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This Is The Stall You Should Avoid In Public Restrooms

Amy Hansen
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This Is The Stall You Should Avoid In Public Restrooms

It turns out, one of our worst nightmares is a reality. There really is a “dirtiest” public restroom stall, and it should be avoided at all costs, unless you really have to go.

If you see three stalls available in a public restroom, do not pick door number two. DO NOT PICK THAT DOOR! You do not want to see what’s behind it, because what’s waiting inside is pretty gross. And that’s according to science, so you know it’s true.

Statistics reveal the middle stall of any restroom is hands-down the dirtiest, because that seems to be the stall everyone else on the planet chooses. It’s a phenomenon psychologists call “centrality preference.”

According to Reader’s Digest:

While the centrality preference can apply to a range of choices, it goes for public bathrooms, too. A 1995 paper published in the journal Psychological Science examined the restroom habits of beachgoers in coastal California. After teaming up with a local custodian, psychologist Nicholas Christenfeld tracked how often the toilet paper was changed in each of four stalls for 10 weeks. His results: While 60 percent of finished rolls came from the middle stalls, only 40 percent came from those at the ends. That indicates that far more people used the stalls in the middle than random probability might anticipate.

And just when you thought using one of the end stalls was a cleaner answer, that’s not necessarily true. One of the reasons people may be avoiding those stalls is because they were dirty in the first place, or broken. Did you ever think of that? Whatever the case, the hover method is still your best friend when it comes to peeing in a public space.

Marijuana Edibles Sales To Reach $1.4 Billion In 2018

Mary Schumacher
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Marijuana Edibles Sales To Reach $1.4 Billion In 2018

According to “The Tasty Future of Cannabis Edibles” released by ArcView Market Research and in partnership with BDS Analytics, cannabis edibles spending reached $1.4 billion this year and sales are on track to bring in more than $4.1 billion by 2022. But that number could prove to be just a fraction of its potential now that major consumer packaged goods companies are entering the industry.

The packaging of edibles is particularly important. Packaging has a lot of restrictions, including that it must prevent product spoilage and not be appealing to children. Just this week, Washington state put a ban on all cannabis gummies, chocolates and candy in particular, no matter the packaging.

We asked Tom Adams, editor in chief of ArcView, what he thought the impact might be of Washington’s surprise move. “Gummies and chocolates are two of the most popular product categories in the edibles sector, so Washington state’s decision to crack down could have a short term effect on the state’s market,” he said. “Overall, Washington state is a small piece in the broad scale of the cannabis industry and this will likely have a trivial impact on a revenue that is growing at a 22 percent CAG (Compound Annual Growth).”

His answer offers little solace to processors being impacted and could mean $30 million dollars in lost sales.

The biggest projected factor will be branding. The normalization of cannabis is already here with well established brands entering the cannabis marketplace. According to the report, edibles have become the face of cannabis in dispensaries and their success has caught the attention of CPG business behemoths, as evidenced by beverage maker Constellation Brands’ nearly $4 billion investment in Canada’s Canopy Growth over the past year.

Even more recently, published reports of discussions with Aurora Cannabis prompted a statement from Coca-Cola, stating: “We are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world.” Other recent moves include Molson Coors Brewing Co. working with Canada’s Hexo’s Corp. on cannabis drinks and Lagunitas craft brand is already selling a non-alcoholic,THC-infused beverage.

Not all that enter the sector are going to be conglomerates and many cannabis-centric brands are just now becoming household names in states with some form of legalization. But still, more smart, well known brands will certainly be investing. At the rapid clip that cannabis is becoming a burgeoning industry in the U.S. and with Canada going legal in a matter of days, investing in edibles, whether drinkable or chewable, is already becoming the “it” thing.

“It has become clear that the legal cannabis market is about much more than inhaling the smoke of smoldering cannabis flower,” read the ArcView report. It stipulates that “the trending shift toward consumables will continue over the next five years, with flower’s share of total spending dropping from 50% in 2017 to just 36% in 2022. Edibles is forecasted to grow from 12% to 14% in that time frame.”

“Consumers in front-running adult-use markets within the United States have significantly shifted their spending over recent years to other categories of cannabis consumables, especially into concentrates and edibles,” said Adams. “The edibles markets’ growth provides an early opportunity for investment in a cannabis sub-sector that is quickly growing, brand-focused, and full of opportunity for new and innovative products.”

MedMen Completes Largest Marijuana Acquisition In US History

Brendan Bures
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MedMen Completes Largest Marijuana Acquisition In US History

MedMen has continued to establish itself as a major player within the cannabis industry this year and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. This week, the company completed the largest cannabis acquisition to date by acquiring the medical marijuana chain PharmaCann in a $682 million all-stock deal.

