Dissecting Biden’s Statements on Federal Marijuana Reform
Written By Bri Smith
A statement Americans and cannabis advocates have said for literally decades was finally uttered by President Biden yesterday during his statements addressing federal marijuana reform. The phrase was both welcomed and yet infuriating for advocates who have been fighting for federal cannabis reform since Harry J. Anslinger preemptively ruined the lives of millions of people. Indeed, for 15 years short of a century, we’ve been shouting from the mountaintops, “It makes no sense”... and also, “What the fuck is going on?”.
For many Americans, it was a monumental day in the United States. In what is likely one of the biggest steps toward federal acceptance and decriminalization of cannabis by any president, Biden declared three areas of action for his (more on this later) failed approach to the War on Cannabis.
Invitation Only
Written By Blue Amnesia
I guess most people would consider me a loner, but I always viewed myself as diverse. I connected with people on a direct level, but was never really invited to the group events. People connected with me when they were pulled away from their cliques, but as soon as the group was together, I was back to feeling like an outcast, even if the entire group connected with me on a one-on-one basis.
Does this speak to the reality of the cannabis space? Abso-freaking-lutely! We won’t discuss the internal war between Big Pharm Cannabis and Legacy Cannabis right now, but let’s discuss, for a moment, the invitation only mindset that each one has. It seems that as soon as you’ve had any sort of interaction with one or the other you are instantly thrust into that clique, with or without your consent.
From Red to Pink - Part IV: THE BINARY, MY FIRST TOWNHALL, & PARTIES
Written By Lindsey Gunter
…However, this spark was diminished shortly after the introduction of the newly hired CFO - further emerging as the main purpose of the town hall. I recalled a few days prior when one of my coworkers urged us to read the report freshly filed by the previous CFO in a new lawsuit. I knew nothing about it, but I was still curious to meet the replacement and see what he had to say. I am going to do my best to communicate the unbelievable farce that happened next…
A Nebraskan Visits Colorado
Written By Craig Pugh
I told my Ma and I told my Pa I’m tired of this here Omaha. Denver, Denver is the show. That is where I want to go. They got legal weed out there people say is beyond compare. Ma and Pa said “Have you lost your mind? Stay away from it!”
I replied: “Are you kidding me? Have you ever tried that shit? It’s fantastic. Lifts your spirits, calms your nerves, helps you through life’s tight curves.” Ma and Pa just wrung their hands and cried: “Oh boy of ours. We thought we raised you to know better!”
All Cannabis Use is Therapeutic: The Medical vs. Recreational Cannabis Debate
Written by Jason Bird
Cannabis is one of the oldest known and most used plants on the planet, with evidence of this dating back almost 10,000 years according to recent archaeological findings near East Asia. With numerous uses as a source of medicine, food, fuel, and fiber, it’s really not a stretch then to say that all cannabis use and uses have therapeutic value for us in the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.
From Red to Pink - Part III: THE STARTUP
Written By Lindsey Gunter
Getting hired at “Red” was a surreal blur, and the company itself was more the latter definition of startup. By the time I got my red jacket, I was already elbow-deep in the supply chain and hooked on the nitro cold brew available on tap, as well as absolutely loving the company culture. I never personally found it to be as hostile and bro-like as some might suggest, just the usual pronounced levels of ego from upper-management, slowing down decision-making from time to time due to petty, pseudo-professionalism. Nothing anyone hasn’t seen before.
Remember that part in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, when Jack Skellington discovers Christmas Town? Yeah, that was me. Something new and exciting was happening to me! What I used to think was boring business information after watching my parents grow a small business into a multi-million-dollar corporation my entire life, revealed itself to be an enterprising acumen paired with passion-fueled intuition. But there was also another aspect that came with this new job that I wasn't expecting.
How to Combat Stoner Stigma
Written By Benjamin Gold
Today, more Americans support cannabis legalization than at any point since its prohibition, with 78% believing it holds medical value. While more Americans are consuming cannabis for different reasons, we remain beholden to the idea that stoners are lazy, forgetful, and use it only for recreational purposes.
How Government Regulation of Cannabis and Tobacco Helps Synthetic Drug Makers
Written By Mike Robinson
Almost all of the reefer madness pioneers smoked cigarettes while demonizing cannabis, claiming that tobacco smoking was medicinal. For centuries, tobacco was thought to have medicinal properties and was used to treat various ailments. In the 16th century, doctors even prescribed it for conditions such as colds, headaches, and toothaches.
From Red to Pink - Part I: The Beginning
Written By Lindsey Gunter
THE BEGINNING: I’ll never forget a co-worker asking to meet for a break that day. This was strange, since he hadn’t for quite some time. We had both been promoted to managing different states on different teams, and were effectively on almost different schedules entirely as a result. I came in two hours sooner because Arizona wakes up at least two hours before us Californians do. But, on this day of days, there was an impending “All Hands” meeting vaguely and suspiciously defined to start at what appeared to be changing times.
Encyclopedia Brownweed & The Case of the Missing Stash
Written By Dan Isenstein
Bueno Verde is the stoniest little town in all of California. And nobody was stonier, or smarter for that matter, than Raefer Bogart. But nobody ever called him Raefer (except his lady) and you better not call him “Bogart,” because nobody was more generous with his reefer than Raefer.
Everyone in town called him Encyclopedia Brownweed. An encyclopedia is a book or books filled with facts. Nobody in town knew more about weed than Raefer. Encyclopedia was not just a smoker, but a grower and award winning breeder.
