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Microdosing Mamas And Divorced Dads Emerging As Key Cannabis Consumers

The typical cannabis consumer has been portrayed as mostly male and scruffy. Think Shaggy from Scooby Doo, Cheech & Chong or even James Franco’s Saul Silver in Pineapple Express. The only suburban mom ever shown as smoking marijuana was probably Mary Louise Parker’s Nancy Botwin in the HBO show Weeds.

As more data is compiled on cannabis consumers, the demographic profiles are proving to be pretty surprising. Brightfield Group pulled data from a survey combined with the social listening of over 6,000 individuals and growing (located in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Canada). Its portal gives users the ability to drill up and down consumers’ core with a magnifying glass and the results are revealing.

“Our personas were developed using a mixed-method approach of machine learning and cluster analysis supported by content and qualitative expertise applied with scrutiny,” said Director of Research Bethany Gomez. “A taste of our cannabis consumers include Boomerangs (Baby Boomers who are returning to cannabis in their later years), Divorced Dads, Microdosing Mamas, and the Liberal Elite.”

Divorced Dads

As the name implies, Divorced Dads are divorced men with children. These guys are overwhelmingly white (97%), and nearly half are between the ages of 57 and 79 (47%). The second largest group of Divorce Dads is the 46 to 55 age group with 25 percent. Approximately 15.69 percent of Divorced Dads are between the ages of 36 and 40.

Roughly 41 percent of Divorced Dads are daily cannabis users. Another 33.3 percent use cannabis 2-4 days per week. 37.25 percent of Divorced Dads have used cannabis consistently, another 33.3 percent have used cannabis on and off.

More than three-quarters of Divorced Dads spend less than $150 a month on cannabis (78.45%). Approximately 17.65 percent of Divorced Dads spend between $151-$250, and only 3.92 percent more than $250 a month. Regarding product spend, roughly 62 percent spend less the $30. 19.61 percent spend between $31-$50. Only around 17 percent of Divorced Dads spend more than $50.

Approximately 74.47 percent of Divorced Dads use cannabis to relax at home. Aside from relaxing at home, the most popular activities for Divorced Dads to use cannabis is home duties (48.94%), outdoor activities (44.68%), concerts or music (38.3%), and with friends at home (36.17%). They are also not very brand loyal.

Roughly 43.14 percent of Divorced Dads suffer from chronic pain. Another 37.25 percent suffer from anxiety and/or insomnia, with another 21.57 percent suffering from depression. Sounds like these sad dads need some cannabis.

Microdosing Mamas

Microdosing Mamas are mothers with children at home, who regularly use cannabis in doses of less than 100 mg. Many companies like Satori are now making edibles products with dosages that drop to as little as 1 mg of THC or Mr. Moxie’s Mints with only 5 mg of THC. Petra Mints by Kiva Confections are sold with only 2.5 mg THC and these are just a small sample of the types of microdosing products available.

Approximately 28.46 percent of Microdosing Mamas have used cannabis consistently, while another 27.08 percent have used cannabis on and off throughout their life. Another 19.37 percent are returning users that are medical patients, while another 7.31 percent are returning users that are recreational users. Roughly 9.29 percent of Microdosing Mamas are new medical users, and another 7.91 percent are new recreational users.

These are young mamas. Age wise, nearly half are between the ages of 21 and 35 (49.22%). 25.88% are between the ages of 36 and 45; another 23.9 percent are between 46 and 79. Regarding usage rates, 35.77 percent of Microdosing Mamas are daily users, while roughly 21.54 percent only use cannabis a few times a year. Mother’s little helpers.

Most Microdosing Mamas prefer to use cannabis while relaxing at home (74.25%), followed by home duties (63.81%), outdoor activities (51.51%), before or after a workout (48.72%), with friends at home (44.78%), and during a meal (43.85%). On average, 46.83 percent of Microdosing Mamas spend $50 or less a month on cannabis.

