Members of the royal family have different official titles, which are either inherited or given to them on special occasions. Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement was announced last November, people have been wondering about the titles they’ll have, wanting to know if Markle will become a princess as well.
Charles, the Prince of Wales, inherited his title, which will be passed down to Prince William once Charles becomes King of England. And in the case of special occasions, it turns out marriage fits the bill. This is part of British tradition, and it happened in 2011 when Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot, earning the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
When it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s title, it would be handed out by the Queen on the day of their wedding. Most royal experts predict that Harry will be given the title of Duke of Sussex. In that case, Meghan would become the Duchess of Sussex.
Even though this title is the most likely outcome, there are other options for dukedom. According to People, Harry and Meghan may obtain the titles of Duke and Duchess of Clarence and Avondale, Duke and Duchess of Connaught, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
For those who are still wondering if Meghan Markle will ever earn the official title of princess, the answer is no, this will never happen. Only those who are born into the royal family can have these titles, like Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Even Princess Diana, who was popularly known as the Princess of Wales, was never an official princess. The name just stuck.
Beyoncé broke the mold with her Coachella performance, which was televised and experienced from all corners of the globe, causing freak outs among fans, non-fans and every person with a pair of eyes and a functioning social media account.
The concert had everything: interpretative dancing, amazing singing, an awesome band, Jay-Z and freaking Destiny’s Child. It lasted for over an hour and featured a pretty elaborate stage where Beyoncé underwent several costume changes, including an Egyptian-like outfit, a college sorority sweatshirt, and several body suits. There was so much stuff, people had to wonder how much money Coachella spent setting this whole thing up. The answer? A lot.
According to TIME, it’s estimated that Beyoncé was paid over $3 million for one performance. Even though Coachella didn’t directly confirm this amount, in 2014 festivals paid around $4 million for their major performers. In 2017, Paul Tollett, co-founder of Coachella, said that each headliner would earn between $3 to $4 million respectively.
While that’s a lot of money to spend on one performer, Coachella is one of the world’s largest music festivals. According to the Grammy Awards, in 2017 Coachella earned more than $114 million in profits. It became the first recurring music festival to break the $100 million mark in a single year.
While $3 million dollars is a lot of money for most people in the world, for Beyoncé, it’s just another day at the office. In 2017, she was named the highest paid woman in the music industry, earning an average of $105 million a year. Billboard reports that her “Formation” tour made around $256 million in over 49 stops around the U.S. and Europe, averaging out to $5.2 million a night. So she basically just did Coachella a favor. You’re welcome.
This week, the “marijuana holiday” of 4/20 arrives and tokers across the country are preparing their celebrations (if you’re looking for iconic marijuana places to visit, possible 4/20 gift ideas, or twisted movies to watch, we’ve got you covered) and that includes the rich and famous, many of whom are no strangers to documenting their waking and baking on social media. Because when you can afford to be high all day, why not give the gift of FOMO to your followers? Here are some of our favorite enthusiasts.
2 Chainz
The Atlanta rapper hosts a show called “Most Expensivest Shit” and he uses it as an opportunity to explore one of his favorite hobbies—weed. He’s smoked out of a pipe that cost $150,000, enjoyed a privately catered marijuana-infused meal with Hannibal Buress and Tommy Chong, and puffed a gold-covered joint.
For 4/20 one year, he smoked out of the “Picasso of bongs,” which cost $10,000, took four days to make, and caused him to blast off like an airplane. We’re not joking.
Miley Cyrus
Remember when Miley was a ratchet anarchist who couldn’t stop professing her love of marijuana? Well we do. And one year in particular, Miley wasn’t afraid to post all over Instagram her adventures into the green.
Our loveliest cannabis queen never holds back for 4/20. We could do a whole article just posting Rihanna’s Instagrams of her lighting up. But instead, we’ll highlight the time Rihanna attended a 4/20 wedding, documenting the experience throughout the day to showcase how a proper marijuana enthusiast gets down.
This post requires a little explanation. Back in 2013, Joe Jonas authored an essay for New York magazine where he revealed the first time he ever got high. The first time I smoked weed was with Demi and Miley. I must have been 17 or 18. They kept saying, ‘Try it! Try it!’ so I gave it a shot, and it was all right,” he wrote.
Lovato couldn’t resist the opportunity to commemorate the memory a few years back in honor of the holiday.
