To prevent surrounding legal marijuana states from creating chaos in Rhode Island, Governor Gina Raimondo wants to legalize it for recreational use. It is part of her 2019 budget proposal, which calls for the allotment of millions of dollars to get this new business sector up and running.
Although the budget projects this money will be recouped through sales and excise taxes, some government officials, while understanding of the governor’s position, are still a bit squeamish about her approach.
“As our neighboring states move forward with legal marijuana, the Governor is mindful of its impact on Rhode Island, from law enforcement to public health,” Raimondo’s press secretary Josh Block said in a statement.
The governor’s latest budget, which would take hold in early July, is not a free-for-all of marijuana like we’ve seen in other states. Instead, the proposal would ban home grows and cannabis products with higher potency. Most states have established a single dose as meaning 10 milligrams of THC, but those products in Rhodes Island could contain no more than 5 milligrams.
Still, adults 21 and over would have the freedom to walk down to their friendly neighborhood cannabis store and purchase a variety of weed products in a manner similar to beer. It’s a concept that has been discussed in the state for some time, yet it never managed to find a way on the books.
In spite of the governor’s desire to end prohibition, high-ranking lawmakers are not completely on board because the plan was not conceptualized and negotiated through the legislative process.
Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello said that while he appreciates “the Governor’s viewpoints,” he still has “mixed feelings” about legalization. Nevertheless, he says the House will examine the proposal and try to find “a consensus pathway forward.”
Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio wants to keep an “open mind” about the legalization of marijuana, but he has “significant concerns, particularly with regard to workforce issues, enforcement around edibles, and impact on children.”
But this apprehension toward full-blown legalization doesn’t stop at the legislative chambers. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha says he is concerned the proposal doesn’t cover all the bases regarding public health and safety. He plans to dig into the proposal carefully to ensure it doesn’t create chaos of its own.
“I think I understand where the governor is coming from,” Neronha told the Providence Journal. “I have some concerns with how it is implemented.
But differences aside, all three said they would be willing to meet governor Raimondo in the middle. More details surrounding the marijuana legalization plan are expected to be released later this week.
Rhode Island stands to generate more than $14 million in gross revenue from legal weed, according to a report from the Providence Journal.
Chris Pratt, the star of Jurassic World and Katherine Schwarzenegger are engaged to be married, the actor announced on Monday.
Pratt, 39, revealed on Instagram that Schwarzenegger, the 29-year-old daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger, accepted his proposal.
“Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes! I’m thrilled to be marrying you. Proud to live boldly in faith with you. Here we go!” he captioned with a diamond ring emoji.
The Avengers star began dating Schwarzenegger earlier last year. Pratt finalized his divorce from ex-wife actress Anna Faris in October 2018. They were married for 9 years and share together their 6-year-old son, Jack.
Meghan Markle is often portrayed as shaking things up at Kensington Palace, and apparently Prince Harry’s fridge was not immune to Meg’s changes.
According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, Meghan has had a big effect on her husband’s diet, which started years ago when they began dating. “She loves cooking, exploring new foods and experimenting with fresh flavors,” Andrew told Express. “Just as Meghan encouraged a helping of culinary adventure, so she dramatically changed the contents of Prince Harry’s fridge.”
So what might you find in their fridge now? A whole bunch of healthy stuff. “Meghan never leaves home unless she has hummus, carrots, green juice, almonds and chia seed pudding in the fridge,” says Andrew.
Apparently, Meghan has also helped Harry swap out some less-healthy drinks for mineral water, and he has also started doing yoga (side note: how amazing would it be to see Harry in a yoga pose?).
Rubbing a statue for good luck or just because it is there has been a long tradition in many cities. Now Cristiano Ronaldo is feeling the rub.
The Portuguese footballer was honored with a statute at the Juventus player’s museum in Funchal, Portugal. His prominence on the field of course would bring people to see this 11-foot statue of the player, but once there, the attention may be going to one specific part of the effigy.
Since being unveiled in 2014 the statue’s crotch has been rubbed so much the bronze finish has worn down. May it be the oils in our hands or the rubbing of his nob, the bulge stands out even more.
