In recent years, episodes of Comedy Central’s South Park has become increasingly topical in its stories and jokes. Thanks to the show’s famed production only taking six days to complete, it allows creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to reference politics and news occurred within the same week.
As readers of The Fresh Toast likely know, this Wednesday marijuana goes legal for recreational sales in Canada. That happens to coincide with the show’s airing date. And it appears that South Park has something to say about it—or at least a joke to make.
Comedy Central shared a promo clip for the episode on its Facebook page, and we see Stan wearing a “100% Hemp” shirt. The show will also address the teen vaping craze spreading across the nation. In the clip, Kyle confronts Butters for selling what it appears to be Juul pods to underage kids.
Though we’re not sure how intensely Parker and Stone will address legal cannabis, we do know that we’ll be watching. Considering all the jokes South Park has made Canada’s way in the past, we’re sure this will be worth your while.
South Park was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick. Their exploits in and around the titular Colorado town incorporates hot topics including cannabis, politics, dating, Tom Cruise and more. South Park also features many recurring characters. Their exploits in and around the titular Colorado town incorporates hot topics including cannabis, politics, dating, Tom Cruise and more. The series became infamous for its profanity and dark, surreal humor satirizing hot cultural topics.
The highly popular romance between mega popstar Ariana Grande and Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson ended this past Sunday, just as suddenly as it began. The pair got engaged after a couple of weeks of dating which led to matching tattoos, a hit song, an adopted pet pig, and a break up, all in the span of five months. That’s more than the events of the lifetime of a regular person, so at least Pete and Ariana have that.
Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande, Grandiana for short, had the sort of romance that made everyone annoyed and sort of jealous. Both couldn’t stop talking about how in love they were—on interviews, songs, Instagram, and Twitter—but at the same time you had to appreciate their candidness. It makes sense that some people latched on to them and felt sad when they read about their break up.
Although neither of them have confirmed anything, TMZ and People Magazine have made things sort of official. There’s also this tweet from Twitter user @arianslatestne1 (Ariana’s Latest News) that’s just the final nail in the coffin:
Update | Pete Davidson deleted his instagram account and Ariana unfollowed him
Imagine being a normal person unaffected by celebrity news and relations? Asking for me, someone who is on the verge of hives bc of the split of Pete davidson and Ariana grande
It is a rare event for any political figure to roll up his or her sleeves to move forward the issue of marijuana reform. Especially in the Southern part of the United States, where the attitude among a lot of the lawmakers is that marijuana is still a gateway to all bad things.
Meanwhile, there are others, like Ocean Springs, Mississippi Mayor Shea Dobson, who are more progressive on the cause, and are actually working with local cannabis advocates to legalize medical marijuana.
Mississippi is hoping to put the question of a comprehensive medical marijuana program on the ballot in 2020. But to do that more than 86,000 voters must come forward to sign a petition. Mayor Dobson, a Republican, hosted an event at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center over the weekend in hopes of drumming up more support for the initiative. The goal is to give patients with debilitating conditions access to medical marijuana distributed by the Mississippi Department of Health.
Dobson, who wants to see legal marijuana replace opioids, calls it a “compassion issue,” one that is “about people being able to make the best decision for their lives as they see fit.”
The mayor has supported the issue of therapeutic use for some time. In 2017, he told reporters: “I think we should be reducing the government’s role in healthcare and allowing sick people, people with PTSD and cancer patients, the ability to have the medicine that they see as the best option.”
The medical marijuana measure Dobson is supporting was brought to the table by the Grassroots Community HQ. Many of the advocates working to pass this initiative are also patients.
“I’ve dealt with PTSD for years, and I’ve seen so many of my fellow brothers and sisters who have come back from war and had to deal with those same kind of issues,” Jonathan Brown of Grassroots Community HQ told WLOX.
“We know already that medical marijuana is a good treatment for those symptoms from nightmares to suicidality to pain and anxiety,” he added.
Some of the latest national polls show public support for medical marijuana is around 93 percent.
As it stands, 31 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, with several others potentially joining in following the November 2018 midterm election. Initiatives and “compromise” deals are expected to pass in Missouri and Utah. Meanwhile, Michigan voters will decide on an entirely legal adult-use market.
