Meet pompous old Yale buddies Richard and Sebastian, who have expert knowledge on the finer things in life and who also happen to be world class “weed snobs.”

Much like wine tasting, Richard and Sebastian take you on an amusing journey through weed class snobbery.

There are too many choice quotes to pick out. I think this is my favorite by far:

Richard: First off I’m going to start off with a Philly blunt of your Super Sour Dies. Uh, now your Pre-98 Bubba Kush... that’s a Bubba Kush that’s definitely prior to 98, correct?

Waiter: Of course, Sir. We import from a boutique nursery whose Bubba clones directly descend from the original Pre-98 plant.

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This video is a production of Weed Maps, an extremely useful website that reviews local dispensaries. More of these, please! Thanks.

 
via reddit

 
As public support for the decriminalization of marijuana grows, states are loosening restrictions left and right and the US is making its slooooooow crawl towards sane drug policies. Yes, we still have a long way to go before we’re able to proudly and patriotically blow bong rips in a cop’s face, but I believe it’s healthy to acknowledge our progress and reflect on the enormous precedent of drug panics we’re gradually counteracting—so let’s check out some vintage newsreel from a drug bust in 1948!

In this dramatic Telenews short, five men and one woman are arrested for their stash of 60 “reefers” (joints) and $2,000 worth of bulk weed! That’s $2,000 in 1948, and the weed was probably terrible back then! This was before mandatory sentencing guidelines for pot, meaning these folks had no idea what kind of jail time or fines they might receive, and yet, they don’t seem particularly worried! One dude in particular can’t stop laughing; what a curiously inexhaustible humor he has!

Despite what was then the prevailing public perception of pot as a volatile gateway to psychosis and/or heroin addiction, our jovial drug dealers’ neighbors appear unruffled by the bust, and like true New Yorkers, they immediately start discussing the newly vacant apartment.
 

 
bOING bOING’s Xeni Jardin, as many of our readers probably know, is a close friend of Tara and mine, and she is also a breast cancer survivor. In a clip posted yesterday, she interviewed another of our friends, brilliant Michael Backes, author of the new book Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana (which has a foreword by none other than Andrew Weil, M.D.) about the latest in medical marijuana:

In this video my good friend Michael Backes, medical marijuana R&D expert and author of the book Cannabis Pharmacy (2014), shares some of his knowledge on the therapeutic power of pot. During my treatment for breast cancer, I learned how powerful medical marijuana truly can be in helping to alleviate some of the serious side effects of cancer treatment, including pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. I was not a pot smoker at the time of my diagnosis, and hadn’t used weed since I was a teen. Backes and my fellow cancer patients shared their experience and knowledge with me, and with the blessing of my oncologist, I found that it could be a very helpful form of relief.

In this video, Backes talks about how to use vaporizers, how to dose correctly for different forms of therapeutic relief, the difference between smoking, edibles, and vaporizers, CBD vs. THC, why the classifications of Indica and Sativa don’t matter as much as most people think, and why temperature is important when vaporizing weed.

Buy Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana at Amazon. It’s currently the #1 best-selling book in their Pain Medicine Pharmacology department. Check out the five star reviews.
 

 
Brandsonsale are selling an infant sized pot leaf Halloween costume.

This Halloween dress up your baby in our most outrageous costume yet! The baby marijuana plant costume is just the right combo of cute and edgy that is sure to get stares and laughs from everyone.

I don’t know about “edgy”—isn’t weed how you’re supposed round those edges off?

Of course, the predictable pearl-clutching from the predictable prigs is happening. I won’t link to Fox News here, but the dumb people on one their crappy shows had an inane discussion about it to an ultimately boring end. I say whatever, it’s one day out of the year and it’s not like anyone’s naming their child “Dank Sticky.” At least I hope no one is. And most people dress their kids to reflect their own tastes and project their own values—no baby has ever chosen to wear a Ramones onesie.

Brandsonsale have a full line of pot-related costumes for adults, too: There’s the basic-bro pot leaf:
 

 
They also offer the hilarious-to-no-one-I-would-trust “baked potato”...
 

 
...and the totally racist Rasta outfit. Tell me that’s not blackface—at least in spirit if not in actual fact—but the baby pot leaf, people complain about. Because priorities.
 

