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News
We Should Abolish Drug Testing for Cannabis
As an enthusiastic lover of cannabis for nearly two decades, one of the biggest banes of my existence was always the dreaded work place drug test. I’ve lost out on more than a few good jobs because I could not pass a UA, despite having a great looking resume and all of the right qualifications. Every cannabis user out there can relate to the stress of not knowing whether or not enough time had passed since they’d put down the pipe. Smoke Weed or Keep Your Job? Things did not change when states began legalizing cannabis. In fact, many medical cannabis users found themselves out of a job, simply for daring to take their medicine. This of course caused a lot of undue financial stress that certainly was not helping people who were already in a delicate physical state. People who suffered from debilitating medical conditions were basically out on their asses, even if their doctor had suggested they try cannabis. This is not the case with people who are prescribed, for example, prescription pills. Drug tests have always been unfairly biased against cannabis users anyway. Cannabis being fat soluble makes it stay in the system for weeks longer than far more dangerous substances like meth and heroin, which are out of the system in a matter of days. It’s time to get rid of employment related drug testing for cannabis. What do we get from drug testing for cannabis? Law abiding citizens in legal states are unjustly punished for partaking in a perfectly legal activity, which of course leads to financial ramifications. Medical cannabis users are forced to choose between treating their medical condition or keeping their job, a thing that is necessary for them to treat their medical condition in the first place. On the employer’s side, companies are losing out on tons of qualified candidates, people who would surely be assets to their companies. It’s a lose-lose situation. Caesar's Palace stopped testing employees for cannabis last year. Image Source: Travel Channel A Lot of Employers are Phasing Out Drug Testing for Cannabis Fortunately, employers across the US are starting to come around to the idea of doing away with drug testing for cannabis. Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, where recreational cannabis has been legal since July 2017, announced early in 2018 that they would no longer be including cannabis in the list of substances they would test employees for. Other companies in legal states have complained that testing for cannabis eliminates a significant portion of their pool of qualified employees. Yeah, we know. We cannabis lovers have experienced this frustration for years! There are no state laws that protect recreational cannabis users and few protections exist for medical cannabis users, though the groundwork has been lain down. Now they just need the legislation. Even members of the Trump administration have shown a change in attitude towards cannabis testing. At a hearing of the House Ways and Means committee, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta hinted that employers should reconsider drug testing for cannabis so as not to disqualify qualified candidates. Change is already in the works. I think that soon we will see the last of drug testing for cannabis. Spark one up in celebration folks! Image Source: industryweek.com Have you ever lost a job because of testing positive for cannabis? Got anything else to add? Tell us in the comments!
Marlboro Is Investing in Cannabis. This is a Bad Idea.
It looks as though big tobacco is coming to the cannabis industry sooner than we had expected. This week Atria Group Inc., one of the biggest of the major tobacco companies in the US announced that they were investing a significant amount of money in Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group. They stand to make a lot of money off of this business venture—nonetheless it is still a bad idea. I’ll get to why in a minute. Atria announced that they were investing 2.4 billion dollars in Cronos, which comes out to 45 percent ownership, a representative for the company said Friday. Altria even has a plan in place that would allow them to pay an additional 1.4 billion dollars, which would allow them to control 55 percent of the company, bringing it up to 3.8 million dollars. The only other time a major corporation has invested such a large amount of money was when Constellation Brands, makers of Corona, invested 4 billion dollars earlier this year. Cronos is one of the largest providers of medical and recreational cannabis in Canada. Marlboro is of course one of the most recognizable cigarette brands in the US, with the exception of maybe Camel. I’m old enough to remember when the Marlboro Man was plastered all over billboards. Cigarettes are still the greatest cause of preventable death in the US. Cannabis is just now starting to shed the stigma that it has had for over a century and be seen as legitimate medicine. The last thing we should be associating cannabis with are cigarettes. Big tobacco should butt out of the cannabis business. Source: pressherald.com Got anything else you want to add? Is this is good move for Atria? Tell us in the comments!
Get Ready: Cannabis Gel Capsules are Coming!
