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Is San Francisco The Most Weed Friendly City In The US?

Danielle Guercio
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Is San Francisco The Most Weed Friendly City In The US?

When visiting a rec legal state, you also need to get to know the local lingo.

Though you may find a pack of business casuals puffing discreetly in an alley in L.A., it’s not as out in the open as some of California’s other cities, namely San Francisco. San Fran is where, on the same lawn, you have babies and bongs, tightrope walkers and tight blunt rollers, and no one bats an eyelash at either.

At face value, recreational spaces are less welcoming of cannabis, with their fines for public use and lack of consumption permitted spaces, and that can be especially true if you’re a marginalized person. Breaking the legal mold in the first year, San Francisco has been among the first to allow social consumption spaces from the get-go, and arguably the first to look the other way at public cannabis use.

From multiple parks carpeted with jovial gatherings to little tucked away vape lounges, it’s hard to not call it right away in favor of the Bay Area, but let’s take a closer look before the final score.

You really have your pick in San Francisco, with almost 200 shops in the larger Bay Area and even more delivery services large and small to bring weed products right to your door; even in the pre-legal years, hundreds of medical shops operated to serve the card holding population. Being right under the Emerald Triangle, it’s no surprise that the black market continues to thrive and benefit Bay residents trying to avoid a tax on purchase that can be as high as 30 percent.

Though there are laws on the books about public consumption of cannabis, San Francisco is positively saturated in the stuff, and has been for decades. This tolerance is responsible for the level of skilled professionals that come out of Northern California; a long love affair with cannabis requires connoisseurship and trusted networks.

Budtender Nicole Dasig from Barbary Coast Dispensary grew up in San Francisco, and she says that if not the friendliest city to cannabis, San Francisco is the most tolerant. With so many serious issues like opioids and homelessness, a bit of cannabis is pretty low on the enforcement list. Working in a fancy shop with a quality gig, she’s even seen her mom’s old school opinions shift as normalization spreads.

Dasig and her cohorts help people from all over the world not only select strains and products for every budget, they tend to the adjacent combustion friendly lounge. People who perhaps would be subject to fines on the street are able to partake indoors without fear. You can’t get more friendly than housing credit card flick to lighter flight under one very well ventilated roof.

Being that other cities aren’t as open to consumption spaces and still hand out public use tickets, it appears that in 2018, San Francisco holds the title of most weed friendly city. With places like Alaska considering cracking open a veritable Pandora’s Box of consumption and sales permits, and Las Vegas’ growing pains setting right, they could lose that title any day, but it wouldn’t make it any less of a green friendly place.

Photo by Maria Penaloza

How To Make A Marijuana Tea That Will Please Everyone

Terry Hacienda
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How To Make A Marijuana Tea That Will Please Everyone

Infusing tea with marijuana has been around since 2737 B.C. when China’s Emperor Sheng Neng prescribed the concoction to combat a host of maladies. Since the Bronze Age, marijuana tea has been enjoyed by countless cultures as a medicine, a ceremonial drink, an offering to gods and an intoxicant.

Now that you’ve had your history lesson, let’s talk science before you put the tea kettle on the burner.

Making cannabis tea is not as simple as seeping leaves in hot water. You could do it that way, but it’s pretty much a waste of herb – and money. THC is not water soluble; it needs to bind to fat (butter, whole milk, coconut oil, etc.) in order to activate its full potential.

You should also understand a little about decarboxylation. Most of us know that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive constituent in marijuana responsible for the high. But raw cannabis is full of THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) which has neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory qualities but will not get you high. In order to covert THCA to THC, you need heat and time.

One last thing: Drinking – or eating – cannabis is a different kind of experience than smoking or vaping. THC is absorbed through the digestive tract, so the effects will take a bit longer to kick in – and will last longer too. But, generally, the high is milder. Enough history and science. Let’s get to the tea.

The tastiest tea recipe I’ve tried is also the easiest.

Basic Cannabis Tea

Ingredients:

  • 1 tea bag
  • 1 tsp. cannabis butter (see recipes here)
  • 1 cup boiled water

Directions:

Place tea bag and cannabis butter in your favorite teacup. Add boiling water. Allow the butter to melt and the tea to seep. Remove tea bag and enjoy.

Did The White House Create A Secret ‘Reefer Madness’ Committee?