“This is a transformative acquisition that will create the largest U.S. cannabis company in the world’s largest cannabis market,” MedMen CEO Adam Bierman said in a statement.

MedMen, which is based in California, currently has 14 high-end stores in California, Nevada, and New York. This deal will nearly double MedMen’s footprint, helping them enter the Midwest market and significantly expand their hold on the East Coast. The acquisition of the Illinois-based PharmaCann, which operates 10 retail stores plus three cultivation and production facilities in multiple states, could also be interpreted as MedMen ensuring a share of the Midwest market ahead of Michigan voting on adult-use cannabis legalization this November.

“This would not have been possible even two years ago and is a testament to how far both the industry and these two companies have evolved,” Biernan added.

This move also signals a change from MedMen’s initial business strategy, which focused on establishing themselves in heavy-foot traffic locations in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles (MedMen owns the only dispensary in Manhattan’s famed Fifth Avenue). The company believes they’ve accomplished that goal and so is growing appropriately.

“We get asked that question a lot,” Head of Communication Daniel Yi said. “Our plan was to establish ourselves and create a solid position in the three key areas. Now that we’ve accomplished that, it’s time to expand.”

Here’s How Having Sex Can Make You A Better Employee

Maria Loreto
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Here’s How Having Sex Can Make You A Better Employee

It’s no surprise that mental health influences your productivity and performance at work and in your everyday life. An now, a new study reinforces this, proving that a happy sex life improves your health and your moods, which seep into your mornings and make you into a much more productive employee.

Journals of Management published a study that discovered that employees were much more engaged at work if they’d had sex the night before. The study consisted of 159 married volunteers who took surveys twice a day and reported their moods and behaviors. Men and women reported feeling equally happy and more productive when they maintained a healthy sex life.

Popular Science reports that studies such as this one have been gaining traction over the years, with different towns and cities trying to incorporate the findings in order to reap some of the benefits. While it’s still pretty taboo to combine sex and work, the link between the two is becoming a little more clear. There’s even a town in Sweden that’s trying to pass a law that would allow employees to take an hour off from their workday so they can devote it to sex.

Research  continues to demonstrates that when work seeps into the personal lives of employees, their mental health dips and so does their work performance. France became one of the first countries to take a stand against this, developing a law that protects their employees when they don’t want to check their emails and respond to their bosses after work hours. Although that’s pretty cool of France, it’s still a depressing situation.

Texas Lawmaker Optimistic About State Decriminalizing Marijuana

Brendan Bures
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Texas Lawmaker Optimistic About State Decriminalizing Marijuana

You might be surprised to learn this, but cannabis activists in Texas are more confident than ever about their prospects to decriminalize, and eventually legalize, the plant. Yes, Texas. Part of this is because of signals sent from political parties this summer when Democrats officially added expansion of the state’s extremely limited medical marijuana program to their party platform.

But if you want to know why Texan cannabis advocates are confident, you have to look across the aisle at state Republicans. That group made small waves this summer when they added marijuana decriminalization to their party platform. In addition, Texas Republicans now urge the federal government to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 2 drug.

Last year, state Rep. Joe Moody (D), who chairs the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, filed a marijuana civil penalties bill during the state’s last legislative sessions. It didn’t pass. But now Republicans have specifically stated they support “a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use.” Now, Moody and other cannabis activists are more confident than ever.

“That certainly does give me a greater sense of hope heading into 2019,” Moody told the Texas Tribune.

Texan legislators should expect that civil penalties bill to resurface once again for state approval.

“Yes, civil penalties will be the first bill I file this coming session,” Moody told The Eagle. “It’s something that’s becoming more and more likely as it becomes more and more bipartisan. From day one, I’ve said it was an issue both parties can support, and now we’re seeing that in action. I’m optimistic.”

This does not mean Moody will push for legalization, however. For now he’s strictly focused on pushing decriminalization efforts in the state, because of the potential cost it will save the government.

“Legalization isn’t something I’ve proposed—although I would probably support it—and not something I think has a chance of passing,” Moody said. “Decriminalization in lieu of a civil penalty, however, would save us over $700 million a year. While it wouldn’t impact prison populations, it would decrease local costs by freeing space in county jails.”

Microdosing Mamas And Divorced Dads Emerging As Key Cannabis Consumers

Debra Borchardt
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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

Mike Adams
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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

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

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

Maria Loreto
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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?

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

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]

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