Monday, December 15, 2025
Home Blog Page 835

Stoner Stereotypes Fall Away As Cannabis Is Rebranded

Mary Schumacher
-
0
Stoner Stereotypes Fall Away As Cannabis Is Rebranded

Cannabis continues to grow as an industry, and whenever there’s growth like this, there’s bound to be change. In the case of marijuana, as stigmas still swirl around “stoners” and the plant itself, savvy designers, marketing gurus and artists are rebranding cannabis away from the images of greenery and red eyes and closer to clean, vibrant packaging and advertising that evoke a higher form of normalcy.

Take MedMen for example. In their recent and ongoing campaign, Forget Stoner, the opening web page touts, “Today’s marijuana enthusiasts are everywhere and everyone. It’s time to drop the label. Forget stoner.” As you scroll down the red background, you see highly stylized images of people from all walks of life. In California, some of these people were displayed on billboards implying that we’re here, we’re the same as you, we just enjoy some pot.

And going into a MedMen dispensary, you may as well be walking into an Apple store. Glass cases with futuristic bud pods, a clean, fashionably sterile environment and smiling faces await within and they’re contributing to the changes that are happening rapidly within the cannabis community.

The marijuana movement started decades ago, with grit, fury, compassion and bombastic personalities that wore hemp suits with pot leaves adorning them and wreaths around their necks made of pot leaf shaped fabric. Every move it took to get us where we now are, pretty much started out at a grassroots level.

Now cannabis is becoming more and more normalized, not to mention regulated, and aside from business owners wanting to set themselves apart by looking sleek in today’s technological era, packaging requirements that don’t appeal to children take the obvious choices for advertising and displaying out the window.

Branding experts and designers are now working together to create streamlined, clean imaging for the cannabis marketplace. There’s even a stock photo cache called StockPot Images that feature over 20,000 pictures of beautiful shots of the plant alongside real people, not models. It’s founder, Ophelia Chong, was inspired by her sister, who was using marijuana medicinally when Chong caught herself judging. She was immediately humbled, intrigued and inspired.

Cannabis and how it’s looked upon may be changing, both inside and out, but sometimes shaking things up is a good thing. Cheech and Chong had their days and will continue to entertain infamously as cult classics into time immortal, no matter how much the movement tries to scrub itself clean. Still, higher forms of art are rebranding, re-imaging and rebirthing cannabis and it’s looking pretty sharp.

Why Marijuana Is A Power Plant For People With Diabetes

Brea Mosley
-
0
Why Marijuana Is A Power Plant For People With Diabetes

Scientists can’t directly say that cannabis cures diabetes, but they can confirm that it’s a powerful tool that can treat the disease and its subsequent side effects.

The symptoms surround diabetes can vary depending on which type patients have. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin and requires those effected to receive insulin (the hormone that keeps your blood sugar at a normal level) injection multiple times a day.

Type 2 on the other hand is a chronic condition that impacts the way the body processes blood sugar (glucose). This disorder usually directs the pancreas to produce more insulin that is necessary.

A study published in the American Journal of Medicine showed that frequent and active cannabis users were able to metabolize carbohydrates more efficiently than those who didn’t use cannabis. The study examined about 4,657 men and women between 2005 and 2010. 48 percent of the participants smoked cannabis at least once and 12 percent of the participants were active cannabis smokers.

diabetes
Photo by TesaPhotography via Pixabay

After controlling for factors that might put people at risk for diabetes including exercise, economic status, alcohol use and cigarette smoking, researchers observed the results. They found that the active cannabis users had insulin levels that were 16 percent lower than those who once used or never used the drug.

It is fair to assume that this study would have varying results on the two different types of diabetes, but researchers note these results apply for both Type 1 and Type 2.

In Type 1, cannabis was able to lower the fasting level, which might eliminate or reduce, the need for an insulin injection at the time. In Type 2, the cannabis has the ability to make patients less resistant to the insulin and help them manage their glucose levels more effectively.

Marijuana has also been noted to treat glaucoma, which can develop from having diabetes. People who have diabetes are 40 percent more likely to develop glaucoma as compared to people who don’t have it. Typically, glaucoma occurs when too much pressure builds inside the eye, but it has been noted that forms of cannabis can help decrease that pressure.

Scientists can’t directly say that cannabis cures diabetes, but they can confirm that it’s a powerful tool that can treat the disease and its subsequent side effects.

Meme Of The Week: Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Ad

Maria Loreto
-
0
Meme Of The Week: Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Ad

Colin Kaeparnick’s partnership with Nike has been controversial to say the least. While the company has earned a lot of money and followers, the announcement and the subsequent ad made the internet really angry, to the point that some users were setting their Nikes on fire.