Brendan Bures
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Did The White House Create A Secret ‘Reefer Madness’ Committee?

A different kind of Reefer Madness is brewing in the White House, according to an explosive report from Buzzfeed News. Memos and emails obtained from Buzzfeed detail an underground Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee aimed at reversing the positive support cannabis has received in the public and trying to portray state legalization as a negative, national threat. The committee involves members from across the 14 federal agencies in the federal government, including the Drug Enforcement Agency.

“The prevailing marijuana narrative in the U.S. is partial, one-sided, and inaccurate,” read one summary of a meeting between the White House and nine departments on July 27. “Departments should provide … the most significant data demonstrating negative trends, with a statement describing the implications of such trends,” White House officials told federal agencies in a follow-memo.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ anti-marijuana views are known, but his Reefer Madness-style rhetoric has seemed in opposition to what Donald Trump has said in public forums. Trump has instead expressed support for the STATES Act, the bipartisan legislation that would protect states’ rights to legalize the adult use and sale of marijuana, which is sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), among others.

However, reports make it appear as if the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee is operating to collect negative information before revealing their findings to Trump. These reports also indicate a group disinterested in collecting objective findings about the impact of marijuana legalization on the nation, but rather data that will confirm their own biases.

“Staff believe that if the administration is to turn the tide on increasing marijuana use there is an urgent need to message the facts about the negative impacts of marijuana use, production, and trafficking on national health, safety, and security,” says one meeting summary.

A meeting among the 14 different federal agencies was coordinated by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The meeting was held on July 27 and featured many of the biggest federal agencies, like the departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, State, and Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services.

Agencies were asked to submit to the White House a “two-page, bulleted fact sheets that identify marijuana threats and issues with the initiatives by Aug. 10.” In addition, departments were told to “identify marijuana threats; issues created by state marijuana initiatives; and consequences of use, production, and trafficking on national health, safety, and security.”

A spokesperson for the Education Department confirmed to Buzzfeed that they had turned their sheet in on time.

If true, the committee’s existence and their desire to intentionally change the narrative around cannabis could hold serious ramifications for the White House. Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, who will be a gubernatorial candidate later this year, said the lack of cohesion on marijuana from Trump’s White House is appalling.

“Pres. Trump is flailing on marijuana policy, sometimes saying the states should decide, while also allowing the Attorney General and other prohibition supporters in his purview to run amuck. If the White House is actually spreading misinformation about marijuana to undercut states’ rights, it’s appalling but not out of the ordinary for President Trump and his gang of prohibition supporters,” Polis said.

Bleating Heart: Goats Like It When You Smile At Them

Maria Loreto
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Bleating Heart: Goats Like It When You Smile At Them

Like all advanced and adorable creatures, goats are really good at reading emotions. A new study shows that goats can tell when humans are angry and when they’re happy, and that they prefer to hang out with the latter group.

Goats have long since puzzled humans. While they’re extremely adorable, hopping all over the place with their clicking heels, they’re also not suitable to be pets despite the fact that goats are well on their way to becoming the new dog.

The study conducted by the Royal Society in the United Kingdom gathered 20 goats that were “domesticated” or at least very comfortable around humans. These goats were later released into a pen that was decorated with images of happy and angry humans. Researchers monitored goats interactions with the images, timing how long they spent with each picture.

Via Royal Society Publishing:

Images were vertically attached to a wall on one side of a test arena, 1.3 m apart, and goats were released from the opposite side of the arena (distance of 4.0 m) and were free to explore and interact with the stimuli during the trials.

Scientists discovered that goats were capable of distinguishing different emotions from the same person, and that they preferred to hang out with happy faces. The study also noted that, like goats, dogs and horses are also adept at reading human emotions, which could play an important role in the bonding process between animals and people. “Human facial expressions may be highly informative for animals domesticated for working closely with people,” finds the study.

When are you adopting a goat?

4 Cannabis Topicals For Arthritis

Mary Schumacher
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4 Cannabis Topicals For Arthritis

Arthritis is a painful disorder that settles into the joints, causing inflammation, redness and other uncomfortable side effects. Cannabis is an anti-inflammatory, especially when THC and CBD are combined with other cannabinoids and cannabis components to create an entourage effect. And topicals go right to the source of pain. Here are 4 cannabis topicals for arthritis.

