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Legalizing Marijuana In NYC Could Create $3 Billion Market

Amy Hansen
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Legalizing Marijuana In NYC Could Create $3 Billion Market

New York is looking at $3.1 billion market if the state legalizes recreational marijuana. That’s according to NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer.

He told CNBC that if the state legalized weed, it would gain $435.7 million annually in tax revenue, with New York City getting $336 million. And he authored a report breaking down the revenue.

Stringer’s report said that with 15.1 million adults living in New York state — 6.5 million of them residing in the city — he estimated that between 8 and 10 percent are marijuana users. That’s about 1.5 million users throughout the state, or 548,000 people in the Big Apple, the report said. And, based on those numbers, each marijuana user would spend about $2,080 annually on pot — money Stringer said would be filtered back into the economy.

“This is a new revenue stream,” Stringer said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Power Lunch,” adding, “This is going to impact the kinds of resources we’ll have to invest in education, to invest in health care.”

“Let’s not be naive,” he said. “Marijuana has been around for decades, it’s the underground economy. The state and city gets no economic benefit from it. We don’t have an opportunity to regulate it.”

He went on to say that, “We should explore this. We don’t have all the answers. We have a lot of work to do on this.”

Last month, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate minority leader, said he will introduce a bill to decriminalize cannabis nationwide, tweeting:

It’s time we allow states, once and for all, to have the power to decide what works best for them.

I have long believed that states should function as their own laboratories of democracy. My bill is a step in the right direction aimed at removing the barriers to state legalization efforts.

As it stands now, legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in New York is pending in Albany.

Are Hummus Shakes The Next Big Vegan Dessert

Jillian Peterson
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Are Hummus Shakes The Next Big Vegan Dessert

Any vegetarian or vegan will tell you that hummus is their go-to snack. It’s hearty, it’s plant-based, it tastes great on basically everything. But as a dessert? That’s some serious side-eye propaganda. Looking around, are hummus shakes the next big vegan dessert?

Foodbeast dispatches news that NYC’s Hummus & Pita Co. is now offering a Hummus Shake. The milkshake alternative made its debut on Mother’s Day, otherwise known as International Hummus Day (you couldn’t have picked another day, guys?).

The shake is made of simple ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, frozen bananas, dates, almond milk, pure vanilla, and cinnamon. And according to this guy, “Throw in some aromatic spices and what is created is a shake that is great-tasting with satisfying, guilt-free mental benefits and equally impressive health benefits.”

If you don’t do dairy, you probably already know the magic that is a a frozen banana. Whipped up, it has the consistency of soft-serve. Add some chickpeas and tahini, and that there is some serious texture and micronutrients. Of course, for those with a keen eye, you’ll notice that garlic and lemon juice are not in the ingredients list, so stop wondering if this stuff will taste like Sabra. It doesn’t.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bit77cVlZiX/?taken-by=thehummusandpitaco

The fast-casual restaurant already offers chocolate, cake batter and cookie dough flavored hummus (each served with cinnamon toast pita chips), so a shake wasn’t much of a stretch. While each 2 oz. serving of dessert hummus clocks in around 100 calories, the 12 oz. shake runs about 340 calories.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhmf1v-lvp7/?taken-by=thehummusandpitaco

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhT-TFiAiiB/?taken-by=thehummusandpitaco

The great thing about a hummus shake, besides telling everyone you’ve tried one, is that it’s full of fiber, which, unlike a dairy-based milkshake, will satisfy you without giving you a case of the bloats.

Hummus & Pita Co. founder Dave Pesso told INSIDER that he spent a year tweaking the recipe until it was just right. He also described his creation as “OMFG delicious.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bika9Nbi2m_/?tagged=hummusshake

PA Approves Landmark Marijuana Research For State Universities

Brendan Bures
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PA Approves Landmark Marijuana Research For State Universities

Often the argument you hear regarding anti-cannabis legalization proponents involves a lack of research. There isn’t enough scientific information available to decide whether marijuana legalization will inflict more harm or good. The catch-22, however, is that marijuana’s status as a Schedule I drug limits any federal dollars flowing into fund studies at research institutions.

But Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced this week that eight medical schools—including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Penn State College of Medicine—have been approved by the state to conduct medical marijuana research.

JJ Abbott, a spokesman for the governor revealed the schools were selected above other as Certified Research Centers by the state’s Department of Health.

“The goal here is to get the process started today so that these eight institutions can start looking at how medical marijuana helps patients, and hopefully it will lead to more and better outcomes for patients in the future,” Abbott told WESA FM.

Added Wolf: ““Pennsylvania’s premiere medical schools will be able to help shape the future of treatment for patients who are in desperate need not just here, but across the country.”

