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How Marijuana Helped A Mother With Stage 4 Colon Cancer

Celia Behar
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How Marijuana Helped A Mother With Stage 4 Colon Cancer

I’ve been trying to get my sister, Julie, to smoke pot with me since she was 14. Over the last 26 years, I’ve succeeded only twice.

The first time was when we were in our early 20’s. It was Thanksgiving and we were at my grandparents’ farm in upstate NY. After dinner we were both losing our minds, stuck in a political/religious bashing of all things pop-culture with our relatives – and seriously needing a drink…or an escape route…or a lobotomy. But no one there drank and none of the knives were pointy enough, so we were basically screwed.

Then I remembered I had some weed in my car and at that point my sister was ready to try anything in order to feel less stabby about the entire situation so she snuck outside to smoke with me. Of course I had nothing on me that we could smoke it with. Not a paper, a bowl, or even a one hitter because I had either convinced myself that this year wouldn’t be so bad, or ya know, I was still hiding the fact that I smoked pot from my parents. Apparently having the weed itself wasn’t the dead giveaway but having a bowl would be. Nice work, Behar. Anyway, I made my sister go swipe a coffee filter (a brown-close-to-cardboard-cause-of-course-that’s-all-we-had coffee filter) rolled possibly the worst joint ever and inhaled that sucker like little Jewish Cheech and Chongs.

While our family argued on about gay rights, health care, birth control, and whether or not Meg Ryan had her ‘lips done’ (OMG who cares, and also, DUH. She became a blowfish.) My sister and I went to go watch TV on the 20-yr-old beat up, pullout couch that sank in the middle basically creating a mattress taco with us as the very stoned filling. We stared at each other, giggling like we were 9 and 12, all kinds of high. We tried to contain ourselves when our grandmother decided to come offer us some relationship advice by informing us that she and our grandfather no longer had sex because she could “hardly move her ass”. Ya know, just the image that every grandkid longs to emblazon in her mind … high … in a mattress taco.

Diagnosis: Stage 4 Colon Cancer

The second time I got my sister high was a month after she found out she had stage 4 colon cancer. Metastasized. She’s 40 and the mother of four. Her cancer symptoms had been masked by her last pregnancy and by the time they caught it, it was everywhere. Her colon, gallbladder, liver and lymph nodes. Her doctor gave her 12 to 24 months to live, if she responded to treatment. There was no talk of recovery, or ‘beating this thing’, no words of encouragement.

Now I understand doctors often remain detached and provide just the facts. But I had hoped the center where she would start chemo would be a bit more compassionate. Nope. Three days before chemo was scheduled to start, she got a call from the treatment center telling her that because she had no insurance (which they knew from the start and yet STILL put a port in her – i.e., a hole in her body where the chemo gets delivered), they would not be giving her chemo when she was scheduled and basically wished her luck. This is the same center that made it clear to her that if she didn’t start chemo as soon as her body could handle it she would die within months.

The lack of empathy shown from this place was really just astounding. After a very long and stressful two days and with the help of a little Mama power, she got insurance and started chemo. I flew out to be with her and it sucked. She was sick to her stomach, lethargic, dehydrated, and jaundiced. Her boyfriend and I took turns calling the hospital to ask for advice and every time I was struck with how totally cold they were. We were just numbers. This wasn’t my sister to them; this was just a patient. Not a person, but a number. A statistic – and not a good one. It felt horrible. Had I not been experiencing the exact opposite treatment from a different group of providers at the same time, I can say without a doubt that my faith in humanity would likely have been lost.

Photo courtesy Celia Behar 

When I got the call that my sister was sick I did two things:

  1. Sobbed uncontrollably and felt like I was drowning.
  2. Told the people closest to me what was going on – two of whom are in the cannabis industry and from that minute on, had our backs.

The first person I spoke to was Mama Tracy Ryan of Cannakids. If you don’t know Tracy’s story, she has been helping her little girl Sophie battle brain cancer since she was an infant by using cannabis. She founded and runs Cannakids and knows more about medical marijuana than anyone I know. She was the first person to give me hope by telling me about the healing properties of cannabis and how different organs have different receptors that process it. She told me of studies where cancer damage was actually reversed after treatment involving cannabis. She then went on to offer any services that she had at her disposal to help my sister. She was, and has continued to be, an amazing support.