Approximately 21.54 percent spend between $51-$100 a month on cannabis. Nearly a quarter (24.51%) spend between $101-$250 a month. In terms of product spend, 88.74 percent spend $50 or less, and 11.26 percent spend more than $50.

Microdosing Mamas often suffer from a combination of medical conditions. The most common of these conditions are anxiety (61.46%), depression (43.87%), and chronic pain (39.33%). Although they use cannabis in lower dosages, Microdosing Mamas spend more money per month on cannabis than any of the other previously discussed groups.

Unlike the sad dads, Microdosing Mamas display indications of being confident and joyful. They also tend to be loyal shoppers.

This article originally appeared on Green Market Report.

Trump Administration Wants Your Opinion On Marijuana

It’s possible that marijuana could soon find itself eliminated from the confines of international law. But before that can happen, world health officials must band together to dissect everything we know about the cannabis plant to make a new determination of how dangerous and addictive it is.

This is where you come in – yes, you.

The Trump administration is calling for public comment regarding the cannabis plant and the policies that surround it. The goal is to use this input from the vast American populous for an official statement that it will provide the World Health Organization (WHO). For better or worse, this is your chance to have a voice on how cannabis should be dealt with in 2018 and beyond.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently posted its desire for public cannabis comment in the federal register. Specifically, the agency “is requesting interested persons to submit comments concerning abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness, trafficking, and impact of scheduling changes on availability for medical use” with respect to the cannabis plant. These notes will be considered and compiled in a new report for WHO, which “will use this information to consider whether to recommend that certain international restrictions be placed on these drugs.”

As it stands, international drug law dictates that cannabis must be classified a Schedule I dangerous drug. The policy is supposed to prevent countries from legalizing the herb for recreational purposes, and it puts tight controls on research. And for decades, this language have been considered gospel. In fact, treaty obligations have been used as an excuse for disregarding cannabis reform in the United States. It has only been within the past few years that countries like Uruguay and Canada began to ignore the law and move to end marijuana prohibition.

This pushback against the concept of international cannabis law has inspired an investigation into the matter. WHO wants to explore the issue, and it plans to make a recommendation as to whether cannabis still warrants the same Schedule I restrictions as first outlined through the drug treaties. The agency will then advise UN Secretary-General António Guterres of its findings.

Anyone wishing to make their comments part of the FDA’s official statement can submit them a couple of different ways. Perhaps the easiest is through Uncle Sam’s “regulations” website. The site has a comment button that will allow the user to enter in all of his or her thoughts, hopes, and dreams for a new world where cannabis is no longer demonized by the controls of a faceless head.

For those paranoid people who tend to shy away from electronic transmissions, the agency is also accepting comments via snail mail. Instructions for submitting comments in this fashion are also available on the regulations site. But don’t waste any time. All comments must be submitted before October 31.

Justin Bieber Seeks Comfort After Ex Selena Is Hospitalized; Beyoncé Shares Rare Photo With Her Mom And Dad

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JUSTIN BIEBER IS SEEKING SOME COMFORT FROM FRIENDS

The pop star was seen attending church in LA on Wednesday, shortly after the news broke that his ex, Selena Gomez, had been hospitalized for mental health treatment after a reported emotional breakdown.

Justin looked visibly disheveled, with his long hair tousled in front of his face. He wore an oversized pink sweatshirt and attended the service without his wife, Hailey Baldwin.

After the service, the Biebs was seen returning to his car with a group of friends, who offered the “Sorry” singer a hug. Justin shielded his face from the cameras as he got back in his car and drove away.

BEYONCÉ SHARES A RARE PHOTO WITH HER DIVORCED PARENTS

Beyoncé shares a rare photo with her divorced parents

The Knowles family dynamic has changed, but the love is still there.