In this day and age, it’s paramount we protect our personal information. There are hackers around every corner, just waiting to access your passwords to obtain critical information on the internet. But there are things you can do to ensure that you won’t get hacked – or at the very least, make it incredibly hard for anyone trying to steal your information. Reader’s Digestrounded up some tips to help you choose a password that will (hopefully) deter hackers.
It’s bad enough that there are still people who use the password “password” for all of their accounts. You laugh, but you’re just as guilty if you use the same password to access all of your private information. If someone can hack into your Instagram account, they shouldn’t also be able to withdrawal money from your bank account.
You know the drill. What’s your mother’s maiden name? What was the name of the street you grew up on? What was the name of your first pet? Security questions are pretty basic across the board, which is why the cyber security pros at McAfee suggests using random questions. While most crooks can find out your mother’s maiden name or the street your grew up on with a quick internet search, it’s doubtful they could discover who gave you your first kiss or the first MTV video you remember watching.
If you have a collection of shoes, make sure your password isn’t ShoeGal (kudos if you got this “Sex and the City” reference). This also goes for the lazy man’s penchant for choosing consecutive numbers, like “00000” or “12345”. Reader’s Digest suggests incorporating “opposite” words, like your least favorite color or the site of your least favorite vacation.
One trick is to use the space bar when creating your password. A lot of sites don’t let you do this, but when you stumble upon one that does, take advantage of it! Most people who try to attempt your password will likely not incorporate a space.
It’s not long enough
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Security experts agree that your password should be at least a dozen characters in length, if possible. And while that may create a hassle every time you log into your account, it’s worth it if it means thwarting thieves. Having your identity (or money) stolen is way worse than having to type 12 characters.
Shows like Star Trekare an institution for more reasons than special effects and nerdom at large. They depict the future in a way that challenges our minds and preconceived notions of humanity. Though it’s all fiction, the show tackles subject matter and sneaky subplots that enrich the life of anyone who watches. The show also has a rabid and devoted fandom that does everything from intense cosplay to competitive meme creation.
There’s literally countless Star Trek meme groups on Facebook, with a good sprinkling of other space content in combinations that will have the average nerd in tears laughing. One group in particular that makes it worth staying on wretched Facebook a little longer: Star Trek Shitposting.
It’s open to the public and stuffed to the brim with absurd memes, arguments, and a conversation that evolves constantly. One of their most hilarious inside jokes depicts The Next Generation’s Chief Medical Officer, the fiery haired and brilliant Beverly Crusher, as a raging stoner. This comes from a particularly ridiculous episode Sub Rosa, in which Dr. Crusher falls in love with a ghost that has been mysteriously seducing her ancestors for generations. She’s shown swooning over a mysterious green smoke, and that’s all the internet needed to run with.
Photo: Fandom Wikia
If you also think it’s hilarious that this super smart space lady, right hand woman to the legendary Jean Luc Picard, a popular meme in his own regard, is a big smoker, check out these amazing Blazin Bev memes:
I wouldn’t put it past Blazin’ Bev to start developing her own strains. Maybe the Star Trek canon’s best botanist, Keiko O’Brien, helped her come up with this one.
Maybe the other favorite lady of the Enterprise will take up the habit and start to normalize weed in the Star Trek universe.
Weed memes are amazing, and so are sci-fi show memes, bringing them together unleashes a hilarious combination. Though it may be a niche genre, will make the people who are deep in the know laugh even harder. The promise of meme culture is the promise of truly individualized comedy that uses the language, jokes, mannerisms and culture of smaller and smaller social groups to strike gold, or in this case, green.
Dreaming about a previous relationship is a discombobulating experience, no matter your current feelings regarding that person. It can spark all sorts of questions, like, “Are you still not over the relationship?” or “Is there something wrong with your current one?”
The Cut interviewed Lauri Quinn Lowenberg, a dream analyst, who gave several reasons behind these dreams and how they might have little to do with your ex. “Whatever’s going on in the dream is going to reflect not necessarily [what’s going on] between you and your ex, but what’s going on with you,” she said.
Here are five reasons why you might be having these dreams and how these opportunities lend themselves to self-reflection.
