Whether you are using it to sleep, to relax or manage anxiety, the right dose is key to your success
CBD seems to be everyone and has some benefits. But it is difficult to figure out how much to take to manage the condition you are treating. Science says CBD can help with anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain. Like medical marijuana, it can reduce inflammation, including with arthritis. Other research identifies how it might how help with neuropathic pain, which is difficult treat. So what is the best CBD dosage for you?
While some companies have produced kits whichcan test one’s endocannabinod system, testing is not readily available to the general public or covered by insurance. This means your doctor or nurse cannot measure the amount of endocannabinoids present in your body like they can test for, say, deficiencies in Vitamin C or assess your cholesterol levels.
Like other chronic diseases (high blood pressure, headaches, high cholesterol), there is a certain amount of trial and error in to find the right mix. Most of the human studies use dosages anywhere between 20 and 1,500 milligrams (mg) per day. But it may take a bit to figure out where you are on the spectrum.
Start low and go slow. Start with 5mg of CBD and then slowly increase the dosage as needed until you feel the optimal effects. Most people find that 5-30mg of CBD represents the sweet spot that works best for them.
Be patient. Realize that it could take up to a few weeks of consistent supplementation to feel the effects from CBD. If you run into unwanted side effects, back off a bit and then try a slower increase. Also, the lower amount of CBD might be your ideal portion.
Like most medicines, you should not combine CBD with other substances, such as over-the-counter medicine or pharmaceuticals, without consulting with your health care provider. Also, leave at least a two hour window before and after consuming CBD in order to minimize the risk of any potential interactions.
CBD can naturally lower blood pressure and reduce the need for insulin in the body. So if you’re already on any medication for those purposes, be sure to work with your healthcare providers to keep an eye on their levels.
Roughly 9 million smoke cigars in Canada and the US – and now there is another option.
It seems the Mayas grew tobacco for medical purposes and developed the original cigar. Columbus and other explores brough tobacco and cigars back to Europe. It arrived around 1760 in North America when Israel Putnam returned from Cuba. He brought with him a selection of Havana cigars and large amounts of Cuban tobacco seed. In the early 19th century American domestic production started to take off and Cuban cigars also began to be imported in significant numbers. The love of cigars became associated with a luxury pleasure, with Cubans being at the top. But what if it went one better…what is a cannagar? The marriage of cigars and cannabis.
Some people see cannabis like a fine wine. Something to savor and enjoy. For those cannabis connoisseurs who like a big smoke with a sophisticated flair, consider the cannagar. Its predecessor, the Thai Stick, originated in Thailand. They popular in North America during the 60s and 70s where troops brought the knowledge back with them from the Vietnam War. They faded out within a decade as the war on drugs escalated.
A cannagar is a cannabis cigar that is smoked more like a cigar than a joint. Use a cigar cutter to trim the end before lighting up. Consumers share cannagar pulls so much easier and burns hotter due to the hole for airflow, which is why you’d want to puff on it like a cigar rather than a joint. Set aside a couple of hours to enjoy the long burn time.”
Making your own cannagars can not only save money, it allows you to get as creative as you want by adding your favorite strains, wraps, and concentrates. However, the process for making cannagars by hand requires patience, and it can become a very tedious process if you’re making it without a cannagar mold. Using a cannagar mold will save you time and money and you’ll have a cannagar made within minutes.
A cannagar mold is not good quality if it doesn’t feel durable (there are some that use a 3D printer and those can break pretty easily). The best cannagar molds will make life simpler by having a few steps and making it as easy as possible. They’ll also come as a kit and include just about everything you need to create your first cannagar.
Like cigars, the pre-made cannagars available at dispensaries tend to be on the pricey side. Prior to paying for this premium product, do a little research and read the reviews.
The global cigar market size was valued at $41.5+million in 2021, a premium niche of the tobacco market. A legal market will see if cannagars become an equivalent.
It is a time to celebrate and relish in your heritage…wear green, tip a glass and enjoy some of these St. Patrick’s Day cocktail.
St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday where people wear green, make merry and imbibe…often heavily. In Ireland, up until the mid-twentieth century, the holiday remained modest and grounded in religion. It was not until the swinging 1960s when in Ireland it became the raucous celebration it is today. To help carry on the tradition, here are the best St. Patrick’s Day cocktail recipes.
You can’t get more of a St. Patrick’s Day drink than a boilermaker. Originally call the Sean O’Farrell, it was created in the 1890s in Montana. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer.