Beyoncé‘s parents, Tina and Mathew Knowles, finalized their divorce in 2011, but came together for the final show of her On the Run II tour with Jay-Z on Oct. 4. Mama Tina, the best corny joke teller in the biz, proudly shared a series of photos on Instagram of the three of them together — as well as Bey and her dad posing solo, noting she felt “love” seeing “Daddy and daughter” together in Seattle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BovQpVsBZdJ/?taken-by=mstinalawson

Bey shared this one on her personal IG account:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bou4T8OlB6G/?taken-by=beyonce

CHANNING TATUM IS DATING SINGER JESSIE J

Channing Tatum is dating Singer Jessie J, and sources say his EX Jenna is having a “tough time” moving on from their marriage.

A source says Jenna is “not taking the divorce as easily as she thought she would” and HATES dating. The news of Channing being in a new relationship will probably NOT help.

Instagram Adds New Feature That Detects Bullying And Hateful Content

Instagram is expanding its security measures by developing artificial intelligence that’s capable of detecting bullying in videos and comments. The company’s new A.I. will look through users’ posts, live videos, and comments, analyzing them to later send them to human moderators for review. These people will determine if the content is hateful and if it should be taken off the site.

The Verge reports that the new security feature will roll out in October, just in time for National Bullying Prevention Month. This marks Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri’s first product announcement since the company’s former heads, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, abruptly left last month.

Instagram is one of the few social media sites that has somehow kept its reputation untarnished, even despite the fact that it’s owned by Facebook. Utilizing A.I. to filter out bots and negative comments can only help the company in the long run, especially when other social media sites are plagued by negativity and harassment from online strangers.

While AI is notoriously poor at noting the difference between hateful comment and human subtext, Instagram promises to grow and develop this technology into something that works and that improves the app’s overall user experience.

In the coming months, Instagram plans to launch new filters including a kindness camera effect which aims to spread positive messages and boost user engagement. The filter will make hearts appear on your face and it will also post messages of kindness in all sorts of languages. It sounds a little cheesy but ultimately harmless. It’s also sweet that Instagram is trying to do something nice instead of just offering up a fresh batch of dog filters.

Jogging Or Meditating: What’s The Best Way To Boost Your Brain?

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Meditation seems to be the universal go-to when we want to quiet our mind. Just 10 minutes of a clear headspace can boost our brains and our mental health, especially as we get older. And according to Best Life, Tai Chi can significantly increase the brain’s metabolism and practicing yoga can enhance neural connectivity. But what about more physical activities?

A new study published in Acta Psychologica found that brief aerobic exercise immediately enhances visual attentional control and perceptual speed. Translation: a short jog is enough to boost your brain quickly. 

https://giphy.com/gifs/rashida-jones-ann-perkins-WaDMoSyG7i87e

The study split 101 undergraduate students into two groups. One jogged for 15 minutes at “moderate” intensity, while the other group enjoyed 15 min of relaxation/concentration. Perceptual speed, visual attentional control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility were assessed pre- and post-intervention in both groups. Self-rated feelings of energy were also recorded pre- and post-intervention.

The results?

Students who jogged felt more energized and showed marked improvement in both mental speed and attention control.

The study concluded that “a brief bout of moderate intensity exercise can improve the efficiency of certain cognitive processes through increases in feelings of energy,” but also admit that further research is required to evaluate the duration of benefits and to determine whether these apply to other populations.

[h/t Best Life]

Netflix Addiction Is Real And Clinics Are Addressing The Disease

Look, we all have our vices. Going through life straight all the time would drive the strongest human insane. Sometimes you need a beer or chocolate chip cookie at the end of long, hard day. Or maybe you need to binge some mindless Netflix show to avoid reality for a few hours.

But one man in India is being treated in the Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT) clinic in Bangalore as the first “Netflix addict” because he couldn’t control his vices. According to The Hindu, the 26-year-old man was binge-watching more than seven hours of Netflix movies and TV a day to escape the pressures and stress he felt being unemployed. The first thing he did upon waking in the morning was turn on the TV, and, well, things went downhill from there.

“Whenever his family pressurised him to earn a living, or when he saw his friends doing well, he would watch the shows on offer continuously. It was a method of escapism. He could forget about his problems, and he derived immense pleasure from it,” said Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, who heads the SHUT clinic.