While most people mocked Colin Kaeparnick’s haters, no one could resist making memes, especially when encountered with a dramatic situation that’s not funny at all. But, you know, the internet is going to internet, and memes are going to happen no matter the subject matter or topic at hand.

The meme is simple: take any public figure, the more controversial and random the better, and add one of their quotes over a dramatic black and white photo of their face. Thanos, Dwight from “The Office”, Cher, Britney Spears and other pop culture icons make some guests appearances. Check out some of our favorites.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) on

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by PRAISE MAG (@praise_mag) on

While some might think that the memes are mocking Nike and its penchant for dramatic advertising, the truth is that the posts have only contributed to the conversation. According to CNBC, Nike’s shares hit a record high of $83.90 this past Thursday. Maybe all companies could use the help of “meme-able” content.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Says Don’t Get High In Space, Mmkay?

Brendan Bures
-
0
Neil deGrasse Tyson Says Don’t Get High In Space, Mmkay?

Thanks in large part to Carl Sagan, the cosmos and cannabis have always maintained a loose relationship with one another. Any dorm room light up could quickly veer into an exegesis on multiple universes, the pale blue light, or the existence of aliens. But renowned astrophysicist and noted Sagan acolyte Neil deGrasse Tyson recommends not actually smoking weed in space.

“Well, the problem is, in space now, many things will kill you,” he said. “So if you do anything to alter your understanding of what is reality, that’s not in the interest of your health. So if you want to get high in space, like lock yourself in your cabin and don’t come out because you could break stuff inadvertently. OK? That’s how that goes.”

This all started when a TMZ reporter approached Tyson on the streets to ask his opinions about the media scrutiny surrounding Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Last week, Musk went on Joe Rogan’s podcast for a hang session, which eventually led to him sipping whiskey and puffing a joint in front of the whole internet. Shortly thereafter, everyone lost their collective minds.

So Tyson came to the defense of Musk, asking, “Can they leave him alone? Let the man get high if he wants to get high.” Tyson then clarified his comments about Musk, particularly regarding Musk’s threat to take Tesla private.

“You know, he’s got to obey the [Securities and Exchange Commission], clearly. But if he doesn’t want to obey the SEC, then he’s got to have a private company, then he can do what he wants. But he took his company public, so there’s an accountability there to the public trust of what goes on on the stock market. But other than that, he’s the only game in town… Count me as team Elon.”

“He’s the best thing we’ve had since Thomas Edison,” Tyson added.

This somehow led to the TMZ reporter asking Tyson what would happen if you smoked weed in space. Tyson has become a quiet advocate for cannabis legalization in recent years, adding that there’s very little he disagrees with Sagan on. However Tyson himself doesn’t partake in a few tokes, as he prefers a sober-minded approach to life.

“I think if you really analyze it, relative to other things that are legal, there is no reason for it to have ever been made illegal,” Tyson said last year. “Alcohol is legal and it can mess you up way more than smoking a few jays.”

Congress Approves Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Research

Mike Adams
-
0
Congress Approves Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Research

It has been two years since the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced that it would allow more cannabis growers other than the University of Mississippi to cultivate marijuana for research purposes. But the licensing process for this expansion, which was initiated under the Obama administration, has been jammed up indefinitely ever since U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions took the reins at the Justice Department.

President Trump’s leading law enforcement henchman said earlier this year, “there may well be some benefits to medical marijuana, and it’s perfectly appropriate to study it,” but still he refuses to allow the additional cultivation applications to be dealt with.

Lawmakers have sent the attorney general a number of letters urging him to take action. The latest correspondence, which was signed by Senators Kamala Harris of California and Orrin Hatch of Utah, said, “it is imperative that our nation’s brightest scientists have access to diverse types of federally-approved, research-grade marijuana to research both its adverse and therapeutic effects.”

Sessions has continued to ignore those communications.

It is for this reason that U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz introduced the Medical Cannabis Research Act. The bill is modest by design, as it would only serve to bypass the Department of Justice on the research marijuana licensing deal and put the job in the hands of Congress. The House Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for the drug enforcement efforts of the federal government, recently approved the measure. If it goes the distance, medical marijuana research in the United States could make significant strides from where it has stood for more than the past five decades.

“For too long, Congress has faced a dilemma with cannabis-related legislation: we cannot reform cannabis law without researching its safety, its efficacy, and its medical uses — but we cannot perform this critical research without first reforming cannabis law,” Gaetz said in a statement following the bill’s approval.

