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Michigan Becomes 10th State To Legalize Recreational Marijuana

More states legalized cannabis in yesterday’s midterm elections with Michigan becoming the latest one to legalize adult-use cannabis. Missouri and Utah approved medical cannabis, while North Dakota said no to adult use cannabis. A flurry of places voted to decriminalize cannabis in varying degrees as well.

Kris Krane, President at 4Front Ventures said “Last night was another good night for marijuana policy, as we’ve seen in nearly every election since 2012. The American Public continues to show that they are far ahead of too many of their elected leaders. The ballot initiatives passing in Michigan, Missouri, and Utah, and public rebuke of arch Prohibitionist Pete Sessions is more proof that it is far past time that we adopted sensible marijuana laws and regulations nationwide.”

Michigan

Michigan is now the 10th state to legalize cannabis possession for adults 21 and older, and it is the ninth state to create a program for regulating commercial cultivation and sales for adult use.

Voters passed a ballot initiative to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adult use through the measure known as Proposal 1. Prop 1 was leading 58-42 with 54 percent of precincts reporting when CNN called the election.

“This is yet another historic election for the movement to end marijuana prohibition,” said Steve Hawkins of the Marijuana Policy Project. “Voters have once again sent a message loud and clear that it is time to legalize and regulate marijuana. The victory in Michigan highlights just how widespread support is for marijuana policy reform. This issue does not only enjoy strong support on the coasts but also in the Midwest and all throughout the country.”

Missouri

MPP noted that Missouri is now the 31st state in the nation to pass medical marijuana laws. The measure was leading 64-36 with 49 percent of precincts reporting when The New York Times called the election.

Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project said,  “Thanks to the unflagging efforts of patients and advocates, Missourians who could benefit from medical marijuana will soon be able to use it without fear of being treated like criminals. We hope lawmakers will implement the measure efficiently and effectively to ensure qualified patients can gain access to their medicine as soon as possible.

Utah

Utah’s medical cannabis ballot measure was leading by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent yesterday when news affiliates called the outcome a winner. MPP said that last month, backers of Proposition 2 reached an agreement with opponent organizations, legislative leaders, and the governor to support an alternative medical cannabis law that will be enacted in an upcoming special session, regardless of the outcome of the election.

North Dakota

North Dakota voted down adult-use cannabis with 59% against it versus 41% in favor. The legislation was pretty broad with no limits on cultivation or possession. It would also automatically expunge previous cannabis convictions.

Politicians

Representative Pete Sessions from Texas who had been instrumental in blocking cannabis legislation from votes in Congress was defeated. Sessions chaired the House Rules Committee. He lost to a former NFL player and civil rights attorney Colin Allred.

California’s Dana Rohrabacher has been a long-time legalization supporter, but he potentially lost as well. Rohrabacher was an early supporter of changing laws on cannabis, long before it was popular. However, Rohrabacher’s close association with Russia and President Trump caused many to turn on him. Democrat Harley Rouda appears to have won, but late mail-in ballots haven’t been counted and the candidates weren’t declaring a victory yet.

More Changes

Colorado voters approved a proposal to change the definition of help and Wisconsin voters approved several nonbinding cannabis questions on the ballot. Several counties indicated positive responses to various questions about legalization. These positive votes could motivate legislators to pass laws in favor of legalization.

Ohio voters moved to decriminalize cannabis in several cities. Dayton, Fremont, Norwood, Oregon, and Windham all passed measures lowering penalties.  Garrettsville was the only city that rejected the local measure. While it doesn’t change the state law for punishment, it does help people in those local towns.

While it isn’t decriminalizing cannabis convictions, Florida voters did approve an amendment to restore voting rights to people with felony convictions.

This article originally appeared on Green Market Report.

Megyn Kelly Reaches Out To Matt Lauer; Brad Pitt Thinks Angelina Is ‘Purely Trying To Drag Him Through The Mud’

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Megyn Kelly Reaches Out To Matt Lauer – EXCLUSIVE

Megyn Kelly feels betrayed by NBC and isn’t planning to go quietly into retirement. Instead, sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER that she has already reached out to former NBC King, Matt Lauer, for advice and to discuss the future.