Ingredients
1ouncewhiskey (usually bourbon or rye)
8ouncesbeer
Create
Pour the whiskey into a shot glass
Fill a pint glass halfway with beer.
Drop the shot glass into the beer.
Drink
Irish Car Bomb
A variation of the Boilermaker with a little dark history. It hit the scene in 1979 in Wilson’s Saloon in Connecticut by Charles Burke Cronin Oat. Originally created as a mixed shot drink called a Grandfather combining Baileys Irish Cream and Kahlúa. On St. Patrick’s Day March 1977 he added Jameson Irish Whiskey to the drink, calling this drink “the IRA.” In 1979, Oat spontaneously dropped this shot into a partially-drunk Guinness, calling the result a Belfast Carbomb or Irish Carbomb. And history was made.
It’s rarely a good idea to chug anything, but the Irish Shot is an exception, as it benefits from quick consumption. That’s because the Irish cream will react with the acidic beer and begin to curdle if allowed to sit for more than a few seconds. And nobody wants curdled cream in their drink.
Ingredients
1/2ounce Irish whiskey
1/2ounceBaileys Irish cream
Guinness beer
Create
Add the Baileys and whiskey into a shot glass, pouring slowly to create a layered effect.
Drop the shot into a pint glass filled half to three-quarters with the Guinness. Drink immediately.
Vodka Stinger
While not a traditional St. Patrick’s Day cocktail, it does have a new green coloring and has the popular vodka as a base. Created ink 1890, a stinger is made with brandy, crème de menthe, and simple syrup. It is first noted in William Schmidt’s 1892 cocktail book The Flowing Bowl. Immediately popular with New York social set, it spread across the country. A “vodka stinger”, also known as a white spider, uses vodka instead of brandy.
Ingredients
1½ oz of vodka
½ oz of white creme de menthe (green if you want the Irish version)
Create
Load a shaker with ice cubes
Pop in all your ingredients, vodka and crème de menthe
The Chicago River is green today and green is the color of celebrations today! So how to make green beer – well, it isn’t hard. Legend has it, Dr. Thomas Curtincreated green beer we drink today. Dr. Thomas Curtin, a coroner’s physician and eye surgeon, first colored beer for a St. Patrick’s Day party at the Schnerer Club of Morrisania in the Bronx in 1914. It has been popular every since and the green does not change the flavor.
Ingredients
12ounces light color beer like a pilsner and witbier
1drop green food coloring
Create
Find a clear beer class
Add the food coloring to the bottom of the glass
Pour in the beer
Toast to your friends
May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold
And at the end of all your rainbows
May you find a pot of gold.
May the roof over your head always be strong
May you be in Heaven a half hour before the Devil knows you’re dead!
Weed TV isn’t always done well – but here are 5 you want to watch!
Marijuana has become mainstream, but it isn’t reflected in shows. Weed’s presence in entertainment has generally looked back to stereotypes. Unlike alcohol, it gets more of an over the top portrayal. From classic TV to the streaming companies, it is usuallyhard to find quality but here is hte best weed tv to stream.
In fact, tobacco use in streaming shows such as “Stranger Things,” “House of Cards,” “Orange Is the New Black” and “Fuller House” is pervasive, rising and more prominent than it is in broadcast shows, according to a report from Truth Initiative.
Netflix has tried to bring marijuana to the forefront, developing different programs like “Disjointed” and “Cooking on High.” Although there’s money and talent behind these series, none have been successful or good, clunkily adding marijuana as a gimmick to gain views and create controversy instead of presenting it as a realistic part of people’s lives.
While there’s plenty of room for improvement within the weed TV show landscape, there are shows that have succeeded with amazing results. Interestingly enough, these programs tend to be half-hour comedies, weaving in the political with the everyday experiences of people who like to smoke marijuana.
Here are the best weed-centric shows to add to your watch-list:
Weeds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aimnmPSVy7c
“Weeds” is an old show with an already dated premise, but it still works. Nancy Botwin is a mother of two whose husband just passed away and is left with all sorts of debts and challenges. Of course, her next step is to start selling weed to her rich neighbors to earn some extra cash. Developed by Jenji Kohan (who also created “Orange is the New Black”), “Weeds” is a comedy that’s also a drama, with different degrees of success per season. Throughout its eight year run, the show managed to stay innovative and funny, always featuring a complex lead character. It’s also a time capsule of sorts, set during a time when weed was more taboo than it is now. You can stream it on Netflix.