Not everyone lives in a legal state, so full cannabis extract salves or even creams with both THC and CBD working together aren’t going to be available to everyone. There are plenty of DIY articles on the web on how to make your own if you’re feeling ambitious, but pairing putting a CBD topical on your joints whilst smoking a joint will also increase the CBD benefits.

Topicals go right where you put them. If you live in Oregon, you have access to some of the best full spectrum topicals available in the country by Empower. Empower Body Care Products have slogans like “Put It Where It Hurts” and “Soak It When It Hurts,” which are pretty self-explanatory. The good news for those outside of Oregon is that Empower carries a white label line of hemp infused products. From topicals to soaking salts, you’re sure to find some relief with this brand.

A well kept secret in California and now Colorado is that though Whoopi & Maya’s topical “rub.” is marketed for menstrual discomfort, it is good for a plethora of pains and discomforts, including bee stings and, naturally, inflamed joints. It has a good reputation among the patient class as a general analgesic and anti-inflammatory and a lot of its reputation comes not just from cannabis alone. The proprietary  blend of herbs infused with the marijuana and carrier oils works wonders on pain.

Ambary Gardens CBD infused Deep Rub is their “deepest penetrating, most concentrated CBD infused shea butter salve provid[ing] soothing relief for sore joints.” It’s pure CBD, but clocks in at 250 mg, so a little bit goes a long way. Though you may need to repeat this rub for continuous effects, that’s true of most topicals. Remember the entourage effect, though. Try scoring some weed to supplement the THC and friends.

Another CBD topical with a good reputation is CBD Essence Active LifeStyle All Purpose Lotion. It’s full spectrum hemp oil combined with eucalyptus and other carrier and essential oils for synergistic relief. The peppermint addition is soothing and the cream lasts a long time once applied. This non-sticky, hemp based topical and the other aforementioned rubs, creams and potions are all good combatants to arthritic pain. Rub some in where you need it most, light one up and enjoy the relief.

Gubernatorial Candidates And Their Stances On Marijuana

Mike Adams
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Gubernatorial Candidates And Their Stances On Marijuana

In the coming weeks and months, gubernatorial primary winners in parts of the country will wait nervously to find out who the voters will chose to guide their respective states into more prosperous times. However, perhaps for the first time ever, the debate over whether marijuana should be made legal for recreational use in these jurisdictions could be what drives voters to select one candidate over the other. Some of the latest polls find more than 60 percent of the population wants weed handled no differently than alcohol and tobacco. So, where exactly do some of this year’s gubernatorial candidates stand on marijuana? Here is the position of the Democrats and Republicans involved on three of the biggest races in the United States.

New York

It was just earlier this week that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (Republican) and Democrat Cynthia Nixon gathered for a debate ahead of the election in September. Cuomo is seeking his third term, while Nixon, the former “Sex In The City” star, is looking to steal the office in hopes of leading the state into more progressive territory.

Of course, marijuana legalization is one of the biggest issues in this race.

Fortunately for New Yorkers both candidates support the legalization of marijuana. They just seem disagree about the centralized role the herb has played in the state’s checkered history of racial disparity. Cuomo, who was previously against recreational marijuana, saying it was a “gateway drug,” has since endorsed full legalization and plans to support legislation if reelected. He now believes, “the benefits outweigh the risks.” Yet, if Nixon wins, she plans to push for legal weed as way to reform the criminal justice system. Either way, New York is on its way to becoming one of the next states to legalize marijuana.

Florida

The gubernatorial candidates running in Florida reside on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to marijuana reform. Democrat Andrew Gillum believes “we ought to make legal all forms of marijuana,” while Republican Ron DeSantis has remained mostly unspoken on the issue.

DeSantis, a member of the U.S House of Representative, says he doesn’t want young people to have access to weed, but he respects the will of the people and their decision to legalize medical marijuana. “We shouldn’t play games with it,” he said. “We should just simply implement it.” But Gillum is serious about making a change. He wants to legalize marijuana, tax it and use the revenue to “fix Florida’s schools.” It remains unclear whether DeSantis would so much as lift a finger to lead the state into more progressive pot policies.

Illinois

There is no doubt that Illinois voters want legal marijuana. A non-biding ballot question in Cook County earlier this year found a strong majority (63 percent) “support the legalization of possession and use of marijuana by persons who are at least 21 years of age, subject to regulation and taxation that is similar to the regulation and taxation of tobacco and alcohol.”