The next person I told was my longtime friend, Tom Grubbs. Tom and I grew up together and not long after I moved to L.A., he moved to Oregon (about 2 hours from where my sister lives now). He is also a partner at the cannabis farm Moto Perpetuo Farm. From the second I told him what was going on, Tom rallied.

He informed (and I mean INFORMED) me that my sister’s cancer would be “attacked thoroughly” by cannabis and before I knew it, he had special cannabis oils made for her, connected me to a cancer survivor who beat it by only using cannabis, scheduled meetings for me with the oil creators so I could ask questions, and set my sister up with the product and supplies she needed. I never asked him to do any of this – he just did it. And since then, every single person that he has put me in touch with has gone out of their way to help me and Julie.

  • Empower Body Care supplied bags of cannabis-infused bath salts and muscle rubs for her.
  • She has an electric nail from D-NAiL.
  • Phoenix Fire Labs made her oils.
  • By Colby Glass Store created a special glass piece to use near her bed that’s easy to hold in the dark and is heavy enough that it won’t tip over.
  • Genesis Pharms has been providing her with RSO suppositories that have been a total game changer.

For the most part, these people have done these things without knowing either of us. And their involvement in my sister’s treatment didn’t end once we received their products. They call and text us through the worst of her chemo reactions, offering advice, an ear, hope. They hug us when they see us. They know our names. They tell me I’ve ‘got this’, even when I sure as hell don’t feel like I ‘got’ anything of the sort.

Tests Are Looking Better

It’s a stark contrast to how we were treated on the other side by mainstream medicine. And here’s the most amazing thing: Since starting the cannabis treatment that all these phenomenal people have put together my sister not only feels better, but her tests are looking better. I don’t know what that will mean for her in the long run, but I do know that this wasn’t what the doctors were expecting. Now will they give the cannabis credit for that? Somehow I doubt it.

But I sure as hell can. Because I’ve seen her change. Cannabis isn’t a joke, a gateway drug, or whatever the hell propaganda we’ve been sold for years. It is a medical treatment, possibly a miracle. God, do I hope it is.

And the people who work in the cannabis industry, well, they aren’t that far off from angels in my opinion. Brilliant, hardworking, dedicated, and driven angels. They fly in the face of the image of burn out stoners who can’t get off the couch. These stereotypes and stigmas around cannabis – they have to end. We have this amazing, potentially lifesaving resource and because of years and years of misinformation about it, people aren’t using it. And those who do are judged and maligned. No. This needs to stop. We need to help change this. MOMS need to change this, because as one person in the industry recently said to me, “everyone knows that moms have all the power. Once moms embrace cannabis, game over.” Well, consider it embraced.

I think it’s pretty obvious by the way I started this post that I’ve been a cannabis user myself for years, and while I had already begun to advocate for its normalization before my sister was diagnosed with cancer, now I’m clearly all in. I’m a mom, a sister, a daughter and a person whose life is better because of cannabis and the cannabis industry.

How Cannabis Helped Me With Postpartum Issues

I used it for postpartum issues and now use it to treat my anxiety and insomnia. It works like nothing else ever has. I’m tired of hiding it. Tired of not talking about it. Why is it OK for moms to talk about wanting ‘ALL the wine’ but I can’t say I want my vape pen without being lambasted? How is drinking in front of my kids – and teaching them that drinking is OK when done responsibly – different than using marijuana in front of them and teaching them the same thing? It’s not.

My children are well aware that I use cannabis and that their aunt and friend Sophie are being helped by it. They are being educated about cannabis, not poisoned against it and they know that I have hope for my sister’s life because of it. How is there ever anything wrong with having hope?

So here’s a thing that I’ve learned when there is a crisis: Help and support takes many forms. Sometimes it’s a supportive text or a food delivery. Sometimes it’s a hug or laugh. And sometimes … if you’re lucky … it’s people who don’t ask what you need, don’t even tell you what they are doing until they’ve done it, they just make it happen and take you along for the ride. Those people? Those people are heroes. And in this story, it’s been the people in the cannabis industry that have been our heroes.

NOTE: My sister is still unable to work at this time and needs all the help she can get. Please consider donating to her cause.

Celia Behar is president of Lil’ Mamas, where this story was originally published.  

