Monday, July 6, 2026
Home Blog Page 852

Chelsea Handler Can’t Stop Discussing Cannabis, Microdosing And Edibles

Brendan Bures
-
0
Chelsea Handler Can’t Stop Discussing Cannabis, Microdosing And Edibles

Earlier this year, comedian and talk-show host Chelsea Handler announced that she had turned to marijuana in hopes of maintaining her sanity during the presidency of Donald Trump. Since then, Handler can’t stop espousing the merits of marijuana to anyone she comes across. She’s even followed in the footsteps of other marijuana-loving celebrities by developing her own line of cannabis products.

If you don’t understand by now, Chelsea Handler really, really loves cannabis.

“I was re-introduced to cannabis once Trump was elected because alcohol was a little bit too on the nose for me and I already abuse it. So I started to use cannabis again because it was becoming legal in the state of California,” Handler told the Vancouver Sun.

RELATED: These 6 Celebrities Use Marijuana For Medicinal Purposes

“It changed my life and made things a little more tolerable and a little bit easier. Now with the way they are able to distribute the cannabis and to micro-dose it’s so helpful to so many people. It has opened my eyes to how it can really change lives.”

Handler will soon embark on a seven-city tour where audiences can hear the celebrity get real about cannabis, politics, and the usual musings one expects from Handler. She’s been discussing cannabis at length with numerous Canadian publication so we pulled some of her more interesting observations about the lifestyle and politics of cannabis, and the future of the plant.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnKkghFhJRp/?taken-by=chelseahandler

Her personal history with marijuana:

I always smoked it casually but I’ve just never been somebody who has a bunch of pot on me and was rolling joints. I don’t want to smoke a whole joint by myself. I’ll smoke when people have it around but for me, the microdose of the edibles has been a game-changer. I take one to go to sleep every night. I’ve been able to minimize sleeping aids in my life and actually take just cannabis to go to bed. Which is so much better for me in the morning. There’s no short term memory loss, you’re not a little slow the next day.

On introducing it to friends:

I have friends who are CEOs of companies, who used to shun it, and now I can’t tell you how many people in my inner circle that it’s changed their way and their outlook. It’s a way of life. It’s something very forward thinking and it’s clearly the way of the future. In the next 20 years, it’ll be as big business as alcohol.

On empowering women to use cannabis:

Women really need to be reintroduced into the cannabis world and be emboldened and empowered to make it part of their lifestyle. (Source)

There’s something for everyone out there. And as a woman I feel very passionately that we need to reeducate women on this cannabis world, and destigmatize all of the labels that go with being a stoner. It’s not like that anymore. It’s much more medicinal. (Source)

On microdosing edibles:

It used to be you took an edible and you would be not right for like a month.

[…]

[Now] with edibles, you know what you’re getting. The ratios are there for you to see on the boxes. Everything is listed, from the THC to CBD ratio. It doesn’t mean you’re out for the count for five hours. It’s just a way to get through your day that’s a little bit more pleasant. Everyone’s a little bit funnier, a little bit smarter.

On cannabis and creativity:

[W]hen I’m writing kind of deeper stuff, that’s when I get really creative with use of language. That’s the great thing. There’s pot for creative people. There’s pot for people with anxiety. There’s something for people trying to sleep. Really there are so many options so it’s just about educating people and normalizing it and continuing to have open discussions.

Green Market Report: Hemp CBD Market To More Than Double By 2022

Anne Marie Fischer
-
0
Green Market Report: Hemp CBD Market To More Than Double By 2022

Brightfield Group, which has established itself as a thought leader in the CBD space, just announced projections for the hemp CBD industry to become a $5.7 billion market by next year, with a projection of growth by nearly 40x to $22 billion by 2022.

These projections come in anticipation of the passing of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, which would fully and unambiguously legalize hemp and its extracts across the country.

“We believe that blowing market sizes and growth figures out of proportion would do our customers and market a great disservice,” said Brightfield’s Senior Analyst Jamie Schau, “This year’s hemp CBD forecasts might seem like a departure from that view, but I assure you they are not. These numbers reflect the substantial changes we anticipate will follow full federal legalization of hemp-derived CBD.”

There has been a long-standing industry-wide confusion on the legal status of hemp in the United States. The 2014 U.S. Farm Bill has been misinterpreted for years in leading people to believe that hemp is legal. The legalization of hemp in this context only permits the growing of hemp under a state pilot program or for the purposes of academic research. As of now, hemp, and CBD are deemed illegal, a fact supported by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The 2018 U.S. Farm Bill is anticipated to be a “game changer” for the hemp-CBD market, as it will fully and unambiguously legalize hemp and its extracts.

Brightfield Group anticipates that hemp-derived CBD will “become the next major nutraceutical phenomenon.”

