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The Future Of Recreational Cannabis In New Jersey ‘Rounding The Corner’

Mary Schumacher
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The Future Of Recreational Cannabis In New Jersey ‘Rounding The Corner’

It’s been well over 100 days and Gov. Phil Murphy still hasn’t managed to legalize marijuana. It was a big part of his campaign rhetoric, but it was also a big part of his budget. Just recently, he had a projected $60 million in tax revenue mapped out with a January 1 start, but the budget that went through in June contained nothing of the sort.

This is not due to a lack of a bill, which would make more sense and be all the more frustrating, but it simply boils down to Murphy and others overshooting a timeline. There just wasn’t enough initial support in the state senate to pass a recreational cannabis bill.

Senate president Steve Sweeney (D) Gloucester had encouraging words for cannabis enthusiasts across the state, however. He said that lawmakers are “rounding the corner on marijuana” and said that he and the speaker were committed to a goal of having the marijuana bills settled by the end of this summer.

Sweeney also said that “now that the budget’s out of the way” that they should be able to focus on the issue of recreational cannabis without all the background noise. Sen. Joe Vitale, (D) Middlesex was completely opposed to the bill proposal that combined expanding medical and creating recreational at the same time, but he is now reportedly in talks with other senators and there is hope that he can be brought around on the legalization issue.

Though Murphy hasn’t been able to legalize weed yet, he did expand the medical marijuana program to the point that existing cannabis dispensaries are having trouble keeping up with demand for the herb. This could be an issue for legalization going forward, as it would be a relatively simple fix to have recreational sales in the existing medical dispensaries, but not if there isn’t enough marijuana to go around.

For the legalization argument, it does help that NJ’s neighbors are either onboard or discussing cannabis legalization, recreationally or medically. New York state, now long overdue to be at the cutting edge of this industry, has yet to legalize. But it’s a hot topic and probably coming down the pike. Just like we’ve seen with Jersey’s turn, it will just a matter of time and diligence.

Jennifer Aniston Is Dating Again: ‘It’s Very Hush-Hush’; Oprah Worried About Upstaging Meghan Markle At Royal Wedding

Naughty Gossip
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Jennifer Aniston Is Dating Again: ‘It’s Very Hush-Hush’; Oprah Worried About Upstaging Meghan Markle At Royal Wedding

Nearly five months after she and Justin Theroux announced their plans to call it quits on their two-and-a half-year marriage, Aniston is dating again — and, insiders reveal, she’s being wooed by two men! “It’s very hush-hush,” says a confidant, adding that neither is an actor. The first contender, says another source, is a tech titan introduced to Aniston by a close friend. “He recently split from his wife and is trying to win over Jen,” confides the source.

The second, says another confidant, “is an industry creative she met when they started working on a project together several months ago.” The fact that neither is Aniston’s usual type only adds to the allure for the actress — and her tight-knit circle of girlfriends. “Jen’s group is excited that she’s dating again,” says an Aniston insider. “They can hardly keep it a secret when they’re so happy to see Jen moving on.”

Oprah Worried About Upstaging Meghan Markle At Royal Wedding

Winfrey told British Vogue, she realized the cream-colored Stella McCartney dress she’d commissioned “looked white, not cream” in photos.

“I Googled, ‘Can you wear white to a wedding? Answer: ‘No, don’t risk it,’” the 64-year-old media mogul told the magazine.

Winfrey relayed her fear of committing a serious fashion faux pas to McCartney, who “worked round the clock” to remake the same dress in pale pink in time for the big day.

Winfrey said the royal wedding “left me feeling that anything is possible through the power of love. Reverend Curry was right!”

THC-Infused Popsicles Will Make Your Summer

Maria Loreto
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THC-Infused Popsicles Will Make Your Summer

There’s nothing better than a popsicle when facing the sweltering heat of summer. And what a better way to eat one than when it’s infused with THC?

One of the best things about legal marijuana is the variety of products that exist in the U.S. Now that people don’t have to worry over the legality of their work, they’re allowed to create interesting and delicious ways of consuming cannabis. The Green Solution, one of Colorado’s largest cannabis dispensaries, becomes one of the first to take advantage of legal cannabis and summer, pairing both and selling THC popsicles starting this month.