Listen: Best Selling Cannabis Author Releases New Song About Sexual Misconduct

Terry Hacienda
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Listen: Best Selling Cannabis Author Releases New Song About Sexual Misconduct

Earlier this year, 28-year-old Fresh Toast contributor and best-selling cannabis book author Javier Hasse was featured on NowThis after dropping a heavy-hearted, strongly worded public service announcement on cannabis legalization in an album that hit eight different Billboard Charts (including the #1 spot on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #9 on Rap Charts, and #11 on Independent Charts, among others).

The Whoodlum Ball, as the album was titled, was a collaborative, independent record produced by recurring billboard-topping duo Smith and Hay, alongside DJ Whoo Kid and Ranna Royce. The LP featured legacy rappers including Wu-Tang’s RZA & Inspectah Deck, Twista, Lil Windex, Riff Raff, Cyhi The Prynce, Faincarter, Compton’s Most Wanted’s MC Eiht, The Wake Up Show’s King Tech, Parliament-Funkadelic’s Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey, Iliana Eve, and Eminem’s artists Kxng Crooked and Conway.

“I was in the shower one day and thought I’d get creative in my pitch to get an interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda – which I didn’t get, by the way,” Hasse told The Fresh Toast, talking about how his poem came to be.

“However, I showed the rap to a friend, who happened to also be a Senator, and he had me perform at a dinner cruise after a medical cannabis event in Pittsburgh.

“Jon Hay heard it and asked me if he could put it, as it was, in his upcoming album. I was instantly on board; being on an LP alongside some of my favorite rappers of all time like RZA and Twista seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he added.

With no beat on the background, Hasse delivered a live spoken-word highlighting some of the main reasons to support cannabis legalization, from economic factors, to political statements, to healthcare, to racial issues.

Jail Tattoos

Today, Hasse is at it again, with a new track on Jail Tattoos, the latest album produced by Jonathan Hay and Ranna Royce featuring Bizarre of D12.

Other big names on the album include Slim Jesus Sadat X from Brand Nubian, T-Rell, Louie Gonz and DJ Manipulator, Mike Smith, Chino XL, Bubba Sparxxx, Cyhi The Prynce and Felcia from Mo Thugs.

Fortunately, Hasse decided to share his new song, Letter Of Consent, with The Fresh Toast for us to premiere.

“Jon Hay reached out a couple of months ago and said he was producing a new album. He asked if I had another song for him… I didn’t,” Hasse said. “But I promised I’d have something ready within a week. Since I had already written about cannabis, I thought I’d go for the other topic I’m really passionate about: feminism.

“So I sat down with some female friends and asked them what they thought were topics I had to include in a song. I then wrote it, and went to my good friend Alan Senderowitsch of Cromo Musica and asked him to create a beat and record me. We spent a day in the studio and came up with a very old-school rap. Once ready, we went to Jon Hay and showed him what we had. He updated the beat completely and got Goldy Locks in the studio to add a hook.”

So, without further a due, here’s Letter Of Consent, and the lyrics below. Using headphones or speakers is strongly encouraged – gotta have that base.

Letter Of Consent

Hi men, do you like violence? (Yeah!)
Wanna end up with no friends, no girl, and shunned by society?
Join an “elite” club with Roy Moore and Harvey Weinstein?
Lose your fucking job, settle for millions like Bill O’Reiley?
 
She’s not your date,
If she can’t get her head straight. Make sure she’s awake.
Consent’s a fucking mandate!
Abstain, just refrain.
There’s no gain in pain, I’ll say it again.
There’s no gain in pain.
 
Since age twelve, you’ve loved Louis C.K.
Cause he said all the nasty stuff you never dared say yourself.
Then he jerked off in front of the wrong folks
And guess what?
It’s still rape… I’ve counted the fucking votes!
 
We all know, we make fucking “stroke” jokes
We say It’s a hoax, hope it is all smoke.
Well let me provoke you, invoke the law.
Consent is the fucking key. Come on, bro!
 
That P.E. teacher who thought that by senior high
It was fine to hit on students.
That guy was just fucking vile.
 
A bone fide sex offender
A certified child molester
The way that he addressed her
That time that he caressed her
Stroked her, touched her, like California white fur
That’s not rare. It’s unfair, but standard as Budweiser.
  
Fifty percent of the world fucking fears you
You just found out, but it’s been going on since the year Two
Or even before… since the Holy Spirit came to Mary
And without even asking, decided to make a baby.
 