Vote Hemp said that since the passage of Section 7606 of the Farm Bill, “Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research,” hemp cultivation in the U.S. has grown rapidly. The number of acres of hemp grown across 19 states totaled 23,343 in 2017, more than double the number of acres from the previous year.  The group also said that state licenses to cultivate hemp were issued to 1,424 farmers; and 32 universities conducted research on the crop.

The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) reported that in 2015, retail sales for hemp products reached $600 million, which is much lower than the $5.4 billion for marijuana sales in 2015 as reported by ArcView. HIA says that hemp sales on average grow by 15% each year and that most of that growth can be attributed to more people buying hemp-based body products and supplements.

Most of the hemp for these sales was imported from China and Canada. Hemp imports for 2015 were nearly $78.2 million according to U.S. trade statistics. However, there is no trade data for products like hemp-based clothing or construction materials, paper products or even carpet made from hemp. Thus, it’s difficult to determine what exactly the hemp market is in the U.S.

This report comes on the heels of a research study that Brightfield conducted in partnership with HelloMD, which showed the potential for CBD products to help users cease use of traditional medicines.

Brightfield Group’s 2018 Hemp Derived CBD Study, can be found for purchase here.

This article was originally published on Green Market Report. 

Study: 18% Of People 21 And Over Consider Themselves Cannabis Users

Mary Schumacher
-
0
Study: 18% Of People 21 And Over Consider Themselves Cannabis Users

The cannabis market, which not long ago was considered a niche in which outliers and rebels convened, is now blossoming into a recognizably legit industry and is growing at a rapid clip to become a totally mainstream market. As the landscape changes, so do people’s attitudes about the plant.

In a new self-funded survey conducted by Kadence International of people age 21 and over in the U.S., researchers set out to understand all facets of the American cannabis consumer. The study found that 1 in 5 U.S. adults have used cannabis within the past 12 months, with 32 percent of them using cannabis daily.

Miriam Konz, managing director at Kadence International, said:

While now recreationally legalized in a number of U.S. states, discussing cannabis and its benefits is often done in hushed tones. The study we have conducted tries to demonstrate the role that cannabis has in modern society. We aimed to understand the reasons why people were using it and how often. Most interestingly, there is no defined and clear specific demographic for cannabis users, it is used across all adult age groups, socio-economic backgrounds, and locations.

The most prevalent form of imbibing in cannabis was smoking, though just over the halfway mark at 55 percent. Out of the 1 in 5 Americans utilizing cannabis, 48 percent use it to relieve anxiety, 40 percent use it as a sleeping aid or for pain relief and 1/5 use cannabis as a substitute for prescription medicine. These are overwhelming results that speak highly of the herb’s many uses. The table below breaks down the most common reasons Americans use cannabis:

As you can see, most people want to just relax either during a harried day or maybe in the evening as they kick off their shoes. Which leads to another interesting stat: just about half (47 percent) of cannabis users have reduced their alcohol intake. Instead of sitting back with a glass of wine to unwind, people are sparking up or hitting the vape pen. Over 50 percent also said that they thought of cannabis as less dangerous than alcohol.

Here’s the real kicker, out of everyone surveyed, only 4 percent said that they would absolutely not ever try cannabis, legal or not. That is a very small portion of people who still cling to close minded ideas that were first brought about by the failed War on Drugs. Very small. Cannabis has become mainstream indeed and as more people pick it up, the less anxious, the more calm, the more social and the the happier the U.S. gets.

How Medical Marijuana Can Calm OCD

Richard Faulk
-
0
How Medical Marijuana Can Calm OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that traps people in cycles of unwanted thoughts or actions that can feel damned near unbreakable. We all have sudden eruptions of nagging doubt—did I lock the door? Is my zipper up? Did that oyster I ate smell funny to you?—but, for someone with OCD, these thoughts open a rabbit hole of escalating urgency and ritualized, repetitive behaviors.

Kind of sounds like the paranoia that can sometimes creep up on you when you’ve gone one toke over the line. And maybe that’s no mistake.

A growing body of research suggests that cannabinoids may have a role in OCD. What’s less clear is whether that role is helpful or hurtful.

RELATED: Little-Known Health Effects Of Medical Marijuana

Ever find yourself driving, lost in thought, only to realize you’re now turning into your driveway, with no recollection how you got there? That was the habit-forming part of your mind taking over, allowing you to do, without any conscious direction, an activity ingrained through long-term repetition.

And that’s distinct from the part of your mind that was in control when you set out earlier that evening to search out the new gastropub that opened in what’s still the most dangerous part of town. (The hand-sourced sycamore-sap and absinthe shrub was sheer poetry!)

Every day our brains transition countless times between habitual behaviors and goal-directed behaviors, and most of us are never even aware of it. In people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), however, that transition is a fraught one. and unwanted habits intrude uncontrollably.

A 2016 study on mice appearing in the journal Neuron and funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) suggests that the endocannabinoid system helps regulate that transition between habitual and intentional action.