“High Maintenance” is an anthology series bound together by the character of The Guy, a weed delivery man who works in New York. “High Maintenance” is the rare anthology series that’s consistent; unlike most anthology programs out there that are strung together by a few great episodes and a bunch of filler, “High Maintenance” manages to tell engrossing and human stories that never overstay their welcome and that are particularly rewarding for New Yorkers. You can watch “High Maintenance” on HBO.
Broad City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlAmyuWZdpw
Another great New York show is “Broad City” which, despite focusing on the messes and adventures of two best friends, is also an ode to marijuana. In every season you can reliably find an episode where weed facilitates or hinders Abbi and Ilana’s adventures, all with hilarious and surprisingly touching results. “Broad City” has many fans and consists of four short seasons of half-hour episodes, making it the perfect binge for any mood. You can stream the full show on Hulu.
Despite the decades that have passed, “That 70’s Show” remains a weirdly ambitious sitcom. Lasting eight seasons made up of more than 20 episodes each, it’s an iconic show that managed to cultivate a very devoted fan base. “That 70’s Show” follows a group of teen friends and their parents, using a backdrop of the 70s that informs all story lines, addressing politics, the sexual revolution and weed, all in sneaky PG-13 ways. Watching the show as an adult proves to be a different experience, especially once you realize that the notable circle scenes are made up of friends and sometimes parents, sitting around in a circle smoking weed, as one does. You can stream it on Netflix.
Atlanta
Donald Glover’s “Atlanta” is the strangest entry on this list, a comedy that’s comfortable with breaking all sorts of rules and that pushes the boundaries of the genre. Centered on Earn, played by Glover himself, the show is a woozy and strange half-hour that’s funny and depressing, reflecting on the all too real disparities present in America. Glover has always had a knack for expressing racial and economical realities — his finger always steady on the pulse — and nowhere is his talent more apparent than on this show. It’s the rare dramedy that will make you laugh out loud and leave you thinking long after it’s over. You can watch “Atlanta” on Hulu.
It seems the pot at the end of the rainbow delivered these gifts to happy parents.
St. Patrick’s Day is know for the Irish, beer, cabbage, drinking, green and having fun. For some, it is also about delivering there on treasure. You don’t have to guess who was born on St. Patrick’s Day since we have a list here for you.
Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of St. Patrick is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick the foremost patron saint of Ireland. n 1903, Saint Patrick’s Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. One of the longest-running and largest Saint Patrick’s Day parades in North America occurs each year in Montreal, whose city flag includes a shamrock. Celebrations in the US include prominent displays of green, religious observances, numerous parades, and copious consumption of alcohol.
But this is about St. Patrick’s Day. So this isn’t about you…of course, unless you were born on St. Patrick’s Day, in which case, welcome! This post is about you. Here are the inordinate number of celebrities born on St. Patrick’s Day.
John Boyega
The is a British actor and producer has the been lucky with his success!
Rob Lowe
Lowe was has been the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for fans since he hit the screens 1979 which the short-lived sitcom A New Kind of Family.
Hozier
This Irish musician, singer and songwriter truly has the talent of Irish. His music primarily draws from folk, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes and a political or social justice stance.
The American competitive swimmer made her own pot of gold. She has won seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer.
Yanic Truesdale
The Canadian-American actor best known for his portrayal of Michel Gerard in series Gilmore Girls. Daily Variety named him one of “10 Actors to Watch.
May those who love us, love us
And those who don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts
And if he can’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping!
In every state except Maine, a majority of respondents characterized legalization as a success.
Sometimes you buy an expensive pair of shoes and within hours you wish you hadn’t. Buyer’s remorse is the sense of regret after having made a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of an expensive item such as a vehicle or real estate. Looking back at 2023, it seems legal weed sates reap benefits and have no buyer’s remorse for legalizing marijuana. BDSA, a leading analytical firm which covers cannabis, released the 2023 numbers and the legal industry has grown to $29.5+ billion. It would have been better had it not be for the New York City. And the tax revenue has been very helpful for the 24 legal states.
Colorado and Washington approved adult-use recreational marijuana measures in 2012. Alaska, Oregon and District of Columbia followed 2014. Since then, states have weighed the benefits versus dangers of recreational weed. And the federal government has been watching.