Guess she couldn’t abort.
He was the son of the Lord.
“Don’t mind her, she’s just a whore
Delivering’s just a chore
The clothes that that lady wore
She knew what she was in for
Don’t underscore the décor
She lacked when she washed ashore.”
  
I got one more for you.
This one’s all about the Franklins
About women at work, taking nothing but a spanking
Never banking on their ranking, no one thanking them for handling
All that shit, it’s simply dazzling.
It’s just baffling, pretty saddening.
 
We’re changing now,
Oh while men cling to their power,
Acting nervous, disempowered,
Fearing they will get devoured.
We’re about to hit the hour.
So get ready.
It’s the era of the women,
Flower power, no more cowards.

Tinder For Tokers: Niche Dating Will Find Your Perfect Match

Sara Somerset
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Tinder For Tokers: Niche Dating Will Find Your Perfect Match

Anyone who has yet to try online dating may admit the possibilities are daunting. Not all dating sites are created equal. While sites such as eHarmony and Match.com are for people looking for a long-term relationship, Plenty of Fish is more for hookups, and Tinder lies somewhere in between. There are also several hobby and personal interest-based, niche dating sites that offer plenty of other possibilities.

One woman (we’ll call her Stephanie) met a guy on Bumble. She knew right off the bat they wouldn’t be compatible because he is a wine distributor and she is allergic to sulfites, which prevents her from drinking wine. Despite telling him this in advance, her date kept insisting she try the wine that he ordered for the table. After a few polite sips, the date ended with her taking an antihistamine to combat hives and abruptly excusing herself.

“After our date, I blocked him on Bumble because he just wasn’t reading my social cues. His eagerness to show off his wine expertise overshadowed his regard for my health and safety, which is clearly a red flag,” she says. “Plus,” she continued, “his face was covered in broken capillaries, suggesting he has a serious drinking habit.” In her date’s case, Winery Friends Date might have been a better place for him to look.

Another woman, who we’ll call Lisa, tried eHarmony, where she was asked to fill out an “endless questionnaire.” Being only 5 feet 2 inches tall, she ticked the “height unimportant,” box. “Even in five-inch heels, I am too short for a six-foot tall guy,” she said. “While most women want to date a tall guy. I want just the opposite.” Unfortunately, not specifying a height requirement, led eHarmony to send her potential matches with little people and men with dwarfism.

Dating coach and self-styled professional wingwoman Molly Peckler, founder of cannabis-friendly matchmaking firm Highly Devoted, suggests people should be as specific as possible when looking for a partner.

In Lisa’s case, she now specifies that she is looking for a man who is between 5 foot 6 and 5 foot 9. She is now off eHarmony and on Short People Club, with specific height requirements in mind.

Sometimes people are afraid to come across as being too picky because it appears egotistical, however, being specific about your desires roots out potential deal-breakers and disqualifiers somewhere down the line. For instance, sometimes one partner is into cannabis while the other is not, but might go along with it in the short term.

A man (we’ll call him Pete), who is a publicist from Canada, said his girlfriend did not mind his marijuana habit at first, but, “Now she is always complaining that I stink like weed.” Ouch. “I love her, but I often wonder if I should find someone else, who truly doesn’t mind that I smoke. Maybe she thought it was a habit that I would grow out of,” he theorizes.

As cannabis-oriented social network and dating app High There (aka the Tinder for tokers) points out, “Opposites may attract, but they don’t stick together.”

Rather than try to date someone who pretends to like horseback riding when in reality they have never ridden, try equestrian dating.

Bumble was designed to put women in the driver’s seat. Men cannot contact women on Bumble, unless the woman they are interested is interested in return, and reaches out to a guy first. Lindsay* tried Bumble. She went on three disastrous dates, before pulling the plug on the app.

“My profile specifically said no divorcees and no kids, but the men on Bumble just lied about their marital status,” she says. “I was garnering interest mostly from married men because I forgot to specify ‘no married men’ either. If I wanted a married man, I would be on Ashley Madison or Sugar Daddy For Me!” A self-described nerd, Lindsay now has her profile listed on Geeky Friends Date and Plenty of Geeks.

Depending on how deep your geekdom goes, TrekPassions is specifically for Trekkies; the kind of superfans who cosplay at Star Trek conventions. As for the age old super geek debate, Star Trek vs. Star Wars, have no fear – the force is strong with Star Wars dating.

