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Marijuana For Medical Research Should Be Coming Soon

Mike Adams
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Marijuana For Medical Research Should Be Coming Soon

Although the federal government has spent decades sandbagging medical marijuana research with its Schedule I dangerous drug classification, there have been some developments over the past weeks that suggest the floodgates are starting to crack with respect to this issue. Not only did a Republican-driven House committee recently approve a bill to expand cultivation licenses for research marijuana, but Uncle Sam is apparently set to import medical cannabis from Canada to study its effects on geriatric patients.

Earlier this week, it was announced that British Columbia-based Tilray Inc. has been given the green light by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to begin importing medical marijuana capsules (containing both CBD and THC) that will be used by scientists at the University of California San Diego’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research. The goal of the study, according to reports, is to explore whether cannabis-based medicine might be effective in controlling tremors in people over the age of 65.

Although medical marijuana is legal in California, where the study is set to take place, it remains banned under federal law. This means researchers must obtain any and all cannabis to be used in clinical trails from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

But the one and only supplier of government medical marijuana is the University of Mississippi, and they do not offer a wide range of cannabis products like the capsules and oils often seen in dispensaries. Researchers were forced to petition for government to import the pot capsules. It has taken them two years to gain this clearance.

But this situation could change in the near future. There is currently a push in Congress to increase the number of federal marijuana cultivators in an effort to provide researchers with the quantity and quality of cannabis needed to examine it properly.

Last week, the House Judiciary Committee put its seal of approval on the Medical Cannabis Research Act – a proposal brought to the table by U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL). It is designed to give Congress the power to dictate the approval process for additional cannabis cultivation licenses rather than waiting for the Justice Department to make a move.

While this action only pushed the measure to the House floor, it is considered a landmark vote in the history of federal pot reform.

“I think that the hardest vote for Republicans to take on marijuana is their first one,” Gaetz told Rolling Stone. “And so if we can create the broadest area of consensus to democratize access to research, I think, it will get us all thinking a lot more like adults going forward.”

Interestingly, tucked inside the Medical Cannabis Research Act is an amendment that would order federal agencies to establish “good manufacturing practices for growing and producing marijuana.” The provision would essentially direct the DEA, the FDA and NIDA to advise researchers on the best methods for growing marijuana.

Some lawmakers found this provision unnecessary, while others, like committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, called it a “good amendment, which will help researchers develop science and evidence toward the medical potential of marijuana.”

Although it appears the call for more medical marijuana research is experiencing a stroke of good luck, the fight is far from over. The House still has to vote on the Medical Cannabis Act. The bill would then need to be approved by the Senate and, depending on any changes to the language, possibly head back to the House for concurrence before being shipped to President Trump for a signature. It’s a big process, and it’s one that both Democrats and Republicans are fully capable of sabotaging.

But Rep. Gaetz seems to think the bill stands a better chance at passage this close to the election.

“I would think that before the election it might be a good idea for the Republican Congress to take action on something that has the approval of over 80 percent of the Americans,” he said. “There’s something about the sound of your own gallows being built that tends to focus the mind, and as we’re potentially heading into the minority it might be good for our members in swing districts to show an embrace of science.”

If the bill goes the distance, it would then be safe to say that marijuana for medical research is on the horizon. Until then, the nation remains a slave to the same tired policies that have prevented the therapeutic potential of the cannabis plant from being realized for decades.

Utah Mormons For Medical Marijuana, But Not Full Legalization

Mary Schumacher
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Utah Mormons For Medical Marijuana, But Not Full Legalization

In a rare statement supporting medical marijuana, Mormon church leaders said they would accept and even support a current measure for medical marijuana, but with the caveats that it be prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a pharmacy. Unfortunately, as cannabis is illegal at the federal level, neither of those things can happen.  So, to be clear, now Utah Mormons for medical marijuana, but not full legalization.

Doctors can recommend cannabis and dispensaries then supply the medicine, but the verbal support is still a pleasant surprise for the measure’s authors. Proposition 2 is the medical marijuana measure in question. Though the specifics of what Mormons, who make up a majority of the state’s population, want from a measure is a little hazy, this new support could be enough to sway voters in the greener direction.

RELATED: Why The Mormon Church Won’t Support Medical Marijuana In Utah

There’s even some excitement in the Mormon community leadership. Jack Gerard is a prominent figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had this to say, “This isn’t ‘let’s wait till next year to have a conversation.’ It needs to be dealt with soon. There’s an urgency to accomplish this.”

Cannabis is now medicalized in the majority of U.S. states and continues to grow as an industry, both medicinally and recreationally. Proposition 2 would allow for people with certain medical conditions to obtain medical marijuana cards and use the plant in the form of edibles, lotions or vaporizer pens.

