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Silicon Valley’s Latest Weed Venture: Marijuana Tupperware Parties

Brendan Bures
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Silicon Valley’s Latest Weed Venture: Marijuana Tupperware Parties

Silicon Valley is always trying to re-invent the wheel and expect you to be surprised the wheel exists. Or that wheels were even a “thing” in the first place. Not a criticism, just a statement of fact. Find me a Silicon Valley idea that doesn’t sample from the past, recontextualize existing ideas and package them into a more serviceable product. Uber is a perfect example of this—a homebrewed taxi service, but ordered from your smartphone—and yet I use 10,000 percent more taxis through Uber than I did prior to its existence.

I bring this up because it represents an idea brought up by Sima Sistani, who is a hot commodity in Silicon Valley currently. Sistani is the co-founder and CEO of HouseParty, the popular video group chat service beloved by teens. (Seriously ask your nephew about HouseParty, they love that shit.) Sistani was a guest on The Verge’s brand-new podcast Converge, where she discussed various topics like being a parent in the social media era, and her past career. But Sistani’s concept to venture into the cannabis world was what peaked our ears.

“My big idea is Stella and Dot for Pot,” she told Converge host Casey Newton.

Sistani’s idea revolves around introducing cannabis covertly into homes where stigmas may be still be associated with the plant. In other words, homes like her own, as Sistani admits to being a straight arrow on the straight and arrow.

“I feel like that [marijuana] has the stigma, and the way to take the stigma away is remove the dealer. Right? Have the hostess. You bring her, it’s like a Tupperware party. You can invite her over, except the Tupperware has brownies in it,” she said.

For those that don’t know what Stella and Dot are (like myself), Sistani explained the concept while also explicating her own.

Via The Verge:

[Stella and Dot is] basically a retailer, but the idea is along the lines of Mary Kay or Avon, where you invite somebody to your house, they host a party on your behalf, and your guests can walk away with buying some beautiful jewelry. And, in the same way, I think that people should be able to come over and maybe, I don’t know, partake in some chocolate-covered espresso beans that are micro-dosed with marijuana. I’ve brought up the idea a couple of times in mixed company in Menlo Park, and I get some odd [looks]. … A couple people who love it, a couple people who are wondering why I’m allowed to have children.

But I really think that if you applied that same business model, that you could bring something to the masses in a safe way. And, frankly, you don’t wake up with a hangover, and it’s just as good of a nightcap as a glass of wine. So, why not?

There you have it: Re-packaging something old into a modernized product and service. Not a bad Silicon Valley idea, all around it. Sign us up.

These Pro Boxers Are Using CBD For Performance Enhancement And Recovery

Brendan Bures
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These Pro Boxers Are Using CBD For Performance Enhancement And Recovery

We know the medicinal benefits of CBD. They are manifold and the reason why professional athletes from fighters to football players have embraced the drug, even if that means doing so on the down-low. Cannabinoids have the ability to relieve pain, act as an anti-inflammatory, and decrease injuries. Now these pro boxers are using CBD for performance enhancement and recovery.

Following the World Anti-Doping Agency removing CBD from the banned substances list, professional boxers have discovered how CBD can benefit the body. Two US boxers have openly discussed using CBD in their training regimen. One is 20-year-old lightweight Teofimo Lopez, who is a Honduran-American boxer on the rise. He’s also become an advocate for athletes using CBD in recovery and earned himself a sponsorship from Green Roads Athletics. He will feature the company’s logo on his gear and apparel for the remainder of 2018.

RELATED: Counting On Health: 7 Incredible Benefits Of THC

Via World Boxing News:

Lopez continues to use CBD to enhance his training and for quick recovery times. Like many other athletes, Lopez uses CBD pain relief cream on the skin, for quick absorption into the muscles. He also uses oral CBD oil for more holistic relief.

Natural remedies are proving extremely popular in all walks of life. Lopez wants to educate other boxers and elite athletes about the benefits he has found in using CBD. He says it can shorten recovery times, clear the mind and help with pain.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is Shannon Briggs. The 46-year-old veteran has seen it all in the boxing world and will soon launch a line of CBD products through his ChampRX business venture. Briggs revealed that CBD helped him battle depression and assist with recovery times in a recent interview.