School officials from Pitt said in a statement this program would be the first of its kind in the country. The schools will also be protected by state medical marijuana laws signed by Wolf in 2016 against any potential persecution from the notoriously anti-marijuana Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“Everything that these institutions will do going forward will be within the confines of state law, and they’ll be protected under state law to do that,” Abbott said.

Prince Charles To Walk Meghan Markle Down The Aisle

Amy Hansen
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Prince Charles To Walk Meghan Markle Down The Aisle

Prince Charles is taking his role as future father-in-law pretty seriously. It’s been announced that the Prince of Wales will be walking Meghan Markle down the aisle Saturday in her father’s stead.

In a statement released today, Kensington Palace stated that: “The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms Markle to the royal family in this way.”

Charles is taking the place of Markle’s real father, Thomas Markle Sr, who’s been at the center of some unwanted media attention as of late. Some staged, yet adorable, photos of him prepping for his daughter’s wedding left him embarrassed. However, the “official” reason he bowed out was due to his  told his health, having undergone heart surgery this week.

Related Story: Let’s Really Talk About The Mess Meghan Markle’s Dad Made By Selling Those Fake Photos

On Thursday, Kensington Palace confirmed he would not be attending:

Oddly enough, those who keep tabs on gossip rags probably know Mr. Markle better than his future son-in-law; Prince Harry has not yet met the man, who lives in Mexico.

Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, is slated to accompany her daughter in the bridal car, while also staying with her Friday night at the Cliveden House hotel in Taplow.

As The Daily Mail reports, Prince Charles walked Alexandra Knatchbull, goddaughter of the late Princess Diana, down the aisle at her 2016 wedding to Thomas Hooper.

A family friend was quoted as saying, “It’s very unusual to be given away by someone else at your wedding – even if it’s the Prince of Wales.”

Might be unusual, but it certainly will be memorable.

Technological Advancements That Are Changing The Cannabis Industry

Mary Schumacher
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Technological Advancements That Are Changing The Cannabis Industry

The cannabis industry is unfurling fast and part of its momentum is due to the tech world’s involvement. There are applications and sites now that streamline cannabis businesses to the max — for now. As tech gets more savvy and cannabis continues into the mainstream, further advancements are sure to follow.

So far, 30 states and the District of Columbia have legalized either medical marijuana or full-on recreational. With this rapid expansion has come opportunities for tech innovators. Now more than ever, cannabis is being monitored from seed-to-sale and that trek requires meticulous tracking and organization.

With the federal status of Schedule I still looming, there are still hurdles, especially for uniform tracking and quality assurance. So far, there are variances from state to state, but that’s also not necessarily a bad thing. It’s state’s sovereign rights that have gotten the cannabis movement as far as it’s come. That and a lot of love and hard work from activists and advocates who will always be remembered.

We’ve moved away from the outlaw culture that brought us here and are moving at a rapid clip toward regulation and compliance. Not only do they lend that extra boost of legitimacy to the movement on a broader scale, they also provide for safer, cleaner medicinal and recreational pot.

Regulation and compliance may be high on the list, but they are in the company of topics that are largely agreed upon for further cannabis advancement. Tracking seed to sale not only tracks and forces accountability, it also keeps drug cartels from having a hand in any of the processes. It keeps teenagers at bay and provides a safer approach.

Soon, dispensaries, grow operations, processing facilities, delivery services and every other aspect of the marijuana industry are going to be basically controlled by tech. Now is the race to find the best and brightest apps, sites, databases and programs to keep the market fluid, honest and impeccably in line.

We have a lot to owe to the Wild West way of doing things that got us most of the way here, but it’s time to batten down the hatches and let tech lead the way to a sustainable future in which cannabis holds the respect and accountability of the major industry that it already is.

Pittsburgh Decriminalized Cannabis Two Years Ago, So Why Are Arrests Up?

Terry Hacienda
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Pittsburgh Decriminalized Cannabis Two Years Ago, So Why Are Arrests Up?

In December 2015, with much fanfare and political grandstanding, the Pittsburgh City Council announced it had passed an ordinance decriminalizing cannabis. After more than two years later, the law appears to be failing.

Shortly after the vote more than two years ago, Pittsburgh City Councilor Daniel Lavelle told City Paper, “From a social perspective, it will really help a lot of young men and women’s lives from being destroyed or caught in sort of the hamster wheel of prosecution through governmental means,”

But earlier this week, City Paper, Pittsburgh’s leading alternative weekly newspaper, reported that marijuana-possession arrests skyrocketed in 2017 after going down the first year of the legislation.

According to detailed reporting from the award-winning weekly:

Chris Goldstein of marijuana-advocacy group Philly NORML compiled statistics from the Pennsylvania Crime Reporting System over the past few years. Goldstein counted the arrests filed under Pennsylvania statute 18F, which signifies misdemeanor possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana.