There’s another ballot measure in Utah to legalize outright, and while cannabis proponents remain fairly optimistic, the outright disdain the Mormon church has for across the board adult use cannabis is well known in that community, which makes up an enormous part of the voting block.

RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

Medical marijuana in Utah would be a leap in the right direction for marijuana reformers, as Utah has long been considered one of the most unlikely states to accept cannabis as a medicine. These new steps forward are as surprising as they are refreshing to the cannabis community as a whole.

To support medical marijuana and not adult-use marijuana is still support, and at the very least a much better stance than not supporting usage at all. There are tens of thousands, if not more, patients in Utah who are in need of medical cannabis and with the voice of agreement from the Mormon church, they may gain access to natural cannabis medicine come November.

SpaceX Booked Its First Civilian Passenger On A Trip To The Moon

Maria Loreto
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SpaceX Booked Its First Civilian Passenger On A Trip To The Moon

Elon Musk’s SpaceX wants to be the first to bring a civilian passenger to the moon. The rocket that will serve as a vessel for the trip is called “BFR,” short for “Big Fucking Rocket.” That’s not a joke, that’s actually how Elon Musk’s mind works.

The Daily Beast reports that Yusaku Maezawa, a very famous and rich art collector, is going to be one of the passengers among the BFR. He plans to invite artists along for the ride, although he hasn’t decided who. This would make Maezawa and his guests the first civilians to visit the moon in human history.

Elon Musk announced his plans on a press conference on September 17th, where he also talked gloomily about the end of the world and the possibility of natural disasters.

“There could be some natural event or some man-made event that ends civilization as we know it, so it’s important to become as a multi-planet civilization as soon as possible,” Musk said. The trip aboard the BFR is planned to last from 4 to 5 days and would democratize space travel for future generations, something that’s been never done before and that seems increasingly important as the years go by.

While Musk made it sound as if the space trip could happen in a couple of years, other scientists warn against making such premature announcements, claiming that when it comes to space a lot is said but not a lot is done. “It’s typical SpaceX, promising results on a schedule that is rarely achieved,” said a NASA advisor.

Tickets to fly to a space station are said to be valued at $35 million dollars, and that’s just 150 miles away from Earth. The moon is over 200,000 miles from Earth. For now, space will only be democratized for the wealthy.

Scientists Discover A Great White Shark Lair In The Pacific Ocean

Maria Loreto
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Scientists Discover A Great White Shark Lair In The Pacific Ocean

Researchers have uncovered an area located between California and Hawaii, where large amount of sharks make regular visits; they call it the “White Shark Cafe.”

The area, resembling the Sahara desert in an ocean, hosts tons of sharks during winter and spring, as if they were “pulled by some astrological stimulus.” The San Francisco Chronicle reports that this mystery has always puzzled researchers, finding no reason for sharks to undertake the long journey since fish were never found there. For years, sharks have been leaving fish-filled East Coast waters to travel to this area, spending months there, until they return to their place of origin. Barbara Block, researcher from Stanford, nicknamed the place “White Shark Cafe,” but didn’t know if the sharks traveled there for food or sex.

Researchers recently discovered that the area hosts a vast community of light-sensitive creatures, including fish and squid, that the sharks are very attracted to. There’s also a deep water portion of the ocean, known as “mid-water,” that the white sharks travel in, something that’s unusual considering that they need to be in higher and warmer waters in order to digest their foods properly.

“The story of the white shark tells you that this area is vitally important in ways we never knew about. They are telling us this incredible story about the mid-water, and there is this whole secret life that we need to know about,” says Salvador Jorgensen, research scientist from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Despite all the studies and the attention that these white sharks have gathered, it’s still unknown what they’re doing there and why they love spending so much time in that area. One thing is clear: humans don’t want to visit a place where white sharks like to get together and do mysterious things.

Brotivational Speaker Gary Vaynerchuk Doesn’t Give A F***

Sara Somerset
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Brotivational Speaker Gary Vaynerchuk Doesn’t Give A F***

Gary Vaynerchuk—or Gary Vee as he is known on social media—loves the F word. It punctuates his every sentence. Vaynerchuk is well aware of his penchant for F-bombing, and doesn’t give a f–k. It’s exactly this type of comedic emphasis that resonates with his audience, many of whom think he is “f—ing awesome.”

Vaynerchuk’s talks are targeted towards a certain age group. There is some practical advice peppered in between his penchant for swearing, geared towards companies in the initial development stages.