If you dream that an old ex is breaking up with you, there’s a chance that you’re punishing yourself for something that’s going on in your life, like a personal rejection or a failure at work.
Your need to come to peace with something traumatic
If you dream about a previous toxic relationship or an abusive ex, it could be a symptom of the trauma you experienced. “Women who are in abusive relationships often stay in it way too long and they’re scared, or they don’t know what to do. When they finally get out, they get mad at themselves and they beat themselves up, and the dream reflects that,” Lowenberg explained.
Going through a break-up
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Dreaming about a recent ex is a sign that your subconscious is trying to help you cope and manage the problem. This opportunity allows you to reflect on what went wrong, process feelings of guilt or even hope.
Your current relationship has become predictable or you haven’t been with someone in a while
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According to Lowenberg, dreaming about an ex you had 20 or 30 years ago doesn’t mean that you’re still in love with them — it’s more of a reflection of your life and what you’d like to have again. “The ex, at this point, is no longer playing themselves in the dream — instead, they kind of embody what first love feels like: the excitement, the passion, the desire, being desired, always wanting to be together, bubbles, that wonderful feeling.” This dream can be interpreted as a sign that you should do something to reignite your current relationship or, if you’re single, that it’s time to put yourself out there.
If you dream about your ex killing you or vice versa, it’s not as creepy as it appears. “Death in a dream is about something ending or changing,” Lowenberg says, explaining that if you’re ex is hurting you it means that the breakup changed something within you. If the case is reversed and you’re killing your ex in your dream, it means that it’s time to let go of any resentment you may be feeling for them, no matter how bad the break up was.
Cannabis consumers make more money, spend more time outdoors, volunteer more and are generally more happy about life, according to a study released Thursday. Is smoking marijuana the key to happiness?
According to BDS Analytics, the “well-adjusted lifestyles seen among cannabis consumers serve as a common theme in the findings in the company’s series of reports called ‘Public Attitudes and Actions Towards Legal Cannabis.’ ” The data firm conducted the study in California and Colorado. Research is underway in Oregon and Washington.
“Cannabis Consumers Are Happier Campers” was the first installment of BDS Analytics’ Cannabis Wellness Trends, which examines different aspects of public attitudes and actions toward legal cannabis and the market for legal cannabis. The online survey tallied the results of 2,000 adults in the two states with a quota of 1,200 respondents acknowledging marijuana use in the past six months.
“Every time we embark on a study of wellness or health, we have preconceived ideas on what we will find,” Linda Gilbert, Managing Director of the BDS Consumer Research Division, told The Fresh Toast. “But I was quite surprised by these results. Especially in how the substance is actually used.”
When compared both to people who do not currently use marijuana but are not opposed to using it, and those who are opposed to marijuana, cannabis consumers tend to rank higher on a range of indicators related to personal and social satisfaction.
According to Gilbert’s analysis of the study, most consumption is not social. “The majority of the respondents say they use cannabis for physical, mental and/or emotional wellness. It’s not a group of people getting together and getting high,” she said. “I suspect that will change as legalization becomes more and more prevalent and accepted.”
Gilbert, who has spent 30 years researching health, wellness and nutrition issues, also highlighted the findings that more women are using cannabis than she anticipated.
“In general, women are the gatekeepers of health in most households. And this study suggests that women are embracing cannabis for self care. Instead of Advil or Aleve, women are turning to cannabis for menstrual cramps,” said Gilbert.
Gilbert suggests that “the cannabis consumer cohort should be of interest to many marketers targeting healthy lifestyle consumers, whether food and beverages, exercise and recreation, community service and more.”
The survey also sheds some light on how legalization has altered usage. Form factors such as topicals, beverages, edibles and vaporization are becoming more popular, especially among women.
“All these new forms have drastically changed the landscape,” Gilbert said. “Cannabis consumers want to live a healthy lifestyle. For some, smoking it is a barrier. It’s just not the stereotypical twentysomething toking up in the basement. Today’s marijuana consumer prefers organic produce, sustainable packaging, and, in general, a more mindful lifestyle.”