“Megyn walks away very rich. She never needs to work ever again. However, being on TV is like oxygen to Kelly; she cannot be a stay-at-home mom and she has zero plans of retiring. Megyn is already talking with Matt Lauer about the future and doing a new morning show together,” sources tell STRAIGHT SHUTER. “As part of both Matt’s and Megyn’s exit agreement, they signed confidentiality agreements and time limited non-competes. But once the agreed time is up, both would love to return to TV and doing it together would be huge. They both are very angry with how their different situations were handled, and punishing The Today Show by going up against it on Fox News would provide both of them with a certain amount of glee.”

Brad Pitt thinks Angelina is ‘purely trying to drag him through the mud’

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are gearing up for a bitter trial over the custody of their children, and Pitt believes his estranged wife is putting the kids through an unnecessarily damaging experience. Sources close to the situation tell The Blast Pitt feels Jolie is purely trying to drag him through the mud in the upcoming custody trial, and is worried about the longterm effects it will have on their 6 children.

We’re told during the divorce, Pitt has been trying to work out a settlement, and believes there is no reason the two parents can’t split custody 50/50. Jolie, however, wants sole custody of the kids and has been unwavering. Our sources believe the actress is planning on using the airplane incident from 2016, where she accused Pitt of child abuse, as grounds for her receiving full custody. We’re told Pitt’s legal team is not worried about Jolie’s tactics because the actor was never criminally charged with anything, and the custody case is not a criminal matter.

The “World War Z” actor thinks the move by his ex is irresponsible to their children, and feels they have been embarrassed enough during their parents’ public feud. Our source points out that the children are all now older and able to read the news and listen to their friend’s discussions about their famous parents. For now, the trial is set for December 4 and will likely go on for several weeks. Our sources make it clear that Pitt’s ongoing plea to Jolie has been, “Don’t do this to the kids.”

[From The Blast]

Demi Lovato is splitting her time between a halfway house and a private home in Los Angeles

Demi Lovato isn’t taking an immediate plunge back into her old lifestyle … she’s splitting her time between a halfway house and a private home in Los Angeles.

TMZ reports that Demi feels the need to spend a big chunk of her time at a sober house — 3 days a week — where there are counselors and people with whom she can relate and share experiences.

At the same time, she wants to resume a normal life and decided to live 4 days a week in a private home.

This Is How Meghan Markle’s Name Will Appear On Her Baby’s Birth Certificate

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal offspring is en route for a Spring arrival, and inquiring minds want to know how the mother-to-be will be signing her name on the li’l one’s birth certificate. Thanks to some digging, we know that “Harry” won’t even appear on the paperwork, and Meghan will be listed under her real name, “Rachel.” (“Meghan” is actually her middle name because Hollywood).

According to Marie Claire, Harry’s full title, “His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex,” will be used, along with Meghan’s official title: “Rachel Meghan, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.”

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Royal expert Marlene Koenig tells Marie Claire: “Her name is not a part of her title, so, it will say Rachel Meghan, HRH the Duchess of Sussex.”

The baby will likely use Sussex as his or her last name, following in the footsteps of its parents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, according to Town & Country (via Marie Claire). In fact, the kiddo may not even use a last name at all, says Koenig. “In real life, royals do not use a surname. They sign their first name only. Their titles will be on their passports.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BppLj1Tn1Tz/

When Meghan and Harry’s in-laws, Prince William and Kate Middleton, welcomed Prince Louis back in April, his birth certificate listed him as “His Royal Highness Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge.” Kate and William were referred to as “His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge” and “Catherine Elizabeth Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.”

You can see Louis’ birth certificate, along with the certificates of his two siblings, over at Marie Claire.

For Some Reason The Chainsmokers Are Making A Movie

DJ bro duo The Chainsmokers join the ranks of singers/musicians who want to do everything, including producing their own damn movies.