I’ve suffered from depression since I was a kid. I’ve battled with it on and off throughout my life,” Briggs told UPI.

RELATED: NFL Denies Player’s Request To Use Medical Marijuana

“I was prescribed Cerritos … Xanax, Zoloft. They ballooned me up to 400 pounds. I wanted to kill myself, but fortunately this plant saved my life. Why is it not being sold to the world? Big pharma must be involved. We gotta stop this. We gotta come together and save lives.”

“CBD changed my life,” he added.

Mitch McConnell Is On Board With Descheduling Hemp

Mary Schumacher
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Mitch McConnell Is On Board With Descheduling Hemp

Before hemp was prohibited, along with cannabis via the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, it was mandatory for farmers to grow the crop. It is speculated that hemp’s ability to make paper, fiber, plastics and even fuel was a major reason for it being banned. Now, hemp is well on its way to making a comeback, and one of its most influential champions is Mitch McConnell.

It seems that hemp is one of the most bipartasan issues at hand, with parties on both sides of the isle agreeing that hemp should be descheduled at the federal level. And it just may. The idea is included in the upcoming Federal Farm Bill. Descheduling hemp would open the doors to farmers who are yet nervous about its Schedule I status to grow the crop, which is primarily an import to the U.S. at this point.

Growing hemp domestically wouldn’t just provide farmers the chance to prosper, it would be a step in the green revolution’s direction. In time and with the right equipment and foresight, hemp could replace the need to cut down acres upon acres of trees for paper and building materials. Like Gerald Ford once envisioned, we could make cars from hemp and even airplanes. The possibilities are literally endless with this diverse and useful crop.

McConnell’s state of Kentucky has a long history with hemp, which was once its main cash crop. McConnell has been a longtime advocate for descheduling hemp, but with provisions in place. This is the basic gist of what hemp reform looks like through McConnell colored glasses:

Hemp will be removed from the government list of controlled substances. Hemp will be regulated from state to state. Hemp researchers will be able to apply for federal grants, which would be enormous for the hemp CBD industry as well. Hemp farmers will be able to apply for crop insurance.

It is yet unclear if all of the above will be included in the final version of the Bill, but what is clear is that McConnell’s support would make all the difference and would likely mean that all of the above would be included. This would be a major step forward for the United States agricultural landscape and would mean the world to farmers who are currently struggling to make ends meet.

How Legalizing Marijuana Is Good For the Environment

Brendan Bures
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How Legalizing Marijuana Is Good For the Environment

Often when we discuss motivations behind cannabis legalization, we discuss medicinal benefits for humans. We talk about marijuana as an alternative to alcohol (recreationally) or destructive opioids (medicinally). We list how marijuana can reduce seizures in epileptic patients help veterans manage PTSD symptoms. I haven’t mentioned cancer or chronic pain, but you get the point by now.

However, what impact could growing marijuana legally have on the environment? As cannabis remains a Schedule I drug, it encourages those in non-legal states to grow marijuana illegally in covered forests, mountains, or closed off in greenhouses. These underground farmers use enormous amounts of energy to run lights and regulate proper temperatures to grow their crops. Ushering marijuana growers into the light would allow them to embrace more eco-friendly practices, like green energy on solar farms.

Related: 8 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Marijuana’s CBD

We’ve already seen this impact occur in Colorado. In 2015, Boulder County established rules that licensed growers must use 100 percent renewable, sustainable energy in cultivation. Those who cannot comply due to space or financial reasons, must pay into an energy offset fund, with part of those funds going toward educating growers on how to adopt energy reductive practices. States can adopt similar practices when collecting taxes from marijuana sales, setting aside part of the revenue for eco-focused or conservation projects.

But we also must discuss the dangerous side effects of cannabis prohibition. Because when government officials find illegal grows, they destroy the crops. And they aren’t shy about it either.