The man previously escaped through gaming before turning to Netflix. His binge habits led to “eye strain, fatigue, and disturbed sleeping patterns,” writes The Hindu. To treat his addictions, doctors are giving him “therapy, prescribing relaxation exercises, and guiding him in his career.” According to The Print, the young man is also conducting five-minute deep-breathing exercises every hour to help lower his stress levels.

He’s also being given career counseling and traditional psychological counseling at the clinic to help keep his stress levels low as he moves back toward a normal life. Dr. Sharma said that the best way to avoid ending up in a situation like the young man’s is to be aware of when you’re using technology in an unhealthy manner.

While the World Health Organization declared gaming addiction a mental health disorder earlier this year, no such pronouncement has been made regarding streaming shows. However, scientists believe they share many similar characteristic in recognizing the addictive behavior and how to combat it.

“The best advice is to avoid the use of technology if it becomes a coping mechanism,” Dr. Sharma said.

On an earnings calls last year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings commented on the addicting behavior induced by the streaming platform. He didn’t exactly condemn it, though.

“You know, think about it, when you watch a show from Netflix and you get addicted to it, you stay up late at night,” Hastings said. “You really—we’re competing with sleep, on the margin.”

Students Using Marijuana On Campus Are Jeopardizing Federal Funding

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College students smoking weed on campus is not a new phenomenon. What has changed is that weed has taken up a big spotlight, especially in states that have legalized. Whether the students know it or not, colleges and universities actually allowing the smoking of pot on campus could mean the loss of millions of dollars of federal funding for the institutions in question.

According to the 1989 Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, if federal drug laws are broken, schools could lose their funding.

Sure, it’s more than natural to cozy up in a circle of your best buds and, if you’re all 21 and live in a legal state, it would seem even more natural to spark up a jay or pass a vape pen or two around. But the millions of dollars at risk are what pays for student funding, among other things.

Vaughan Rees, the director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at Harvard, told the Boston Globe, “Obviously, there’s inconsistency between states and federal laws in the states where marijuana is being both decriminalized and legalized.”

“This is why federal policies in particular about drug legalization are a bad idea, because then you’re led into these conflicts between state and federal policies that are just not resolvable,” said Jeffrey A. Miron, a Harvard economist who studies drug legalization. He told the Boston Globe that, obviously, the expulsion of a large amount of the student body is not the answer.

In the words of Lester Grinspoon, marijuana pioneer and emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, “We’ve been steeped in the alcohol model for so long, that if you’re an American, you drink. If they were going to use something, it should be cannabis, not alcohol. It’s safer, but it’s also a much more interesting high.”

There’s a lot of truth in the above statement, and though just as puffing on campus isn’t likely to slow down, keggers and drinking aren’t going anywhere fast either. Even though it’s found that in states that legalize marijuana have a dip in alcohol sales, college is a rite of passage involving many substances for many.

Tynan Jackson, a Harvard junior who doesn’t smoke because of asthma, said that cannabis use was prevalent at Harvard and that, “They receive federal funding so they have to institute this law, but how well they enforce it is really up to them. But they’re not going to put you in handcuffs if you have a blunt in your hand.”

Lana Del Rey Had The Most Intense Twitter Fight

The worst way to have a fight nowadays is through social media because it basically guarantees that it’ll be immortalized forever, especially if you’re famous. Celebrities can take down their posts and pretend they didn’t say anything, but odds are someone will have already taken a screenshot of it, and the rest is history.

Lana Del Rey had the most intense Twitter fight with Azalea Banks! The singer left a comment on Kanye West’s last Instagram post, where he’s seen wearing a MAGA hat. The post was uploaded after West’s performance on “Saturday Night Live”, where he wore the hat and claimed that cast members had bullied him for it. He also wore a water bottle costume, and said that slavery wasn’t real.