“The Medical Cannabis Research Act helps break that logjam, allowing researchers to study medical cannabis without fear of legal jeopardy,” he continued. “This vote will help unlock American innovation and discovery, and help researchers bring the cures of the future a little closer to reality.”

In the weeks leading up to the hearing, cannabis advocates argued that while the bill would bringing about some important changes in the grand scheme of marijuana research, they were not pleased by a provision tucked inside of it that would prohibit anyone with a “conviction for a felony or drug-related misdemeanor” from qualifying for a license.

The issue came to a head prior to the vote, where the combined written testimony from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch and the Drug Policy Alliance said, “there is no legitimate health or public safety justification for the inclusion of this language.”

“We urge you to strike this unnecessary, punitive ban on individuals with previous drug law violations,” the statement read.

Ultimately, a compromise was made. The bill continues to ban felons from becoming a cannabis grower for the federal government, but those with a “drug-related misdemeanor” could still apply. Not all lawmakers were onboard with the idea of eliminating these restrictions, but in the end the compromise was kept in the final bill.

Interestingly, Representative Gaetz, who drafted the bill, testified before the committee that the drug conviction aspect was not included in his original draft. He told committee members that he was urged by people connected to the cannabis industry to incorporate the langue in an effort to prevent riff-raff from having a shot on a license.

The bill, which also includes permission for doctors employed with the Department of Veterans Affairs to discuss medical marijuana with their patients, now heads to the House floor. A seperate House committee recently eliminated this permission from a VA funding proposal.

Bizarre Starbucks Manicure Lets You Drink Coffee From Your Nails

Amy Hansen
-
0
Bizarre Starbucks Manicure Lets You Drink Coffee From Your Nails

If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “You know, I would love a little pick me up at work right now, but I just don’t have time to make a Starbucks run,” there’s a manicure just for you.

A salon in Moscow, Russia is bridging the gap between continents with its shared love of coffee.

A nail technician from the salon Nail Sunny, which is quickly becoming well known for its absurd nail art — including creepy “feet nails” — posted a video on Instagram recently, demonstrating how she makes a tiny Starbucks cup that you can adhere to your nail and drink from.

The video, which already has over 200,000 views, shows the tech carving out of plaster a mini Starbucks cup, placing it on a nail, painting on the Starbucks logo with a needle, placing the cup under a coffee spout and drinking out of it. Yes, there is a straw (no word if it’s biodegradable). This entire video is completely ridiculous, and is guaranteed to make your day better.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmSU2HHZyY

Many commenters couldn’t believe their eyes, while others called the manicure straight up unsanitary. In the end, however, this Instagram account, which has nearly 2 million followers, is really just a display of skill. It’s doubtful anyone will actually pay to get this done to their nails…right?

This functional type of nail art might just be a new trend for Nail Sunny. Prior to creating Starbucks nails, they created vodka and caviar nails. Bottoms up!

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

This TV Character Is Still Inspiring Women Toward STEM

Jessica Ware
-
0
This TV Character Is Still Inspiring Women Toward STEM

Who would have guessed this TV character is still inspiring women toward Stem. Insects, those creepy, crawly residents of nature’s demi-monde, were not what the girls in my high school class wanted to study at university. I wasn’t sure I wanted to either. But I knew that invertebrates were the only thing that fascinated me about Dr. Lang’s grade 12 biology class.

When I arrived at the University of British Columbia, where I enrolled to study marine biology, I settled into dorm life with about 100 other women who had come to UBC to study art and sciences. I had great professors for my introductory science classes, most of whom were gray-haired, white men, who spent class time spewing inorganic chemistry formulas to lecture halls packed with more than 100 freshman students. Dorm life revolved around bland meals at the cafeteria, group venting sessions about various classes and coursework, and “must-see TV” in the common room Thursdays and Fridays.

Related: The FBI Almost Cancelled The ‘X-Files’ Because It Was Too Close To The Truth

It was through my dorm sisters that I was introduced to “The X-Files,” starring a brilliant, pragmatic female scientist, Dr. Dana Scully. For the first time, huddled around the small common room TV in the dark (for ambiance my roommate insisted), I saw someone on screen who was not only unfazed by insects and dissections, she was fascinated by them. Here was someone with the same innate curiosity I had about the natural world, successfully navigating the politics of her science career, side-stepping sexism and changing the face of science.

We watched “The X-Files” with cult-like zeal every Friday, spending commercial breaks talking about what we would do if we were in her situation in a particular episode. We never discussed her being our role model, but it clear that through her character we were learning about what we all could become.