Photo by Anton Petrus/Getty Images
Early on there was a YouGov poll respondents could choose between five different answers: “Success only,” “more of a success than a failure,” “more of a failure than a success,” “failure only” or “don’t know.” Approximately one-fourth of residents in Colorado, where voters approved recreational marijuana in 2012, called adult-use marijuana laws a “success only” while 45% of them labeled the laws “more of a success than a failure.” A little less than one in five Colorado residents (17%) said recreational marijuana laws were a “failure only.”
But there are very practical reasons for states to be pleased. It is estimated the illicit marijuana economy is worth around $30-$40 billion dollars. Recent research has shown that legalizing marijuana reduces violence and trafficking associated with the illegal drug trade thereby reducing the power and wealth of cartels and drug gangs. This is a boom for law enforcement in states as they can focus on other crimes.
Prison costs have also decreased. Private prisons are being phased out as there are fewer marijuana possession inmates to hold. This is another benefit for states budgets.
And huge benefits is tax revenue. Missouri broke $1 billion in legal revenue and it was a pleasant surprise to state coffers. States with legal weed make more on cannabis revenue than on alcohol. This, despite alcohol having more sales. California is the only state which seems to have an issue with taxing…but states like Maine and Colorado are leading examples of good governance.
Long associated with drinks, especially green beer…what about adding marijuana to your St. Patrick’s Day
Green rivers, big parades and lots of drinks – St. Patrick’s Day definitely has strong traditions. It is a massive festival atmosphere. It is also the topbeer-drinking holiday in a bar in the United States. Meaning more people drink beer in bars (as opposed to their homes) than on any other day of the year. But as cannabis become legal and people start consuming more and drinking less….what about adding marijuana to your St. Patrick’s Day? BDSA, a leading analytics firm which covers the cannabis industry, just released numbers and data revealing the cannabis industry earned $29.5 billion dollars in 2023. That is a lot of green and a ton of consumers!
For the holiday, green beer is a staple. There is no trick to making the iconic beverage. It is a light-colored beer with a drop of green food coloring added. No flavor change just the color. It is so popular, the University of Miami students added a new tradition of Green Beer Day when a change of schedule put St. Patrick’s Day in the middle of spring break…when the students are away from campus.
Photos: Maria Badasian via Unsplash; BENCE BOROS via Unsplash
Marijuana is also becoming a recreational as well as a medical staple. California sober is now a national thing and beer sales have been hit by marijuana’s increase. You might want to put down the calorie filled pint and pick up a green gummy, a green apple vape or just some old fashioned flower. If you are out and about in a crowd for a parade or a pub crawl, the gummy or vape is the most discreet and most “public” friendly.
If you are going to mix weed and alcohol, there are few things to remember. Moderate your consumption and make sure you are paying attention. Using weed before drinking alcohol may minimize the effects of alcohol. Don’t get drawn into doing shots or Boilermakers. Both weed and alcohol are depressant drugs. Their effects suppress, impair and inhibit the brain’s ability to function. When alcohol and weed are mixed together, the effects of each individual substance become exaggerated. This can result in a person losing control of their actions .
And the Chicago green river thing? It goes back to 1962 when Mayor Richard J. Daley wanted to turn Lake Michigan green in honor of the holiday. He was persuaded to dye the more manageable Chicago River instead. The Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union have always been in and charge and use same green dye plumbers used to find sewage leaks.
His mentioning marijuana at the State of The Union was historic, but boy did he get some feedback when he tweeted.
The State of the Union address for many years was referred to as “the President’s Annual Message to Congress“. It is believed George Washington started the tradition and the term “State of the Union” first emerged in 1934 when used by Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). President Biden mention of marijuana was historic and also showed how the plants reputation has come a long way from the war on drugs. And when he tweeted about it, things got spicy. Biden’s weed tweet got numbers and feedback – and the administration might be wise to pay attention.
The tweet on cannabis reached 14 million and had 12,000 comments and 104,000 likes. The President mentioned his marijuana pardons which drew a significant amount of feedback. According to BDSA, a leading analytics firm covering cannabis, the industry generated $29.5 billion in revue in 2023. When talking about a need to grow the economy and taxes, here is a fresh industry the public wants, but antiquated laws are punishing small businesses.