There is even speculation that federal marijuana reform could be on the horizon following the midterm election.
As long as Mississippi’s cannabis advocates can run a successful signature collecting campaign, medical marijuana is just a matter of time.
Though Uruguay was the first country to legalize and implement full recreational marijuana sales, the world is watching Canada this week when cannabis sales go fully legal this Wednesday. No country of its size has done so, and its policies, as well as how it changes Canadian citizens’ social and wellness lives, will serve as incubator for politicians around the world thinking of pushing federal legalization in their home countries, America included.
At the end of the week, lessons will be learned. Here are a few things to watch during the launch.
Retail
Sources share there is a possibility demand will outstrip supply. Despite a long lead time, the large producers are not fully ready for legalization. Vic Neufeld, CEO of Aphria valued at $4-plus billion, was quoted in Bloomberg saying the industry wasn’t fully ready and that producers have fallen short in preparing for the first day. Aurora, Canopy Growth, Tilray along others have had delays, crop issues and more. Canopy’s partnership with alcohol powerhouse Constellation should provide them insight from crop to customer giving them an edge over other players. Neufeld predicts if the issue is not resolved by January, it could have a significant impact.
A new point-of-sale system is being premiered the first day. As with most tech rollouts, there will be a few glitches, but it should generally work as expected.
Brands and Products
Canada has very tight restrictions on packaging—cannabis products must be a single color, can only include a small logo, and carry health warnings. Customers will see a sameness in products with only few exceptions. One key differentiator in product packaging will be whether companies sell it in a jar or a jar and box. While all product will be sold in a jar, some brands have gone the extra step and are placing the jar in a box.
That sounds interesting, but in our eco-friendly world, every time a Canadian picks up their favorite weed, they are accumulating little jars and disposable boxes slowly adding up. Some customers can wind up with quite a collection or tossed into the garbage for the potential of the neighbors to observe. Similar to the post-party trash filled with empty beer cans and wine bottles for your neighbors to observe. If you know Amazon’s history with their shipping packaging and consumer feedback, this will be an involving story.
The top influencers in the wine industry use two tactics to sway consumers—price followed by label. When everyone in the Canadian weed market is playing by the same rules, does this make it a commodity? Will brands be able to distinguish themselves? The huge success of two-buck Chuck could be a lesson for the cannabis industry. The wine quickly sold over $1 billion, quickly outpacing wineries that had spent millions in production and marketing. It created a large new market for wine; could the same happen to weed?
Another potential wrinkle is Tilray’s Marley Natural and Canopy’s Leafs by Snoop have been projected to make millions, but the Canada government hasn’t cleared the way for those brands to enter the recreational market. Will they have to rebrand? And will consumers understand? If Leaf by Snoop is called LBS in the recreational market, will it still have the same cache? This could leave the market open for other brands to gain attention.
Investments and Markets
On Oct. 17, licensed producers stop being judged on predictions and potential. Instead, they’ll become real businesses that can be viewed based on analytics. Up until Wednesday, the value of many companies has been based on projections, CEO personalities and PowerPoints. Starting this week and for the weeks to months to come, actual sales will define the value of each company, exposing them to the market’s scrutiny like a Boeing, Unilever, or IBM.
Short sellers will be very busy for the first few weeks of legalization. Fortunes will be made and lost, but there will definitely be some market leaders and perhaps a correction or two for the rest of the market.
The grey market is expected to continue. Depending on how the legal market rolls out, it could maintain its hold on the market. If there are product shortfalls or mistakes in package and pricing, customers can return to their local/ artisanal dealer. The benefit is known product, eco-friendly packaging and lower price. The government and the legal companies have to position their product to be not only competitive in the open market but in the grey market as well.
Finally
Don’t expect a miracle and a change in global and market perception on Thursday morning. The pipeline will have to be ironed out. Any real lessons to be gleaned, won’t happen until the first quarter of 2019.
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson hit a life-changing fork in the road last month when Mac Miller died — and his death was the tipping point that led to their split … TMZ has learned.