 

 
The Instagram feed of invader_dab is a veritable gold mine for sculptures made purely of “dabs,” a.k.a. butane hash oil and “shatter,” a sort of crystalized sheet of same (thank you, urban dictionary). For reasons unknown to me, “dabbing” is also snonymous with errl.

Invader_dab has also posted pics of LEGO men, a rubber ducky, and a video game controller—all made out of cannabis concentrates. The life span of the sculptures is expected to be limited—if indeed they are still in existence—as eventually someone will want to get totally hooted on part of Han Solo’s rickety space freighter.
 

 

 

 
via Animal

Pasture-raised pork schnitzel with overwintered vegetables and Og Kush butter
 
As pot begins its slow (but hopefully steady) move towards legality, we are faced with a wild new frontier of drug commodities. As far as I know, the plant itself has yet to be cultivated into super-costly strains—or at least… so I’ve heard, but that doesn’t mean pot extravagance isn’t springing up everywhere. There’s been an explosion of stealth bongs, vape pens and vaporizers all in the tony price range, but when a pipe can just as easily be made from an apple, “luxury weed” can be kind of a hard sell.

Enter the world of fine-dining edibles! The gorgeous foodscapes below (from photographer Justin Walker) depict the sorts of meals served at Sinsemil.la, an underground fine dining club with chapters across the US that specializes in high-end food expertly combined with pot. From the website:

The meal is a carefully calibrated experience from start to finish. Marijuana varietals are tested not just for their organic qualities, but specifically to balance the flavors of each dish and for their psychoactive properties throughout the flow of the dinner.

Sinsemil.la isn’t about getting high — it is about haute cuisine.

Uh-huh. Sure dude. I’d argue that this concept is about novelty, first and foremost—if not taking care of getting high and the munchies in one fell swoop—but who cares? Enjoy your meal, and enjoy your high (where it’s legal, of course). Be careful though! Edibles can knock you on your high-class ass if you’re not expecting it—just ask The New York Times!
 

Potato gnocchi with White Widow buttered wild mushrooms and fresh Diesel
 

Roasted local ribeye with Maui Waui baked potatoes and spring vegetables
 

Warm Girl Scout Cookies Chocolate Cake with Rhubarb and Grand Daddy Purple Ice Cream
 
More after the jump…

 
This clip is great: TV reporter Charlo Greene of KTVA in Alaska, quit her job live on-air after revealing she was the founder of the AK Cannabis Club.

Via the Sydney Morning Herald:

Her announcement followed a story on the Alaska Cannabis Club, a “collective” that “connects medical marijuana cardholders in need to medical marijuana cardholders with green.”

The aptly named Ms Greene revealed at the end of the story that she was the club’s owner and, as such, was left with little choice but to leave her job.

“Now everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy for fighting for freedom and fairness which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska.

“And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but, f—- it, I quit.”

Details are scant at this point and the whole clip has yet to surface, but good for her.
 

UPDATE: Greene posted a video explaining what happened on YouTube:

“Who is willing to take a stand? I’m not afraid, clearly. But if you are, I don’t judge you or any other man. Nearly a century of marijuana prohibition and stigma have stained America, the land of the free and home of the brave. But we have a chance to start taking back the right. Today it’s marijuana prohibition and, once we get that done nationally, we the people will realize that we are stronger than ever and you will feel empowered to take up what you choose to fight. Advocating for freedom and fairness should be everyone’s duty. I’m making it my life work, to uphold what America stands for truly: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — ideals that now need to be defended.”

Again, good for her. Passionate. Articulate. Committed to doing the right thing. I like her style!
 

 
Seven years ago, Mickey Martin was obliged to plead guilty to conspiracy after his edibles company in California was shut down. Today Martin is channeling his hard-won experience in what not to do by founding the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis in Natick, Massachusetts. As the inexorable tide of cannabis legalization sweeps the nation, it’s leaving a grey area big enough to steer an aircraft carrier through, as states have already legalized the drug, while the federal government most decidedly has not. So in states like Colorado and Washington, carrying and distributing is entirely legal—unless you happen to cross paths with a grumpy FBI agent or federal judge. The situation has led to a huge collective WTF? on the part of legalization supporters. Even as we speak, Washington has hired UCLA professor of public policy Mark Kleiman to serve as its “hemperor” to navigate the thorny legal issues and decide on a policy that does the most good for most Washingtonians.
 