Whatever your interests are, in today’s modern world there is probably a dating site tailor-made just for you and others like you. If you are still not finding your niche, try doing a search for, “[insert hobby] dating.” Chances are there is a dedicated site or app for it.

Through The Noise: 5 Cannabis Investor Conferences Worth Attending

Javier Hasse
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Through The Noise: 5 Cannabis Investor Conferences Worth Attending

Cannabis and blockchain writer Alex Oleinic contributed to this report.

If you’ve ever attended more than one cannabis industry event, you’ve probably noticed most of them are very similar: the same topics, the same speakers, the same attendees, the same companies…

Still, for some reason, it seems like everyone wants to host their own event and be able to claim it’s unique, even though we know most aren’t. This has resulted in more than 500 listings every year in the U.S. alone.

This is also true for investor-focused events, of which the U.S. witnesses more than 200 each year. Interestingly, the tickets for these events are far from cheap, ranging from $50 to $2,000. So, one cannot avoid but think twice before picking which ones to attend.

But, with so much noise, which ones are really worth attending?

Well, don’t worry. We’ve been doing our homework and have hand-picked five must-see cannabis-focused investor events (beyond the very well-known, business-focused MJBizCon) for our finance buffs.

1) Kahner Global’s Cannabis Private Investment Summit Series

Kahner Global is a leading conference company and consulting firm, founded in 2015 by Noa Kahner.

The company holds a number of conferences in New York, Beverly Hills, Fort Lauderdale, Toronto and San Francisco every year. The conferences are part of Kahner’s Cannabis Private Investment Summit Series and are offered to high-net-worth investors who are interested in the cannabis industry – of which there are many, as hedge funds are mostly staying away from the space for the time being.

Kahner Global’s upcoming events will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 26 and in Beverly Hills, California, on May 1.

2) Cowen & Company’s Boston Cannabis Summit

Cowen & Company is a well-known financial services firm with a rich history that covers over 100 years. It has become especially notable in the cannabis industry thanks to its very well known analyst Vivien Azer.

Cowen hosts a series of events each year, covering various industries.This coming November 28, cannabis will get its turn, as the firm hosts the Boston Cannabis Summit.

This Massachusetts event will be the company’s second cannabis-focused conference this year, after its 2nd Annual Cannabis Summit, which took place on April 9 in Los Angeles.

3) IC3 (Institutional Capital & Cannabis Conference)

The Institutional Capital & Cannabis Conference (best known as IC3) is hosted by the IMN, a global organizer of investment conferences that hosts over 50 events around the world each year.

The next IC3 event will take place on May 9 and 10, 2019, in Los Angeles, and will see discussions about the legalization of marijuana in California and what it means for the industry as a whole.

The IC3 is one of the largest cannabis investor conferences with over 400 attendees at this year’s New York event.

4) Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is one of the best events for cannabis entrepreneurs and investors in North America.

Following a successful first edition in Toronto, Canada, financial media company Benzinga will host a second conference between January 14 and January 16 in Miami Beach, Florida.

The event will feature exclusive presentations by Giadha Aguirre de Carcer, Founder and CEO of New Frontier Data; and Tim Seymour, CIO of Seymour Asset Management, “Fast Money” co-host, and recent TFT feature subject. Other speakers include Vic Neufeld, President and CEO of Aphria; Derek Peterson, Founder and CEO of Terra Tech Corp; and Brett Roper, CEO Medicine Man Technologies, among others.

5) Green Market Summit

The Green Market Summit is a series of cannabis-focused events launched by Debra Borchardt’s the Green Market Report, a financial news organization that focuses on the cannabis industry.

The first event of the series took place on September 14 at the One World Trade Center in New York City, and featured big-name speakers like Poseidon Asset Management’s Emily Paxhia, Green Market Report’s Cynthia Salarizadeh, GreenWave Advisors’ Matt Karnes, The Street’s Jim Cramer, and Danny Moses, the investor made famous by the movie “The Big Short.”

So, now that you know what our favorite cannabis investor conferences are, tell us: which are yours?