Variety reports that Drew Tagall and Alex Pall have formed Kick The Habit Productions, a company that’ll allow them to produce films, television, and all sorts of digital content.

“We are beyond thrilled to have launched Kick the Habit Productions as we continue to bridge the gap between our overall artistic vision, the entertainment industry as a whole and our fans. The age of being only a musician is over and we’re excited to go all-in on this venture to curate, produce and create meaningful projects,” said the group in a joint statement.

Their company’s first project is called Paris, inspired by The Chainsmoker’s EDM hit song which creatively rhymes the words “parents” with “Paris.” Real artistry there. The idea for the movie was pitched by Mickey Rapkin, writer of the “Pitch Perfect” novels which later became the basis of the successful movie franchise.

Dan Marcus, operating officer and president of Kick The Habit, explains that the company’s goal is to become another way for the group to express their artistry and to pursue an authentic life, whatever that means. “Drew and Alex have a deep connection to their fans, not only through their music, but through what they stand for and represent: transcending preconceived limitations, pursuing one’s passion, entrepreneurialism, and a commitment to living an authentic life. They don’t just sing about these themes in their hit songs — it’s who they are,” concludes Marcus.

While it’s great that artists have the chance to express their artistry in different outlets, are The Chainsmokers the right people to do this? Aside from the fact that they’re called The Chainsmokers, these are also the guys who infamously posted the length of their combined penises on their website (“17.34 inches, tip to tip”) and who bragged about the fact that they’ll never be caught drunk in a bar because they’re “way too good at drinking”. They don’t need another outlet.

Scientists Say This Mysterious Asteroid Could Actually Be An Alien Spacecraft

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Oumuamua is quite the unique asteroid, the first of its kind to be documented by Earth. This interstellar object was first spotted about a year ago by the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii, with scientists agreeing that it must have come from outside of the Solar System.

The question of its origin remains, with scientists posing different theories and explanations. A pair of Harvard researchers believe that Oumuamua could be an alien spacecraft, publishing a scientific paper on the matter. On it, they argue that the asteroid’s trajectory, which sped up significantly when passing by the sun, could suggest that it’s a “lightsail of artificial origin”, meaning that it’s a device made by someone with the purpose of moving by the influence of light. Like a car that runs on solar panels.

In an interview with NBC News MACH, Avi Loeb, co-author of the paper, says that it’s impossible to know the purpose of Oumuamua without the existence more data, but that the idea of a “space lightsail” is something that has been explored by scientists on Earth, even if the project is still at its infancy. “I follow the maxim of Sherlock Holmes: When you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth,” Loeb says.

Scientists and researchers from other organizations credit Harvard’s paper with its creative idea, yet believe that it’s much more likely for Oumuamua to simply be a weird looking asteroid that’s traveled a long way. “If it were a spacecraft, this tumbling would make it impossible to keep any instruments pointed at the Earth. Of course, one could now say it was an accident, or the aliens did this to deceive us. One can always come up with increasingly implausible suggestions that have no evidence in order to maintain an idea,” explains astronomer Coryn Bailer-Jones.

While the alien debate is ongoing and stronger than ever, it’s safe to remind everyone of the ultimate truth: For better or worse, we don’t know anything.

Marijuana & The Midterms: What’s Going On? Why Does It Matter?

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The 2018 midterm election is a pivotal one, not only for the Trump administration and Republicans in general, who face the possibility of losing control of Congress, but also for marijuana users and cannabis companies across the nation.

“The trend of citizens looking to use the ballot to legalize marijuana (either for recreational or medical use) continues in 2018,” said Geoff Pallay, Editor in Chief of Ballotpedia, an online encyclopedia of American politics. “Voters in five states will have their say on their state’s marijuana policy on November 6th. Whatever the outcome, we don’t expect 2018 to be the end of marijuana’s presence on the ballot. Already we see at least 4 possible measures being prepared for 2019 and 2020 related to marijuana legalization.”

Who’s Voting?