The largest cannabis company in Canada, Aurora Cannabis, announced today that they would begin marketing and manufacturing cannabis gel capsules. The company stated that they had been officially given the go ahead from Health Canada to sell the gel caps for both the medical and the recreational market. Aurora expects that the cannabis gel capsules will hit the international market sometime early next year. Aurora is partnering up with gel capsule manufacturers Capcium Inc, to market a bottle of 30 cannabis soft gel pills, priced at $45 a piece. It should be noted here that Aurora owns 19% of Capcium Inc. The company plans to market them first towards medical cannabis users, then eventually the recreational market. The capsules are being marketed as a safer and more effective method for consuming cannabis. Soft gel capsules work the same as edibles, but unlike edibles, they do not contain added sugars or sodium that some cannabis users would perhaps rather avoid. gel capsules of course are more appealing to potential cannabis consumers who want to avoid the stigma and potential health issues of smoking flower, and who might even be a little wary of vaping. There is also of course the fact that cannabis softgels would be a great way to take in an accurate measured dose. These pills will likely be a game changer for both the recreational and medical markets, as they will attract people who otherwise would not use cannabis, thus pushing it more into the mainstream. This business venture could likely draw more investors to the industry, which has seen a rough last couple months. Of course the opposite could happen and Aurora Cannabis could end up falling flat on their face. Somehow I doubt it, Source: newcannabisventures.com Image Source: ComBineDhemp.com Will marketing cannabis pills be a good thing for consumers, or will this even make a difference? Tell us your thoughts if you care to in the comments below!
Mexico Says Cannabis Criminalization Unconstitutional
On Halloween, the Mexican Supreme Court surprised everyone with their latest ruling that cannabis criminalization is unconstitutional. Reuters reports that the court ruled in favor of two separate cases that were filed challenging cannabis criminalization. This now creates a precedent that Mexico’s lower courts must abide by. Will full on legalization in Mexico be next? It seems likely. Legalization advocates rejoiced. “This is a historic day,” said Fernando Belaunzaran, member of the leftist Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD) and a drug law reformer. This decision is huge, and may likely lead to other countries making the same rulings, leading to a tidal wave of legalization that could end the drug war forever. At least, that’s what one would hope would happen. It’s important to note that the ruling does not say anything about being able to sell it, so you’re not likely to see dispensaries any time soon. One thing to consider is how this will affect drug war policies in the US, where Jeff Sessions’ Justice Department has been going pretty hard for reigniting the drug war. If Mexico decides to legalize recreational cannabis, that will mean that the US is surrounded by weed. Will they just accept the inevitable, or will they go full bore drug warrior. I’m betting on the latter, but we will just have to see. Source: Reuters Image Source: cannabiscolorcash.com Got anything to add? Tell us in the comments!
Canadian Girl Scout Sells Entire Stock of Cookies to Dispensary Goers
There are some people who are just born to be great sales people, and this nine year old Girl Scout is a natural. Last week, nine year old Elina Childs made the news because she sold her entire supply of Girl Scout Cookies to customers waiting in line at an Edmonton dispensary in just 45 minutes. Child’s father Seann said in an interview with CNN that she usually took 2 weeks to sell her cookies just going door to door. That girl is going places in the business world, let me tell you. Okay, so yeah selling cookies to people waiting in line at a dispensary is pretty obvious, but it's still a cute story nonetheless. Childs was in the car with her father, who happened to see the long line at the dispensary. They decided why not, stopped and sold over 100 dollars worth of Girl Scout Cookies in less than an hour. According to CNN, people were overjoyed to see Elina, though she did not know why. "She didn't quite understand what the big deal was," her father Seann said. "She was just selling cookies in her mind, but everyone was so happy to see her, and kept congratulating her." How much do you want to bet more Girl Scouts will start following in Childs’ footsteps? I bet the really ambitious ones do. Parents, are you tired of selling cookies at the office? Just go wait outside of a dispensary. Let the sales come to you. Source: CNN Image Source: merchantmaverick.com Got anything else to add? Would you let your kid sell cookies outside of a dispensary? Tell us in the comments!