In dogdom, the Havanese is the pride of Cuba, as it is the only breed to originate from the country. Always with a spring in its step, the Havanese is as energetic and lively as it is cuddly and loving. Its sociable and gentle characteristics make the Havanese the perfect companion for young and old alike. The breed is a smarty pants, well-known for its trainability and handling difficult tricks. When grooming a Havanese, some like to cord the coat, while others cut it short.
Here, we recognize five well-groomed Havanese of Instagram.
It’s never been easier to shop and find new sources of awesome things. The internet has given us access to all sorts of items we wouldn’t find in our regular visits to our favorite stores and malls. While this is good news, it also creates a whole host of problems, like shopping indiscriminately just because your bored and losing track of the amount of things you’ve bought.
Most people with tons of stuff either store these unused items in the back of their closets or give them up for donation. The latter is always a good way to go, but sometimes it hurts to think of the amount of money you’ve lost. E-commerce is a growing business, one that will continue to change and influence us in the future. Although on most sites you have to pay a fee in order to sell, if you know which websites to use, the value of the item ends up worth it. NBC News compiled a guide to help you get started. Check out some of their most helpful recommendations:
According to the ThredUP’s VP of communications the app is “designed for the busiest consumers who want a one-stop-shop. Sell any brand — from GAP to Gucci — without leaving the house, taking photos or managing the transaction.” The app determines the value of your item and provides photographs for it, sending you a “Clean Out Kit,” which you’ll then use to mail them your clothes. ThredUP’s staff is thorough when it comes to checking the quality of what they sell, making it a good website to buy secondhand clothes too.
For all items use Ebay
Ebay is one of the world’s most famous ecommerce places for a reason, giving you the chance to auction off items or sell them at a price you consider is reasonable. The website also has a trending items tab where you can see what is selling the most and what types of items are resonating with users.
Use Poshmark if you’re selling clothes
The New Year is here, so it’s the perfect time to clean out your closet and make some extra cash. @StyleBlueprint spoke with @emptyhanger about how she turned her reselling hobby into a six-figure business on Poshmark and how you can, too! https://t.co/nzlhIktDil
This app is a big seller for famous brands, so it’s a good place to use if you have good clothes that you don’t know what to do with. “There are three simple steps to start selling on Poshmark: take a picture of the clothing item, insert relevant details and price, and share with the community — the more you share, the more you sell,” says Kate Franco, director of brand marketing at Poshmark. The website also has a helpful start up guide and their community guidelines that you should read through if you’re interested in selling there.
DeCluttr for tech
DeCluttr is one of the few apps that’s free to use, specializing in selling and purchasing tech items. The website send you a prepaid packaging kit which you’ll use to send your item, and they’ll contact you with a price. DeClutter is a good option for those who aren’t interested in having conversations with buyers, allowing the app to handle the entire selling process.
A skeptic all his life, it was not until Martin Tindall walked around a Colorado dispensary and saw firsthand how cannabis could lengthen and save lives did he become a believer.
Now, the former finance executive is on a mission to stamp out diabetes in some of the world’s worst-hit areas with a revolutionary marijuana treatment engineered by his private firm, Phoenix Life Sciences International.
Tindall was helping turnaround a business using his decades of experience in financial services and also coming to terms with the death of his own father when he had an awakening as to what medicinal cannabis was capable of. “I would never have thought to get into the medical cannabis industry, it always just seemed like an excuse for people to get high,” he told Cannabis Law Report. “Then I saw someone with Stage 4 breast cancer end up in remission from cannabis-based therapy, someone else with skin cancer; kid after kid with seizures all being treated. There seemed so much more to it.”
Photo by Clementa Moreno/EyeEm/Getty Images
Phoenix, headquartered in Denver, distributes medicinal cannabis products around the globe to treat seven major categories of medical conditions including pain, cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, psychological and sleep disorders.
A standout project is its partnership with governments on the South Pacific islands to put cannabis-based products at the center of their national healthcare programs and tapping into Tindall’s visionary spirit, the team hopes to turnaround soaring diabetes rates, which are the highest anywhere in the world.