It’s probably not possible to explain this one, but I’m pretty sure Zach Braff just means you should celebrate with friends, like he is with his old “Scrubs” co-star Donald Faison.
The study suggests that cannabis legalization reduced consumption of other drugs. It also reduces the instances of binge drinking and alcohol consumption in general.
When citizens vote to legalize and regulate cannabis, crime rates go down, according to a study. According to data published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, adult use marijuana laws are associated with lower levels of property crimes and violent criminal activity.
The data revealed thefts, property crimes, and rapes declined after marijuana regulation. Authors attributed the reduction in crime to less alcohol consumption and the reallocation of police resources, among other factors.
The study concluded:
“The concern that legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes may increase crime occupies a prominent position in the public debate about drugs. Our analysis suggests that such a concern is not justified.”
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Bologna, who evaluated the connection between the cannabis regulations and crime rates in counties along the Washington-Oregon border. The study shows crime rates decreased dramatically in counties in Washington, where adult marijuana use was legalized in 2012, compared to counties in Oregon, which didn’t vote to legalize until 21014.
The study suggests that cannabis legalization reduced consumption of other drugs. It also reduces the instances of binge drinking and alcohol consumption in general.
This, of course, is not the first study to make the connection between marijuana legal reform and reduced crime.
We do not find evidence that medical marijuana laws consistently affect violent and property crime. … Our results suggest that liberalization of marijuana laws is unlikely to result in the substantial social cost that some politicians clearly fear.
Studies have also demonstrated that cannabis retail outlets may actually reduce crime in the surrounding area. According to a 2017 report titled “Going to Pot? The Impact of Dispensary Closures on Crime,” marijuana shops provide more than $30,000 per year in social benefiet in terms of larcenies prevented. “Dispensary closures, and potentially the closure of other types of retail establishments, exert a significant negative externality in terms of neighborhood criminality,” the researchers said.
The Queen wore an ivory silk dress for her wedding in 1947 and Kate Middleton wore several shades of off-white when she donned her Alexander McQueen gown in 2011.
With just weeks to go before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk down the aisle and (presumably) say “I do,” we still don’t know what the bride’s dress will look like. But many speculate one thing: it won’t be white.
According to the Mirror, there are a couple of reasons why her wedding gown might not be white. First, if she decides to follow in her soon to be in-laws’ footsteps, she will be wearing a different shad of white.
The Queen wore an ivory silk dress for her wedding in 1947 and Kate Middleton wore several shades of off-white when she donned her Alexander McQueen gown in 2011.
Another reason Markle’s dress might not be white: tradition. (A word she’s likely tired of hearing by now.)
As the Mirror points out, “old school etiquette” dictates that second time brides shouldn’t wear white, as they aren’t exactly fooling anyone with their virginity ploy. And if you recall, this won’t be Markle’s first rodeo; she married Trevor Engelson in 2011, the same year Prince William and Kate exchanged vows. And that dress, well, it wasn’t exactly fit for royalty. Fit for a Jamaican beach wedding? You bet.
The dress was she wore was a boho-style strapless floor-length gown with an embellished belt. And it definitely fit her tropical wedding. We can only imagine her royal gown will be just as fitting for the occasion on May 19 and no doubt stylish.
As for what guests will be wearing to the wedding, that we know!
According to Best Life, women have been asked to wear a “day dress with hat,” while men must wear “uniform, morning coat, or lounge suits.”
This means if a gentleman is currently in the military, he may wear his uniform, but most men in attendance will be in morning coats and top hats. (According to Debrett’s, the British authority on modern etiquette, a “lounge suit” is “an expression only seen on invitations as a dress code. In conversation the terms dark suit or business suit or possibly business dress or business attire are used.”)
Female guests are expected to wear a knee-length dress with sleeves covering the shoulders. Unlike the hats, the less adventurous, the better. No skin is best. The question is, will Markle be showing skin? It would almost seem out of character for her not to look a little sexy. Church sexy, but still reflective of her personality.
How much cannabis are Canadians consuming? It’s a tough question to answer, but a federal agency has come up with an innovative way to monitor consumption: Sewage.
Yes, Statistics Canada, the national government’s official bureau commissioned to collect and study data, has begun drug screening by monitoring what gets flushed down the toilet.
Six cities —Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Alberta; Vancouver and Surrey in British Columbia; and Halifax, Nova Scotia — have agreed to provide sewage samples from wastewater treatment plants. The agency hopes to collect drug-use data from nearly 25 percent of the country’s 36 million citizens.