Happy Legalization Canada! Part 1
Recreational cannabis is now legal in Canada! Yay Canada! This is a momentous occasion, not just for the people of Canada, but for the rest of us as well. Canada is the first major country to legalize cannabis for recreational use, for all adults across the board. This is huge. For the first time ever, other countries will have a fairly concrete model for what full legalization will look like, and more importantly, whether or not it will work for them. What Does Full Legalization Mean? Starting on the 17th, adults in Canada will be able to legally purchase cannabis for recreational use from dispensaries all over Canada. Restrictions in different territories still apply, of course. In just a couple short weeks residents of Canada will be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of dried or non-dried cannabis in public. Residents of Canada will also be able to grow 4 plants for their own personal use, as well as make cannabis products (with the exception of concentrates, which are made using solvents). You can view the full rules and regulations here. Why Are People So Excited for Canada to Legalize (Besides the Obvious)? You might be asking yourself why so many people are paying attention to what is happening in Canada, when they were not even the first country to legalize recreational cannabis. When Uruguay legalized, we heard barely a peep. This time it’s different because Canada is a major world power and operates one of the largest economies in the world. They most closely resemble the US. A lot of American companies do business in Canada and they will be watching closely to see whether legalization will be successful, and even more closely to see if it will be a disaster. The recreational market is expected to make up a large chunk of Canada’s economy in the years to come, and they want some of that money. If legalization proves successful in Canada, American companies such as Constellation Brands may start pushing the US Congress to start considering legalization in the US. We’ve seen before that American corporations can be very influential when it comes to policy. So far recreational has worked out well for the states that have done it. This is the first time it’s been tried on such a large scale before. It could really go either way. One thing that we know for certain is that things here are about to change forever. Canada, all eyes are on you! What can Canadians expect? What are possible consequences? Find out in Part 2! Image Source: 420intel.com Is Canada ready for this? Share your thoughts below!
Elon Musk Offered 150k to Appear in Weed Themed Porno
Elon Musk, who made big headlines a couple weeks ago when he appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast and took a hit off a rather large blunt, has reportedly been offered 150 thousand dollars to appear in a weed themed porno film, The Sun reports. The studio, which is called XBlaze, specializes in making porn films that focus on weed. According to The Sun, in a letter addressed to Musk, XBlaze’s CEO Jeff Dillon first congratulates him on being a “fearless man with an adventurous spirit.” He then offers Musk 150K to appear on one of his films. The letter specified that he would not appear in a sexual role (phew) and the 150K would cover one full day’s work. 150 thousand is a lot of money for one day of work, but for a man like Musk this is mere pocket change. Musk has not said that he would appear in the film yet and I would not expect him to, considering the hit his company took when he puffed on a doobie. On the other hand, Musk has done a lot of things this year that I would not have expected. Source: The Sun Image Source: teslarati.com Would you watch a porno with Elon Musk in it? Do you think he’ll even appear in the film? Tell us in the comments!
Florida Cops: Don't Grab Weed that Washes Up on the Beach
Cops in Florida are looking for a woman who was photographed grabbing a rather large amount of weed from an even larger bundle of weed that had washed up on the beach in Flagler county Florida. Last week, the Flagler County sheriff's department posted the photo of the woman asking people for information regarding her identity. Naturally, they haven’t had much luck with this. Ever since the arrival of hurricane Florence last week, giant bundles of cannabis, which are packaged into smaller 5 kilo bricks have been washing ashore on the beach. County sheriff’s department are warning beachgoers not to grab the weed that is washing on the beach, rather call the police and leave the drugs alone. If you find weed wash up on the beach, it’s probably in your best interest to just leave it there, or wait until potential narcs aren’t watching and waiting to call the cops on you. Just kidding, of course. Leave the weed on the beach. One man, who grabbed a brick and decided for some reason to stay on the beach, ended up being arrested and charged with possession over 20 grams. So, if you’re in Florida and you happen to come across a big brick of weed that has washed ashore, just leave it there. And more importantly, don’t call the cops on people. Source: Washington Post Image Source: herb.co Have you ever found weed at the beach? Tell us in the comments!
Elon Musk Smoked a Blunt on Joe Rogan's Podcast
Last week super billionaire tech bro Elon Musk went on the Joe Rogan Experience and it went about as well as could be expected. Musk talked about his design for an electric plane, and called fossil fuels “the dumbest experiment in human history.” At this point Joe Rogan, known for his enthusiastic and copious use of illicit substances, produced a rather large blunt for the pair to smoke on the air. When asked if he’s had a blunt Musk replied, “Yeah I think I tried one once.” Musk took one rip, didn’t inhale, then made a face that proceeded to launch hundreds of memes on Twitter. Directly after this, two of Tesla’s top executives quit, CNBC reported. Last Friday it was revealed that accounting officer Dave Morton had quit. HR chief Gaby Toledano also announced that she would not be returning from a leave of absence taken earlier this year. Things then got worse when Tesla stock closed out Friday down 6 points. Apparently cannabis use is not as widely accepted as we thought. Musk has been at the center of continuing controversy that has continued since he called a British cave diver who helped rescue a Brazilian boy’s soccer team a pedophile. This was after the diver had called Musk’s ill conceived idea to rescue the team with a miniature submarine a PR stunt, which it obviously is. A lot of people are speculating that it was Musk smoking weed that caused his company to start tanking, but if you ask me this was many months, if not years in the making. Musk’s behavior (calling a cave rescuer a pedophile, really?) is increasingly ridiculous, especially in terms of his Twitter account, and I don’t blame investors for being turned off. Though, now they’ll say that it’s because of his recreational drug use. *eyeroll* Source: CNBC Image Source: NBC News Got anything to add? Tell us in the comments!