Jessica Ware with undergraduate students studying a termite mound in Guyana. Jessica Ware, CC BY-SA

I completed my Bachelor of Science at UBC, and went on to complete a Ph.D. at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. I received a competitive National Science Foundation fellowship to study at the American Museum of Natural History for my postdoc. Ultimately, I built a research career as a professor of biology at Rutgers.

I study insects, specifically the evolution of insects over the last 400 million years. My Ph.D. focused on dragonfly evolution, and my postdoc on termite evolution, and I have built a lab that studies both. My research program presently focuses on termite relationships and how termite speciation patterns were driven by varying diets, dragonfly and damselfly wing and genital evolution, general insect behavior, as well as evolutionary analysis methodology.

Related: This Environmental Program Is Teaching Girls How To Be Scientists

We have used genetics and next generation sequencing tools to answer questions about how insects radiated over geological time. We examine insects from around the globe to understand how dispersal and climate events that have lead to present biogeographical distributions of insects.

My lab currently has five female, and one male, scientists working toward graduate degrees in insect evolution. Through my career I have had the opportunity to use my position to recruit and retain women in science. Over the years, I’ve tried to advocate for greater diversity and inclusion at both the university level and in professional academic societies.

When I first began at my position, I was routinely mistaken for a secretary or the assistant of a male professor. After 10 years, students know that I, too, am what a scientist looks like. Thinking back to those dark evenings watching “The X-Files” back at the University of British Columbia, we never would have imagined a female scientist with a lab full of other women scientists, writing papers and getting grants. Never having seen a woman leading a lab group, I didn’t know it was a possibility until I saw Scully on TV.

RELATED: The Most Popular Marijuana Flavors

Since beginning my lab, I can’t say that I’ve ever been in the supernatural situations Dana Scully encountered, but her pragmatic and practical approach to research questions is something that I aim to use in my work and with my graduate students.

We have studied exploding insects, termites with jaws strong enough to demolish thick mahogany trees, ancient species surviving in small isolated populations and dragonflies that migrate around the globe. Not exactly “The X-Files,” but thrilling science nonetheless – and ours is nonfiction.The Conversation

Jessica Ware, Associate Professor of Biology, Rutgers University Newark

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

GOSSIP: Daniel Radcliffe Says He ‘Never Felt Cool’ Playing Harry Potter; Justin Bieber And Hailey Baldwin Spotted Getting Marriage License

Naughty Gossip
-
0
GOSSIP: Daniel Radcliffe Says He ‘Never Felt Cool’ Playing Harry Potter; Justin Bieber And Hailey Baldwin Spotted Getting Marriage License

DANIEL RADCLIFFE SAYS HE ‘NEVER FELT COOL’ PLAYING HARRY POTTER

During an appearance on the “Tonight Show” Wednesday, host Jimmy Fallon showed the “Lifespan of a Fact” star, 29, a few memes featuring Harry Potter. When Fallon held up one which replaced the lyrics of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” to fit the fantasy film, Radcliffe, who applauded the meme went on to admit that he “never felt cool” in the starring role.

“What’s cool about that stuff is I never as a kid, you’re just insecure at that age,” admits Radcliffe. “I never felt cool at any point playing that character… and people thought that was pretty cool, it’s nice.”

At age 11, Radcliffe achieved international stardom when he was cast as the lead in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001, which was based on the best-selling novel by J.K. Rowling.

The franchise ended its run in 2011 and skyrocketed the young actor’s net worth to nearly $100 million.

JUSTIN BIEBER AND HAILEY BALDWIN SPOTTED AT A MARRIAGE LICENSE COURTHOUSE

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin were spotted at a marriage license courthouse on Thursday, September 13, in New York City, according to TMZ.

The sighting comes weeks after Baldwin raved about her “perfect” summer with Bieber, who proposed in July during the couple’s getaway in the Bahamas. Bieber and the Drop the Mic cohost reunited in June nearly two years after they ended their on-again, off-again romance.

Another insider told Us that the couple “want a private wedding without media scrutiny and just want it to be with friends and family.”

JOHN LEGEND JOINS ‘THE VOICE’ AS A COACH FOR SEASON 16

via Deadline:

Legend, who achieved EGOT status this past weekend after winning an Emmy as a producer for “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” will appear on the show’s upcoming spring cycle, joining returning coaches Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, and host Carson Daly. He replaces Jennifer Hudson, who serves as coach on Season 15, which premieres Sept. 24.

