabis suppositories for lower back pain, menstrual cramps, MS, and more. Organic, raw cacao butter is the fat of choice for infusing cannabis into effective suppository therapies.
Vaporization & ABV
Studies have shown that vaporizing helps minimize the negative effects of smoking and combustion. Tars and toxins, like carbon monoxide, are present when cannabis is heated past its smoke point. Vaporizing keeps fire and intense temperatures away from the flower while gently heating cannabinoids and other beneficial compounds, like terpenes and flavonoids, enough to release them into the air. This produces a similar effect to smoking while greatly reducing the release of harmful toxins. Switching from smoking to using a vaporizer has also been shown improve overall respiratory function. And, that’s just one of the best benefits of vaporization. Since vaporization doesn’t burn or char the cannabis, the leftover already been vaped bud or “ABV,” still maintains some potency and can be repurposed in the MagicalButter machine to infuse ingestible oils, topicals, and tinctures.
Zoe Wilder is a cannabis industry consultant, writer, PR and communications professional working with people and businesses alike to cultivate success. In addition to bylines in Rolling Stone, High Times, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Merry Jane, MassRoots, and more, Wilder has been applauded as a “pioneer” and “force” by Stoner Magazine and a “connoisseur of the sticky icky” by Cheddar TV’s Freddy B. She runs her own media and consulting company, a Brooklyn-based independent record label, and holds a MA in Social Work from Fordham University and a BA in English from William & Mary.