In 2016, the first year of decriminalization in Pittsburgh, marijuana-possession arrests dropped to 494 for the year (down by 160). But in 2017, marijuana-possession arrests increased to 772. In fact, 2017 arrests for possessing less than 30 grams of marijuana even surpassed the 2015 totals by 118 arrests (before a decriminalization ordinance was in place but recognized as necessary by city officials).

This, obviously, was not the intent of the law. The goal of the ordinance was that the city would save taxpayers’ dollars because fewer resources would be employed to arrest and prosecute citizens. Even more important, the city council was hoping to reduce the disproportionate arrests of black people.

Instead, marijuana advocates are up in arms over the fact that “the ordinance has had virtually no effect on shrinking the disproportionate gap in which black and white people are arrested for marijuana possession,” according to City Paper’s reporting.

Pittsburgh political leaders are aware of the law’s failure to work as intended and are exploring ways to fix the problem. But arrests will only drop again, cannabis advocates say, if changes are made to the existing law. More problematic, some people argue, is the anti-marijuana attitude of law enforcement officers in the city.

Patrick Nightingale, of marijuana-advocacy group Pittsburgh NORML,  told City Paper that possession arrests are still overwhelmingly affecting African Americans in Pittsburgh. Out of the 772 people arrested on misdemeanor marijuana-possession charges in 2017, 551 of them were black. That means in a city where African Americans make up just 24 percent of the population, black residents made up 71 percent of these marijuana arrests. That percentage has seen virtually no annual change since 2013.

“You are still bringing 700 people into the court and fingerprinting them, and that is 700 people that still need their records expunged,” Nightingale told City Paper. “All of these cases are still being withdrawn. Why are these people getting fingerprinted?”

Martha Stewart Can’t Believe Oprah Smokes Marijuana

Maria Loreto
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Martha Stewart Can’t Believe Oprah Smokes Marijuana

Oprah loves her weed, or at least that’s what close friend Gayle King says. During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, King said that she’s never smoked marijuana before but that Oprah has done so in the past. And in the present. And then things got awkward so she changed the subject because she didn’t want to incriminate her friend on live TV. It’s California, Gayle. It’s okay. Also, it’s Oprah: we’re pretty sure it’s illegal to charge her with any sort of crime.

No one cares about all of this information except maybe Martha Stewart and the paparazzi who were stalking the outside of her building. Martha seemed very confused when a photographer from TMZ suddenly asked her about Oprah’s new smoking habits. We understand her confusion; it’s a jarring transition.

At first, Martha responds, “Cigarettes?” playing coy, as if she didn’t co-host a show with Snoop Dogg where they cook marijuana-infused everything. After the paparazzi makes it clear that Oprah smokes weed and not cigarettes, Martha responds, “Weed?!” and then she says “End of Oprah,” because she’s either evil or a comedic genius. We’re betting on the latter one.

This Town Has A New Giant Marijuana Leaf Flag

Terry Hacienda
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This Town Has A New Giant Marijuana Leaf Flag

In the Estonian language, the literal translation of the word “cannabis” is “kanepi”. Earlier this week, the rural Estonian town named Kanepi voted to adopt a marijuana leaf as its official logo.

The Fresh Toast – As marijuana becomes legal and more mainstream, this town has a new giant marijuana leaf flag!

The vote also means the municipality will proudly fly a new flag adorned with the marijuana leaf, local officials said. Centuries ago, the southern Estonian town was known throughout the region for hemp oil processing and hemp fabric industries. Hemp, of course, is a type of marijuana for its industrial applications and contains nearly undetectable amounts of psychoactive THC.

The Kanepi municipality was formed last summer after merging with two other districts under a single government. The citizens of the new official town voted on a new emblem, according to ERR. There were seven different options to vote on and the silver marijuana leaf garnered 12.000 of the 15,000 votes. Earlier this week, the Kanepi Municipal Council voted to endorse the vote. That vote was much closer: 9-8 in favor.

Related: Little-Known Health Effects Of Medical Marijuana

According to Mayor Andrus Seeme, the panel didn’t support the design exactly as it was presented in the referendum — while the cannabis leaf will remain, the committee recommends stylizing the leaf somewhat. Seeme said the leaf has been used as an official logo by locals for decades.

“Today the cannabis leaf is seen primarily as a recreational drug, but in fact, hemp-type cannabis has been used in practical ways for years and it has hundreds of uses,” Seeme told AFP, adding that he saw “nothing wrong” with the town’s new logo. “We have a few local businesses producing organic hemp oil and flour,” Seeme said, adding that a local bakery also sells bread with hemp seeds while another business produces concrete using hemp.