On Tuesday, voters in Michigan and North Dakota will decide if marijuana is legalized for adult-use. “If they pass, those states will become the 10th and 11th states to legalize recreational use,” Bruce Barcott, deputy news editor at cannabis-focused website Leafly, told The Fresh Toast.

“Voters in Michigan or North Dakota could make their states the first east of the Rockies or outside of New England to legalize the recreational use of marijuana,” supplemented Ryan Byrne, Ballotpedia’s Marquee Staff Writer.

Approval of Michigan Proposal 1 or North Dakota Measure 3 could motivate legalization proponents to seek ballot initiatives in 2019, 2020, or beyond in other Midwestern states like Ohio and Missouri.”

Utah and Missouri will opt for or against medical marijuana legalization initiatives too, while other states like Ohio, Wisconsin and Colorado will be considering smaller reforms. If the votes in Missouri and Utah are positive, these states would join a group currently comprising 30 other states, allowing patients to access a treatment option that 93 percent of Americans believe should be legal.

Why The Midterms Matter

But, for those living in other states beyond the ones mentioned above, why do Tuesday’s cannabis ballots matter?

“The 2018 mid-terms mark a new high-water mark for cannabis legalization,” Barcott added. “Two years ago it would have been nearly unthinkable for a state like Utah to consider legalizing medical marijuana, or North Dakota to try legalizing adult-use cannabis. But here we are.”

With Canada legalizing cannabis nationwide a few weeks ago, and Mexico’s Supreme Court declaring cannabis prohibition unconstitutional just last week, “the United States remains the only North American nation clinging to harmful, outdated policies based on long-disproven fears and fabrications,” Barcott noted.

“We expect three of the four states considering legalization to pass their measures. This would mark the march of legalization into America’s heartland, and send a strong message to Congress that it’s time to end federal prohibition and allow states to handle cannabis themselves,” he concluded.

But Lewis Goldberg, politics enthusiast and managing partner of KCSA Strategic Communications, is even more optimistic. “I think there’s the likelihood of all four ballot initiatives passing (in Michigan, Missouri Utah and North Dakota) is higher than the likelihood of none of them passing,” he said. “Michigan already has a robust medical program, so adult-use seems like a logical next step. North Dakota is going to have high turnout, and has a strong Native American vote, which by the way will help Senator Heitkamp, all of which bodes well for cannabis legalization. And the states that are voting on medical, Missouri and Utah… Missouri has a Senate race, which will drive high turnout, which is good for the ballot initiatives, and Utah has a strong inclination to pass this. So I think all four are going to win.”

5 Gadgets Every Cannabis Connoisseur Needs To Know About

Necessity is the mother of invention and if you’re a weed nerd at heart, there’s a good chance you’re in need of one or more of the following apparatuses in your life. Dabbing has never been so streamlined, vaping is taken to new levels and if you’re a cannabis cook, there’s some fun and functional love here for you, too.

Dabbing Made Easy

 

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Related: Just A Little THC Please: 6 Great Low-Dose Marijuana Edibles

A “smart rig” is here with PuffCo’s The Peak. Aside from heating up on its own after a mere 20 seconds to the temperature of your choosing, this is the first “social rig” to rise to the top. Unlike an e-nail, you can put The Peak on sesh mode and pass the rig to the left hand side. The four heat settings make this the perfect solo rig as well, being that you can choose to take massive hits or the perfect amount to not cough and still get off. The battery life is good for around 30 dabs and it takes a quick 2 hours to fully charge.

Vape Though H20

The Hydrology9 Vaporizer by Cloudious9 is the newest, coolest vaporizer on the market. Water cooled vapor and hefty hits are the hallmarks of this new vape tool. According to the site, creating this tool was painstaking and required numerous revisions to get it just right. A complete unit in itself, the water cooling component is part of the integrated experience, as is a cell phone grade battery with a long life and quick charging time. This is the ultimate vaporizer for flower and dry herb lovers.

Decarboxylation Made Simple and Odorless

 

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For those who like to bake or cook with cannabis, the NOVA Decarboxylator is the perfect workaround for if you don’t want your entire house or apartment smelling like herb during the activation process. It’s also precise, so you don’t have to worry about cooking off any cannabis components in the oven.