During a Q&A after his keynote speech at the inaugural Hall of Flowers exposition, in Sonoma California, an attendee asked him what his personal mantra is.

“Nobody gives a f–k about your feelings,” he replied.

Among other nuggets of inspiration, he advised his captive audience to learn to take rejection, to be in the cannabis space for the long haul, and not to sit around complaining about how interlopers were taking over cannabis while others who don’t give a f–k who got there first are getting off their duff and executing their ideas. He compared the current state of the cannabis industry to the tech world evolving from a nerds-only industry, to mass participation, or your favorite underground rockband going mainstream. Complaining about it is useless, he advises.

Vaynerchuk made his initial millions as “a wine guy,” who was savvy enough as a teenager to jump on e-commerce early. As a result, he claims he grew his father’s liquor business from $3 million to $60 million. He advised his audience to study the first 15 years after alcohol prohibition, to learn to discern patterns in evolving markets.

He applies this theory to gradual lifting of cannabis prohibition and the subsequent boundless opportunities that await those who are savvy enough to get in early. He is doing just that, by owning 50% of marketing mill Green Market Agency, which produced Hall of Flowers, and bartering the launch of start-ups for equity in their companies.

One such company, is Zzz Natural, which plans to produce a vape pen with a cannabis strain that is dedicated to helping alleviate insomnia. Zzz’s blue pen is similar to Sunday Goods’ sleep pen in their navy and white, male-centric product line which comes across as a cannabis-friendly Kiehls.

Despite several sleep products on the market, Vee emphasizes that there is room in the cannabis space for everyone—for now. Eventually, some of these companies will go the way of extinct search engines like Dogpile and Ask Jeeves, “which many of you are too f—ing young to remember,” Vee says.

Vee loves content, and has multiple cameramen following his every move. He encourages his listeners to churn out content like a beast, whether it be a podcast, Youtube videos, or whatever.

When asked if the recent Elon Musk scandal that endlessly dominated news cycles when he publicly took a puff of a blunt in a legalized state, which caused his stock to temporarily nosedive, was an issue, Vee, in his signature style replied, “Elon doesn’t give a f–k. Elon will be ok.” In Vee’s world, the pinnacle of success is having the freedom to simply not give a f–k.

George R.R. Martin Wants More ‘Game Of Thrones’ Seasons, Too

Brendan Bures
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George R.R. Martin Wants More ‘Game Of Thrones’ Seasons, Too

For everyone bemoaning that the final season of Game of Thrones is fast approaching, take solace in knowing you’re not alone. In fact the bearded man behind the series, George R.R. Martin, doesn’t want the TV series to end anytime soon either. “We could’ve gone 11, 12, 13 seasons,” Martin told Variety at the Primetime Emmy’s Monday.

“[Co-showrunners] David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] have been saying for like five seasons that seven seasons is all they would go,” Martin continued. “We got them to go to eight but not any more than that. There was a period like five years ago when they were saying seven seasons and I was saying 10 seasons and they won, they’re the ones actually working on it.”

Unsurprisingly, GoT led the Emmys with 22 nominations for its seventh season. The show took home wins in Best Drama Series, Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage, and notched a victory for its special effects.

Benioff and Weiss also revealed why there’s been such a lengthy wait for the series’ eight and final season.

“The final season’s taking a long time because it’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” Benioff said. “It was nearly a full year in Belfast either prepping it or actually shooting it. I think when people see it they’re going to understand why it took so long. The last season is far beyond what we’ve ever attempted before.”

This won’t be the last we’ll see of the Game of Thrones universe either. HBO has various prequel and supplemental series that will debut in 2020 following the final GoT, which will premiere in 2019.

“I don’t know if [Game of Thrones] has changed television, but it has changed science fiction and fantasy television,” Martin said. “And we’ve achieved a level of respectability thanks to the genius of these actors, producers, and writers. That has made us equal to any genre.”

“We’re not done with Westeros yet—we have plenty of story to tell,” Martin added.

Betting Against Cannabis Stocks Will Cost Investors

Mike Adams
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Betting Against Cannabis Stocks Will Cost Investors

In the investment world, there are not only potential profits to be had by betting on the winners, it is also possible to generate substantial gains by wagering on stocks expected to tank. This is called shorting stock or short selling—it’s a popular technique based on the ethos that there is a profit to be made somewhere between the buy and sell prices of companies doomed to spit the bed—and it has recently caused investors to suffer considerable losses and fees, according to a report from the New York Times.

Cynical investors have spent the summer trying to get the upper hand on cannabis stocks. This method may have perhaps seemed like the most logical means for capitalizing on this sector, given the majority of pot stocks are grossly overvalued—meaning their overall worth greatly exceeds their annual sales.