Sources close to AG and PD tell us … Ariana was in an incredibly dark place following her ex-boyfriend’s apparent fatal overdose. She didn’t blame herself — she feels she did everything she could to get him sober — but it left her an emotional wreck.
Ariana was at ‘SNL’ Saturday supporting Pete and nothing seemed amiss. Folks who were there say they were kissing and holding each other backstage. Something clearly snapped Sunday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s child will be seventh-in-line to the British throne.
The child will come behind his or her father Prince Harry in the line of succession, bumping his uncle, the Duke of York, further down the line into eighth place.
However the child will not be given the title of prince or princess unless the Queen steps into change the rules. Instead a son would be styled the Earl of Dumbarton, while a daughter would be Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor.
Extra sat down with Steve Carell, who said “No, I don’t think there will be a reboot of ‘The Office’…that was lightning in a bottle… that was such a specific time and place and those writers, that cast and directors, that captured something special in those nine years… ya never know, but I don’t think so.”
Have you ever wondered, while stuck in your car on the highway, just how many hours of your life you spend in traffic? It’s kind of daunting to think about, and, most likely, incredibly depressing to boot. Fortunately, someone else did the math on this, so we all know just how much of our precious life is spent going nowhere.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, (by way of Best Life), the average American spends nearly a half-hour (26 minutes) getting to work. That number is nearly five minutes more than it was in the early 80s. And if you work 50 weeks out of the year, that means you spend 9 days commuting, and even more if you live in the city.
What’s even scarier than crumbling infrastructure, urban sprawl and everything else that contributes to traffic congestion, is that those who commute by car every day are at greater risk for weight gain. According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine:
Over 4 years, those who used cars daily for commuting tended to gain more weight than those who did not commute by car. This relationship was pronounced among those who were physically active during leisure time. Reducing sedentary time may prevent weight gain among physically active adults.
But, wait! Things are looking up. More people are getting work done outside of the office these days, which could actually make a dent in traffic. According to a study out of the U.K., research showed that public transportation equipped with wi-fi (like trains) “may ease commuter pressure on peak hours and allow for more comfort and flexibility around working times.” Now, how can we get our bosses to pay us for these off-hour work sessions?
Looking for an amazing job? See the woman in charge of the Canadian sexual health movement. At just 23-years-old, Antuanette Gomez is a name to be recognized in the Canadian cannabis scene for snagging this position.
Just a handful of years ago, she quit her job, relocated to Peru, and then ended up enrolling in school in Canada for holistic nutrition. While on that path, she turned her attention to cannabis.
Gomez now is the CEO of Pleasure Peaks — a company she created that is dedicated to the sexual health benefits of cannabis — as well as an industry consultant, and the former director of Canada – Women Grow. She also recently was invited as a scholar to the Forbes 30 Under 30 summit.
“I help women and minorities specifically [get businesses off the ground], usually pro bono, because we have a lack of inclusivity in the industry—and it’s always kind of been like that and it’s getting progressively more dominated by men,” Gomez explained. “The opportunities available to women are scarce.”
Gomez is not only known for her expertise in cannabis and sexual health, but also in tantra.
“In a partner situation [using cannabis], you’re being able to connect with your truest self and leaving a lot of barriers behind; cannabis is also known to be an aphrodisiac as well, because it’s known to heighten sensitivity and arousal,” Gomez said.
When used topically, Gomez explained that cannabis can cause more blood flow to the genitals as well as lubrication and increased sensitivity to touch for those with vaginas.
She created Pleasure Peaks “because of the need for sexual healing education, products, community and awareness.” Her company not only will be selling fun cannabis sex products like lube and CBD-infused candles come legalization, but will also focus on holistic sexual health benefits, such as products like suppositories for women suffering from such ailments as endometriosis, chronic yeast infections and even cervical cancer.
Currently, Pleasure Peaks is developing a line of 16 different products and has secured a licensed producer partner in Canada that will help take the company to the next level upon Canada’s legalization on October 17.
Gomez referenced “underground compassion clubs” in Canada back in 2012 that worked with doctors across the country. She began working at one. It was there that she learned how to work with cannabis for different diagnoses.
“I was seeing hundreds of patients and was dealing with many MS patients; cannabis is incredibly effective for MS,” Gomez said.