These popsicles are available in two flavors—Cherry and Grape—and are perfect for your 4th of July barbecue, or for laying at home because you’re too afraid of leaving your house and melting. As an incentive, The Green Solution will be selling popsicles for a penny on 4th of July only, so be prepared for a bit of a line on their 15 Colorado locations. Regular prices will be $2.45.

Via TGS Colorado:

A great choice if you need to stabilize your mood, reduce stress or alleviate pain. We always strive to create the best tasting products with the most accurate dosage, and our Cherry Icicles are no exception. Juicy berry and cherry flavor, followed by a relaxing high. Recommended for anyone who desires the potent effects of an Indica, but does not feel the urge to smoke. Our infused Icicles are available in 10mg doses. Icicles are Vegan!”

The Green Solution explained that their popsicles are infused with indica THC in order to provide uplifting and relaxing results that pair perfectly with outdoor activities and daytime consumption. Because who wants to smoke when it’s 90 degrees out?

Is Legal Cannabis The New Bitcoin?

Mike Adams
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Is Legal Cannabis The New Bitcoin?

Investors who have missed the boat on opportunities that have made others stinking rich in the past do not want to miss catching the first wave of legal marijuana. With Canada on the verge of launching its fully legal marijuana market in October, cannabis stocks in the northern nation have made tremendous gains. So much, in fact, financial experts are calling cannabis the next bitcoin, according to Newsweek.

“I believe the incredible tailwinds blowing at legal marijuana’s back make it so the opportunity here is much like the one internet stocks offered in 1994 … or the one bitcoin offered in 2015,” wrote Matt McCall, founder and president of Penn Financial Group, in his multi-part series on cashing in on the cannabis explosion. “If you missed the opportunity to make 50 times your money in internet stocks … or if you missed out on the opportunity to make 50 times your money in bitcoin, you’re going to want to know how to play weed.”

Last year, following the promise of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to legalize marijuana nationwide, Canada’s cannabis stocks experienced substantial growth, becoming the best performing stock in the country. Those investors that got in on the ground floor of leading publicly traded companies, like Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis, “easily reaped Bitcoin-like returns,” according to a report from Global News.

Some of the latest data shows that “smokeable marijuana” will generate in upwards of around $5 billion in Canada once the industry is off its leash. But that market will swell to the vicinity of $22 billion once the edibles sector is allowed to join in the fun later in 2019. Canopy, which is presently working with brewing giant Constellation Brands to create a line of THC-infused beverages “for the world market, including the U.S,” is worth an estimated $6.7 billion. Analysts predict its value will increase on the heels of Canada’s national marijuana trade.

But this doesn’t mean that investors should just start throwing money at just any old weed stock. A large majority of them will fail, says Allan Gregory, a professor of economics at Queen’s University. “Every marijuana stock is going to fall … the losers will outweigh the winners,” he said.

Still, there could be some snags because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level in the United States. The situation has already caused some problems in Uruguay, the first nation to go fully legal, with U.S. banks refusing to do business with its financial institutions connected to legal weed. The same could happen with respect to Canada. Although it is possible the reaction will be different this time around.

New Report Claims iOS And Android Apps Are Misusing Sensitive Data

Maria Loreto
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New Report Claims iOS And Android Apps Are Misusing Sensitive Data

Recently, users have begun to question apps that store their private and most sensitive data. While most of them understand that this is a requirement for the app to function properly, scandals regarding the misuse of data keep popping up, each one more concerning than the last. It’s become the norm for us to second guess whether we should download an app or not.

Mashable reports that Firebase, a popular cloud-based back-end platform owned by Google, has thousands of users information stored on unsecured databases that could be accessed by anyone with relative ease.

Appthority, a mobile security company, looked into 2.7 million apps on iOS and Android. Around 3,000 of these apps stored their data on unsecured databases, leaving sensitive information up for grabs. This data includes users’ GPS locations, IDs and passwords, financial transaction records, and more. More than 100 million individual records were involved in the breach.

Appthority’s report claims that Firebase’s databases are not protected by firewall or authentication systems; in fact, a hacker would only need to add “/j.son” to the link of the database name to access the desired information.

The list of affected apps has not been released to the public, but Appthority has contacted Google and the affected apps so they could take the necessary steps in order to protect their users. The affected apps reportedly serve a variety of purposes including messaging, health, and financial advice.