5 Useful Sex Toys You Should Have In The Bedroom

Maria Loreto
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5 Useful Sex Toys You Should Have In The Bedroom

Sex toys are a mixed bag of surprises that can freak you out and overwhelm you if you’re not prepared. There are all sorts of sex toys out there, ranging from the ridiculous to the restrained — something for every person and couple, whether they know what works for them or not.

Sex toys are capable of making you feel more comfortable or challenged, depending on what you like. No matter the one you choose, all exist with the purpose of flipping the script and adding a bit of fun into your routine.

The Huffington Post compiled a list of sex toys that are useful and that welcome all sorts of curious people. Here are 5 of our favorites.

CBD Hemp Oil Drops

 

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Related: Is It True That Marijuana Really Makes You Horny?

This oil is recommended for people who get anxious before or during sex. According to different experts, CBD oil is relaxing and boosts spontaneity, a great fit for those who get stressed out during sex.

Clitoral Jolt Gel

This gel from Unbound goes through different stages and produces different reactions. Made out of peppermint oil, it first cools your skin and then heats it up, increasing blood flow and becoming a really great addition into everyone’s bedroom.

Toy Cleaning Spray

 

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Cleaning your sex toys is really important and this spray by Lelo does the job better than any hand soap you may be using. It’s fast acting and alcohol free, perfect to use on all sorts of materials.

Truth or Dare Cards

Made by Unbound, this card game is easy and fun, providing an option that’ll make you laugh and force you to get to know your partner a little bit better. It’s only $9 and it has five star reviews on the website, so there’s not much you can lose here.

Moon Juice Sex Dust

 

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Related: 5 Most Common Sex Fantasies According To Sex Workers

This dust is very popular at Sephora, containing an interesting mix of herbs and ingredients that boost your energy, eliminate stress, promote you vitality and increase your libido. It can be added into any drink, the more delicious the better.

This Week’s Music: Rosalia, Ariana Grande And Sufjan Stevens Have New Songs

Maria Loreto
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This Week’s Music: Rosalia, Ariana Grande And Sufjan Stevens Have New Songs

This Week’s Music is a weekly column that discusses the weeks’ best, worst, and most interesting songs. We try to select songs of different artists and genres to keep things interesting and to please a variety of music fans.

This week was a great one for music, with Rosalia releasing her trailblazing new album, Ariana Grande gifting us her latest single, and Sufjan Stevens reminding us that he’s still got a bunch of songs up his sleeve. Check them out:

R&B

Rosalia – Pienso En Tu Mirá

Rosalia’s voice can blend into different genres. She doesn’t sound out of place on a Reggaeton track or on songs that follow the typical patterns of Spanish music, filled with castañuelas, stomps and the cutting sounds of clapping palms. Her music can make you think of Drake while also reminding you of Rosario Flores, which in theory shouldn’t work but it does. “Pienso En Tu Mirá” is a delirious tale of jealousy that blends a deep R&B sound with Spanish soul, all backed up by Rosalia’s powerful and expressive voice. It’s my favorite song of an incredible album. El Mal Querer, the singer’s second record, was released on November 2 and it’s simply an embarrassment of riches.

Pop

Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

Related: This Week’s Music: Carly Rae Jepsen, Cardi B, Boygenius Release New Songs

It’s hard to find new words to describe one of the year’s most beloved singles. Despite the fact that “Thank U, Next” has been out for less than a week, the public acclaim of the song is unlike anything else out there, inspiring hundreds of memes, Instagram videos and celebrity reactions. Ariana Grande’s latest is a breakup song that takes the high road, choosing self-love and gratefulness over pettiness and hard feelings. She’s such a badass that she manages to look classy while calling out all of her exes by name, concluding that she’s always had what she needed in herself.

Indie

Sufjan Stevens – Lonely Man Of Winter

Indie king Sufjan Stevens is back with a single that’s been waiting around since 2007. “Lonely Man Of Winter” was composed for Alex Duffy, winner of Xmas Song Xchange Contest, who played it for fans on exclusive listening parties throughout the world. The song is now available on vinyl and digital, and it features a bunch of trademark Sufjan Stevens details like mentions of the devil, Christmas, and the inclusion of his beloved piano and guitar arrangements. “Lonely Man Of Winter” won’t get Stevens any new fans but for his longtime followers it’s a song that’s lovely and comforting.