When you subtract comments not relating to weed, they fall in three categories. The first is the remaining resentment toward Vice President Harris for her historic stance on marijuana. The industry was at first excited when Biden was elected as he indicated he would move opening up legalization for cannabis. His slow pace along with VP Harris’s previous role has frustrated the industry and it shows by the sharp remarks.
Another large batch of comments were just about making a move already! Science, the American Medical Association, and the federal departments of the Healthy and Human Services (HHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have all said there are benefits. People are clamoring for him to act and act quickly. But, it seems to the public eye, the administration has been very slow in fullfilling this promise from over 2020.
The third big conversation is his perception his pardons did more than they actually did for prisoners. Again, there is hard feelings about it and the online community want him to understand what he did and did not do.
While the industry is expanding, it is still in growth mode and needs basic help in continuing to grow. Rescheduling would allow state cannabis operators to take federal tax deductions they’re currently barred from under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. This would give immediate benefits to the cannabis industry which is 50+% small businesses.
Like alcohol, your genetics play a role in how you react to marijuana
Sometime you go out and a few drinks hit you must different they they usually do…there is a wide variety of reasons why, and genetics is one of them. The body is a complex systems scientists and physicians are still trying to figure out. And when you add things to your body, they don’t always know it is going to react.
Like alcohol, marijuana has been around since early man and has been used for worship, medicine and for pure recreations…but it remains unpredictable. Even seasoned users have a variation of there usually journey. But they can usually manage the effect marijuana has on them, while also staying calm during an unpredictable high. For newcomers, however, it’s different; novice users usually can’t predict how the drug will affect them, whether it’ll lead to a paranoid high or giggle fest.
Cannabis functions by binding itself to the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies, which are located in our cells, containing our individual DNA. Mutations in CB1 or CB2 receptors can make you more vulnerable to different illnesses, such as Chron’s disease or anorexia. These changes could also impact how your cells bind to different molecules including the ones in cannabis. It is one explanation on why different people have different reaction to the same strain.
In a study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers found a variable in the gene CHRNA2 could increase the risk of becoming addicted to cannabis. Cannabis addiction is something that’s not all that understood, with many people doubting its existence. Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include depression, irritability, a higher heart rate and more.
While this gene doesn’t indicate whether or not someone is a marijuana addict, it does increase the odds of these kinds of responses to heavy use of the drug.
Photo by VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images
All of this means that when sharing a bong or a joint with friends, a few of them can have slightly different reactions depending on several factors including their genome, personal experience with the drug and the strain they’re ingesting.
Genes are extremely complex. Although we’re born with some genetic mutations, other mutations can occur due to the things we’re exposed to throughout our lives, such as the foods we eat, the germs we interact with, our levels of stress, and more.
There’s a lot we don’t understand about genetics yet, but organizations like the Allen Institute are doing research to under more. This will lead to a better understand of cannabis and its impact on our genes. There’s a lot of possibilities once you start playing around with these variables, hopefully resulting in more medicinal and recreational benefits.
New Jersey is definitely the shining star when it comes the legal weed market.
New York City is the supposed to be the crossroads of the world…but it seems things are more headed to the Jersey shore. With their neighbor’s chaotic rollout of legal cannabis, it seems New Jersey is taking a huge bite of the Big Apple’s weed – at least the legal part of it! New Jersey’s cannabis market earned $800+ million in medicinal and recreational cannabis sales in 2023. That is compared to New York’s $174 million.
New Jeresy’s rollout of legal cannabis has been smooth and well received by the population and consumers. Their program was up and running in April of 2022 and the industry brought in a healthy $555+ million in 9 months. The tax revenue has been a boon for the state and there hasn’t been in major hiccups. This is great compared to their next door neighbor which seems to lurch from issue to issue.
Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Stringer/Getty Images
Leading analyst firm BDSA which also including cannabis predicts if New York State is able to correct the mess left in the rollout – they can be the #1 market and possibly be the first state to hit $2 billion. It is estimated the licensed businesses lost $1.2+ billion in revenue to the illegal stores just in 2023. And the state lost tax revenue on the amount.
New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) Executive Director Jeff Brown predicts they state will be the premier region for cannabis sales. Ultimately it will be good for state coffers. The negative is the only big money difference from the Big Apple is in legal and tax revenue. New York still has over 1,500 illicit dispensaries in New York City alone. The business is there, they just are contributing to the black market which goes unregulated, unrecorded and undisciplined.
Currently, in their mid-range predictions, BDSA has faith New York will course correct and be the top state with New Jersey second.