Google contacted Mashable refuting Appthority’s report, claiming that they take security seriously and that the mobile security company painted the situation incorrectly.

Via Mashable:

Google takes security very, very seriously. We work hard every day to encourage developers to observe best practices. We publish a full guide on security Realtime Database data here. If developers allow public access to their database, we show a warning in the Firebase admin console that tells developers when they’ve turned off security rules impacting their Firebase databases and that they are at risk for leaking data (see screen capture attached). Back in December 2017, we sent emails to all insecure projects with directions on how to turn security rules back on.

For further reference, Appthority originally incorrectly painted the situation as a Firebase vulnerability after educational discussions with the Firebase team their press release and supporting blog post were been updated to make it clear that Firebase DOES secure data by default.”

Appthority’s study joins a long list of situations where companies appear to show little concern for the security of their users, misusing data and putting their customers in potentially dangerous situations.

5 Hotels That Allow You To Consume Marijuana

Danielle Guercio
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5 Hotels That Allow You To Consume Marijuana

Legalization and normalization of cannabis is spreading faster than naysayers can contain it, and this is partially due to cannabis’ effects on the economy of the states it’s sold in, as well as visitors experiencing their programs. As this plant becomes as common as a cup of coffee, will it be tolerated in public spaces?

Down the road, there will certainly be innovative businesses catering to cannabis consumers specifically, but for now, it’s really up to each individual business and the laws of their locale. If you’re looking to be a cannabis tourist, you naturally want somewhere safe to toke, considering many cities and states have public use fines.

Related: Standard Hotels Will Soon Be Stocking Something Surprising In Mini Bars

For your reference and enjoyment, here are some spots that allow consumption.

Geyser Peak Ranch, Geyserville, California

Kirby Hock, owner of Geyser Peak Ranch, let us know precisely why he allows cannabis at his property: “We’ve noticed the stereotype of the cannabis consumer is so far from reality. Our friends and guests are not the people who have traditionally been depicted as stoners. In fact, most consumers of cannabis are nothing like the stereotype. They are professionals, contributing members of society and oftentimes very health and wellness-conscious. In addition, we attract guests who appreciate and understand that true luxury withstands the test of time. When you’re at the ranch, time stands still. Now, imagine that feeling paired with cannabis. It’s quite magical!”

If only more spaces took this attitude. For a combination of wine country accessibility with rugged California mountain scenery, choose Geyser Peak and check out their ultra-hip retreats.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bid6ga4FB6h/

Hicksville Trailer Palace, Joshua Tree, California

Among the first to allow and advertise free use of cannabis (outdoors only for combustion), Hicksville became a haven for people looking to explore the land of Coachella without, well, Coachella. With beautiful desert views and amazing artistic amenities, Hicksville is a must see if you’re on the road between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiOAe7CAa81/?tagged=hicksvilletrailerpalace

The Standard Hotels, Downtown L.A. and West Hollywood, CA

A big splash was made when The Standard partnered with CBD product purveyor The Lord Jones. As a guest of their properties, you can shop right off the minbar. That’s not only groundbreaking, it’s the way it should be. As for their fancy rooms, we’d probably stick to vapes and edibles only.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiV5lnonV7o/?hl=en

Coral Cove, Little Bay, Jamaica

This off the beaten trail spot in Westmoreland parish provides you with everything you could want from a trip to Jamaica. Snorkeling, white sands, huge buds…it’s all here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeiZ_PdlOf4/?hl=en&taken-by=coralcovecannabis

Rockhouse Hotel, West End Negril, Jamaica

Private, sexy, and just the right amount of poppin, Rockhouse is an amazing hotel right on the cliffs of Negril, Jamaica known for their stark infinity pool sunsets and authentic Jamaican specialties at Pushcart Restaurant. The above ‘Now Smoking’ sign says it all. If you need more beach time, their sister property Skylark is brand spankin’ new and ready for the Instagram photos of your dreams just down the road. The parent company does much in the local community, stocking and supporting schools and libraries through their Rockhouse Foundation, through which a donation can win you a free stay during their yearly raffle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkVI2BCn7Hi

 

Why Your Wine Glass Now Larger

Jillian Peterson
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Why Your Wine Glass Now Larger

We often turn to wine glasses for many things — to erase our day, to put us to sleep, to enjoy the company of others, to… anything, really. But British researchers turned to wine glasses, specifically their size evolution, to help explain why people are drinking more wine in England.