A Hard Hitting Dab Pen for the Masses

Another device for concentrates, the Prism+ goes on the road with you and delivers stealthy, yet very healthy sized hits. This is what wax lovers have been waiting for in a pen. It hits harder than a pre-fill or even other dab pens and was awarded “Best Overall Vape Pen of 2018” by The Vape Guide. It’s compact, temperature controlled and with a battery under lifetime warranty.

Little, Easy Rosin Press

 

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Related: 6 Cooler-Than-Thou Gadgets For Baller Marijuana Enthusiasts

The Rosin Tech Go just made squishing out the good stuff accessible to growers and connoisseurs everywhere. The “Smallest and Easiest to Use Rosin Press Available” may have trouble staying in stock, but that’s because it is the most compact, simple device to press rosin, even on the go. This portable press makes making your own concentrates a simple task with complex rewards. When you press your weed to make an extract, all the good smelling and tasting components come with.

WHO Leader Doesn’t Believe In Recreational Marijuana

Although the World Health Organization released a report over the summer saying that marijuana is a “relatively safe drug” that brings about no significant issues, the agency’s leader, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, remains skeptical about legalizing the herb for recreational use. However, he continues to be open-minded when it comes to patients using cannabis for its therapeutic benefits.

In a recent interview with AFP, Ghebreyesus said that “we believe that people who need it, especially for pain management, should have it. There should be access.” Yet, considering that “any addictive substance is not good for human health, we wouldn’t encourage countries to follow those who are actually… legalizing it.”

The WHO chief’s comments are a bit confusing considering that the agency’s Drug and Dependence Committee said just months ago that the only adverse reactions people can expect when using marijuana are “euphoria, laughter and talkativeness.”

The report went on to explain that not only is cannabis “safe” but also “it is not associated with acute fatal overdoses.” The overall message behind the review is that marijuana does not belong in the Schedule I dangerous drug classification. Yet, the agency has not yet made that recommendation.

The legalization of marijuana is catching on across the globe. Both Uruguay and Canada have legalized the leaf nationwide for adult consumption, as have nine American states — a number which could easily reach 11 by the time the midterm election plays out. Mexico’s new presidential administration is expected to usher in a similar concept once it takes over in December.

Perhaps more importantly, there is speculation that the United States government will go to work in the coming months to end marijuana prohibition at the national level – this is especially true if the Democrats win back the U.S. House. So, it is conceivable that the issue of allowing marijuana to be handled like alcohol and tobacco will be a hot topic of discussion in 2019.

Interestingly, the Trump administration recently called for public input on the cannabis plant and the policies that surround it. The overall goal was to include these comments in an official statement that will go to help WHO “consider whether to recommend that certain international restrictions be placed on these drugs.” More than 20,000 people provided the federal government with their opinions on this issue. WHO is expected to offer testimony next year as to whether the cannabis plant requires consistent Schedule I restrictions as outlined under the International drug treaties.

Considering the details of the WHO’s latest findings, Ghebreyesus’ primary concern with recreational pot use is smoking. The agency has determined that this specific delivery method is really the only variable in cannabis consumption that poses a threat to a person’s respiratory health. But “When novel drug delivery modes other than smoking become more widely available (e.g. vaporization, sublingual or oral administration), associations between cannabis use and cardiovascular events may become less pronounced, or even absent,” the report reads.

Weighing Yourself This Often May Be The Key To Losing Weight

Contrary to what you may have heard, weighing yourself every day isn’t detrimental to your fitness goals. Sure, it may spark some obsession with loosing weight, but according to a new study, daily weigh-ins are linked to weight loss.

In the experiment, researchers monitored the self-weighing habits of more than 1,000 adults (78 percent male, 90 percent white) over the course of a year. Participants weighed themselves at home, as they normally would, using remotely transmitted self-weighing data without interventions, guidance or weight-loss incentives from researchers according to Medical Xpress.