But the two candidates fighting for the governor’s seat in the November election do not agree on the issue. Governor Bruce Rauner, who is seeking a second term, has expressed apprehension about legalizing recreational marijuana statewide. He has said time and again that he wants to wait and see how the scene shakes out in places like Colorado and California before bringing a legal pot market to the Land of Lincoln. In fact, just this week, after signing a bill expanding the state’s medical marijuana program, he told reporters “I am very much opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana.”

But his opponent, Democrat JB Pritzer wants legal weed as a means for fixing the criminal justice system and digging the state out of billions of dollars of debt. “I also support legalizing and taxing recreational use of marijuana, which is estimated to generate as much as $700 million a year for the state,” he said. “No more studies are needed to show it’s time for Illinois to safely move forward and legalize marijuana.”

1 In 7 People Used Cannabis In 2017 And Other New Pot Stats

Mary Schumacher
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1 In 7 People Used Cannabis In 2017 And Other New Pot Stats

In a new study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, “Smoking, Vaping, and Use of Edibles and Other Forms of Marijuana Among U.S. Adults,” the authors found that one in seven adult citizens used cannabis in 2017, with smoked cannabis being the most prevalent form, clocking in at 55 percent. Edibles came in second at 11 percent in states where cannabis is legal and 4.2 percent in non-legalized/medicalized states.

It was found that one in 15 U.S. adults use multiple forms of cannabis – be it smoking, vaping, concentrates, edibles, you name it – and that men are more likely than women to indulge in more than one method of consumption. Multiple methods were also more popular in legalized states.

Out of the more than 16,000 people surveyed across the U.S., only 1.9 percent reported using concentrates (non-vape) and 0.8 percent said that they used cannabis infused topicals. So roughly one in 50 people dab forms of concentrated cannabis oil and a little less than one in 100 use topicals.

After observing behaviors and cannabis product use preferences in imbibers living in California’s Bay Area, the study authors had became curious about the behaviors, beliefs and preferences held across the rest of the country. They had all also developed concerns regarding the prevalence of high THC products available in the Bay Area. High THC products, like concentrates and edibles that really pack a punch, have not yet been extensively researched, as they’re relatively new to the scene.

When we asked authors Stacey Steigerwald, MSSA and Salomeh Keyhani, MD, MPH, if they believed there were medicinal properties to THC-heavy cannabis products, they told us that more research was needed, but when asked if they thought that there was medicinal value to cannabis at all, they said, “Cannabinoids may be useful in the treatment of some conditions. For example, neuropathic pain and nausea and vomiting related to cancer chemotherapy, and they may have a role in refractory epilepsy in childhood. However, we found that products commercially available are being advertised as having health benefits for which there is insufficient evidence. Increased research into this topic is warranted.”

Though their opinion that the demonstrable health benefits of cannabis are so limited may not be popular or accurate, the authors are calling for more research, which could potentially be a very good thing. Researchers who are well intended go a long way in finding good results.

In the meantime, one in seven U.S. citizens will continue conducting anecdotal research, many with high THC products even. Whether recreational or medicinal usage, one thing we know for sure: no matter the cannabinoid content, there has never been a fatal overdose of marijuana and before one could ever even occur, a toker, smoker, eater or vaper who got too high would definitely fall asleep with a half eaten cake on their lap long before toxicity was a concern.

Gossip: This Is The Palace Staff’s Favorite Royal; Why Serena Williams Won’t Celebrate Her Baby’s Birthday

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: This Is The Palace Staff’s Favorite Royal; Why Serena Williams Won’t Celebrate Her Baby’s Birthday

THE PALACE STAFF HAVE A FAVORITE ROYAL AND IT’S NOT PRINCE HARRY OR MEGHAN MARKLE

According to The Crown’s very own Matt Smith (he should know, I guess!), Prince Philip is far and away the favorite of people who spend their lives doting on the royal family. “In the royal house he’s the most popular of all of them. If you’ve talked to any of the staff, Philip’s the one they all love really,” he recently said. “I think more than a lot of them, he’s a bit more of a man of the people.”

Matt also maintained that “The royal protocol hasn’t dogged him in quite the same way his whole life and there’s a sort of rebellion in him and a naughtiness and a cheekiness. I think he’s quite affable and open by all accounts with the staff. They all love him.”