The South Pacific epidemic is staggering, as, during the past 20 years, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have overtaken infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and malaria as the greatest causes of mortality in the region.
In at least 10 Pacific island countries, more than 50 percent (and in some, up to 90 percent) of the population is overweight according to World Health Organization surveys.
Obesity prevalence ranges from more than 30 percent in Fiji to an eye-opening 80 percent among women in American Samoa, a territory of the United States.
Almost 50 percent of the Pacific island region’s population of 10 million has been diagnosed with a noncommunicable disease, notably cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. These diseases account for 75 percent of all deaths across the Pacific archipelago and 40–60 percent of total healthcare expenditure.
“We have countries that cannot afford insulin, so the treatment for diabetes is amputation of lower limbs,” said Tindall, a member of the board of directors of the National Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.
The largest cause of death in South Pacific females is cervical cancer; as there is little or no access to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. “It’s hysterectomy or death,” said Tindall.
“The US Food and Drug Administration doesn’t care someone in Vanuatu loses a foot,” he said. “Their amputation rate is a literally foot a day. We were motivated by the passion to provide healthcare services, knowing we could manufacture down there and achieve global capacity and service so many more countries.”
Research has found cannabis can help those diagnosed with either type 1 or 2 diabetes, and those who suffer complications, and a landmark study published in the American Journal of Medicine in 2013 said marijuana compounds can also help control blood sugar.
Photo by Esther Kelleter/EyeEm/Getty Images
Armed with their mission, in June 2018, Phoenix merged many of its partner organizations together under the name Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited, placing expert botanists, biologists, industrial and organic chemists, medical doctors, researchers, packagers and distributors together under one roof.
From the outset, the firm targeted accurate dosing and delivery systems, with a botanist crafting many different formulas for treatments through varying strains.
“Government agencies want to see this consistency, that they won’t have fluctuations in botanicals,” said Tindall. “That is something that scares them. “It showed us there were ways to have formulas that were more effective for diabetes and others for the treatment of cancers.”
The South Pacific region also has large tracts of real estate allowing Phoenix to expand and scale production. From January, the build-out of the Republic of Vanuatu is top of the Phoenix list, at an expansion of 50 acres per quarter. Tindall also hopes to commence the clinical trials with Vanuatu for diabetes treatment.
The tiny Pacific island has a population of 270,000, but a diabetes rate of around 13 percent, making it a major issue for the government.
“It’s important to us to run local trials, so we are not relying on evidence from elsewhere,” Tindall said. “It also gives us a fast-track program. We are working with governments on single-payer healthcare systems as they are the ones who save the money, and the patients get the great end result.”
For the communities, Phoenix can roll out much faster when part of a national healthcare system with clinics and infrastructure said Tindall. “We want to replicate that in the South Pacific, where they have 46 countries,” he said.
Tindall cites the positive strides GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) have made on overseas markets as the regulatory playbook to follow.
GW, the world’s biggest medicinal cannabis firm, has blazed a trail in taking new drugs derived from plant extract to market, enabling them to circumvent the scheduling as general CBD or THC and become subject to stricter enforcement.
It is Tindall’s hope Phoenix can replicate this success in the South Pacific, and other areas where some of the larger cannabis firms are not as active; if countries cannot afford to import and sell, there is little incentive for Big Pharma to get involved.
“We are positioned to pick up a good part of the global market while also preparing for bringing products back into the US, and even the UK,” he said.
The firm is expected to engage in M&A activity throughout 2019, and Tindall confirms he is looking at other companies to acquire that will allow Phoenix to leapfrog. “Whether a licensee in another country or securing another location for plantation sites,” he said. “We’re looking at companies with Drug Enforcement Administration licensing, so we can move the studies along.”
Also on the list of targets for 2019 is an FDA study license, which would allow Phoenix to serve universities and other clinical organizations. Tindall sees education of doctors and medical professionals as the number one aim, not just for Phoenix but the wider industry.
“No doctor is going to say to a patient ‘smoke two joints and call me in the morning’,” he said. “They want to know it’s accurate, medically delivered, and there is substantial research for them to point to. The more doctors will become aware of the treatments, the faster the market will grow, with more and more drug studies being held.”