Via Environmental Magazine:

Law enforcement officers tend to be a little bit overzealous when it comes to the destruction of illegal marijuana crops. They spray the plants and the land that nourished them with harsh herbicides like glyphosate — which, in addition to killing the marijuana plants and scorching the surrounding earth, is also a dangerous endocrine and hormone disruptor.

[…]

Cannabis might be classified as a weed, but you wouldn’t kill your entire garden and then salt the earth just to get rid of a few weeds. Plus, stopping the use of these chemicals keeps them from being picked up in rainwater runoff and ending up in our rivers and lakes.

Perhaps the biggest reason to legalize marijuana from environment standpoint, though, is hemp production. By most accounts, hemp is one of the most versatile crops available, but it’s been illegal to grow stateside, thanks to the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. Though hemp products have flooded the market, including hemp-derived CBD oils, that hemp all arrives from international origins. Hemp is also a great rotation crop, as it grows quickly, and de-toxifies the soil. It also breaks down post-harvest to fill the soil with further nutrients.

Related: Hemp, Hemp, Hooray! How Hemp Can Save The Planet

While using cannabis as a medicine might be at the forefront of the legalization conversation, its boost to the environment shouldn’t be dismissed.

Couples Who Eat This Food Have More Sex, According To Study

Amy Hansen
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Couples Who Eat This Food Have More Sex, According To Study

If you’re trying to get pregnant, listen up. Little swimmers thrive on little swimmers. A new study finds that couples who eat seafood more than twice a week have a better chance of conceiving. Oh, and they also have more sex. Coincidence?

The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, tracked the diets of 500 couples (in Michigan in Texas) over the course of a year.

By the end of the study, nearly all (92 percent) couples who ate more than two portions of seafood a week had gotten pregnant. That’s compared to 79 percent of those couples who ate less seafood. (And, yes, those couples who got knocked up were trying to get pregnant before the study began.)

Not only did the couples who ate a lot of seafood get pregnant more quickly than those who did not (note: the seafood source was not accounted for), they also reported having more sex. And because scientists can’t assume the two are connected, they are chalking it up to seafood, which they believe may boost fertility in some other roundabout way. And extra serving of omega-3, anyone?

“The original reason why shellfish such as oysters were linked to increased libido was due to their high zinc content,” the study’s co-author, Audrey Gaskins, Sc.D, explained to The Daily Meal. “However, given that we did not measure zinc intake in our study and zinc is found in many other foods other than seafood, we felt uncomfortable making this link.”

She also said seafood may not be entirely responsibly for a quick pregnancy, telling The Daily Meal, “It is also possible that couples who consume higher amounts of seafood together share more meals and thus more time together (including nights), which may be a behavioral explanation for the association we observed with sexual activity.”

[h/t New Scientist]

Why The Cannabis Industry Needs Friends Like John Boehner

Mike Adams
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Why The Cannabis Industry Needs Friends Like John Boehner

The one time Capitol Hill carnivore and staunch opponent of marijuana legalization is responsible for keeping a number of pot-related bills from getting any considering in the halls of the lower chamber. But now that he has no official position in Congress, his attitude has changed. Former Republican House Speaker John Boehner announced last month that he has seen the light and now wants to do his part to bring the cannabis plant out of the depths of federal prohibition.

But Boehner’s motives seem to be more financially driven than just some midnight epiphany telling him that legal weed is the right move. The alcoholic-eyed Republican has joined the advisory board of the cannabis firm Acreage Holding, along with former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. In a joint statement, the two said, “we both believe the time has come for serious consideration of a shift in federal marijuana policy.”

Of course, Boehner’s change of tune has prompted the cannabis community, the same one that was fully prepared to publically flog him not so long ago, to embrace its new friend.

A number of states have legalized the leaf for medicinal and recreational use, but the movement is not showing any signs of a slow down. There are a number of legalization attempts being made this year in part of the United States that are expected to pass without issue. This is because the majority of Americans now support the legalization of marijuana more than ever before. Some of the latest polls show 70 percent of the population believes that pot should be taxed and regulated in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco.

But, regardless of the strong public support for legalization, marijuana simply doesn’t have enough clout in Congress to go big. But a man like Boehner in the cannabis corner doesn’t hurt.