Cannabis is illegal in Estonia, but possession and use of small quantities for personal use is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine.

NY Daily News – It’s Time To End Reefer Madness

Terry Hacienda
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NY Daily News – It’s Time To End Reefer Madness

In New York, it’s getting real. You can almost taste it. Cannabis legalization appears to be getting closer to reality.

On Friday, the New York Daily News front page featured a pair of marijuana leaves with the headline blaring: “WEED THE PEOPLE.” Readers were told to turn to page 24 of the tabloid to read their editorial in full-throated support of legalizing the herb.

The jaw-dropping front page and 684-word editorial is just the latest salvo in the half-century-old War on Drugs. In just the last few weeks:

  • New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he will work with the NYPD to slash marijuana arrests by mid-June.
  • The New York Times reported that people of color are STILL arrested at much higher rates than whites. In Manhattan, black people were arrested at 15 times the rate of white people, according to the Times’ investigation.
  • Councilman Rory Lancman, head of the City Council’s justice committee, urged the city’s five district attorneys to stop prosecuting low-level cannabis possession cases.
  • Actress and activist Cynthia Nixon is running for governor with cannabis reform as a major plank in her platform. Her surprising early momentum has out incumbent Andrew Cuomo, no friend of cannabis activists, into a difficult political position. His anti-marijuana position will most likely have to shift if he has any chance for re-election.
  • The state’s Democratic party has already staked out its pro-marijuana position and is expected to endorse legalization at next week’s annual party convention.

There have been other subtle changes in the Big Apple, but Friday’s front page editorial endorsement in the Daily News may be a tipping point.

“Ending marijuana prohibition and establishing a system to tax and regulate marijuana for adult use is the smart choice for New York communities because it will alleviate one of the biggest causes of negative interactions with law enforcement,”said Kassandra Frederique, New York state director for the Drug Policy Alliance, “Legalizing marijuana will also provide an opportunity, due to the revenue it will generate, for the communities that have been most devastated to start to repair the harms of the drug war.”

Friday’s editorial echoes the Frederique’s sentiments. The piece begins:

We are part of this awakening, which is why we welcome the push to legalize and regulate marijuana. By every honest measure, the substance has more in common with alcohol and tobacco than it does harder drugs that are rightly illegal.

The editorial reminds readers that way back in 1977 — 31 years ago! — the city decriminalized possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana, making it an infraction with a $100 fine. But, as the piece points out:

In the intervening 40 years, hundreds of thousands of people have been arrested. Police in the five boroughs continue to make some 17,000 arrests annually for pot possession.”

And despite the fact that research shows marijuana is used in about equal numbers by whites, blacks and Latinos, blacks and Latinos make up 86 percent of arrestees. Those two groups account for just 51 percent of the city’s overall population. Even the NYPD’s chief of crime control strategies has said this gulf “should be troubling to anyone.”

 The New York Daily News editorial board concludes its argument simply: “We’ve gained little, and lost plenty, in waging this misbegotten war. It’s time to try another way.”

How Much Sex, Violence And Hate Speech Can Facebook Control?

Maria Loreto
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How Much Sex, Violence And Hate Speech Can Facebook Control?

Like most social media websites, Facebook has a problem with hate speech and trolls. Unlike other social media websites, Facebook was involved in a scandal that’s rumored to have swayed the results of the US elections, while accessing millions of people’s privacy and information. For the past couple of months, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has been in charge of providing damage control for his company, and finding ways of filtering out questionable content and preventing a situation like Cambridge Analytica from happening again.

With over 2 billion active monthly users, filtering out hate speech, violence, and sex is a complex issue. The current state of the world, filled with racial and political tensions, makes things even harder. According to WIRED, when it comes to preventing terrorism, Facebook is capable of identifying over 95 percent of content that promotes the behavior. Alex Schultz, Vice President of Analytics, claims that the state of the world influences the content that’s on the site. “When there’s a war, more violent content is uploaded to Facebook,” he says.

When it comes to nudity, sex, fake accounts, and spam, Facebook is capable of flagging over 95 percent of these posts. For graphic violence, the company is capable of controlling over 85 percent of it. When it comes to hate speech, the company faces a larger problem, being capable of stopping just 38 percent of it. Hate speech is a tough problem for Facebook to solve because it’s hard to know exactly what it is and what was the original intent of the person who made the post.

According to the transparency report, covering October 2017 to March 2018, Facebook took down more than 860 million pieces of questionable content from the website in the first quarter. Blake Reid, associate clinical professor at Colorado Law, believes that while these reports are good, it’s more important for governments to be aware of Facebook’s influence and power, because the company’s proven that its size and scale are capable of having real world repercussions. With absent government supervision and action, Facebook will have a significant hold on a large amount of the world’s population.

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