Innehållsförteckning för May 2023 från High Times

WHEN IT COMES TO NAVIGATING LIFE our main wellness tools can be found both without and within. Maintaining a balanced endocannabinoid system (ECS) is crucial for feeling good. While there are ways to feed our ECS without weed (such as exercise, leafy greens, and omega-3 fatty acids), cannabis can be a crucial companion in living a healthy and happy life. In this issue we’re jumping into the topic of “wellness” in a number of different ways. Killer Mike, one half of the rap duo Run The Jewels, explains how he likes to start his day with the high attained from exercise before lighting up as he works towards fitness goals and living longer. Christina Wong explores an Oakland, California-based consumption lounge where weed drinks replace cocktails in a social setting…

Tweet your best high observations and comments our way (@HIGH_TIMES_Mag) for a chance to be featured on this page! And be sure to follow us on Facebook: (Facebook.com/HighTimesMag) and Instagram: (@hightimesmagazine) for all the latest news as it’s happening! @SentientAtom @HIGH_TIMES_Mag Imagine billions that have gone toward pot arrests and investigations went toward parks and rec; towards rural libraries; towards scholarships or trade school grants instead… Imagine if the government cared less of which plants you ingested and more of your quality of life. @awesomesound1 @HIGH_TIMES_Mag U.S. is now on the Canadian corporate/government weed schedule. They did this before legal, raid, arrest and shutdown all unregulated cannabis businesses without even an application so the fat wallet executives can secure money and stocks. More laws and regulations and high price weed.…

LEARNING ABOUT CANNABIS FOR THE FIRST TIME can be daunting. While canna-curious consumers can scour the internet in search of general tips on how to start using cannabis, nothing really beats hands-on guidance from a trusted source. Which is why Lexi Kafkis created New Rituals as an essential resource for new consumers, where she acts as a guide to educate and mentor those who want to try cannabis but aren’t sure where to start. Kafkis’s experience as a certified cannabis health coach, yoga instructor, as well as freelance creative director and brand strategist, led her to two important realizations. First, that cannabis has been used by ancient cultures across the world for thousands of years, and second, that most of today’s cannabis brands aren’t providing proper guidance that beginners need.…

Joel Kim Booster wants you to feel connected to him. The multi-hyphenate stand-up comic, writer, and actor is taking this year to lay the groundwork on his already blossoming career—working on a ton of new writing projects, filming season two of Loot on Apple TV, and working on a new hour of stand-up—all with the intent of expressing himself creatively and building a stronger relationship with you, the audience. Part of what drives Booster’s success, self-admittedly, is the connection he’s able to foster with his audience. It’s a connection that people are both looking for and need in today’s era of comedy to feel alive and part of something. For his part, Booster is an expert at creating a familiarity with his audiences, and over the course of our phone…

The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced on Feb. 9 that it has chosen 14 cities and/or counties to receive a portion of $15 million in grants from the 2022-2023 Cannabis Equity Grants Program. The application window closed in October 2022, and the following areas were approved to receive funds through the program: Oakland, Los Angeles, Sacramento, the city and county of San Francisco, Long Beach, Humboldt County, the city and county of San Diego, Lake County, Watsonville, Nevada County, Sonoma County, Coachella, and Modesto. According to GO-Biz, “This program aids local efforts to support equity applicants and licensees through technical support, regulatory compliance assistance and assistance securing startup capital.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2023 already confirms that another $15 million…

Weed helps me fall asleep. My partner noticed my apnea is not as bad on nights when I take a 5 mg edible. Is this a possibility or just wishful thinking? -Shawn Lewis Animal research and small trials with humans suggest that the dose you picked (between 2.5 mg-10 mg) really does help apnea. But living with sleep apnea can be a real drag in the long term. Seeing a legitimate sleep specialist is worth the effort! What’s up with Uruguay? It was the first country to legalize cannabis. Huge deal. But now I don’t hear anything about it. -Al Campbell Uruguay set up regulations that required people to register with the government if they intend to purchase cannabis from approved pharmacies. As Sweet Brown said in her decadeold interview-turned-meme…