 
Martin, like most observers convinced that drug policy reform is likely to continue, sees an opportunity to fill a necessary gap in the market, to educate those entering the pot retail business not to repeat his mistakes. As the Boston Globe reported, interest is significant—the school has fielded about 1,500 enrollment inquiries, some from as far away as Nepal, India, Spain, and Russia. As Martin says, “What you have is people investing heavily into these businesses and going through a competitive application process—dealing with pages of regulations from the Department of Public Health, strict security protocols, strict handling protocols—there’s just not a lot of room for error.”

As an example of the kind of “error” that can occur, consider that 9 of the 20 groups approved to open medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts had their privileges revoked for reasons such as misleading profit models and a lack of support from local communities. These are the aspects of selling legal weed that the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis is designed to inform future retailers about.
 

Northeastern Institute of Cannabis founder Mickey Martin
 
Classes at the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis start on September 15th. There are 12 courses, which cost $199 each; the full program costs $1500. The classes will cover regulations, the history of pot, cultivation techniques, the science of reefer, and media relations. Cultivation classes will have to make do with video instruction feeds coming from approved dispensaries.

It’s a little weird that the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis is located in a state that has not yet embraced marijuana legalization, but Martin is confident that pot will be legalized completely in Massachusetts in 2016—as long as advocates are able to get it on the ballot.

Here’s a radio interview Martin conducted with Boston radio station WAAF:
 

 
In an article published yesterday on Alternet with the title “Growing Numbers of Pot Smokers Eat Mango Before Lighting Up,” Clarissa A. León reports about a new trend, if that’s the right word, or perhaps “a growing awareness” is a better way of putting it, among cannabis users that the myrcene molecules found in a mango can “boost” the high, both prolonging and intensifying pot’s euphoric effects.

Myrcene is responsible for the aromas of apricots, walnuts and Valencia oranges and is widely used in the perfume industry. It gets its name from the plant mercia and is also found in lemongrass, verbena, hops and the West Indian bay tree used to make bay rum. Its aroma is much like cannabis as it can be woodsy, citrusy and fruity.

But one of its lesser-known qualities is that the myrcene allows THC to pass through the blood brain barrier much faster. On average, it takes THC seven seconds to reach the brain after inhaling. But if you eat a mango — or a mango smoothie — 90 minutes before smoking, you could potentially halve that time.

I had heard about this for a few years, but never really took it that seriously, thinking it seemed like a stoner superstition. Before running out to the grocery store to buy a few hundred pounds of mangos for my all mango diet, I decided to ask Michael Backes, author of the forthcoming book, Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana, “Is this mango shit true?”

Yes, is the short answer. Here’s what he told me:

Mango contains myrcene, an essential oil that is part of a class of compounds called terpenes. Terpenes are responsible for the strong smell of cannabis and some of its effects. Different varieties of cannabis (and mangoes) produce more myrcene varieties than others.  Myrcene is definitely synergistic with THC, the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

Myrcene is believed to be responsible for sedative “couch lock” effect of wide-leafleted “indica” varieties of high-THC cannabis. Dried flowers of these indicas can contain nearly 2 percent myrcene. It is incorrect to state that myrcene is linked to the euphoric psychoactivity of cannabis, as myrcene is more responsible for the “stone,” rather than euphoria. 

The bad news is that orally administered myrcene is not likely to reach your bloodstream, since it’s not easy for it to be absorbed through the gut and survive liver metabolism.  Plants evolved terpenes like myrcene, in part to discourage grazing animals and attract some insects and repel others. We evolved the ability not be poisoned by these terpenes, by limiting their ability to be metabolized.

But there’s a way around this. It’s kind of ridiculous, but myrcene can be absorbed by the mucus membranes, meaning that if you wanted to hold a puree of mango under your tongue, or in your cheek like Skoal, this will work and from what I understand, it’ll work pretty well.

Still if the notion of carrying around a mouthful of messy mango mush puts you off too much, there are other ways to skin this cat, such as a strong lemonade with lots of black pepper in it, as is often served in Morocco with cannabis. The key is to use a lot of rind, which contains the limonene, which is also a terpene. Black pepper is very high in beta-caryophyllene, which is also synergistic with THC and is actually a cannabinoid. Alternately, you can chew on a bunch of fresh lemongrass (easier than holding a mouthful of mango puree, right?) or make a tincture of that.