In fact, investors have been so hell bent on this practice that the number of shorted shares has actually increased by nearly 80 percent since the beginning of August. But in some cases, like with Canadian pot firm Aurora Cannabis, investors have been taking it on the chin because major developments, such as discussions with Coca-Cola about partnering with the company to make a CBD-infused beverage, has caused the stock to make a consistent climb.

“That rise has cost short sellers $50 million over the past six weeks,” the Times reported.

And that is just the loss connected to that one company. Short sellers have watched $626 million float down the proverbial crapper by betting against cannabis stocks, according to financial tech firm S3 Partners.

What appears to be jamming up the investment community is the fact that some of the largest beverages companies on the planet have been working under the “If you can’t beat em’, join em” philosophy, throwing billions of dollars at partnership deals with the cannabis industry. These types of business arrangements have become especially prevalent ever since Canada announced plans to launch a fully legal recreational marijuana market in October.

The country’s new law, which will only allow for the distribution and sale of raw cannabis in 2018, gives edibles and beverage makers the rest of the year to bring to life their cannabis-infused offerings. So many of these firms, including Constellation Brands and Molson Coors have been going for it. Others like Diageo Plc, makers of Crown Royal Whiskey, could follow suit.

“The industry’s skeptics haven’t given up in the face of this run-up,” the Times reports. “Over the last two weeks, short sellers have increased their bets against a number of cannabis companies, but the bets come with high costs.”

What is happening is cannabis stocks are becoming short seller proof. In order for investors to profit from the idea that these overvalued stocks are going to plummet, they need to borrow shares from a broker, sell them in hopes of buying them back later at a lower price, and then return them back to the broker, pocketing the difference.

But there must be shares available to bet against. But with the cannabis market, there are not as many shares left to borrow.

Analysts with S3 Partners told the Times that “The $1.5 billion short bet against cannabis stocks is costing $2.4 million a day, or 200 times more than an equivalently sized bet against a basket of stocks including Apple, Amazon, IBM and Goldman Sachs.”

The 5 Weirdest Things That Happened At The 2018 Emmys

Maria Loreto
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The 5 Weirdest Things That Happened At The 2018 Emmys

This year’s Emmy Awards tried their best to adapt to a world that no longer seems interested in award shows. They switched their showtime to a Monday instead of Sunday, and they added two hosts instead of one. We’re sure they did other things to attract more viewers but the ratings still dropped. Deadline reports that this year’s ceremony pulled 10.7 million viewers, a record-low for TV’s biggest night.

While ratings are just ratings and weren’t going to change no matter what, this year’s Emmys were received by the audience in a very luke-warm manner. Everyone looked kind of bored to be there, and co-hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che seemed like they thought the event was stupid. While the show tried to remain entertaining and innovative, it was kind of dull. There were some strange highlights and good memes though; check out 5 of the best:

That proposal

When Glenn Davis was awarded Best Director for a Variety special, he took the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend, leaving all audience members shocked and not knowing which face to make. People were very nervous that his girlfriend would say no and run off from the show, submitting them to three hours of more awkward torture. Luckily for all of us she said yes, and provided a sweet and genuine moment in an otherwise dull show.

The musical number

https://giphy.com/gifs/emmys-emmy-awards-emmys-2018-9GIsD8qoiyTsspeSNj

The awards show kicked off with a funny musical number that brought out RuPaul and Sandra Oh, and sang about minorities and the fact that this year’s the Emmys were much more inclusive because there were members of different races and sexualities represented. It was funny and the addition of Kenan Thompson and Kate McKinnon would be missed throughout the rest of the show.

The audience’s reaction shots

https://giphy.com/gifs/emmys-emmy-awards-emmys-2018-20MkOUUv7De9ruBY1Z

Chrissy Teigen, Keri Russel and Betty Gilpin all had memorable reactions that were caught on camera. Chrissy’s was the most human, shying away from camera despite the fact that it’s a wide shot, and there’s nowhere to run. Keri Russel created a great meme with her amazing shrug, and Betty Gilpin was just extremely shocked after Glenn Davis proposal. Who can blame her?

Teddy Perkins

The iconic character from “Atlanta” made a surprise appearance at the Emmys. No one really focused on him and only couple of screenshots were caught, but it was a very weird and puzzling moment. First off, who was wearing the mask? In the show, the character is portrayed by Donald Glover but Glover was spotted among the crowd. Maybe someone’s trolling us, or maybe Teddy Perkins really exists.

Jeff Daniels thanks his horse

During the first hour of the show Jeff Daniels won Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, taking the opportunity to thank his horse Apollo. It was random and cute, and a lot of people thought that it was also very entertaining, which paints a pretty accurate picture of the ceremony’s mood.