Canada is not the first nation to adopt this unusual approach. Several countries in Europe sample wastewater as a way to measure drug usage. New Zealand has been collecting data from sewage since last year, and Australia tests nearly half of its population’s wastewater for substance use.
Researchers say it’s relatively straightforward to detect marijuana traces, such as tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Tests pick it up even in dilute wastewater. But there’s something more difficult: using the THC concentration in sewage to extrapolate back to the amount of pot consumed.
The sewage data collection will begin just months before the nation is expected to fully legalize cannabis from coast to coast. The data will provide the federal government with a clearer estimate of how much cannabis is being consumed.
“It’s really important to start with good baseline data,” said former Toronto police chief Bill Blair, who is now parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice.
Anthony Peluso, assistant director of Statistics Canada, agrees. “There are things like surveys and whatnot where people report frequency of use, but the consumption numbers weren’t quite as reliable as we would like them to be,” Peluso told NPR.
But Peluso says there will be some issues that need to be addressed. “The suburban users, are they peeing in the city but consuming in the suburbs?”
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is transmitted through contact with blood, semen or vaginal fluids that have been infected. Often times, symptoms show up within a few weeks with flu-like symptoms: fever, fatigue and sore throat among them. Eventually, the disease becomes asymptomatic as it evolves into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Now, research shows that cannabis has the ability to tackle some of HIV’s ugliest symptoms.
In a recent study from researchers at Louisiana State University, they proved that a few daily doses of cannabis’ super-ingredient THC, can have numerous positive effects in the animal model of HIV.
The scientists administered THC to four-, five- and six-year-old male rhesus monkeys over a 17-month period. These monkeys were SIV positive (SIV is the monkey version of HIV) and received the THC dosage twice a day.
The researchers noted that the dosages dramatically reduced damage to the immune tissue of the gut over the 17-month period. This is positive because another study showed that inflammation and gut leakage are some of the main side effects of people infected with HIV.
THC had another powerful effect: It was able to increase the amount of normal cells. THC targets CB2 receptors in the brain and these receptors harbor the cells that are connected to the brain. CB2 receptors respond to the healing aspects of THC, which include reducing swelling and pain sensitivity.
In this experiment, THC activated the CB2 receptors to build new cells (which form tissue) in the gut and these cells prevent the virus from peering through the cell walls.
So while HIV has the power to kill the cells that protect the linings of the gut, THC works to bring them back, stronger and healthier.
STIs & STDs are diseases and infections contracted during sex. These can range from simple to cure infections to more complicated problems like chlamydia and gonorrhea. They can be treated with antibiotics and drugs, but some of these viruses once inside your body will stay with you forever.Say hello to herpes!
But you don’t have to get busy to get an STD. Here are 5 ways in which you can catch an STI without even knowing about it:
Beauty salons are warm and moisty, aka the perfect habitat for the bacteria and germs responsible for herpes and HPV to thrive. These viruses can pop up in different places of your body, so they’re very easy to transfer onto tanning and waxing beds. Decent salons should wipe and clean their beds regularly, so if you go to a good spot you’ll be fine. Probably.
Brazilian waxes and STIs are also intimately related, even more when done in places where you know there’s a lot of bacteria.
Dry Humping
Skin to skin contact, even if there’s no penetration of any kind, can transmit some types of STIs like HPV, Herpes, Syphilis and others.
Beards
In rare cases, crabs, scabies and herpes bacteria can hide in beards, especially when this area has come in contact with infected genitals, becoming carriers for diseases.
You should never ever share razors because these can cut you easily and aid in passing on the infections and germs from the original user of the blade.
Kissing
Cold sores in your mouth are a type of herpes that a large part of the population live with. Once you’ve contracted this virus, you’ll live with it forever, and your body will also become more vulnerable to other types of herpes, like HPV.
By kissing someone with a cold sore, you’ll become a carrier of the virus and open yourself up to different and more complex types of bacteria. You can always check the mouth of the stranger you want to kiss, or question them throughly. That’s a sure way to scare them away.
Whoa. According to a new report from investment firm Cowen, the national cannabis market could generate as much as $75 billion in gross annual sales by 2030. Their initial forecast predicted $50 billion by 2026, but now they’re saying that the market has already reached that number.