Before anyone decides to do this at home, keep in mind that eating a mango can cause some people’s mouths to swell, so who knows what some mango puree snus is gonna do for you in the allergies department…

 
These brazen, don’t-give-a-fuck rolling paper packs from the 1970s are giving me a good chortle. None of that namby-pamby “for tobacco use only” crap for these babies, these images will practically give you a contact high. The styles wander all over the map, and they’re pretty funny, too. Note also that they reach out to a bunch of different demographics: shaggy hippies, Eastern mystical types, “patriotic” libertarians, cosmic tokers, armored mammals…..

“Reserved for Patriots” (on both of the ones with $100 bill design) isn’t the first phrase that I would expect to see on a package of rolling papers, but I guess it takes all kinds.

Obviously the Big Bambú papers were made famous by Cheech and Chong’s second album Big Bambú, which faithfully reproduced the visual design (stoners are sticklers for detail) and incidentally landed at #2 on the U.S. charts! I’m especially impressed with the Insta-Roach concept. Every paper comes with its own piece of metal wire—once you’ve smoked down to the nub, instant roach clip!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Here’s a helpful video on “how to roll the perfect joint”:

 
via The World’s Best Ever

 
Foria is a brand new sexual lubricant for the sexy stoner lady with high-class tastes. For a mere pittance of $88 (and a California medical marijuana prescription), you can get a one-ounce jar of coconut oil and THC to smear on (and in) your ladyflower. In fact, Foria is actually named for the female flower of the marijuana plant—but don’t worry, Foria is nearly odorless. (Even the most devoted of potheads might balk at vulva perfumed with Alaskan Thunderfuck.)

Apparently Foria doesn’t get you high (unless you eat it)—but women using it reported varying degrees of a warmish and/or tingly sensation. While that sounds totally harmless, I’m a little baffled this product is legal. Humans have been smoking pot since forever, and we’ve had some time to study its effects by now. There are no studies or reports on the effects of THC taken vaginally, so who are these genital pioneers, willing to try untested sexual pharmacology?
 

This is actually the picture on the website. Next to it are the words, “Discover the pleasure within,” and there’s a button linked to the video below that says, “watch teaser.” Subtle!

From the day spa aesthetic of the website to the look of the testimonials in the video below, I’d say Foria is subtly being marketed to women experiencing a drop in hormones or some level of female sexual dysfunction. The use of the word “aphrodisiac” is a dead giveaway:

Our proprietary formula was inspired by the historical use of cannabis as an aphrodisiac in traditional cultures around the world. This ancient wisdom has been validated by the recent groundswell of scientific research into the health benefits of marijuana. Foria harnesses the complex powers of marijuana to create a potent “therapeutic aphrodisiac.”

Because we believe that health and pleasure are naturally inseparable, we chose to make Foria with 100% natural liquid coconut oil. Besides being delicious to eat, our coconut oil has a naturally low pH that is great for skin care and ideal for maintaining a healthy vaginal pH—one key to fighting off yeast and bacteria—thereby promoting natural harmony and balance within the body.

First of all, “proprietary”? You dissolved THC in cooking oil—you didn’t invent female Viagra.

This kind of new age woo is always half “ancient wisdom,” half “scientific research,” and while I’m sure no one’s vagina is going to OD on weed-lube, it’s disconcerting that an essentially untested drug product—one intended for use on a very permeable, very sensitive, very important part of the female body—doesn’t have an OBGYN’s endorsement. What it does have is a reassuringly “natural” brand. Before inventing Foria, Mathew Gerson founded Sir Richard’s Condom Company, a wildly successful “luxury condom” you can buy at bougie grocery stores. Sir Richard’s condoms are all-natural, vegan, and for every condom you buy, one is donated to “a community in need.” They’re the Tom’s Shoes of the John Thomas. Forget green capitalism—we’ve moved on to green fapitalism. (Be happy I stopped there—I got a million of ‘em.)

Look, maybe this Bono of boning really has created a magical product with ancient wisdom and scientific research. Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow will blog about it, and maybe it will help a few rich women achieve some much-needed moments of elation, but I’m not reassured by any product just because it’s “natural.” Heroin is “natural,” and it comes from a pretty flower too. Until the science is in, I intend to consume my illicits through inhalation and digestion—just as the good Lord intended. Anything else would make me feel like a drug mule, or worse—some corporate hippie’s unwitting lab rat.