Tiffany Haddish Jokingly Calls Out ‘Rude’ Reporters In Emmys Press Room; Drew Barrymore Got Candid About Past Cocaine Use

Naughty Gossip
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Tiffany Haddish Jokingly Calls Out ‘Rude’ Reporters In Emmys Press Room; Drew Barrymore Got Candid About Past Cocaine Use

Fresh off of accepting their wins onstage at the 70th Annual Primetime Emmys Awards on Monday night, TV’s top actors made their way backstage to the press room to react.

Tiffany Haddish took a moment to call out ‘rude’ reporters for not paying attention as she was speaking — but it was all in good fun.

“Also I just wanted to say y’all are being rude right now. I know that you’ve got to be typing and working right now and that’s why you’re not looking up, but if we were at a comedy show right now I would be cussing all of y’all out,” she said.

Drew Barrymore got candid in a new interview about her past cocaine use

Does she miss those days? NO WAY.

“No. Oh, God. It’s been a very long time, but no,” Barrymore said. “Nothing would make me have a panic attack and seem like a bigger nightmare. I drink, I enjoy my life and get out of my own head,” she explained. “It’s not that I’m this militant person of clarity and presence but [cocaine] literally seems like my worst nightmare right now.”

New Report: Extracts Barrelling Toward $8 Billion in 2022, Outpacing Flower Growth

Mary Schumacher
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New Report: Extracts Barrelling Toward $8 Billion in 2022, Outpacing Flower Growth

Extracts, whether vaped, dabbed or otherwise, are seeing enormous growth in the marijuana marketplace. As outlined in a new report page published Tuesday by ArcView in partnership with BDS Analytics, “Retail consumer appeal is propelling concentrates toward an estimated $8 billion in retail sales by 2022, outpacing growth in traditional flower sales.”

The report, titled “Concentrates: The Hottest Product Category in Cannabis” is good news for many, including investors, retailers, cultivators and extractors. Vape pens have a lot to do with the big numbers. The once niche product has blown up from coast to coast as the more discreet and “safer” way to imbibe.

In the forecast model, it is estimated that if more states legalize for adult use in lieu of more limited medical laws that concentrates will outpace flowers completely more quickly than they would otherwise, but there’s no doubt, concentrates are definitely on an upward trajectory. Whereas in 2014 they made up around 10 percent of the marketplace, now they account for 27 percent only a few years later, thanks to extraction technology improvements and other more streamlined optimizations to the processes.

The letter from the briefing’s editor states, “Concentrates will cut costs at every stage of the supply chain—every milligram of cannabinoids delivered to consumers as an extract is cheaper to distribute than as flower. But the main savings will be at the agriculture level, where expensive warehouse and greenhouse grows designed to provide pretty buds give way to traditional outdoor growing of a commodity crop. The cost savings—and broader consumer appeal of concentrates—will prove critical as the legal market struggles under the weight of heavy tax and regulatory loads to compete with the illicit market.”

In short: concentrates are already big business and have plenty of room for more rapid growth.

It was found that today’s cartridges are now more popular than the dabbable forms of concentrates. In 2017 cartridges made up over half of the sales in the legal concentrates market, this was attributed to them being, “beginner-friendly [and] brand-identified” for consumers, along with the factor that some people who would never consider inhaling smoke don’t see vaping as a problem.

Cross-state expansion of the cannabis market is seen as the future of success for brands that want to stand out. Only two brands of vape pens made this report twice when analyzing data from Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington (all adult-use states). All the vape coverage is not to say that there aren’t robust numbers when it came to wax, shatter and other popular dabbed concentrates; there are. As the industry is growing, so is the popularity of getting more bang for your buck.

A brief history of vape products, standard features and marketplace advantages like, “Vaporizer manufacturing also offers a potential value-add over other concentrates, enabling higher prices,” showcase why the technology has evolved into the emerging face of the industry. Streamlined, visually appealing, well outlined and thorough, the authors of the report clearly had the next generation of cannabis entrepreneurs in mind when writing.

Hash, bubble hash, rosin and kief all had their place in the intelligence briefing, as did more connoisseur products, such as solventless extracts. Methods of extraction are covered and how to get more product out of the plant is as well. CO2 extraction takes a deep dive, with another delved into highlight being branding in a crowded marketplace.

The full report, which concludes with vape pen manufacture profiles, goes into detail about a variety of the product subcategories mentioned, plus others that are driving the explosion in concentrates sales. It’s available to savvy individuals who need to be even more in the know from Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics for $297.

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