There are a number of marijuana-related measures lingering in Congress right now just waiting for lawmakers to give two flying squirts. Senator Cory Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act, which was introduced last year, is still collecting dust. More recently, Senator Chuck Schumer has said that he will submit a bill aimed at ending marijuana prohibition.

But all of this submitting and filing means nothing without the pressure (or incentive) to take action. Perhaps this is where Boehner might be able to do some damage on the cannabis industry’s behalf. He understands that “while the Tenth Amendment has allowed much to occur at the state level, there are still many negative implications of the Federal policy to schedule cannabis as a Class 1 drug.”

Even if Boehner’s influence on the Republicans doesn’t bring about significant change in the near future, some lawmakers are confident that a Democratic takeover on Capitol Hill in the next election could be enough to forge ahead to nationwide legalization by 2021.

“I made a bet that within five years, every state will be able to treat cannabis like alcohol and there will be universal access to medical marijuana,” said U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer. “If we do our job, it’s game over in two years.”

Meghan Markle Is Learning How To Be A Royal From Someone Named ‘Samantha The Panther’

Amy Hansen
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Meghan Markle Is Learning How To Be A Royal From Someone Named ‘Samantha The Panther’

Meghan Markle has only been a member of the royal family for about a week and she’s already been assigned someone to help her navigate her way through royal protocol.

The Queen herself has “lent” the Duchess one of her most trusted aides. Her name is Samantha Cohen and according to The Daily Mail, the “feisty Australian” earned the nickname “Samantha the Panther” because of her no-nonsense approach. And if you ask The Queen, it’s just the thing Markle needs to kick her into royal gear.

Cohen, 49, is the Queen’s assistant private secretary. The Daily Mail reports she has 17 years of experience as part of the Queen’s top team who advises Her Majesty on a daily basis. Markle should be a breeze compared to this.

https://giphy.com/gifs/bbc-royal-wedding-royalwedding-Tanr3YkpFXwPSkb0EZ

Via The Daily Mail:

The married mother-of-three, who doesn’t mince her words, will guide Harry and Meghan through their first year of marriage and has already played a key role at the royal wedding and [the] Buckingham Palace garden party – [Markle’s] first appearance as Her Royal Highness.

Markle is said to be willing to “listen” under the mentorship of Cohen.

A source told The Times:

It will be six months of listening. She is seeking out advice from a range of people. She is going to proceed with humility. It is not going to be quiet, though. It is going to be a very busy office. She has worked every day of her life. She is used to a demanding schedule.

https://giphy.com/gifs/suitsusanetwork-suits-usa-l41lZIeiDDpii4HEA

This City Is Ranked Highest In Multiple Orgasms

Amy Hansen
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This City Is Ranked Highest In Multiple Orgasms

The results are in and orgasms are up — at least for once city in particular, according to a new survey by SKYN Condoms.

Nearly 4,000 people were polled for the 2018 SKYN Condoms Millennial Sex Survey, revealing that Atlanta is having more orgasms than any other U.S. state. The survey finds that 19 percent of respondents say they have three or more orgasms. Seems Georgia has a good reputation for high quality, and not just peaches.

Speaking of peaches, redheads reported having the most sex with 77 percent reporting weekly sex. Half of redheads also report sexting at least once a week, which might explain why they’re having more sex.

https://giphy.com/gifs/mad-men-christina-hendricks-joan-halloway-J82LJHAp1JmQ8

Favorite position? Doggy-style is the clear winner with 31 percent of both men and women saying it was their favorite followed by missionary and cowgirl.

Now, for a bit of a downer. More than half (54 percent) of respondents said they perceive women negatively for having multiple sexual partners with women being the most judgy: 61 percent of females say they have a negative view of of women who have multiple sex partners. Do better, ladies.

Related Story:

Politically speaking, Republicans report having sex more frequently than Democrats. While 77 percent of Republicans report having sex at least once a week, only 68 percent of Democrats say the same. However, Democrats are the ones using condoms more frequently: 66 percent of democrats report using condoms either ‘always’, ‘most of the time’ or ‘sometimes.’

Still want more? Here’s the complete survey rundown.