DEAR EDITOR, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A CANNABIS REVOLUTION. THIS revolution is both cultural and political. Globally, the laws surrounding cannabis are shifting. Several countries, such as Canada, have enacted adult-use legalization into law while other jurisdictions, like Israel, have normalized cannabis’s role as a safe and effective therapeutic agent. In the United States, 37 states regulate medical cannabis access and nearly half of all Americans reside in a jurisdiction where adult-use cannabis is legal. Nearly 70% of voters endorse this policy change, and at the federal level, an increasing percentage of politicians from both sides of the aisle are speaking out in favor of the repeal of federal cannabis criminalization. In October 2022, the President of the United States publicly denounced cannabis prohibition, stating, “No one should…

MANY LONG-TERM CONSUMERS OF CANNABIS DEVELOP HIGHER tolerance over time. And with the array of higher potency products on the market today, higher tolerance can also indicate that a person’s endocannabinoid system, a regulatory system that helps control functions like mood, appetite, sleep, sex drive, and more, has gotten a bit lazy. After all, when we are consistently hitting our endocannabinoid receptors with phytocannabinoids (cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant) it may not work as effectively or efficiently. Taking a break from cannabis completely, or reducing the amount of THC one is consuming by changing up products and/or consumption methods, can ensure that the endocannabinoid system is working at its best. Thinking about taking a break? You’re not alone. According to the Cannabis Consumer Survey from New Frontier Data, 56%…

On Feb. 3, the Australian government announced that it will amend its Poisons Standard, which is the country’s method of classifying medicine and chemical substances into a scheduled category, to reschedule psilocybin and MDMA. As of July 1, 2023, both psilocybin and MDMA will be categorized as Schedule 8 substances, which will allow them to be prescribed to patients by licensed psychiatrists. The decision was made by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) which recognized "there is a need for access to new therapies for therapies for treatment-resistant conditions such as treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” Although the TGA warns patients that there may be risks with consuming either substance, they said they can be safe when consumed in a medical environment. “It was decided that by limiting…

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) released its annual ranking report in February, which ranks U.S. states and territories based on individual medical cannabis industries. Criteria includes an analysis of patient rights and civil protections, medicine access, affordability, program functionality, and health and social equity. ASA did not award any state with an A rating, and only three earned a B rating, including Connecticut (B-), Rhode Island (B-), and Maryland (B-). More than 20 states earned a C grade, 14 earned a D, and 13 earned an F. ASA explained that states with already existing medical cannabis programs are doing well, with over six million patients nation-wide and a positive increase in expungement programs and services, but overall, patients are still being forgotten. “As we move forward to change federal cannabis…

May the ounce be with you! This month’s THMQ saw an uptick in pot prices nationwide, as the average ounce in America now runs $316, due to all three regional markets indicating index increases. The East was the biggest culprit with a $22 escalation to $330 an ounce, with the West going up $13 to $312, while the South had a more modest $7 rise to $307. The theme for May’s Top 5 has to be attack of the Gary strains, as the old favorite Gary Payton and cleverly named newcomer Gary Poppins (a hybrid of Payton and Red Runtz strains) both made the list, at a rather high price. TOP 5 STRAINS WINNERS LOSERS HIGHEST 10 STATES LOWEST 10 STATES STOCKS REPORTED FEBRUARY 2, 2023…

A Canadian federal court recently ruled that Health Canada, the country’s health agency, does not need to disclose information about large-scale cannabis growers, for fear that it could violate a patient’s right to privacy. The outlet known as The Globe and Mail submitted a request for growers’s information in August 2017, in regards to an investigation on identifying individuals who hold a license to cultivate large-scale cannabis operations that were potentially being used for organized crime. However, Health Canada rejected the request for information. In February, Federal Justice William Pentney ruled that information about cannabis growers can’t be disclosed, stating that even releasing the general city location could risk identifying patients. Pentney said that Health Canada was “not required to undertake a more detailed analysis of the risks associated with…

A new study published online in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry in February shows how machine learning methods can be used to predict if cannabis is useful in treating an individual’s mental health symptoms. Using an app called Strainprint, study participants recorded their symptoms before and after they consumed cannabis, and machine learning methods were used to analyze that data. The app found patterns of 68,819 “unique observations of cannabis use” from 1,307 individuals who used cannabis to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. “Findings from this study highlight the importance of several factors in predicting perceived symptom change with acute cannabis use for mental health symptom management,” researchers wrote in their conclusion. “Mental health profiles and baseline symptom severity may play a large role in perceived responses to…