Check out the testimonial “teaser” below for some frank endorsements from attractive middle-aged brunette women.
 

 
Via Nerve

 
Recreational cannabis is legal in Denver, Colorado, but folks are still feeling a little bit iffy about its sudden visible, and potentially sniffable, presence. The Denver police are now using an instrument called the “Nasal Ranger” (yes, that’s really what it is called), to measure and track the scent of pot in order to better enforce laws regarding smell complaints. They began using the tool fairly recently, purportedly after pot-related odor complaints more than doubled. Doubling sounds like a lot, right?

Oh wait, except that the numbers were pretty negligible to begin with.

In a city of around 634,000 people, there were 98 smell complaints in 2010, seven involved weed. In 2012, there were 288 complaints, with sixteen having to do with marihuana. While that’s an increase overall, complaints about pot actually decreased by about 1.5%, and this was all prior to the legalization of pot for recreational use. In 2013 (up until September 20th), they recorded 85 complaints, eleven of which were attributed to marijuana, a slight increase since 2010, but the city isn’t exactly being hot-boxed. And let’s be honest, at least some of those complaints were made by anti-pot tattle-tales and buttinskies. I only know a few Denverites, but none I’ve spoken to have complained of a sudden pervasive skunky smog enveloping the Mile-High City.

I looked up the Nasal Ranger, attempting to find a price, but apparently you have to request a quote, which is far too much work for an (cough) groggy young woman like myself. It sounds to me like the police department bought an expensive-ass toy in order to assuage some stuffy reactionaries. In all fairness, the Nasal Ranger actually seems like a pretty tame measure when you learn there are people in Denver attempting to pass laws making the very smell of pot punishable by up to $999 or up to a year in jail.

And at least the Nasal Ranger uses measurable data. That way, they can punish only the truly egregious odor levels—smells most likely produced by a dispensary or farm, not personal use. And at most, it’s a $2,000 fine, nothing completely outrageous. The more potentially unjust part is the provision declaring that five household complaints in a 12 hour period constitutes a violation. That could so easily abused by a few vindictive, lying, busybody neighbors.

On some level, I sympathize with a fear of overpowering smells. I grew up next to a donut factory that ran the ovens at 5 am, right when I was driving to my awful job as a hotel maid. I used love the smell of donuts, but after living in a cloying corn syrup fog for a year, I can now only stand the aroma when the odd donut craving hits me. Of course, now I live in a West Indian neighborhood, so guess what my street smells like in the summer heat? Barbecue, you racists! (Seriously, 95 degrees and a smoker full of jerk chicken in front of every brownstone.)
 

 
Via NPR

“Ma’am, what primary factor would you attribute your astonishing longevity to?”

A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine finds that heavy pot smokers tend to be slimmer than former marijuana users and non-smokers.

In the abstract, the researchers went into the background of the study:

There are limited data regarding the relationship between cannabinoids and metabolic processes. Epidemiologic studies have found lower prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes mellitus in marijuana users compared with people who have never used marijuana, suggesting a relationship between cannabinoids and peripheral metabolic processes. To date, no study has investigated the relationship between marijuana use and fasting insulin, glucose, and insulin resistance.

They concluded:

We found that marijuana use was associated with lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, and smaller waist circumference.

This would suggest that cannabinoids have a positive effect on metabolic processes.

I’m not a scientist, but the first thing that occurred to me is that this doesn’t seem to take into account the fact that bigtime potheads tend not to drink alcohol very much, if at all. I wonder how many of the non-smokers control group were in fact drinkers? I’d like to see a study pitting the physiques of big stoners versus moderate to heavy drinkers.

 
A classic moment from 7th Heaven.

As one YouTuber quipped:

God help him when they find his gay porn collection…

 
Bonus clip: Another classic moment from 7th Heaven, perhaps the most classic moment of all…
 

 
I approve of this:

NASCAR fans attending the 2013 Brickyard 400 races are being greeted by this ad on a jumbotron at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The spoof beer ad produced by the Marijuana Policy Project highlights the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol by characterizing marijuana as a “new ‘beer’” with “no calories,” “no hangovers,” and “no violence” associated with its use.

No doubt many more people will see this spot on the Internet than at a NASCAR race.