LA Dispensary MedMen Goes Mainstream with New Ad Campaign
LA based dispensary chain MedMen is attempting to bring cannabis into the mainstream with a brand new ad campaign that started this month, AdWeek reports. MedMen, which has been referred to as the “Apple store of weed” wants to dispel popular stereotypes about cannabis and attract a higher end clientele by appealing to a broader range of people in its advertising. MedMen’s new ads feature people doing things California is known for such as chilling on the beach and shopping in Hollywood. Each ad features the word “cannabis” emblazoned across the front. Each subject carries or has in their vicinity the dispensary’s trademark red bag. The ad campaign goes a different direction than advertising in the past, by not showing the subjects’ faces. MedMed CMO David Dancer said this was a deliberate choice because he "wanted potential customers to see their faces in the ads.” Image Source: MedMen Dancer wants to above all else, show that MedMen products can be found in or around LA’s poshest suburbs. Using cannabis is not for the stereotypical stoner any longer. This move represents a growing trend in the world of cannabis advertising. Dispensaries and other such cannabis companies are severely restricted in the advertising that they can get away with, especially in California, which once tried to ban clothing that advertised cannabis. You will see more of this advertising, especially as cannabis use becomes more of a normie thing. This may annoy some people, but it’s probably one of the best decisions a cannabis company can make. Source: AdWeek Image Source: gfarmanews.com Will this move pay off for MedMen? Do you see other cannabusinesses doing the same? Tell us in the comments!
Why is Weed in California Not Up to Code?
California has some of the strictest cannabis quality control laws in the US. Is this why most of the weed in California is not up to the state’s strict standards? Starting on July 1st, the state of California recently made its quality control standards a lot more stringent. These new rule changes are causing a big headache for cannabis cultivators in California, as many are finding that most of their product is being rejected from dispensaries. What’s the deal with these new stringent policies? Are they really for public safety or is there something else going on? The first thing that should be considered is that California has pretty strict state as far as liquor and food are concerned. So it should stand to reason that they would have incredibly high standards for their cannabis suppliers as well. Are the standards too high though? One in five samples of weed grown in California pass muster. Most suppliers run a preliminary test before submitting their samples for testing. As far as quality control is concerned, California tests for a lot of things. Over sixty different types of pesticides are authorized in the state of California, and they of course have to check for all of them. California also tests for heavy metals, any of which trigger a recall should they fail the test. It's not a bad thing that California has such strict standards. I don’t eat tainted food, and I certainly won’t smoke tainted weed. Do you want to smoke weed with fungicide in it? Didn’t think so. If you buy weed via the black market in California, there’s a high chance you’re smoking the rejected weed. Buyer beware! Source: Pot Network Image Source: Al Jazeera Got anything to add? Tell us in the comments below!
UK Company Medipen Gets Their First Public Cannabis Research Facility
This summer, cannabis biotech company MediPen will be opening the doors of their very own cannabis research facility, making them the first in the UK to open a dedicated cannabis research facility in the UK, that is also open to the public. The purpose of the new cannabis research facility is to “drive innovation around the use of medicinal cannabis,” according to The Independent. As of right now, Medipen is awaiting approval for a license to work with and import the different compounds found in the cannabis plant, which will be vital to their research. Among the things Medipen will be studying will be the effects on delta-9 THC on treating cancer including inhibiting the growth of new cancer cells and mitigating the negative effects of chemo. A representative from Medipen said in an interview with The Independent, "As it stands there is a significant amount of scientific data available detailing the powerful effects of cannabinoids within cell culture systems and in vivo. However, we plan to be amongst the first in the world to begin clinical trials on humans." This is a bellwether moment for cannabis research! We’re excited to see what they discover! Source: The Independent Image Source: ismokemag.co Got anything to add? Share with us in the comments!