By comparing the measurements of 411 wine glasses from several sources, including eBay, the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford, the Royal Household, historic catalogs from English glassware maker Dartington Crystal, and the John Lewis department store, they found that today’s wine glasses are nearly 7 timex larger than the ones 300 years ago.

Around 1700, the typical wineglass could hold 66 milliliters (about two ounces). By 1990 or so, the average wine glass grew to more than 15 ounces (449 ml). That’s half a bottle of wine!

Related: Red Wine Is The Best Alcohol For Great Sex And Here’s Why

The authors of the study conducted by the BMJ (British Medical Journal) suspect the growing glass size could have something to do with the rise in wine consumption, along with other factors. According to the BMJ:

Increased drinking since the mid-20th century reflects greater affordability, availability, and marketing of alcohol products, and more liberal licensing has led supermarkets to compete. Environmental cues such as the design of drinking glasses—particularly their size—may also have contributed to increased drinking, particularly of wine.

Studying wine glasses’ capacity over time is an initial step in considering, firstly, whether any changes in their size may have contributed to the steep rise in wine drinking seen in the past few decades and, secondly, whether reducing wine glass size may help cut consumption.

Related: How To Taste Wine Like A Professional In 10 Easy Steps

Back in 1746, the “glass excise” tax was levied and eventually led to the production of small glassware. But when it was abolished a century later in 1845, glass production became more automated and, thus, larger in the 19th century. And, as the study astutely speculated, larger wine glasses have the potential to increase the pleasure of drinking wine, which could increase the desire to drink more. Yep, that all sounds about right.

The study calls out two changes in the 20th century that likely led to even larger glass sizes:

Wine glasses started to be tailored in shape and size for different wine varieties, both reflecting and contributing to a burgeoning market for wine appreciation, where larger glasses were considered important. From 1990 onwards the US market’s demand for larger wine glasses was met by an increase in the size of glasses manufactured in England, where a ready market was also found.

Bars and restaurants are also thought to have helped skew glass sizes larger:

If wine sales increased when it was sold in larger glasses this may have incentivised vendors to use them more. Larger wine glasses can also increase the pleasure from drinking wine, which may in turn increase the desire to drink more.

The takeaway from this study and all of its glassware is that reducing the size of wine glasses across the board could reduce consumption. That seems like a conclusion even someone inebriated could have come up with.

https://giphy.com/gifs/amy-schumer-E3L5goMMSoAAo

Does Cannabis Legislation Represent The Return Of American Federalism?

Brendan Bures
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Does Cannabis Legislation Represent The Return Of American Federalism?

A very simplistic way to categorize the federal government’s current policies toward marijuana is through the prohibitionist label. While cannabis has been legalized in some form in 30 states across the country, the feds seemingly enact measures to cause confusion and consternation about the plant whenever possible. This is most clear through the actions of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who rescinded the Cole Memo, an Obama-era policy that protected state legalizing marijuana from potential federal persecution.

The STATES Act—which stands for Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States—could provide a federal solution to marijuana. Introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Gardner, the potential bill would allow states to enact and regulate cannabis regulation free from federal overreach. President Donald Trump says he’ll probably end up supporting the STATES Act while a dozen bipartisan governors have urged Congress to pass the potential legislation. The bill also has seven bipartisan co-sponsors within Congress.

In other words, the STATES Act has a real chance of passing. Obviously, this is potentially exciting news within the cannabis industry. But as The Weekly Standard recently argued, the STATES Act could signal a potential return of federalism in American politics. As Collin Roth explains, that presents some promising returns moving forward.

Via Weekly Standard:

Federalism results in fifty different solutions, lowering the stakes for “losers” on policy decisions and providing a valuable laboratory of experimentation for other states to observe. It is, in many ways, far better than a single national solution imposed by Congress or the courts. Federalism has the benefit of alleviating the heightened alarm in American politics by promoting competition and embracing diversity. Lawmakers of both parties too often look for big, one-size-fits-all solutions that turn our national politics into an existential zero-sum game over controversial issues. If Republicans and Democrats can agree, in principle, on a federalist solution to marijuana, it just might open the door to more federalist solutions on other hot-button issues.