“As such, we are revising our forecasting methodology, including a higher per capita spending estimate,” states Cowen. They also mention that current estimates imply an annual spending of $1,500 year on marijuana, well ahead of their initial $1,000 forecast, which is why they upped their estimate by 25 percent.
Underpinning this estimate is proprietary analysis on binge drinking behavior, as well as the role that legal cannabis access has in terms of driving trial (measured by cannabis first use rates for 18+ consumers). This work builds on our prior assertions that cannabis acts as a substitute social lubricant for consumers. We believe this is the first time detailed state-level binge drinking statistics have been analyzed and juxtaposed against cannabis use, where we found that legal cannabis states (as of 2016) binge drink 13% fewer times per month than non-cannabis states.
The company’s new forecast reflects six major factors: binge drinking intensity variances, binge drinking volumes (binges per month), category spending, category retention, first use cannabis benchmarking and expanded opioid research.
Cowen believes that as more states legalize marijuana, cannabis will replace alcohol and, thus, binge-drinking rates.
As support continues to grow for marijuana legalization, Cowen says they expect to see ballot initiatives to legalize cannabis in both Michigan and Illinois in the upcoming November election. And that expanded access to Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey could prompt other states in the Northeast to make changes as well.
For the company’s full report, including stocks they’re optimistic about, head here.
Cannabis culture is busting at the seams, becoming more mainstream than ever. Though mentioning April 20th gets its share of eye rolls, it’s a pretty universal day of celebration of the herb and for all of the people that love it.
Every year there are more and more events taking place on 4/20, and this year looks to be the biggest yet. We scoured the internet and that Facebook events page no one looks at for the coolest 4/20 happenings around the country. Underground or out in the sunshine, this is your one stop shop for everything from immersive performance art to music and meditation festivals.
Los Angeles
Magic Bus Experience is hosting a massive experience based gathering the entire weekend of 4/20. Ticket holders have access to pillow forts, creative experiences, mazes and more.
Chef Rasta Kream is hosting a Four Twenty Food Sesh, with multiple medicated options. At $20 per ticket for four samples, you have three hours to experience some of LA’s coolest cannabis chefs and their cocktails, dishes and desserts.
Bay Area
Barbary Coast is hosting an all day speakeasy, where any purchase plus $1 brands you entry to the gathering of educational sessions and sample specials.
Join the Ganja Goddess Getaway in the Bay Area from 4/20-4/22 for a weekend of edibles, buffets, classes, yoga, hot tubs, and more.
The Hood Incubator is being sponsored by some of the Bay’s biggest cannabis brands to pass out much needed relief supplies to homeless Oaklanders from 10am to 2pm at City Slicker Farms.
New York
One of New York’s best loved clubs, House of Yes, is hosting 420: A Ganjapalooza, and you should go if you are looking for the most unique experience you’re likely to find in NYC. Described as “An exploration into the experience of cannabis presented as a disjointed spectacular of entertainment,” we don’t recommend missing it.
On 4/21, you can do some hands on crafting with BreadxButta at Studio X. Guests get special 420 cocktails while making hand marbled fabrics. Email info@breadxbutta.com for tickets
The Prohibition Party, hosted by Viride and High Herstory is bringing comedy and mysterious cocktails to NYC on the high holiday. Visit Viride for more info and to join the Female and Cannabis Revolution.
New Brooklyn offering, the Sneaky Speakeasy, is having a special burlesque performance and the launch of Mama D’s Sneaky Treats. DM @_sneakytreats for information.
Cheeba Treats, Herbs TV, and Buddy Bakes are hosting The Warm Up, a happy hour at a secret location with herbal infused finger foods and activities.
Colorado
Look for your local dispensary that stocks Keef Brands, who will be doing over 40 in-store events across Colorado on 4/20 & 4/21.
Portland
High 5 Tours 420 Adventure starts at 9am and takes you on a journey through Portland’s pot favorites, food truck paradise Cartopia, and even includes a beautiful waterfall!
Culture and Cannabis is hosting a music and art festival at Ferguson’s Downtown sponsored by Dope Magazine. From 3pm-9pm, there will be performances, Dj’s, and vendors.
Photo courtesy of Lyft
To promote safe consumption, Lyft has made a special code ‘CANNABISLV’ to grant users $4.20 off two rides, your designated driver on demand.
Evel Pie is where you need to go for your last call on 4/20, if you can make it to 4:20am, when the staff intends to send everyone off into the night with Afroman’s smoker classic “Because I got High”.