A $45 Version Of Meghan Markle’s Wedding Day Dress Is Selling Like Crazy

Maria Loreto
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A $45 Version Of Meghan Markle’s Wedding Day Dress Is Selling Like Crazy

Meghan Markle has inspired many trends, among them facial freckle tattoos and a legion of impersonators. A knock-off of her beautiful royal debut dress that she wore to her wedding reception is not the craziest thing we’ve ever heard. Honestly, we should’ve seen it coming.

Despite the fact that Markle’s wedding dress is, you know, a wedding dress, which isn’t all that practical, people still want to look as amazing as she did on her big day. Fashion Nova, a shop known for creating dresses and outfits inspired by celebrities, designed a lookalike that, instead of costing thousands of dollars, can be purchased for a mere $45.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi-W5XPB-Ty/

Referred to as the “Royal Debut Dress,” this outfit is made out of polyester and spandex, materials that were probably never considered for the original Stella McCartney. The online store features the dress in white and black, and in different sizes.

 

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Related: Here’s How To Send A ‘Congrats’ Letter To Prince Harry And Meghan Markle

Although Meghan Markle’s original dress is much more fancy, Fashion Nova’s version is pretty cute and allows much more wearability. It’s no royal gown, which is why it works as a knock-off.

The “Royal Debut Dress” is being advertised as the perfect outfit for the winter, and it’s selling out fast.  You can purchase it online.

Meme Of The Week: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Breaks Ribs And The Internet Freaks Out

Maria Loreto
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Meme Of The Week: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Breaks Ribs And The Internet Freaks Out

Following the announcement of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent hospitalization, the internet has become a crazy space, a big prayer circle where people are lining up to donate their ribs, organs, and more for the health of the beloved Supreme Court Justice.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an inspiring leader, with hundreds of achievements under her belt that have lead to the production of a beloved documentary and a biographical movie in the making. She’s an icon for women and progressives of all factions; a vital figure in a time where politics and societal issues are rife with tension.

It makes sense that people lost it when the White House announced that Ginsburg fell in her office and broke three of her ribs this past Wednesday night.

Thankfully, RBG is fine and has been released from the hospital, making these Twitter reactions all the more hilarious and heart warming. We wish her the very best and a speedy recovery.

Cannabis Infused Beverages Experience 88% Yearly Growth

Anne Marie Fischer
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Cannabis Infused Beverages Experience 88% Yearly Growth

“Data is increasingly revealing cannabis consumers to be wellness-seeking millennials and mature professionals,” says Ryan Smith, CEO of LeafLink, and industry-leading B2B e-commerce platform, “These individuals are seeking out non-smokeable products, and some of the most familiar and effective products on the shelf just happen to be infused beverages.”

“It should be cause for concern in regard to the beverage industry dominators: beer and sugary soda companies,” adds Smith.

A Thriving Market for Wellness

While places like Canada have started off slow in allowing regulated products into the market, places like California have an already thriving infused food and beverage market, with products like colas to infused drops to kombuchas to functional beverages flying off the shelves and into the hands of the health-conscious consumer.

Infused-beverages sales in legal states are on the rise and are demonstrated by year over year results. Flowhub, a POS company, has indicated that beverage sales have increased 88% year over year from 2016 to 2017, with that trend seemingly continuing in 2018. When Flowhub compares data from the first half of 2018 against data from the second half of 2017, beverage sales have increased 18%.

According to LeafLink, these are the industry leading beverages:

  1. Pearl 20 Minis by Tarukino in California
  2. Sprig Lemon Tea 20mg CBD & Sprig Original 10mg THC by Sprig in California
  3. Orange Kush Soda 10mg by Keef Cola by K.I.N.D. Concentrates in Arizona
  4. 100mg Passionfruit by HIGHDRATE by Evergreen Herbal in Washington
  5. “Yippee Ki-Yay” – High Energy Blend Drops by ZOOTS by Bronnor in Colorado
  6. “Waking Giant” – 10 mg (Sativa) by Mirth Provisions in Washington

“[Cannabis beverages] are incredibly discreet, hide the taste of cannabis well, and provide a fast-acting dosage without the guesswork of a typical edible,” says Smith of the growth in popularity in cannabis-infused beverages. “The demand for non-smokeable product categories, like beverages, will only increase as long as people pursue the wellness benefits of cannabis,” he adds.