On a small scale, the STATES Act represents Republicans and Democrats agreeing to disagree about cannabis. But the STATES Act could also pave the way for experimenting with long-gestating problems like universal health care and immigration reform on the state level similar to cannabis legalization. Then we can pick what works and discard what doesn’t at the state level and implement on the federal level.

It’s an invigorating idea, and cannabis legalization might just be the guinea pig that pushes the federalism wheel forward.

Millennials Would Rather Give Up This For A Month Than Their Phones For A Week

Amy Hansen
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Millennials Would Rather Give Up This For A Month Than Their Phones For A Week

If you asked a Millennial if they’d rather give up their pets or their phone for a week, what do you think they’d say? The app-based phone service Visible recently conducted a survey of more than 1,000 phone users aged 18-34 to find out just how addicted they are to their mobile devices.

“In a game of ‘would you rather,’ the today’s consumers would give up plenty to feed their cell phone addiction, but pets and personal hygiene are where they draw the line,” says the survey.

The majority of respondents have a soft spot for their furry friends, with 72 percent saying they’d rather give up their cell phone for a week than put their pets aside for the same amount of time. Of those who would actually send their pets packing, men (34 percent) were more likely to do so than women (24 percent). Surprised?

Nearly all of those surveyed (83 percent) would not agree to stop brushing their teeth just to have their cell phones by their side. After all, what’s the point of waiting for Bae to Snapchat if they’ve already left you for someone with clean teeth and fresh breath?

More surprisingly, 77 percent of respondents would easily give up caffeine for a week if it meant having their phones around for a more tech-driven pick-me-up. Nothing jolts you awake like the sound of an incoming text.

Now, here’s the kicker. Streaming devices seem to have nearly equal power over the Netflix generation as smart phones. A little more than half (54 percent) of respondents would rather give up movies and TV for one month than go without a phone for one week.

So, what are these people willing to use their battery power on? 77 percent would prefer to use it to talk with a loved one instead of rideshare services (35 percent), Spotify streaming (21 percent), and social sharing (11 percent) combined. Next in line for that battery power is a mix of traffic apps, like Waze or Google Maps (44 percent).

Gov. Phil Murphy And Marijuana Legalization: The Latest

Mary Schumacher
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Gov. Phil Murphy And Marijuana Legalization: The Latest

June was a hectic month for Trenton, NJ lawmakers. They had to scramble to get the budget passed, thus narrowly avoiding government shutdown. However, glaringly missing from the budget was any form of cannabis legalization legislation.

A big part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s platform was the legalization of cannabis in the Garden State; it was part of his “first 100 days” plan. He did expand the medical marijuana program to encapsulate common cannabis relieved conditions, such as anxiety and chronic pain, yet NJ is still without fully legalized weed. Why?

For one thing, cities and towns aren’t lining up to support the idea. Over 20 towns have taken action to keep cannabis related businesses outside their borders, while just three towns have said that they would welcome a recreational marketplace.

New Jerseyans may have turned on a dime, having elected the democrat Murphy after eight long years of conservative Chris Christie, who did everything in his power to keep medical marijuana from flourishing and to keep recreational from happening. However, other state leaders are not onboard with Murphy’s liberal stance on cannabis, and their votes matter.

There just aren’t enough pro-pot votes in the Legislature to have New Jersey open the doors to recreational cannabis yet. Still, no matter one’s politics, it is mostly agreed upon that the social aspects of legalization should stand or be reformed. For example, people should not be getting arrested for simple possession, especially when the arrest rates are disproportionate between white and black and brown persons.

Though legalization didn’t make it into the June budget, the fact of the matter is that it didn’t have to. A bill in support of legalized cannabis can be signed at any time, if only NJ state lawmakers could agree on the terms.

Last month, a bill that combined further expansion of the medical marijuana program and a laid out plan for legalization was submitted, however, Sen. Joseph Vitale, (D) Middlesex made it clear that he would not sign any such bill. New Jersey residents can email or call Vitale’s office to express their opinion on the matter and hopefully change his heart. Every voice is a potential difference and another bit closer to cannabis freedom and normalization.

Gov. Murphy says that he hopes to sign a cannabis legalization bill by January 1, 2019.

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