In a classic Azealia Banks move, where she loves to get involved in drama, the rapper commented on Lana’s post and said that Del Rey was acting as a “typical white woman” who pretends to be an ally to minorities.

Banks went off on a six part Twitter thread rant where she said that Lana suffered from “selective outrage.” While Banks may have some valid points that she’d like to make, publicly denouncing another singer is never a good approach when it comes to discussing serious issues.

Del Rey took over a week to reply to Banks; when she did she tweeted that Banks knew her address, and that was free to say all of this to her face.

While Del Rey didn’t create a Twitter thread, she proceeded to tweet different things in regards to Banks, saying that the performer could’ve been the best rapper of all time if she hadn’t blown it and messed with the one person who’d had her back. We don’t know the details, but the tweets and accusations make it look like both singers knew each other and had some sort of friendly relationship.

You’d think that after all of this, both women would’ve vented and chilled out, but you’d be wrong. The fight kept going, on and on, with Banks making digs at Del Rey’s nose job, and with Del Rey claiming that Banks meds aren’t working.

Banks criticized Del Rey for messing with her mental health, calling it typical white woman behavior, and threatening to call her lawyer. Del Rey didn’t back down, and kept replying and saying that she wasn’t making threats, only promises.

For now, both women seem to have stopped tweeting; maybe their publicists called them and begged them to stop. Hopefully they’ll both get over this at some point. In the meantime, let’s hope they don’t run into each other at a party or something.

Why Is Washington State Banning Marijuana Gummies And Candies?

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In a surprise move, Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board made the decision to reverse the approval of cannabis infused gummies and candies. Because they are “especially appealing to children,” the sweets will be taken off the market, leaving a giant dent in Washington state’s edibles market.

In Washington, edibles make up about 9 percent of the cannabis market and were expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of over 25 percent by 2022. In order to keep that momentum, it might be time to get even more creative with delectable doozies.

At a regular board meeting, the LACB told cannabis companies that “all production of hard candy, tarts, fruit chews, colorful chocolates, jellies and any gummy type products should cease” because they won’t be approved for sale any longer under the new regulations, going into effect January 1, 2019. Retail shops will still be able to sell such candies through April 3, 2019 or until their inventory has run dry.

What this could mean for other legalized states is yet to be seen. It could set a precedent that could impact dispensaries across the nation or it could be yet another experiment in ethics cropping up with this rather new marketplace. Cannabis has been legal in Washington for six years, but that’s still not a long time to have straightened out all the kinks.

The move is bound to devastate edible makers across the state. Because of the nature of cannabis’ federal scheduling, it’s not as if small business owners can get a bank loan to float through this shakedown. Countless dollars in equipment, molds, ingredients and time are to be lost and if there was never a plan B, perhaps businesses will be forced to fold.

It’s a sad moment, especially seeing as it seems logical that any cannabis user would keep medicated candies out of reach of children, but unfortunately, accidents do happen. This action by the LACB may seem drastic and unfair, but they are riding on the fact that there is child appeal to candies and that that appeal must be taken away from the cannabis realm.

Cannabis is a versatile plant that can be infused into many different things, so candies aren’t the be all end all, but they do have long shelf lives, popularity and effectiveness to tout and now the era of munching a couple gummies to elevate your headspace in Washington is coming to an end.

Canadian Sketch Comedy Pokes Fun At Marijuana Worries At US Border

You could say that anxiety around cannabis at the U.S.-Canada border is at an all-time high. People are getting banned for life from the United States for revealing any association with the cannabis industry. Admitting past drug use could also get you banned for life.

Trying to add some levity to the issue, the long-running Canadian sketch comedy show “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” poked fun at Canadians crossing the border.

The show focuses on four main archetypes of characters who may have trouble crossing: cannabis investors, recreational users, a start-up associate, and obviously stoned teenagers. In a fun twist, the border agent allows all of them to pass through because, “it’s not like Canadian weed lovers can do any more harm to Donald Trump’s America.”

Legal adult-use cannabis sales will start Oct. 17 in Canada.

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