A Health-Conscious Driven Demand

Move over kombucha! As a representative for mood33, a cannabis-infused “functional beverage” herbal tonic company says, “We know that the modern consumer is actively searching for ways to reduce their alcohol consumption and the adverse effects that come with overconsumption, drunk driving, and hangovers.”

“Once consumers realize that cannabis can be consumed like an alcoholic beverage via products like mood33, we will see even more demand for cannabis beverages – as we expect the cannabis beverage category to consist of 20-25% of the overall market share within the next 5-7 years due to these developments and elements of market/category maturation,” mood33 adds.

The news has been rife with beverage companies eyeing the cannabis market, with the likes of Coca-Cola and now Pepsi moving in on the promises for infused beverages. Earlier this year, Constellation Brands (STZ) made a huge investment into Canopy Growth Corp (CGC) that Moody’s referred to as a speculative bet.

These investments and partnerships “have brought tremendous awareness to the nascent cannabis beverage category, and we predict every sophisticated cannabis company will have a cannabis beverage program in the coming years,” says mood33.

mood33 is hyper-focused on providing a cannabis beverage consumption experience for everyday people: the stressed out soccer mom, the overworked professional, the sore runner and the health & wellness/fitness maven.

The Global Future for Cannabis-Infused Beverages

The deals being made between cannabis and food and beverages industry big-wigs are something to pay attention to. While cannabis infused beverages are not permitted in Canada’s legal market yet, these deals indicate that cannabis-infused beverages can have a global demand outside of established legal markets.

“We think [Canada and other markets] will eventually see that infused edibles and drinks pose no more risk than any other product currently allowed for adult use,” says LeafLink’s Ryan Smith.

As for mood33’s plans, they want to see cannabis infused beverages hit the mainstream: “we are eager to help develop a national framework where manufactures and marketers can develop mainstream inspired, regulated cannabis food and beverage products that could one day sit on a Whole Foods shelf.”

This article originally appeared on Green Market Report.

Ohio Working To Expand Qualified Conditions For Not Yet Functional Medical Marijuana Program

Mike Adams
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Ohio Working To Expand Qualified Conditions For Not Yet Functional Medical Marijuana Program

Although Ohio is having some difficulty getting its medical marijuana program off the ground – it’s still not going to be up and running by the end of the month — the state has decided that this would be an excellent time to expand its list of qualified conditions. But before health officials can determine which new ailments should be lumped in with the 21 others that have been there since the beginning, they need some input from the public.

The State Medical Board of Ohio is considering a handful of proposals it has received since it began accepting applications at the beginning of the month. Severe arthritis, liver failure, “lots of pain,” premenstrual dysphoric disorder, fibromyalgia and neuropathy, and interstitial cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) have all been suggested, according to a report from Cleveland.com.

However, the Board’s executive director, AJ Groeber, told an advisory committee earlier this week that people will be given until the end of the year (Dec. 31) to provide them with recommendations.

It will then be up to the board to determine which additional conditions should be approved. The updated list will be published sometime in 2019.

But is the state getting ahead of itself? So far, not a single medical marijuana patient has been serviced in Ohio. The state was supposed to have the program fully functioning by September, but snags with the cultivation process and preliminary inspections prevented it from staying on schedule.

There is hope that patients will have access to medical marijuana by the end of the year, but it is not likely to happen any sooner than that, reports Cincinnati.com. Only 10 out of the state’s 26 licensed cultivators are in a position to grow marijuana. The rest are still working toward passing inspections.

Once the initial crop is ready for harvest, it will need to be tested before making its way to dispensary shelves. That’s going to take more time because, as of now, none of the testing facilities have been approved to open.

There is also another major holdup — patient registry. The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy should have had it in place months ago, but it has decided instead to delay it until the state gets closer to selling medical marijuana.

“We are watching the industry,” Erin Reed, a spokesperson with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, told multiple news sources. “We’re communicating closely with the Department of Commerce for when they expect their licensees to have product available.”

When medical marijuana is finally distributed to dispensaries, Ohio patients can expect to see a lot of dried flower to be used for vaping – pot smoking is not permitted under the law. But it will be a while before these people have access to a variety of pot products, such as oils and edibles. None of the 14 cannabis producers licensed to manufacture these items are operational. Once again, this will prevent the full scope of the program from being realized until sometime in 2019.

For now, the focus is on expanding the list of qualified conditions. Anyone interested in proposing a health condition can do so by visiting this link.

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