Then, she ended up meeting a woman who was diagnosed with the notoriously painful condition endometriosis.
“Putting two and two together… I gave her a nice, simple coconut oil topical base to start with, and she said she was able to have sex again,” Gomez said.
She then made her patient suppositories, which they found were “incredibly effective.”
The woman and her husband thought she would never be able to have kids. But, after treatment with suppositories and four months’ time, Gomez’s patient got pregnant.
“It was a miracle baby,” Gomez said.
After that, Gomez knew there was something there that no one else had really honed in on. “I thought that I was the best person to take this on,” she explained of her decision to make a cannabis sexual health brand for women by women.
“There were so many barriers not only for me, but for other women as well, that I could see,” she said.
Pleasure Peaks Cannalube | Photo courtesy Antuanette Gomez
Diversity, the Cannabis Industry, and the Future
Recently, Gomez found herself a lone female speaker on panels at a major cannabis event in Toronto.
“I had to say ‘vagina’ a hundred times, and I could feel how uncomfortable the room was,” Gomez recalled. “‘Vagina’ is not a dirty word.”
“It’s incredibly disheartening. Even though I have six years in the industry, I’m in Toronto Life as a most influential woman in the cannabis industry…I’m in Forbes. Even me, I still have issues getting involved in the cannabis industry.”
Gomez said her quest to get a licensed producer for her company took her four years.
She said it’s been “a struggle being a minority” in the industry but that her passion for the business has gotten her to where she is today.
“There’s no playbook: There’s an industry that doesn’t exist yet, so there’s really nothing to run off by but your gut,” Gomez said. “You really just need to be adaptable.”
Gomez thinks it’s “amazing” that Canada is legalizing recreational use come October 17.
“I honestly didn’t think it would happen in my lifetime,” she said. But, she said, there’s some lacking on the social responsibility side in regards to pardons for those facing criminal records in Canada related to previous cannabis activity. Gomez referenced Oakland, California’s weed reparations as a model that could be looked to.
Gomez hopes to soon take her company global.
“It’s truly a calling. I know that nobody else can really do Pleasure Peaks justice… I do this because I just know I need to,” she said.
MedMen (MMNFF) continues its spending spree. This week the company is buying Pharmacann in a deal valued at $682 million. Pharmacann is a medical marijuana operator with 10 retail stores and three cultivation and production facilities across multiple states. MedMen’s network nearly doubles with this deal and will now have a portfolio of cannabis licenses in 12 states to operate 79 cannabis facilities.
Seed-to-sale technology provider MJ Freeway has agreed to a merger with MTech Acquisition Corp., which is the first US-listed Special Purpose Acquisition Company focused on acquiring a business ancillary to the cannabis industry. MTech and MJ Freeway will become subsidiaries of a newly-formed holding company to be listed on the NASDAQ (NDAQ) Stock Market.
A report from Canada suggested that tobacco giant Altria is considering a minority investment in Aphria. Both companies were evasive when asked if they were considering a deal, but it seems Altria folks were spotted at the Aphria headquarters.
Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB) announced that it has filed an application to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange (ICE). The company said that it expects to begin trading on the NYSE by the end of October under the symbol “ACB.”
Green Acre Capital has announced that it has received more than $75 million for the initial closing of Fund II. With funding in hand, the company said that it will begin making investments and plans to stop taking capital within the next 30 days; focusing on ancillary cannabis companies
Vivien Azer of Cowen & Co reiterated her Outperform rating on both Canopy Growth and Tilray. Azer lifted the price target for Tilray from $62 to $172 and raised the price target for Canopy’s Toronto-traded shares from the U.S. dollar $57.17 to $63.35.
Next week on October 17th Canada will begin selling legal adult use cannabis, so get ready for an avalanche of cannabis news from the great white north.
Following the taping of the Marijuana Money video Aphria (APHQF) first fiscal quarter of 2019 ending August 31 revenue rose 117% to C$13,392 from $6,120 for the previous year for the same time period. The company said that adjusted gross profit for the first quarter was $8,458, with an adjusted gross margin of 63.6%, compared to $9,468 with an adjusted gross margin of 78.7% in the prior quarter. The decrease in the adjusted gross margin and adjusted gross profit from the prior quarter largely relates to an internal decision to dispose of 13,642 plants prior to harvest.