RELATED: How Marijuana Can Help With OCD’s Compulsive Behaviors

Photo by LPETTET/Getty Images

The mice were trained to get food in two different ways: one through habit and the other through novel, goal-directed action. When researchers blocked CB1 receptors (the “CB,” of course, stands for “cannabinoid”) in the brain, the mice were unable to form new habits. Instead, they searched for food only through directed action.

The report’s first author, Dr. Christina Gremel of the University of California, San Diego, summarizes the findings: “Our results suggest that alterations in the brain’s endocannabinoid system could be blocking the brain’s capacity to ‘break habits’ as observed in disorders that affect switching between goal-directed and habitual behaviors.” In other words, overactive CB1 receptors may may make it more difficult for OCD patients to break cycles of compulsive behavior.

However, this new report conflicts with earlier data on cannabis and OCD—sort of.

CB1 receptors are what respond to the presence of THC, the intoxicating element in cannabis. Parallel to them are the network of CB2 receptors, which respond to another cannabinoid, CBD. Two studies, from 2010 and 2013, found that CBD actually lowered compulsive activity in lab mice.

That’s not the first time THC and CBD have been found to work at seemingly cross purposes. And it’s another indicator that, when it comes to medical efficacy, whole-plant cannabis might have to step aside for specialized synthetics.

Romanticism, alas, does not always win.

5 Apps That Can Teach You New Things Every Day

Maria Loreto
-
0
5 Apps That Can Teach You New Things Every Day

While it’s extremely easy to get distracted with a whole lot of nothingness nowadays, there’s also never been a better time to learn new skills and abilities. The internet gives you access to thousands of apps that facilitate all sorts of learning processes, giving you the chance to do plenty of other things aside from scrolling through your Instagram feed until your eyes hurt.

Gizmodo compiled a list of the coolest apps that can teach you something new. Here are five of our favorites.

Blinkist

https://giphy.com/gifs/hermione-granger-YUzHyNHMqo2k

This app calms down the anxiety every reader feels when they realize that it’s not physically possible to read everything you want to read. Blinkist gives you summaries of or all sorts of non-fiction texts that you can read through in 15 minutes or less. It also gives you personalized recommendations based on your interests and it has a really cool interface that will make reading a pleasure instead of a chore.

Curiosity

https://giphy.com/gifs/intrigued-captivated-YHOzVGq5gcqS4

This app is perfect for fans of trivia (i.e. everyone) giving them new bits of information every day and promising a learning experience in only five minutes. Curiosity features videos, text and images, and it’s really the perfect companion to a lunch break or any free time you have on your hands.

Yousician

https://giphy.com/gifs/jack-black-school-of-rock-p4GBAtWflPxM4

For musicians or people who are at least a little musically inclined, Yousician is the perfect app, giving you the chance to learn new songs, chords, and more, no matter the instrument. The app has access to your microphone so every time you play, you’ll receive feedback and corrections.

DailyArt

https://giphy.com/gifs/hipster-connor-franta-kh9IfC11xD6Ni

DailyArt is an app that gives you daily pieces of art. Duh. It also has a visually appealing interface that contains a vast database of art pieces including contemporary art, modern and classic. Each piece features a small write-up that helps you understand it and appreciate it more.

Dictionary.com

https://giphy.com/gifs/qAxycFUG0RdKg

I know, what a lame and boring app to have, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, okay? Dictionary.com is awesome, and the app can help you learn new and cool words that will make you seem much smarter than what you really are.

Meet Qai Qai, The Instagram Famous Doll of Serena Williams’ Daughter

Maria Loreto
-
0
Meet Qai Qai, The Instagram Famous Doll of Serena Williams’ Daughter

Dogs and CGI are social media superstars, so why can’t dolls be famous for no reason, too?

@RealQaiQai has over 23 thousand social media followers, but for good reason. The doll belongs to Olimpia Ohanian, who is Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s daughter.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on

For some reason, Qai Qai is constantly injured, sporting arm and leg casts (at the same time) and always lying on the floor or over some surface looking like she’s not having a whole lot of fun. People have accused Olimpia of being a poor mother to Qai Qai since that seems to be the focus of the doll’s whole internet persona. “Where’s Olimpia?” she tweets. No one replies.

Maybe Qai Qai’s apparent depression is why she’s so famous and why people like her so much. Most of her posts don’t feature any text, making Qai Qai a blank canvas for all of our thoughts and feelings. Is she sad? Is she playing around? Is she glad to be left alone? It’s 2018, so all answers are valid.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnMZB8tn4c1/?taken-by=realqaiqai

Fans and followers drop by the account to leave encouraging comments and messages such as “Hang on,” “Mood,” “Me,” and “Same.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on

As Serena said on her last Instagram post: “When you are having a rough day or weekend remember Qai Qai has a arm and leg cast.” So be grateful, because things could always be worse and luckily you’re not Qai Qai.

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.”

1...851852853...1,477Page 852 of 1,477

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