American Pain Society: Let Scientists Study Cannabis

Terry Hacienda
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American Pain Society: Let Scientists Study Cannabis

Does cannabis really relieve pain? If there remains any doubt, let’s examine how the American Pain Society answers the question.

The Chicago-based organization, comprised of scientists, clinicians and other health professionals, earlier this week endorsed compromise legislation in the U.S. Senate amending provisions of the Marijuana Effective Studies Act of 2016. The bill would remove excessive regulatory barriers inhibiting researchers from obtaining marijuana plants for studies to assess the herb’s medical effectiveness and safety.

“This is a very important bill that I fully endorse,” said a leading medical cannabis researcher, Mark Wallace, MD, an APS Board Member and chair, Pain Medicine Division, Department of Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego. “A key component is Title 3, which will allow researchers to manufacture cannabis that represents more real-world experience. Currently, researchers are limited to working with NIH-produced marijuana for their studies.”

The original MEDS Act was co-sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). A second bill with a similar purpose but different details is co-sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Charles Grassley (R-IA). Sponsors of the competing bills have reconciled their differences and now support compromise legislation.

Wallace said that many regulatory barriers prevent legitimate and responsible scientific research on the potential benefits and risks of medical cannabis, and countless individuals with chronic pain use marijuana without professional guidance based on reliable studies.

“Passage of The MEDS Act will allow scientists to study more thoroughly the safety and clinical efficacy of medical cannabis,” said Wallace. “Cannabinoids are clinically promising chemical compounds, but there is a critical need for robust research to find targets for medical development.”

In June 2016, the APS published guidance in The Journal of Pain for physicians caring for patients who use cannabis. The paper identified future research priorities to better understand the health effects of cannabinoids and explained that expanded medical use will require high-quality medicinal grade cannabis with strict quality control and known constituents.

Dear Mainstream Media: Stoner Stereotypes Are No Longer Relevant

Terry Hacienda
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Dear Mainstream Media: Stoner Stereotypes Are No Longer Relevant

Not every cannabis consumer is a Grateful Dead-loving, tie-dyed wearing, patchouli-smelling hippie with a peace sign tattoed on her arm. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

A new class of cannabis consumers is helping reshape the marijuana culture. According to a new survey of 800 legal cannabis users, conducted by New York-based media and brand consultancy Miner and Co. Studio, today’s cannabis consumer is not what the hackneyed stereotype suggests.

Respondents to the survey were:

  • 21 to 55 years old (35 on average)
  • 51 percent male; 49 percent female
  • 77 percent have a household income of $75,000 or more
  • 86 percent employed full-time
  • 73 percent married or living with a significant other
  • 72 percent parents of children under 18
  • 49 percent Democrat; 30 percent Republican

A major contributing factor to the changing consumer acceptance is the impact media has played. According to the study, 72 percent of respondents believe having cannabis consumption and consumers portrayed in TV shows and mainstream media has influenced legalization.

These viewers want their favorite shows to continue to play a positive cultural role in promoting greater acceptance and legalization and 85 percent want their shows to find ways to have storylines and characters speak out if federal law enforcement starts to prosecute buyers/sellers of cannabis in states where it has been legalized.

“Media has played an incredibly important role in the societal acceptance of cannabis consumption, but there’s still work to do” said Robert Miner, president of Miner & Co. Studio. “The same recognizable trope of the harmless silly stoner that drove normalization has now become an impediment to acceptance for productive and engaged consumers of cannabis.

“Recreational consumers feel concern that non-consumers of cannabis will take them less seriously and question their judgement, and consumers of medical marijuana too often find that they need to be careful discussing their use with some peers or employers who may see them as unreliable or lazy based on ingrained stereotypes of cannabis use – even for medical needs,” Miner added.

“When a character on a show drinks a beer or a glass of wine, they aren’t presented as an out of control drunk or an alcoholic – but consumption of cannabis in any amount far too consistently turns that character into a zoned out bumbling stoner.  The creative community has an opportunity to recognize the impact of these representations and present cannabis consumption in a more positive light to help overcome the stoner stereotype that casts a stigma on key members of their audience.”

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