Net income was $21,176 or $0.09 per share, as opposed to $15,041 or $0.11 per share in the prior year. The increase in net income for the quarter relates to gains on our long-term investment portfolio, primarily our investments in Liberty Health Sciences and Hiku Brands Company Ltd. and the increase in fair value of biological assets caused by the production increase associated with our Part III Expansion project.
Cannabis legalization looms large in Canada, officially going into effect on Wednesday. In anticipation of the historic repeal of prohibition, we’ve put together a short list of some of Canada’s legendary and top strains.
Chemo or UBC Chemo
Urband legends claim UBC Chemo is named for the University of British Columbia, where David Suzuki allegedly bred this indica hybrid strain on campus in the 1970s.
It is also named for alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients including nausea, loss of appetite, pain, and insomnia. Chemo is a powerful strain with THC levels as high as 29 percent.
Island Honey
This rare but legendary strain was for a time carried by Emerald Health (formerly Thunderbird) on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Urban legend rumors it to be a Jack Herer descendant bred with genetics brought into British Columbia by a draft dodger in the 1970s. According to Renee Gagnon, founder of Thunderbird, It was high CBD and smelled like honey if it was cured in a glass jar.
Manitoba Poison
According to I Love Growing Marijuana, credit goes to Great White North Seed Company for breeding Manitoba Poison. Since its release, it has become popular in the region. MP is a 50/50 hybrid that contains approximately to 14-16 percent THC. It is a great strain for relaxation and alleviating stress, but will probably give you cotton mouth.
Jean Guy
This strain was bred in Quebéc and quickly gained notoriety in the Montreal Compassion Clubs. It is a Sativa-dominant 60/40 hybrid, described by breeders House of Great Gardener as a “pungent euphoriant.” It is also described as an energizing and uplifting strain. However, those prone to anxiety or paranoia should probably skip it, because it is sharply cerebral. The THC content can be as high as 25 percent.
Rene
Named after longtime cannabis activist Renee Boje, the breeders at the House of Great Gardener created this strain by crossing Himalayan with Skunk #1. Rene has an 80 percent Sativa profile. Her namesake strain is stress-relieving and is also commonly used to treat inflammation and pain.
Rene’s moderate THC levels range between 15-18 percent. Rene is purportedly beneficial For people who suffer from seasonal depression, severe depressive disorder, or bipolar disorder. However, it is not recommended for PTSD or anxiety sufferers or those prone to paranoid thoughts.
Jack Herer
This strain gets an honorable mention because even though it did not originate in Canada, it was produced heavily out of Montreal. Toronto-born Paul Glavine, president of the cannabis farm Livity Naturals Jamaica in Westmoreland, cites Jack Herer as the strain he grew up with that eventually inspired him to run a ganja farm.
Prince Edward Island’s Jewell family of generational farmers run Canada’s Island Garden. CIG proudly produces some decent strains, just in case you want to celebrate legalization day, Canadian style.
Has always held a fascination for man…an old friend far far away. So it’s exceptionally fitting that in 2018 a celestial body would be named after a meme.
Scientists are always questioning things, this time wondering if moons have little moons that orbit them. The question was prompted by the son of Luna Kellner. She’s a scientist who works for the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, who recruited the help of an astronomer in order to write a paper on the matter.
In the study, both scientists argued that it is possible for moons to have little moons. In more formal words, they explained that a few conditions have to be met, such as the primary moon has to be big enough and far away enough from the planet it orbits in order for the smaller moon to survive.
Even though we don’t know if the Earth’s moon has a moon of its own, the paper shows sufficient evidence that suggests that this could be a possibility. Further research on this matter could also inform us on how planets and their moons are formed.
Moon Moon got famous on the internet in 2013, and can still be seen every once in a while on Tumblr and Instagram.
Other equally interesting name suggestions for little moons include submoon, minimoon, binary moons, meta-moon, and moon2.
Now, do these moon-moons have an even smaller moon that’s orbiting them, like the space version of a Russian nesting doll? It’s all very cute and confusing.