“John Legend is a one-of-a-kind musician and producer with remarkable skills that are beyond measure,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Reality Group, NBC Entertainment. “His multi-dimensional career and incredible talents provide a repertoire that will excite and inspire our artists. This coaching panel is sure to ignite season 16.”

“I’m thrilled to join the coaches of ‘The Voice.’ I’ve been a guest and mentor on the show multiple times and I’m so excited to discover talented singers and help them make the most of their gift. I hope the world is ready for #TeamJL,” Legend said.

Whether Or Not You Do This In The Morning Says A Lot About Your Personality

Amy Hansen
-
0
Whether Or Not You Do This In The Morning Says A Lot About Your Personality

There’s a specific habit that some people do first thing in the morning that can predict their personality, from how much sex they have to what type of TV shows and music they prefer.

In honor of National Sleep Day (Sept. 12), the sleep experts over at Sleepopolis commissioned a survey of 2,000 people to see what making (and not making) your bed says about you.

And what this simple act reveals about someone’s personality is pretty unbelievable.

People who make their bed also are more likely to:

  • Be a morning person
  • Wake up without an alarm
  • Have sex 3 times per week
  • Nap for 43 minutes on average
  • Work in health or technology fields
  • Enjoy jazz music, watch “House Hunters” and romantic movies
  • Be adventurous, confident, sociable and high-maintenance

People who don’t make their bed are more likely to:

  • Be a night person
  • Snooze the alarm clock in the morning
  • Have sex 2 times per week
  • Work in business or financial fields
  • Enjoy rock music and watch “Seinfeld” and comedy movies
  • Be shy, moody, curious and sarcastic

Forty-two percent of bed-makers said it would be a turn-off if a potential partner left the sheets untucked. Those who make their beds also rise about 16 minutes early than those who don’t. However, all participants reported an average of less than seven hours of sleep per night.

The moral of the story here is that if you want more sex, confidence, and better sleep quality, try making your bed when you wake up. It may not be a magic wand, but it sounds like it’s pretty damn close.

[h/t Real Simple]

Domino’s Vastly Underestimates What Russians Will Do For Free Pizza

Brendan Bures
-
0
Domino’s Vastly Underestimates What Russians Will Do For Free Pizza

At first glance, you’d probably think the recent marketing ploy byDomino’s Pizza in Russia was a clever idea. The concept was simple: One tattoo, 100 years, 10,000 free pizzas. It was part of the company’s “Domino’s Forever” campaign to raise the brand’s profile on social media.

To win “free pizza for your whole life,” customers had to tattoo the Domino’s logo somewhere visible on their bodies, then post about it on social media. The pizza chain would then grant customers 100 free pizzas every year for a whole century, equaling 10,000 possible free pizzas. Too good to be true?

Domino’s clearly underestimated what people on the internet will do for free pizza.

Fresh tattoos bearing the Domino’s logo flooded social media pages, including Facebook, Instagram, and the Russian-language platform VKontakte, BBC reported. To curb the amount of entries, Domino’s tried to install strict rules that clarified what parts of the body they considered “visible” and demanded the tattooed logo be a minimum 2cm (0.79 inches) in length.

In addition, Domino’s would only grant the free pizza prize to “the first 350 people” who met these requirements. Tattoos that were cheekily self-aware kept coming, as did tattoos of virtually every “visible” body part imaginable. Domino’s thought their restrictions would stop the flood, but the wave of Domino’s tattoos continued to come.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnRogE8Hk2A/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnR7J0SHa_p/?utm_source=ig_embed

Domino’s was forced the close the competition as a result. “Friends, we already have 350 participants!” Domino’s wrote on its Facebook page. “We are not receiving any new tattoos!”

And still the tattoos kept coming. Maybe people didn’t see the post, or maybe they thought the company would bless the good fortune of free pizza on them. Turns out that Domino’s didn’t want to leave these people hanging. As BBC reports, Domino’s responded in the comments of these late social media posts to arrange a private conversation about compensation.

Some have already cashed in on their free pizza. And if you’re curious what a free pizza certificate from a Russian Domino’s looks like, one user was kind enough to post about it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnRGnMuAZJ6/?taken-by=detskie_fotki

 

1...834835836...1,459Page 835 of 1,459

Don't Miss Your Weekly Dose of The Fresh Toast.

Stay informed with exclusive news briefs delivered directly to your inbox every Friday.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

The Fresh Toast is an award-winning lifestyle & health platform with a side of cannabis. We work hard each day to bring uplifting and informative information about culture, weed, celebrity, tech and medical marijuana.

© Copyright @2020