SERENA WILLIAMS EXPLAINS WHY SHE ISN’T CELEBRATING HER DAUGHTER’S FIRST BIRTHDAY

The tennis champion is a Jehovah’s Witness, and recently explained that members of the religion don’t do the whole presents and cake thing. “Olympia doesn’t celebrate birthdays,” Serena said at a press conference. “We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses so we don’t do that.”

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

PETE DAVIDSON IS SITTING ON WAY MORE MONEY THAN YOU’D EXPECT

Pete’s been on the show since 2014, and Celebrity Net Worth reports that his salary is a generous $15k per episode. Each season of SNL runs for 21 episodes, so [*busts out elementary school multiplication skills*] that means Pete earns approximately $315,000 a year—or a little over a million dollars during his four-year run.

Celebrity Net Worth reports Pete’s net worth as $2 million.

Rotten Tomatoes Is Overhauling Its Rating System

Brendan Bures
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Rotten Tomatoes Is Overhauling Its Rating System

The most influential name in the movie industry is overhauling how it does business. If you’re even a casual fan of movies, you know about Rotten Tomatoes, the critic-and-review aggregator that certifies a film “rotten” or “fresh.” A mediocre Rotten Tomatoes rating can significantly affect box office sales, discouraging some fans from checking out a movie for themselves, prompting directors to openly criticize the platform.

Rotten Tomatoes has surely deserved its share of criticism, as its methodology hadn’t been updated to reflect the changing media tides. The company launched 20 years ago and built their system around prioritizing newspapers, broadcast TV, and established film critics on staff at legacy publications. But you know the story of how the internet changed everything and how we now digest news and stories and movies.

On Tuesday, the company announced that they were making changes to address these criticisms. Rotten Tomatoes will revamp its Critics Criteria to include new and diverse voices who are redefining how we discuss and appraise movies. That means RT will now prioritize individual voices over publications and raise underrepresented groups (chiefly women and people of color) to make up at least 20 percent of their critic base.

In addition, RT will begin to include critic voices who broadcast outside the written word, meaning YouTubers and podcasters who meet the new Critics Criteria will be included in the Tomatometer rating. Though not every podcast bro who talks about movies will be included, it does showcase a more overall and inclusive critical rating of how audiences are receiving movies. The company will also launch a demographics study to identify those who lack the necessary funds to attend film festivals and launch an initiative to help them get there.

Hopefully, all of this will make fans more accepting in digesting criticism of movies. But then again, this is the internet. So probably not.

How To Get Paid To Eat Avocados Every Day For Six Months

Maria Loreto
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How To Get Paid To Eat Avocados Every Day For Six Months

While avocados have often been associated with healthy foods, they do contain a lot of fat. Avocado lovers will say it’s healthy fat, but no one really knows what that means. Like yeah, it’s good for you, but can it make you gain some pounds or not?

Scientists at Loma Linda University have been wondering exactly this, and have decided to conduct a study on people who are willing to eat avocados on a day-to-day basis. “The study will examine whether eating one avocado per day reduces visceral adipose fat in the abdomen,” says Joan Sabate, Director of the Centre of Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Disease Prevention at the school.

Willing participants would be analyzed and paid ($300 upon completing the study) and the data collected would finally answer this question, letting us know if avocados are really super foods and good for our fitness.

The study will involve 250 participants who’ll be sorted into two different groups. One group will have to  avocados once a day, and the other group will only have to eat avocados twice per month. It’s very important that participants follow the rules of the study, eating avocados every day or twice a month depending on their group. That means that if you’re part of the latter group, you must make a schedule for your brunch plans, which can be a serious limitation for some people.

Participants must also:

  1. Be 25 years of age or older
  2. Be willing to either eat one avocado per day for six months or eat only two avocados per month for the same period
  3. Measure at least 40 inches around the waist if they are male, or
  4. Measure at least 35 inches around the waist if they are female

Aside from the payment, participants will also have monthly access to a dietician and receive a free MRI and health screening, making this a perfect offer for a hungry college student. Or anyone, really.

Even if the study has side effects and scientist discover that avocados are super bad for your health… death by avocado sounds kind of delicious, right? Surely there are worse ways to go. You can sign up for the study here.

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