The biggest pushback Phoenix has received until now has been the lack of data, Tindall said. The company sponsored a non-profit to build a database of medical cannabis data, putting up information on anxiety disorders and how the cannabinoids are being used in clinical trials.
“It’s all about access and education,” said Tindall. “If you have access, great, but you won’t get the program without physicians prescribing.”
Each time the company enters a new market or country it has introduced a training program for doctors, forming part of a strategy seeking to mature the industry and move away from the stereotypes Tindall believes hinder growth.
“By being able to provide video communications, presentations, there has to be a plethora of data pushed to the doctors, presented in a structured format so they can accept it,” he said. “It’s no good having Snoop Dogg on the front puffing a leaf.”
As the cannabis industry continues its stratospheric rise, Tindall warns firms who play up to old habits in order to gain the attention that they are only hurting themselves.
“At conferences, you still see the legacy of the weed industry,” he said. “It doesn’t really help. If you have a doctor in there, and the first thing he sees is potheads, it’s not going to work.”
Phoenix is strict on branding; it doesn’t use pictures of cannabis plants, and it is deliberately positioning itself as a pharmaceutical firm that happens to use marijuana in its products. “If we can get a better result in the treatment of diabetes out of a fennel plant, that is what we are going to do, we’d be just as happy,” said Tindall. “It’s about finding the end solution for the patient.”
When it comes to how you store marijuana, the do’s and don’ts are pretty basic. But the guidelines can vary depending on your living arrangements, budget, aesthetic style and geography. There is no such thing as an expiration date for marijuana. It is a dried herb and can last a long time if aged correctly. Here are 8 ways to properly store marijuana for freshness.
No Plastic Baggies, Please
If you have a few nugs in a plastic baggie, you’re doing it wrong. First of all, you risk crushing your buds, removing the potent trichomes from the bud and rendering your herb as less potent.
Plastic is also an ineffective medium in which to hold herbs. Over time, the plastic will affect the taste of the herb. These cheap baggies also do not hold in the odor, so it is not a discrete storing method. And lastly, it is just aesthetically ugly.
Keep Out Of Reach Of Children
A no-brainer, but this tip should not be omitted. If you have children living with you or you have children in your home from time to time, store your weed in a place out of reach. If you are unable to follow this rule, one wonders if you really should be consuming cannabis. Be smart and outsmart the kids. It shouldn’t be that difficult.
Airtight glass jars are your best bet. My favorite containers are Mason jars because they can be found just about anywhere. With glass, your marijuana stays consistent … nothing gets in or out of the jar until you open it and allow oxygen to enter.
When you store things in glass, nothing goes in and nothing goes out. What you put inside a glass jar stays just as good as the day you put it in until you expose it to oxygen again. Also, glass does not produce a scent so you will not be introducing different odors to your herb. What you bought will taste like what you bought.
Keep In A Cool Dark Place
The only downside to clear glass is that it allows in light, which could damage your herb. So find a cupboard (again, think child safety) or a drawer or location in your home that remains dark throughout the day. If your glass jar gets too warm from sunlight, the jar may “sweat” from the inside, which could put your stash at risk for mold.
Temperature And Humidity
Ideally, store your herb in cool, dark place. How cool? Try to keep it under 70 degrees. If it gets in the upper 70s or above. mold could become an issue. Humidity is also a factor, but a little harder to control. A rule of thumb is to keep marijuana stored at about 60 percent humidity. Above 65 percent may present a problem with mold.
Do NOT Use The Fridge Or Freezer
Never store your cannabis in the fridge or freezer. The temperature and humidity fluctuations are too much for cannabis. Freezing the bud makes it brittle and the THC-rich trichomes will break off, leaving you with weak weed.
When selecting the perfect jar, think about how much marijuana will be in the jar. You don’t want to use an over-sized jar for a small amount of bud because you are allowing more oxygen in. Try to match the container with the volume of cannabis to be stored. As your stash diminishes, try using smaller jars.
Store Separately
If you have more than one strain to store, use separate containers. Each strain has its own unique characteristics and the best way to maintain the uniqueness is to store the strains in their own jar.