May the Microforce Be With You
Written By Jon Cory
Unlike the well-known Grateful Dead song, lately, it occurs to me…what a short, commonplace jaunt this has been.
I just started microdosing psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in “magic” mushrooms. I researched two different dosing schedules, the Paul Stamets and Fadiman protocols, and decided on the Fadiman Protocol. Every three days I consume a .1g dose of locally grown Psilocybe cubensis (a.k.a. “Penis Envy”).
Having never tripped, I can affirm that microdosing has been entirely underwhelming. When compared to having an alcoholic drink or hitting a joint, I simply don’t feel any different. Then again, microdosing isn’t about short-term pursuits with short-term results. This is a long game, with lasting effects on one’s well-being.
Rare, Ancient Axe Handle Tree Used By Aboriginal Peoples is a Relative of Cannabis
Written By Mike Robinson
Aphananthe is a small genus of five species, one of which was discovered by the legendary French botanist Jules Émile Planchon (1823-1888), a man who named countless growing vines, twigs, and trees. He studied pharmacy and medicine in Montpellier and returned to this university as a professor of botany in 1853.
Before this, he taught and worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, better known as Kew Gardens, located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Cannabis, a member of the family Cannabaceae, is grown at Kew Gardens. "How to eat to save the world," an article by their staff featuring the health benefits of hemp seeds, was just published on the Kew Website in July.
Burnout: When Burning One Down Just wasn’t Enough
Written By Wilfred Maina
I am burnt out.
I hate typing out those words, but it’s true. I am burnt out, and I have to play the cards I’ve been dealt.
So, let’s talk about burnout.
Knobs and Bongs
Written By Natalie Goldberg
Recently, I decided to have a mystical experience with a bong I have not used before. I have kept it on a shelf because it was a gift and I felt it was too beautiful to use. It was discovered in the faraway lands of Oklahoma. This particular psychedelic moment seemed to call to this particular bong. I filled the bowl, and upon lighting it I knew I was going to feel the universe a little louder. Once I lit the bowl and watched all the cannabis fibers rise up in flames, I began speaking to the bong only because I felt that it was speaking to me first.
How My Cannabis Compassion Journey Turned Me Into the Ultimate Researcher
Written By Mike Robinson
"You have cancer." These words dig deep into the core of one's soul and change a person forever. You either learn to be a warrior or prepare for your end times. Determined to beat the disease without resorting to conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, I turned to cannabis oils, as they were the only route I thought I could take against three different cancers running concurrently - and still have a fighting chance of surviving.
Cannabis Carrie Bradshaw
Written By Natalie Goldberg
I was watching the classic Sex and The City series the other night and wondered, what would it be like if Carrie Bradshaw was a full-time marijuana user? Carrie Bradshaw, who is played by Sarah Jessica Parker on the popular HBO series Sex and The City, has captured many women’s attention over the years, including mine. I named my Barbies Janey Glenn and Lynn Stone from the characters in Girls Just Want to Have Fun, where SJP played the character of a forlorn-Catholic school girl who is suppressed by her strict father, yet sneaks out of her house to dance on live TV. This and other tantrums of Sarah’s, as displayed on my television over the decades, had a direct influence on my own mannerisms, so much so that we now have many more similarities.
Keeping Cool
Written by Jon Cory
One of my favorite scenes of Marvel’s The Avengers is the alien attack on New York City. Bad guys and giant flying worm/bugs are pouring endlessly out of a wormhole, destroying everything and everyone in their path. For the first time, the Avengers are facing a foe together, and yet one of their key members has yet to prepare for the imminent battle. In fact, he’s quite calm.
Useless Stigma
Written by Natalie Goldberg
I remember when Mom found my secret stash of weed. It was seven years ago and I was just divorced, so I had moved back in with Mom. One day, I found my glass bong out of his bubble-wrap protector, with my zip-lock bag of mystery-strain weed thrown about on the bed. I now understood why she ignored me upon my arrival home that day. How could she still be this judgmental?
The Birds , The Bees and Smoking Trees: How does Weed Affect Libido?
Written by Casey Renteria
These days, it seems that we can find a way to infuse just about everything with cannabis. Definitely food and tinctures, and of course lotion and beauty products. Did you know that we even infuse lube with cannabis? After my own experience exploring a variety of these infusions, I began to wonder…is there any research regarding what cannabis can do to your libido?
Can a Nurse Flourish in the Cannabis World?
Written by Natalie Goldberg
I am in the midst of a major transition. A few years ago, I took a job as a cannabis nurse. I felt burnt out by psychiatric nursing after having dispensed opiates and narcotics to patients that showed up monthly with little to no improvement in their health, despite years of trying. Feeling indifferent about being a nurse took over my entire attitude. At the time, I was living far from my hometown because of an attempt at living in a recreational-cannabis state. Unfortunately I ended up working in a non-recreational state. Inspired by my loneliness and defeat, I decided to look for work back home in Florida.
It was 2019 and Florida’s medical marijuana program had really taken off. When I found a clinical position for medical personnel, preferably a nurse, to provide treatment and education on the endocannabinoid system, I freaked out. I interviewed and they were excited that I was a fan of cannabis and that I could also give vitamin injections, so they hired me. I was in shock. My life changed in seconds as I began the transition from psych nurse to cannabis nurse.