The results? Researchers found that people who weighted themselves once a week or less din’t loose weight during the following year, compared to those who weighted themselves 6-7 times a week and showed significant weight loss. Says Medical Xpress:

Monitoring your behavior or body weight may increase your awareness of how changing behaviors can affect weight loss. These findings support the central role of self-monitoring in changing behavior and increasing success in any attempt to better manage weight, according to study authors from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

Dr. Yaguang Zheng , co-author of the study and Post-Doctoral Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing told Newsweek that  the causal relationship between self-weighing behavior and weight changes cannot be established with this study, that “self-weighing behavior could be a cause or a consequence of change in weight.”

Dr Katarina Kos Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter medical School, U.K., who was not involved in the study, added: “This study does not include people with morbid obesity” and “we do not know about their levels of depression, anxiety and potential eating disorders with which people with severe obesity typically struggle.”

But Dr. Fiona Gillison, Head of the University of Bath’s Department for Health, U.K., told Newsweek that the takeaway from this study is that daily weigh-ins can be very beneficial.

“What it confirms is that weekly weighing is not enough – weighing has to be more frequent to be effective, but that this self-weighing is more important at the start of a weight-loss attempt than over time. It doesn’t seem to matter if you stop weighing yourself so much – whether you stop relatively quickly or slowly – as long as you start with regular daily weighing. So this idea that you don’t have to keep weighing yourself indefinitely in order to benefit may be encouraging to some.”

3 Fashionable And Functional Purses For Pot Princesses

Most people use a bag to carry their items around, but for cannabis people, they are not always a good fit. If you like a high quality and high design purse, it may not have your high habits at heart. Today’s bags are more often engineered for either fashion or function, but not always both. Many cannabis users still exist in a state of illegality, so some degree of discretion is a common precaution that must be taken.

As things legalize, normalize, and make space for creativity, handbags designed with the cannabis user in mind are appearing more frequently, and delightful to behold. More than covering up scents, cannabis users require certain items at their disposal that makes rummaging around in a canvas tote for loose papers and a lighter just not ideal.

Handbags are incredibly personal, and whether someone carries one to the office, for travelling, or at all times, carting around your stuff, cannabis or not, should be designed in the style you love with functions you need.

We checked out some Annabis scent proof bags, as cute as they are secretive, and this is what you get out of a premium purse with pot proofing.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

The Chelsea in Tan Snake $295.00

Function

This is where cannabis specific handbags really shine. Between smell blocking powers and special pockets, these types of purses put design into more than the aesthetic. Annabis bags are sealed up tight with a layer of resin film, a material inside the lining that prevent trans-fabric wafting.

A major hit is the pockets. Slim center zips with extra sealed secondary zipper are the best place to put the nugs— this leaves you with six layers of protection in between the air inside your bag and the atmosphere.

Shape is another notable functionality of these Annabis bags, models like Lady G have plenty of space for your normal stuff, as well as sealed zipper compartments so you can isolate your stash completely. Others like the RiRi have tweaks like elastic bands and pockets that are sized right for smaller paraphernalia like vape carts, Cheeba chews, and rolling tips.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

RiRi in Red Lizard $95

Fashion

Probably the best part, this wave of handbags invokes fashion as a primary concern rather than an afterthought.  On-trend snakeskin colorways give texture and interest to the different models. Annabis uses fun prints to give you what you expect from a fashionable handbag. Metallics, solids, and animal prints are not only popular again now, they’re excellent for storing after a season for future use, these themes come back into favor with great regularity.

Shapes are more personal than the outside color, everyone has a different preference. Some people like rounded bags, others like a square gusset (the part of a bag where the sides and bottom meet), but you don’t have to choose anymore, now that brands like Annabis are making full lines encompassing all of the top shapes. If you’re a classic bucket lover, there’s Chelsea. If you like a modern structure with bold hardware, Kirsten ticks that box.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Lady G $245 and Kirsten $225

Thanks to the few and the brave looking to bring style focused gear bags to the cannabis using masses, you can have the three elements of a great bag plus the added function of scent proofing, the sky is the limit.

Photos: Maria Penaloza

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